“Good. Have him do that. And please have Sierra compare it to Junior’s prints. We’re on our way over there now.” He hung up.

  “You think Junior could’ve sent the package to Olivo?” Londyn asked.

  “He was alive at the time it was delivered. Who knows, whatever’s in the box could’ve been the thing that got him killed. I hope there are prints on the package too, but I’m guessing whoever sent it would’ve worn gloves.”

  “Did you tell the LT that you were going to have Sierra print it?”

  “No,” he answered. “Depending on what we find inside will depend on who I have do it. If the item makes me think we need to move fast, then I’ll have her process it. If not, we’ll drop it at the state lab.”

  “You’ll go into a long queue at the lab. Would be good to avoid that if possible.”

  “If we can prove Olivo ordered a hit on Junior, I’ll take the slow boat for sure so we don’t bring the evidence into question.”

  “Sometimes slow’s not a bad thing.” Her tone had darkened.

  He glanced at her. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

  “The breakup I mentioned. I should’ve taken it slower with him. Then, I would’ve known a whole lot more about him before becoming so invested.”

  “Not the guy you thought he was, huh?”

  “Not at all.” She curled her hands into fists. “Turns out he could hide who he was for a little while, but then it all started coming out. His home life growing up wasn’t so great, and he carried a lot of baggage from that.”

  “Maybe he could’ve changed,” Ian said.

  She studied him. “After being in law enforcement as long as you have been, do you really think people change?”

  “Not most of them, but I’ve seen it happen.” Was he just saying that because he was wishing if he discovered he was like his parents that he could change? “Do you think people survive dysfunctional childhoods and live normal lives?”

  “Depends on the dysfunction,” she said, “but yeah, I do think that happens. The odds are against them, but none of us grow up in a perfect household.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve been spending some time with the Byrd family, and their childhood seems pretty sweet.”

  “They’re family is great. At least that’s what my parents say. I still promise you each one of them has an issue or two that they’ve had to overcome. For one, there’s always sibling rivalry if you’re not an only child.”

  “That’s me. An only.”

  “Really?” Her eyes flashed open. “You don’t have that spoiled center-of-the-universe vibe that many onlys have.”

  “Hey.” He grinned. “Onlys have good traits too.”

  “Oh, I know. Maybe I’m just jealous. There were many days when I wished I was one.” She laughed, but suddenly sobered. “But then you lose a sibling, and you know you’re blessed to have each and every one of them.”

  “I heard about your brother’s murder,” he said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” She fell silent and looked out the window.

  He’d killed the good mood, but then they were almost to the center anyway. He turned into the parking lot and chose a space as close as he could in the lot filled with cars. Londyn grabbed the warrant they would need to show Sierra to prove they had the legal right to open the box, and he picked up the box from the trunk.

  He approached the front desk. “Detectives Blair and Steele to see Sierra Rice. She’s expecting us.”

  “Let me call her.” The receptionist, a cute blonde with the name Lily on a tag pinned to her print blouse, smiled at him.

  He listened to Lily make the call and looked at Londyn, who was glancing around the lobby with all the chairs and sofas filled with clients.

  “Been here before?” he asked.

  She nodded. “How about you?”

  “First time was this week. Quite a setup.”

  “I’m impressed.” She looked at him. “And it’s nice to have contacts here in case I need their services.”

  “Yeah, it’s great.”

  “Detectives,” Lily said drawing their attention again. “Reed Rice is on his way down to get you.” She slid an iPad across the counter to each of them. “Just fill in the form while I prepare your passes.”

  They tapped information into the screen, and by the time they’d finished, Lily was holding out the same white plastic passes on blue lanyards that held the Veritas Center logo that he’d gotten on his earlier visit. “I see you’ve both been here before, so you should know the security routine.”

  “Wear this at all times.” Ian dropped the lanyard over his neck. “And don’t go anywhere without an escort.”

  Lily gave him a beaming smile. “If only every law enforcement officer was so accommodating.”

  “I can imagine you get some blowback.”

  “Some?” She chuckled. “But it’s all good. They’re just passionate about their investigations and usually want things done yesterday.”

  Ian laughed, knowing the feeling. But he’d seen his dad be rude to too many people like Lily that Ian made it a practice to do the opposite. One of the little ways he worked hard to be different from his father.

  Reed opened a door on the back wall and quirked a finger.

  “Thanks for your help,” Ian said to Lily then followed Londyn over to Reed.

  He led them past a glass-walled conference room and down a hallway to an elevator. Inside, he selected the fourth floor. “Sierra’s in her lab with Malone and has the X-ray machine all fired up.”

  “Perfect.” Ian had thought he might have to wait to see Malone, if he saw her at all, and having her waiting for him was icing on the cake today. He didn’t want to act anything but professional in the lab and would have to be careful to control his emotions when he finally laid eyes on her.

  “I found Wisniewski,” Reed said. “He knew our parents and remembered they were coming to see him. My dad had called and said he had something the police needed to know about.”

  “Did he say what?” Ian asked.

  Reed shook his head.

  “Could be about the drywall,” Ian suggested.

  “Yeah, but why bring my mom along? Makes no sense for her to be involved with that.”

  Good point. Ian pondered the development until they reached Sierra’s trace evidence lab, and Malone greeted him with a smile that said welcome back, I missed you.

  A warm feeling blossomed in his heart, and he released an involuntary smile. He knew Londyn and Reed had to be picking up on the vibe she was sending his way, and as much as he was trying, he was likely firing the same emotions right back at her.

  “I’m ready to do the X-ray.” Wearing a protective apron and gloves, Sierra held out her hands for the box.

  Ian passed it to her. “Before we do this, were you able to compare the print from the picture of the drone to Junior’s print?”

  Her eyes lit with enthusiasm. “It matches.”

  “You’re sure?” Ian clarified.

  “Positive.”

  Ian looked at Malone then shifted to Reed. “This gives us an official connection to Olivo.”

  “Not that it will prove anything other than that they knew each other,” Reed said. “But it’s a first step.”

  Ian wouldn’t let Reed’s practical statement dissolve any of his joy at proving a connection between the two men.

  Sierra picked up the package. “Our X-ray machine is in a protective room. Hold on while I shoot it. I’ll be right back.”

  She went to a door in the corner that was holding a yellow sign with the radiation symbol, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her.

  Ian had texted Malone about the box after they’d interviewed Nicole, but he now gave her additional details Nicole had provided.

  Malone’s eyes narrowed. “I sure hope Olivo doesn’t find out she took this box and target her and her family. They would have to move. Maybe go into witness protection.”

  “I suppose it all depends on what’s in the box,” Ian said.

  “I’ve been thinking about it, and I wonder if it’s proof of some action Junior took against Olivo. And even if Olivo didn’t get this package, maybe another one was successfully dropped off. Whatever was in it caused Olivo to have Junior killed.”

  “Could be,” Ian said. “Nicole’s mother is reviewing additional security footage, but so far her cameras didn’t capture anything.”

  The door to the X-ray room opened, and Sierra came out carrying the box like it was one of Asher’s dirty diapers. Her face had paled, and her eyes were narrow.

  “What’s in it?” Reed demanded.

  Sierra took a long breath. “A human finger. A severed finger.”

  15

  Malone had to swallow a few times to curb the nausea rising in her stomach. She’d expected something like the picture she’d received. Never did she imagine the box would contain a human body part. Never. Especially when Ian said the box was heavy.

  “Whoever sent the finger took care.” Sierra set the box on the nearest stainless steel table. “It’s in a foam cooler surrounded with a lot of ice packs. If it’d been delivered on time, it might’ve been able to be reattached. But now? I doubt the finger is viable and reattachment isn’t possible.”

  Malone’s stomach churned just thinking about it, but at least she now knew the many ice packs made the box so heavy.

  “If Junior sent it, it’s odd for a major drug dealer like him to be concerned about saving a finger,” Ian said. “Unless he had a sentimental connection to the person he snipped the finger from.”

  “We’ll need to get this to the ME to examine,” Londyn said.

  “Might I suggest we take one step before doing that?” Sierra asked.

  Reed shifted his focus to his wife. “What do you have in mind?”

  “You’re authorized to open the package, so I suggest we do and have Kelsey look at the finger to see what she can tell us.” Sierra looked at Ian. “Kelsey is our forensic anthropologist. She could give us an idea of who the finger might’ve come from. Maybe we can even get a print.”

  “Great idea.” Ian took out his pocket knife. “Go ahead and call her, and I’ll open the box.”

  “I’ll call,” Sierra said, “but there might be other prints on the box. Let me process it.”

  “I assume you’ll leave powder behind,” Londyn said. “We’ll have to explain that to the LT, and he won’t like it.”

  “She’s right,” Ian said. “We’ll stick with examining the finger in any capacity that doesn’t change it.”

  “I can take a DNA sample and print the finger without altering anything,” Sierra said, taking her phone from the pocket of her lab coat.

  “Then do that after you make the call,” Ian said.

  She tapped the screen and lifted it to her ear. “Kelsey, good. Glad I caught you.”

  Malone half listened to the conversation, but most of her attention was on Ian slipping on gloves then slicing the box open. She’d never seen a severed finger before and suspected it would be gruesome, but she wouldn’t fall back and ignore it. If this finger helped convict Snipes, and as an added bonus, Olivo too, she would suck it up and do whatever was needed of her.

  Ian reached into the box and lifted the lid on the Styrofoam cooler. “Wow, the ice packs are still cold.”

  She braced herself for seeing the finger.

  He pulled out a piece of paper. “Note says, You wanted proof, here it is. Pay up or I’ll start sending you one body part at a time until you do.”

  Malone gasped. “A ransom note.”

  “That’s harsh,” Londyn said.

  “We’ll need to have this processed for prints and DNA.” Ian gritted his teeth and set the paper down to lift a clear plastic zipper bag from the box.

  Malone took a quick look to confirm a finger from the knuckle up dangled in the bag, but her stomach churned, and she had to look away.

  “Seems like it’s from a male,” Ian said. “But what do I know?”

  “Kelsey’s on her way up.” Sierra shoved her phone into her pocket and stepped up behind him. “If you want to know gender, I can tell you from a print. I’ll do it electronically, and it won’t alter the finger by adding ink.”

  Malone turned back. “You can really tell gender just from a fingerprint?”

  “Yes. There are two ways actually. First, females have significantly higher ridge density. Meaning a finer ridge than males for both radial and ulnar areas. And eighteen-year-olds and younger have higher fingerprint RD than older males.”

  “And the second way to tell?” Ian asked.

  “Fingerprints contain certain amino acids,” Sierra replied. “The levels of these amino acids are twice as high in the sweat of women as in that of men.”

  “So the first is visual and the second a lab test,” Ian clarified.

  Sierra nodded.

  “Then if you don’t change anything, go for it.” He held out the bag to her.

  Malone watched to see if Sierra seemed at all squeamish, but she just took the bag, set it down then got out a small electronic print reader. She cleaned the screen and picked up the bag.

  Sierra took the finger out of the bag, but the lab door opened, and Kelsey entered, giving Malone something else to focus on.

  Malone was always struck by the fact that Kelsey didn’t at all look like the kind of woman who might unearth decaying bodies and deal with their bones. She had nearly black wavy long hair, pinned back today with an intricate metal clip, and green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. She wore a lab coat, but underneath she had on a frilly patterned blouse and a pleated navy skirt. She clipped across the room in high heels that Malone envied.

  “Hi all.” She smiled at the group then she peered at Ian. “And you must be Detective Blair.”

  “It’s Ian.” He shook hands with her.

  She looked at Malone, cut her eyes toward Ian, and gave a firm nod. Was she approving him for her? Had Sierra been telling her partners that Ian and Malone had a thing?

  Kelsey stepped to the table, her professional look in place. A look Malone thought Kelsey probably needed to get through the things she saw. At least Malone needed a stone face when battered children and women and dirty homeless teens showed up on her doorstep needing help. And not just anyone’s help, but Malone’s help. To give it, she had to remain objective and not let her emotions take over.

  Kelsey put on gloves and waited for Sierra to finish taking prints from her reader.

  The silence in the room was getting to Malone, and she had to end it. “I had no idea prints could be taken from a finger that was severed days before.”

  Kelsey glanced her way. “Fingerprints are very durable. Especially when on ice and kept cold like this finger. When you die, they’re one of the last things to disappear.”

  Malone shook her head. “I had no clue.”

  “Okay, you’re up, Kelsey,” Sierra said.

  Kelsey laid the finger on the clean paper. “It’s an index finger from a right hand. No question about that.”

  Malone didn’t interrupt to ask how she knew that but watched with nearly closed eyes as Kelsey measured the finger and studied it, turning it several times. “Longer than a typical female’s index finger. But, as I say, typical, so could still be a female with a long finger. Honestly, the way the nail is cared for, I would say male. Plus, it’s meaty and blunt. And the skin hasn’t aged, so I’d say young male.”

  “I concur,” Sierra said looking up for a microscope. “The ridge details match a male, and the amino acid concentration say male as well. Eighteen or under.”

  “So, a young male is missing his index finger,” Ian stated.

  “A Caucasian male,” Kelsey added.

  Sierra held up a swab in a labeled plastic container and looked at Ian. “I swabbed for DNA, which we can get to Emory, but we’ll need your approval to run it in CODIS.”

  Malone had clients whose prints were in the Combined DNA Index System, another database managed by the FBI and contained DNA profiles for criminals and law enforcement officers.

  “I’ll get your formal approval,” Ian said.

  “You think the LT is going to approve an outside agency running the DNA?” Londyn asked.

  “The ransom note makes it a case for this being proof of life. It’s possible we have someone who’s been kidnapped and needs to be rescued before he’s killed,” Ian said.

  “But who?” Londyn asked. “Not one of Olivo’s thugs, as I can’t see him caring enough to pay up.”

  “What if it’s his son?” Malone asked. “They said Olivo had hunkered down with his family in their house. What if they did that because someone kidnapped the boy, and they’re trying to get him back and make sure no one takes the daughter?”

  “How old are his kids?” Kelsey asked.

  “Daughter’s sixteen. Son’s eighteen.”

  “Could be the son’s finger for sure,” Kelsey said.

  Ian looked at Londyn, and the look in his eyes raised Malone’s concern. She was worried he was going to suggest some crazy plan or idea. One that might get him and Londyn hurt or killed.

  Ian took a deep breath. “I think it’s time to go to Olivo’s house and ask to talk to the son. Maybe Olivo knows about the package, maybe not. But one look at the kid’s hand will answer a lot of questions. And if Olivo can’t produce his son…” He narrowed his gaze. “Maybe this could lead us to something that can put Olivo behind bars.”

  Ian and Londyn delivered the finger to the medical examiner’s office before visiting Olivo, and Dr. Albertson concurred that they were looking for a young male. So the visit to Olivo was inevitable. They pulled up to the house to see all the blinds closed, just as Nix had told Ian he would find.

  Ian shifted into park, his eyes on the house. “Wonder if anyone will even answer?”

  “We have Olivo’s phone number. We can try that if he doesn’t.” Londyn released her seatbelt. “Besides, I have this obnoxious voice I can use when I knock that usually gets them to answer just to make me go away.” She laughed and got out.