“Works for me,” Nova said in a cheerful tone that didn’t match the mood of anyone else in the room. Rory and especially Ethan knew this wasn’t going to be a piece of cake for her.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Rory said.
He headed out, easing the door shut behind them. That wouldn’t guarantee them any privacy. People came and went from this room all the time, but Rory would no doubt spread the word about what was happening.
“This is Deputy Ethan Oakley,” Livvy said, introducing him and shaking Nova’s hand. Ethan and she sat on the sofa while Nova took the chair. “And you can call me Livvy.”
“All right, Livvy,” Nova repeated, opening the backpack she’d brought with her. She didn’t take out a sketchpad but rather a tablet. “I don’t use digital imaging software,” she explained. “I do the drawing from what you can tell me. So, relax, take a few deep breaths and try to clear your mind so you can focus better.”
Livvy dragged in a few breaths and did her best to tune out the past hours and home in on the past.
“Just start with the basics,” Nova instructed, “and we’ll adjust as we go.”
“A woman,” Livvy managed. “In her late twenties or early thirties. Slim build. Blond hair cut short and choppy. Green eyes. An oval-shaped face with no distinguishing marks,” she added as Nova got to work. “A slight cleft in her chin. Beautiful,” she murmured. “She was beautiful.”
Nova made a brief glance up from her screen. “Was,” she repeated. She didn’t seem unnerved by that fact, only curious. “How long had she been dead when you saw her?”
Livvy had to shake her head.
“All right, then I won’t be able to estimate skin tone,” she said as she just kept working. “Tell me about her cheekbones and jaw.”
Livvy didn’t have to conjure up the images. They were already front and center in her mind. “Neither was pronounced. Average.”
“And her mouth?” Nova went on.
“Full,” she provided.
Nova looked up again. “Like yours?”
She settled for a nod, and she was glad when Ethan reached over and took her hand.
“And the shape of the eyes?” Nova pressed.
“Round with just a slight upturn at the edges.”
Nova worked in silence for a few minutes, her pen quickly moving over the tablet’s screen. She then turned it for Livvy to see. Livvy released the breath she’d been holding when she saw that it wasn’t the woman’s face. Not quite.
“Her cheeks are slightly fuller,” she supplied. “And her hair was a darker blond.”
Nova immediately got started on tweaking the image, and when she was done, she turned it back toward Livvy. There was another round of minor adjustments on the position of the eyes. One on the curve of her chin, too. But when Nova added in all of those and showed her the sketch, Livvy knew they’d nailed it.
“Yes,” she managed. “That’s the woman.”
Nova beamed out a smile, which faded considerably when she saw Livvy’s reaction. “All right,” she murmured. “I’ll fire off a copy of this to the sheriff. I’m guessing you’ll want one as well.”
“I do,” Livvy said, and she gave Nova her phone number. Nova immediately sent a text with the picture attached.
Ethan took her phone and looked at the image. He muttered something under his breath that she didn’t catch.
“I can go ahead and put this in the missing persons database,” he offered, and when Livvy nodded, he sent off the image. Now all that was left was the waiting. If they got a hit, they’d know who she was, and if they didn’t, then they were back to square one.
“Thank you,” Livvy told Nova as the woman gathered up her things and got to her feet.
“Anytime.” She tipped her head toward Livvy’s phone, where the sketch was still on the screen. “Hope you find her,” Nova added.
Both Ethan and Livvy stood, following Nova out of the break room and back toward the bullpen. They said their goodbyes, and she headed to the front door.
Just as Anthony walked in.
