Page 91 of Tough as Steele

Nate gave the bullet to the tech, and she immediately started to work.

Paxton leaned back in his chair. “I’m just finishing up on the other examinations for your missing persons.”

“You usually work so late?” Nate asked.

Paxton shook his head. “I know time is of the essence here.”

“Thanks for staying.” Londyn smiled at the man.

“Glad to. Anyway, as you already know, the .223s recovered at Wigg’s house and the bullets fired at you at the Vandervoort residence match the AR-15 that was turned over to us. Not so with the 5.56s fired at your vehicle at Wigg’s place.”

“The AR-15 is chambered for both rounds but he used a different gun,” Nate said aloud as he processed the news.

“As you know, all rifles leave unique lands and grooves in the barrel from their machining, but this one was unique. The barrel also left marks from improper cleaning. The helical grooves machined in the barrel run from breech to muzzle. Running cleaning rods from muzzle to breech instead of the other way around can damage the machining. In this case, the shooter had done it wrong several times.”

Nate couldn’t understand why an experienced gun owner would do such a thing. “Sounds like an amateur. Which is odd because the recovered brass was found nearly eight hundred yards from the shooter’s nest at Wigg’s place. Looked like a professional hide to me.”

Paxton cocked his head. “Shooter could’ve borrowed or stolen the rifle. Or the shooter purposefully damaged the barrel to create a distinct pattern that would ensure that we knew the bullet came from that weapon. Either way, to make that kind of shot, especially with a damaged barrel like this one, you’re looking at an extremely skilled shooter.”

“So an even better marksman than we first thought,” Nate muttered.

“I was just uploading a scan of the bullet recovered there to the regional server to see if we have a match for this rifle being used at another crime.” Paxton turned his attention back to the screen. “Let’s see if we have any ballistic matches in the database.”

Nate let the news settle in and watched Paxton wake up his computer. The autopsy might not have offered much valuable information, but the visit to Paxton was providing plenty of helpful details. They were looking for a shooter with mad skills. One who could lay in wait and take most anyone’s life with the pull of a trigger. Someone who likely had control of Mimi.

This changed the game. Upped the stakes even higher.

Sasha got up and handed the bag to Paxton. “No prints. I’ve taken DNA samples, but experience tells me that once a bullet enters a body, the only recovered DNA will come from the victim. If that’s all, I’ll head out and get this processed.”

“You’re good to go.” Paxton held up the bullet in the bag and studied it.

“I’ll get it started right away,” Sasha said. “I’ll call you with the results the minute I have them.”

“Thanks, Sasha,” Londyn said. “We really appreciate your help.”

Paxton lowered the bag. “We have a .223, like the earlier bullets. In pretty good shape for having been lodged in bone. Should be able to get a good read on it.”

Nate had never been so thankful for a solid specimen and a tech who could process it.

Paxton took the bullet to a machine, where he zoomed in on it with the camera, and an image came up on the computer screen. His head shot up, and he glared at Nate. “Why didn’t you tell me this bullet was fired from the AR-15 you brought in?”

“What?” Nate stepped closer. “It couldn’t be. That rifle was recovered around seven. You had it in evidence before this woman was shot.”

“Impossible.” Paxton’s eyes narrowed. “Look at the screen. The first image is the slug you just brought in. Second is the one recovered at Gaskin’s murder scene. Even laymen like you two can see they’re an obvious match.”

Nate shook his head and couldn’t stop. “But it’s impossible. Totally impossible.”

Paxton crossed his arms and lifted his chin. “And I’m telling you that the AR-15 we have in evidence fired this bullet.”

“Grady,” Londyn said, taking both of their attentions. “We need to take the evidence to Grady to examine.”

“The firearms expert at Veritas,” Paxton said. “Go ahead. He’ll tell you the same thing because it’s so obvious that even a kindergartner could see it.”

Londyn watched Grady as he hunched over his computer in a large room bordered by shelves holding every kind of ammo and weapon she could possibly imagine. The space smelled of a strange mixture of gunpowder and bleach. He sat tall and straight in his Veritas Center logo shirt, and his wide jaw was covered with a close-cut reddish-brown beard that matched his hair. They’d given him the bullets, the AR-15, and a rundown on the investigation.

He sat back, scratched his beard, and stared at the screen. Mimi didn’t have time for him to waste like this. Londyn glanced at the timer on her phone, where the latest twenty-four-hour clock had counted down to sixteen, and she wanted to prod him to work faster. She stepped closer. Opened her mouth.

He shook his head and looked up at her. “The examiner’s right, but he’s also wrong.”

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