Long Shadows (Amos Decker, #7)(10)

“Any trace under her fingernails?” asked White.

“None that I could find on a preliminary exam. I’ll look closer when I do the post.”

“Blood on her hands, knees, the bottoms of her feet?” noted Decker.

Andrews said, “Explained by the fact that she was attacked downstairs, stepped in her own blood, maybe fell, and got blood on her knees. Ran up here. Mark on the wall by the stairs where she no doubt put her hand to steady herself, and spatter on the stair runner.”

“Any signs of sexual assault?” asked Decker, who did not look convinced by this theory as the blood spatter images from the stairs and the study marched across his mind’s eye.

Jacobs replied, “I did a prelim. No signs of that. I’ll know more once I get her on the slab. But I don’t think she’s been sexually assaulted.”

Decker looked at the blindfold. “Nice of the killers to leave us this little symbol.”

Andrews stepped forward. “Why blindfold her but then cut the holes so her eyes are showing?”

“The blindfold was most likely put on postmortem,” noted Jacobs.

“Of course it was,” said Decker abruptly.

“You said symbolic?” said White, looking at the blindfold.

Decker said, “The lady was a judge. Justice is supposed to be blind. Only with her, I guess it wasn’t, or at least in the opinion of her killer, since they made sure she was seeing clearly, or as clearly as the dead can.”

Andrews sucked in a sharp breath. “Shit, that could be true.”

“Where did the blindfold come from?” asked Decker.

“From the judge’s closet,” answered Jacobs. “It was taken from a set of handkerchiefs she had.”

“Any trace of the killer left in the closet or here? Footprints, residue of blood spatter from stabbing the judge?” asked White.

“We’ve found nothing so far. We’re still dusting for prints, and we’ll take the prints of family and friends for elimination purposes, of course.”

Decker said, “So this might have been heat of the moment. The killing certainly seemed to be. And the killer used the judge’s handkerchief instead of bringing one already fashioned as a mask. What’d the killer use to cut the holes?”

“We’ve found nothing that had blood on it that would have been used.”

“The killer might have used the knife to do it and then took it with him or her,” said White, who then noted the card in an evidence bag next to the dead woman. “The card was found here?” she asked.

Jacobs nodded. “It was actually placed on her body.”

White looked at the card in the clear plastic bag. “‘Res ipsa loquitor.’”

She glanced over at Decker, who was watching her.

“Any paper or pen here match the card and the ink?” asked Decker.

“The pen is generic, but we’ve found no match here on the card so far,” said Andrews. “The killer might have brought it.”

“Any prints on the card?” asked White.

“No.”

“If the killer brought the card, that does smack of premeditation,” noted White.

“Yes, it does,” said Decker. “But that coupled with the mask and the frenetic stabbing makes this a very contrarian crime scene.”

Decker looked around the space and noted a photo on the nightstand.

In the picture was the deceased, and on either side of her a man and a teenage boy.

Andrews picked up the photo with his gloved hand and said, “That’s Judge Cummins, of course. And that’s her ex-husband, Barry Davidson, and their son, Tyler. Looks like this was taken at the club, judging by the background.”

“The club?” asked White.

“Harbor Club. It’s right down the coast, about five minutes. They were members. Well, the judge was.”

“And her ex and her son? Where are they?”

“We contacted Barry Davidson. He lives nearby.”

“Alibi?”

“He was with his son. It was the week he had him.”

“So his son is his alibi?” said Decker.

“Yes. I understand the boy is devastated.”

“How old is he?”

“Seventeen.”

“Do you know the ex and the son?” asked Decker.

“I’ve met Barry Davidson.”

“And you know this club, obviously, since you recognized it in the photo.”

“Yes. I belong to the Harbor Club, too.”

Decker eyed the man’s costly suit and shoes. “Is that your Lexus outside?”

“Yes, it is. What about it?”

“Nothing. Is the Mazda Draymont’s ride?”

“Yes,” answered Jacobs, looking anxiously between the two men.

Decker said, “So, what’s your theory on what happened here last night, Agent Andrews?”

Andrews glanced at White and then took a moment to compose his thoughts. “I think it seems reasonably clear. Since there was no forced entry, either one of the doors was unlocked or the person or persons was let in. The fact that the judge was in her underwear leads me to believe that Draymont was shot first. The judge, on hearing something from her bedroom, put on a robe, came downstairs, and was attacked. She ran back to her room, probably to lock herself in, but wasn’t able to. They killed her here. Then they left the card and put the blindfold on her.”