Page 21 of Deep Tide

“Yes.” He folded his arms over his chest. “All of this will be in my report, Detective Lawson.”

“I know, I just—” She combed her hand through her hair. The victim being bound changed things. A lot. “I just want to understand what we’re dealing with now, you know? Are you saying she was—”

“I’m saying her hands—and that’s hands only, not feet—appear to have been bound at the wrists with some sort of textured cordage. What kind of cordage, you’ll have to wait on the lab. Based on the response evident in the soft tissue, she was kept this way for at least a few minutes—”

“How long? Can you be more specific?”

His jaw tightened. Clearly, he didn’t like being cornered in the hallway and asked to give his scientific conclusions, but Nicole really didn’t care. She need this ASAP.

“I would say ten minutes, at a minimum. Probably more like twenty.”

Her breath whooshed out.

“All of this will be in my preliminary report, which—by the way—I had planned to finish by tonight, because I understand the urgency of your investigation.”

“Thank you.”

He held her gaze for a long moment. “I get it, you know. I’ve been doing this awhile. I don’t like delays any more than you do, but we’re stretched thin here, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“I have. I understand.”

“Good.” He checked his watch again. “Now, my next procedure starts in five minutes.”

“Just one more thing.” She smiled. “Sorry—then I promise to let you go. You mentioned some ‘grit’ on the front of the victim’s shirt?”

“All the clothing is on its way to the lab.”

“I know. But now with this information that she was possibly bound, I’m wondering if you think it looked like grit that came from an outside location, such as the alley where she was found, or maybe inside?”

“I couldn’t say. The grit was dark. Maybe dirt, soil, something like that.”

“Could it possibly be coffee grounds?”

“Possibly? Yes. Can I say that with certainty? No. For that, you’ll need to talk to the lab.”

•••

Sean scanned the busy sidewalks as he drove.

“I thought you said this was a sleepy beach town,” Moore said over the phone.

“It is, usually,” Sean told his boss.

“Isn’t that why they picked it?”

“That’s the theory.”

A theory Sean was beginning to question.

“Well, how’s it looking? I assume you talked to the investigators?”

Sean hadn’t yet, so he dodged the question.

“I spoke with a contact in the ME’s office,” Sean said. “Cause of death is sharp force trauma.”

“She was stabbed.”

“Correct. No sexual assault.”

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