Page 81 of The Advocate’s Ultimatum

Gene was in the garage, as usual at this hour. The sound of tools hitting concrete echoed faintly before she reached the door. Sabre stepped inside.

Gene looked up from the workbench, wiping his hands on a rag.

Sabre held up the paper. “I need your eyes on something.”

Gene took the page and studied it without speaking. He showed no reaction at first, just quiet attention. Then he said, “Huh.”

“Have you seen it before?”

Gene tilted the page. “Not exactly,” he said. “But close.”

“What does it look like to you?” she asked.

Gene leaned against the bench. “Something you’d see inside,” he said. “Not a big gang. More like a crew mark.”

“But?”

Gene handed the paper back. “But it’s not right.”

“How?”

Gene pointed to the lines. “Too clean,” he said. “Too balanced. Those marks aren’t usually this thought out.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Gene crossed his arms. “Where’d you get it?”

“One of my delinquency clients,” Sabre said. “It’s on her wrist.”

“What’s she charged with?”

“Murder.”

Gene’s expression darkened. “That matters.”

“Do you think it’s connected to something inside?”

Gene shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe someone wanted it to look like it was.”

“Do you know anyone who could tell us for sure?”

“Yeah. I do.”

JP came in, and they both turned.

“How did your chat with Rourke go?” Sabre asked.

“He was helpful.”

She waited.

“He was polite, prepared, and smooth.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s several.”

JP took off his hat and dropped it onto the tool box.