“Keep going,” he said. “Will’s in the back.” The place was clean, not cluttered like a lot of tattoo parlors, but the walls were covered floor-to-ceiling with framed photos of tattoos done by the ink artists who worked there.
Jase paused to look over the designs, but didn’t see any red lipstick kisses like the one behind Chrissy Gallagher’s left ear. He flicked a glance at a bearded biker waiting for his turn in one of the chairs and set a hand at Kate’s waist, urging her toward the booth at the back of the parlor.
The owner, Will Rizzoli, was a skinny guy with a zillion tattoos, prematurely silver-gray hair and a long pointed nose that fit his narrow face.
“Hey, Hawk! Dude, it’s good to see you!”
“You, too, man.” They did a handgrip, leaned in and brushed shoulders. “Kate, this is Will Rizzoli. He’s a good friend and a true artist.”
Kate smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Will.” Her glance went to the sleeve of tattoos on each of Will’s long arms, mostly landscape scenes of waterfalls and ocean waves crashing up on the beach. “Your work is amazing.”
Will smiled shyly. “Thanks.” His gaze went over Kate in a professional scan of her body. “You’ve got nice skin. I could design something special for you, anything you wanted.”
“Thanks. I’ll...um...give it some thought.”
Jase figured she would pass—one tat was probably enough for Kate. He’d caught a glimpse of her wild side at the Sagebrush, but the woman who owned Gallagher and Company and dressed in business suits had a conservative side, as well. He was a little surprised to find both sides appealing.
“So what can I do for you?” Will asked him. “You ready for something new?”
“I need information, Will.” He took out the photo of the tattoo he had taken at the morgue, and held it up for his friend to see. “Look familiar?”
“Is that a...body?”
“Yeah. The girl was murdered. We’re trying to find the guy who killed her. We were hoping the tattoo behind her ear might give us a lead.”
Will looked down at the picture on Jase’s iPhone. “The kiss tattoo isn’t that uncommon. Lot of women have them. But I’ve never seen one placed behind an ear.”
Jase pocketed the phone. “Any idea who might have done the work?”
“Like I said, it’s a fairly common tat. Could have been anyone. No real skill required to put it there.”
“You said the location is unusual,” Kate said. “Maybe that could turn out to be something?”
“Could be. I guess investigating a crime, you never know what’s gonna be useful.” Will smiled at Kate. “If you change your mind about that tat, I’ll give you a good deal. Any friend of Hawk’s and all that.”
Kate smiled back. “I’ll remember that.”
Jase led her outside and they climbed into the Yukon.
“What’s next?” Kate asked.
He cranked the key and fired the engine. “I’ve got a friend. She’s a genius at digging up info. I called her this morning. She’s expecting us.”
Tabitha Love, The Max’s computer whiz, lived in Richardson, not far from the university. He could have phoned but he preferred to stop by, reinforce personal connections whenever he could.
After a thirty-minute drive, he pulled up in front of an older redbrick single-story house. They got out of the car and walked up on the porch, and Tabby opened the door.
“Hey, Hawk. Come on in.”
Jase looked at Kate. “Tabitha Love, meet Kate Gallagher.”
Tabby smiled. “Nice to meet you, Kate.” Both women stood around five-nine. While Kate’s hair was long and golden blond, Tabby’s was black, cut short, sheered on the sides and moussed on top. A silver hoop glittered in one dark eyebrow, and a row of tiny hoops circled the side of one ear. When she smiled, a tongue stud flickered.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Kate said.
Tabby was unique in every way, and one of the smartest people he had ever known. They followed her into a living room that needed another window, decorated in a thrift shop version of chic. Tabby kept walking, leading them across the brown shag carpet down the hall to her bedroom office, which was exactly the opposite of the rest of the house, ultramodern, with the best computers and high-tech equipment money could buy.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Tabby said to Kate. “Jase told me about your sister. I’m sorry for your loss.”
