Penny studied the contents of the trunk. “This is all that has been preserved from the scenes of the murders?”
“I’m afraid so,” Logan said.
Amity considered the items. “Four plain gold rings and three lockets with chains.” She looked at Logan. “You said you believed there was a fourth murder.”
“Yes,” Logan said. “But according to the records, the family kept the locket of the first victim. They wanted it as a memento of their daughter.”
Declan frowned. “Not much to go on here.”
“Hard to believe this is all that was considered worth salvaging from the scenes of such serious crimes,” Benedict said.
Logan’s mouth tightened at the corners. “I agree. Keep in mind that I was assigned to this case only recently after my predecessor failed to identify a suspect. I’m certain that there was more evidence but it was discarded as irrelevant.” He paused. “There were other factors that limited the scope of the investigation, as well.”
Penny nodded. “The families of the victims would have brought a great deal of pressure to bear on the police to keep things quiet.”
“There is always a great fear of scandal in cases of this sort,” Logan said. “The families did not want rumors and titillating accounts of their daughters’ deaths appearing in the press. Not that they were able to prevent that from happening, of course.”
Benedict looked at him. “I assume the lockets were tested for fingerprints?”
“Yes,” Logan said. “But none were found.”
“Presumably the killer wore gloves or wiped the jewelry clean,” Benedict said.
“Most likely.”
Amity looked at Logan. “There does not appear to be anything special about the rings.”
“No,” Logan said. “I was unable to trace them to the shop that sold them.”
“May I open the lockets?” she asked.
“Certainly,” Logan said. “The only items inside are photos of the women dressed in wedding gowns and veils.”
“The lockets are not cheap,” Penny observed. “The silver is good quality but the designs are old-fashioned.”
“I showed them to a couple of jewelers who recognized the hallmarks,” Logan said. “I was told that the lockets are all nearly a decade out of fashion and that they must have been made several years ago. I suspect the killer found them in various pawn shops.”
Amity reached into the box and took out one of the lockets. She opened it with great care and set it on the desk.
They all looked at the photograph. The picture was that of a bride viewed from the waist up. Her veil was thrown back off her face to reveal the features of an attractive young woman with dark hair. There was a bouquet of white lilies in her gloved hands. She stared straight at the camera as though confronting a cobra. Even though the photograph was small, there was no mistaking the fear and dread in the victim’s eyes.
Amity shivered. “Dear heaven,” she whispered.
No one else spoke.
She took out the other two lockets, opened them and set them beside the first. There were definite, obvious similarities about the pictures.
“It appears that these portraits were all taken in the same studio,” she said.
“I agree.” Benedict took a closer look, frowning in concentration. “The lighting is the same in each picture.”
“The flowers are all white lilies but they are slightly different in each photograph,” Penny observed.
“That makes sense,” Amity said. “It would be very difficult to make three bridal bouquets appear exactly the same.”
For a time they all stood in silence, contemplating the photos.
“White,” Amity said suddenly.
