Page 58 of Little Girls Sleeping

“Is it a match?”

“It’s never a one-hundred-percent match, but the individual characteristics are similar enough that the likelihood of them being from the same tree is a solid ninety, ninety-five percent in my opinion. You can’t get any better than that.”

Katie thought about it for a moment as she gazed at the magnification showing the intricate grains like the veins of a living tree. “Would you be able to make a comparison if we found wood at a potential suspect’s place?”

“Absolutely.”

“Did you find anything on the wood, like fingerprints, fibers, or fluids?”

He moved to the tables as he explained, “There was nothing detectable on it; just a standard stain with four or five layers. We found a couple of brush hairs, but they’re too common to compare to anything specific.”

“What about the fabric used to line the coffins?”

“Nothing that could be compared, I’m afraid. But the type of silk combination used isn’t a common type of fabric you can buy at chain stores. It would have to be specially ordered online or through other means.”

“I see,” said Katie. “Both coffins had the same fabric?”

“Yes. It’s been dyed pink from natural organic sources.” He watched with interest as she jotted down some note.

“Is there anything unusual about the coffins, or anything else that could be used as a comparison if we had something to compare it to?”

“I’m sorry, we searched every inch with several different light sources and there was nothing.”

Katie sighed in disappointment.

“We’re still testing for certain organic and non-organic qualities.” He moved to the other examining tables. “I may have something for you later. We took our time searching the graves and the dirt around them, and if we do find anything, we can be pretty sure it’s from the perpetrator.”

“How long did you search?”

“As long as it took. You can’t rush a crime scene. And these particular circumstances are very unusual.”

“Is that the usual protocol?” she asked, surprised and impressed.

“No. But with the weather conditions and the unstable nature of the hillside, anything could have happened. I wanted to make sure we were able to find whatever was there. We sifted a lot of dirt and searched for any other potential secret areas nearby.”

Katie raised her eyebrows in admiration. “Wow.”

“What would you have done in my position?”

She nodded in silent agreement and then surveyed the clothes. “Anything to report about the girls’ dresses or the teddy bears?”

“The dresses were made from lower-end fabric that can be purchased anywhere. They were hand-sewn.”

“The bears?”

“Interesting. They weren’t manufactured by a company but made individually by someone who’s not a professional. We’re trying to track down how many locations sell this type of fabric. It isn’t faux fur; more of an all-purpose material that would be used for towels or lightweight blankets.”

Katie looked at the work. The seams of the dresses had been sewn by hand with a needle and thread. She saw where the end of the thread had been knotted. The stitches were all the same length.

“Anything foreign on them?” she asked, hoping for something to go on.

“We found three hairs, but they were all from the girls. There are no fibers, bodily fluids, or anything we can determine to be foreign.”

Katie was becoming more disappointed by the minute. She needed more to go on; something—anything—that would move the investigation forward.

“There is something,” Blackburn said.

She looked up from the evidence.