He rose halfway to standing before pausing and squatting again. Using a pinched grip with gloved fingers, he moved the man’s dress shirt aside, revealing more of the designer leather jacket that lay beneath.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” He laughed and waved me over. “Doc, look at this.”
I approached, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end when I saw what he found. How had I missed that? Had Danica seen it? Did she get a picture? Kobe, his presence in my life, and the unfiltered comments I couldn’t seem to let go of must have scrambled my brain so badly that I was making mistakes.
I cursed and waved Danica over as I barked, “Don’t touch it,” to Kobe. “Did you get this?” I asked Danica.
“No, sir.”
Kobe held the garment so it could be photographed. Caught in the jacket’s zipper was a tangled snare of fabric that held the remnants of a single scarlet tassel. The same color as the fibers taken from the other victims.
“It looks like it’s from a woman’s scarf.” Kobe bent to get a closer look when Danica was finished.
“You’re speculating.”
“Maybe, but I bet I’m right.” I didn’t expect the low chuckle, but when Kobe turned to me, a wicked grin creased his eyes. “We hit the jackpot, Doc. There’s hair tangled in the tassel.”
28
Kobe
I snapped off mygloves, stuffing them into a pocket as I followed Dominique outside the cordoned area and across the street to where he had parked. “I need that hair sent to a lab pronto. You can get DNA from hair, right?”
“From a root, but even then, the results can only be used in a comparison, to confirm or eliminate a suspect.”
“How long does that take?” I knew the answer, even as the question left my mouth.
Dominique tossed his instrument bag in the trunk and slammed the lid. “Weeks. Months. It depends on how backed up things are at the lab. We’ll be able to confirm if it’s human hair sooner, but—”
“It is. Did you see how long it was? That is the best piece of evidence we’ve found. Holy shit. I’m practically giddy. Can you put a rush on those labs?”
Dominique huffed derisively. “Good luck with that. I’m not sure even your sergeant has the power to move those kinds of mountains.”
“Damn.”
A car drove by, spraying slush in our direction, so we moved to the curb to talk. I had inspected the hair, but it was so tangled in the fabric that I couldn’t determine if there was a root. It was long, that much I knew, and darker in color, between brown and black. It was impossible to say exactly.
“Can you tell if it’s natural or dyed?”
“It will come back with the testing.”
“I need it sooner.” But I was shouting into the wind, and I knew it. “Never mind. Are you going home?” I asked reluctantly.
“No. I have a frozen body to thaw and a boyfriend who I suspect would be upset with me if I didn’t start that autopsy as soon as possible.”
“He wouldn’t be upset, but he would appreciate it.”
Dominique had been off since he’d shown up at LeBreton Flats earlier. My eagerness to get a close look at the messy scene had irritated him more than I expected, but I understood. Dominique was a professional. He was meticulous about his job, and although my erratic behavior might be fine off the clock, it didn’t go over well when we were deeply entrenched in work.
I glanced around, but we were alone. Anyone who remained was on the field, wrapping up. Those who could get away had done so. Dominique had supervised the team removing the body. A handful of CSIs lingered, along with the constables who had been instructed to secure the area.
I took Dominique’s hand and drew him closer. The cold wind had turned his cheeks raw and red. Mine felt no different and likely appeared equally abused. We’d been outside for hours, starting with our trip to the toboggan hill with the kids. My bones ached, and I needed a hot drink.
Dominique’s husky blue eyes shone pale under the winter sun as he searched my face with a quiet restraint.
“I’m sorry our day got ruined.” I squeezed his hand. “I was having fun.”
He looked down, a stitch in his brow as he nodded. “Me too. Sorry I’m so agitated. I like things to be in order, and—”
