Page 59 of Little Dark Deeds

Foley reached for the envelope and nodded.“I will, though I’m not sure what kind of forensic magic Silas can glean from them.”

“He can lift prints, if there are any.Several years back, before you were the chief of police, and I was still a detective working for the department, Silas worked a case where he managed to lift a partial off an envelope.”

Paper was delicate to work with, but it could be done.The best way was with ninhydrin, which reacts with amino acids in the fingerprint residue, producing a purplish-blue print, called Ruhemann’s purple.Then it’s sprayed or brushed on the paper.After the paper dries, heat is applied.If there are viable fingerprints, ones that aren’t smeared or too small to make out, Silas would be able to see them as soon as a few hours following treatment.

“You said ‘as soon as ...’I’m assuming it could take longer?”

“It could take a few days.I don’t even know if it will work.There are other ways he can test too.If he goes with the ninhydrin method, the paper can’t be reused for other tests.The good thing is, we have several pictures to test.”

“You’re saying he can test them in a variety of ways, right?”Whitlock asked.

“He can, and knowing Silas, he will.Give him the photos.He’ll know what to do.”

CHAPTER 22

Ientered 2 LittleFigs, my favorite local coffee shop the following morning, and I glanced around.My eyes came to rest on a man dressed in a fitted olive-colored suit and black pinstriped tie.We made eye contact, and he nodded, offering a slight smile, as I walked over, sitting across from him in the booth.

“Hello, Everett.”

He rubbed his temples as if trying to press the negative thoughts away.“It’s good to see you, Georgiana, though I’d prefer it if it were under different circumstances.”

“I would too.How have you been?”

It was a stupid question.

Iknewhow he was doing.

I guessed the same as me.

“I’ve been better,” he said.“You?”

“Trying to live with the reality of what’s happened, though I suspect it would be a whole lot easier to live in denial.”

“Tell me about it.I can’t believe it, you know?I just saw Tiffany a week ago.We had a nice chat, caught up on both of our lives.She wasn’t in the best of spirits that day, but she was excited for your wedding.I’m assuming it was a joyous occasion?”

“It was, although the moment I heard about what happened to Tiffany, everything changed,” I said.“All I wanted was to get back here and nail the guy who did this to her.A few of the wedding guests knew what happened to Tiffany on the day of my wedding, but they waited until the next morning to tell me.I think I knew before that, though.I had a strange dream that night.”