Page 18 of A Touch of Murder
"Good. We'll have you sit at the laptop for a bit and try and do the same, but I find my drawings are usually closer to the real thing." She powered up the laptop. "I'm going to show you how this works, then leave you alone for a bit to play around with it. I'll go browse your store for a few minutes, then come back to see how you're doing or if you have any questions. I find if I'm not hovering, you will feel rushed or hesitate to try several images."
"Thanks. Feel free to grab more water out of the fridge over there. There's a small bathroom just behind Jacey's desk out there if you need it." He was already watching intently as she pulled up the program.
"I'll be fine. It will give me a chance to catch up with Jacey and see what's new with his family. I taught most of those kids throughout the years." She showed him where to switch from each feature so he could scroll through eyes, noses, and lips to change them as he wanted. "You got it?"
"Yeah, I think so. I'll yell if I get stuck." Adam was excited to see if he could piece together the face he wanted everyone to see, and hopefully, someone to identify.
"Then I'll see you in a few minutes." She left him.
He heard her and Jacey talking out front but quickly lost focus on them and gave his full attention to the computer. It was so much easier talking about what he'd seen than trying to piece a face together like a puzzle. There were so many options.He could thicken or thin lips with a simple touch of a button or narrow the eyes a million different ways. He wondered if one image was used more than others. Did evil people have some sort of facial identity that was more common than another? Like those freaky mass shooters who always had huge, zombie looking eyes. He forced himself to focus. To remember. He had to get this right. He wanted Trina's killers to be caught. If only he'd seen the other man's face too.
He worked until he thought he had it as close as he could get, but even at that, it was not even close to as perfect as Maggie's drawing. He leaned back and took a minute to just stare at the image. Was this someone in town? Someone people knew? He hated the thought that it could be someone local. His gut told him this person had killed before, though he had nothing to back that up. It wasn't something he'd seen. Just something about the way the man looked, the way he'd attacked Trina made him think this hadn't been his first time.
"Finished?" Maggie walked back into the room.
"I think so. This wasn't easy. It doesn't look anywhere near the same as the one you drew." Adam turned the laptop toward her.
"Not yet, but now we'll add to it. It will never be as good, but we'll get it close." She started clicking items, adding in the thicker beard and the scar Adam had recalled on the man's cheek. Slowly, as they discussed it and she added more, he saw the image come alive. "You're really amazing at this stuff."
"It's my job." She smiled. "I'd still rather be drawing a family portrait than this stuff, but if it helps catch the bad guys, I'll keep doing it."
"I sometimes have people ask if I can draw someone I see. They'll bring me an item like a necklace or broach, and I'll see the previous owner. Often a long-lost family member of the person who has the item now. Would you be willing to drawwhat I see for them, just like you did for this? They'd pay you, of course. You could set a rate that works for you, and I could call you when they request something. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen." Adam liked the idea of adding that extra option to some of his readings.
"I'd love that. I'm still volunteering at the school, and do have some other things going on, but if you call me, we'll work something out. I can even do animals if people want. And don't forget I will be back around the first part of June to paint your front windows." She grinned. "You'll have more customers than you know what to do with."
"Don't say that. I need a little time to recover between readings, but I do hope we have a good crowd for our guest. You just let me know when and how much I owe you."
"You owe me nothing. I do the windows around town for free. It's a chance to show off my art as well as help the community. It's something I enjoy." She held up her hands. "Don't argue."
Adam laughed. "I won't." He liked Maggie and hoped they would work together again. "If you ever need something read…"
"When I inherit that famous that famous Vincent van Gogh, I'll be in touch to learn the history behind it. Right now, I can only show off the artwork the kids make for me at school. That keeps me happy enough, but thank you for the offer." She turned the computer toward him. "What do you think?"
"Not as perfect as the one you created, but close. I don't think we're going to get any closer using the computer."
"Neither do I." She saved the image. "Now I'll get these to Officers Whitestone and Vance, and we can see if anyone knows who he is. If we find him, I'll be more than happy to draw his dead body hanging from one of the trees in the park."
Adam was a bit shocked by her words, but he agreed with her. He would be happy to pull the rope tight if he got thechance. "We can only hope it will be that easy to find him. I fear he's probably not local."
"That's a good thing too. We don't want his kind living in our neighborhoods." Maggie started to pack things.
"Hope you're not talking about me." Barret walked into the office.
"You're a different kind of trouble." Maggie smiled. "I was just headed over to see you."
"I saw your car out front and decided to see how things were going." Barret glanced at Adam. "Was she able to draw what you saw?"
"Almost as if I'd given her a photo to work from. She's amazing." Adam meant every word.
"I know. It's why we keep her around." Barret took the drawing that Maggie held out for him.
"Anyone you know?" Maggie asked
Adam held his breath.
"No, not that I can think of, but we'll ask around. Someone might know him or have seen him. Did you do the digital workup as well?" Barret asked, still staring at the drawing.
"I've got it, but it's not as good. I'll email it to you as soon as I get home. You won't want to use it anyway, but I know the captain likes you to use the program."
