Page 21 of Little Dark Deeds

“For a short time.”

“Did anything other than the stab wounds suggest a motive for her murder?”

From the look on his face, he knew what I was getting at.

I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Silas cleared his throat.“I’ll be doing a forensic exam to see if she ...uhh, you know, was ...”

“Raped before or after she was murdered.”

There was an uncomfortable silence, which wasn’t something that happened between us all that often, and I sensed his concern for what I was going through.I imagined others would behave the same way, whether I wanted them to or not.

I was trying to be tough, to act like I could handle this investigation in the same way I’d handled all the others.But if I was being honest with myself, part of me wanted to melt to the ground, ranting and wailing until all my pent-up frustration was spent.

Tiffany had been taken from me, and it wasn’t okay.

It wouldn’teverbe okay.

But right now, I had a job to do.

And I needed to find a way to do it.

“Can you describe the crime scene to me?”I asked.

“Anything in particular?”

“Was she dressed, or was she naked?And if shewasdressed, what was she wearing?”

“She had on a robe.Most of the robe came off during the murder, but it was still over one of her arms when she died.When Tiffany’s father found her, her breasts and genitals were exposed.He admitted to covering her with a towel.”

“Do you believe Tiffany was stabbed with a knife, or is it possible a different object was used?”I asked.

“A knife was found about a foot away from her body.”

How odd.

“Why leave it?”I asked.“You would think the killer would conceal it somehow, taking it with them when they left.”

Silas shrugged.“Why, indeed.There was a fair amount of blood on the knife’s handle and on the blade.”

“Any prints?”

“We didn’t find any.”

To me, that indicated the killer had worn gloves, suggesting premeditation.

I was about to ask a follow-up question, when I heard sniffling, and I looked up, my eyes coming to rest on the one man I wasn’t prepared to face yet.