Page 13 of The Dead Come to Stay
“We’re lucky the blow came from behind,” he was saying. “Otherwise, it would have caved in the nose and eye-sockets.”
“Thanks for that.” MacAdams grimaced. “I imagine he didn’t see it coming?”
“No defensive wounds to speak of, no. And as predicted, no broken bones or bruising that might have been consistent withcar strike. The impact had to be made by something heavy, possibly with a flat edge to one side.” Struthers turned on the backlit screen to show off the X-rays.
“That could be anything,” MacAdams said as he looked at the gray-white screen.
“Notanything.” Struthers mimicked a downward striking motion. “The blow was downward arcing.”
“Meaning it came from above?”
“I think so, based on the point of entry. The object would have been solid, with at least one edge, but not uniform in shape.”
“So not a hammer?” Green asked.
“A hammer leaves a proper indent, and fractures in a standard way, usually leaving a nice clean hole. I am still trying to ascertain the shape, but whatever it was, I’d say a hell of a blow.” Eric pointed to two trays farther along. “Still going through his belongings—not much to report. Expensive shirt, that. Silk. Trousers don’t really go with the ensemble. Bit humdrum.”
“What about the piece of jewelry?”
“Ah. That’s more interesting, but also seems a tad out of place. No prints or anything useful, but I sent one of the lads to the jeweler in town for a look.”
“Earring, wasn’t it?” Green asked.
“Seems to be. Not for him, though. Ears weren’t pierced.”
MacAdams made a mental note. “Belonged to the killer, then? Yanked out in the scuffle?”
“Only if the dead man managed to put the back on it again after. No, I’d say it was in a shirt pocket or something. The other might be at the bottom of the mud pit. That’s it for the outer possessions.” He gestured to the table farthest. “Now, the viscera. Might help with the time of death. His liver and lungs tell a story, at least.”
MacAdams cleared his throat. “Drinker and smoke, then?”
Struthers wagged a finger at him. “Usedto be. I’d say this chap was cleaning up his life. Plenty of regeneration. Longtime smoker, but not recently—maybe even a teetotaler.”
“Is his hair natural?” Green took a closer look at the body.
“Dyed, but he still had plenty of it at least. Good muscle structure, heart in decent shape. Sixty-two by the driver’s license but looks younger inside and out. Shame to do all that work for nothing.”
“A cautionary tale,” Green suggested. “What are those marks from?”
MacAdams leaned forward over the sternum. Grayish skin, the usual amount of chest hair. There were, however, oddly shaped patches of white.
“A skin condition?” MacAdams asked.
“Like vitiligo, maybe?” Green added. Struthers followed her gaze, and put on another pair of gloves. He slid one finger over the discoloration.
“Not sure yet. They happened after death—and I can’t rule out the boys’ manhandling him out of the ditch.” He smiled at her. “You have sharp eyes. I didn’t think you’d even notice them.”
Green really did have sharp eyes—and used them a lot on MacAdams. She saved her beyond-case query for the elevator.
“Okay, boss. What happened? You skipped lunch, your neck tendons look like iron cables and you’ve been talking without moving your jaw.”
“A murder happened, Green.”
“Yes, that keeps us in our jobs. I mean what happened when you saw Jo?”
MacAdams had given them all a detailed description of what happened... so he knew very well her question wasn’t about protocol. And she knew him well enough to spot a lie.
“You would think after everything that happened last year, she wouldn’t open her house to murder victims.”
