Dirty Deeds Read Online Free Page B

of his face, probably from where he fell. And believe me, we’d be able to see every mark of struggle like a road map if there’d been one. A guy with skin as papery and fine as this guy’s can’t even withstand a small bump without bruising or tearing the epidermis. You can see what I’m talking about on the back of his hands.”
    I removed one of the plastic baggies and ran a gloved finger along Leon’s hand, still crossed over his ribs. The skin was spotted with age, but dark blue bruising was evident where he’d obviously bumped it on something.
    “All it would take to make a mark like that is a knock against a doorframe or a countertop. I’ve seen a lot of elderly injuries where they don’t even know they’re hurt, and then they look down and they’re covered in blood.”
    “Getting old sucks.”
    “This guy was almost a hundred. Think how many years it’s been since he’s had sex. To me, that’s the most depressing thing about getting old.”
    “That’s why it’s best to use it as often as possible before you lose it.”
    “What about this guy?” I asked, pointing to the statue the body was positioned under. “Do you think that has any significance?”
    “Maybe. Maybe not. Or it could be just window dressing to complete the scene.”
    “What saint is that anyway? He’s terrifying.”
    “Saint Miguel. Or Saint Michael. He fights off Satan’s army. And a bunch of other stuff I don’t remember.”
    “How come you know so much about the saints?”
    Jack grinned, the dimple in his cheek making an appearance. “I dated a lot of Catholic girls. I learned a lot.”
    I arched a brow and then rolled my eyes. Jack had pretty much “dated” most of the available women in a tri-state area. As long as I was the last in the line, I didn’t care about his history. I was mostly grateful he’d had all that practice. He knew things.
    “I appreciate all the research you did on my behalf.”
    “Hey, I knew you’d look my way at some point. I wanted to be ready when the time came.”
    “Do you think other couples flirt with each other over dead bodies?”
    “Maybe. If they spend most of their time around dead bodies like we do. But I wouldn’t bring it up to a therapist. It could be cause for concern.”
    “Good call.” I removed the necklace and bagged it and then I focused on the dagger. “Interesting hilt,” I said. “Looks old. Some of the engraving is worn away so it’s a smooth, but it looks like an eagle.”
    The eagle was carved at the end of the hilt, but the hilt itself looked like it was made from a polished ivory or bone. I didn’t have a ruler to measure the hilt, but it stuck out of his chest a good four or five inches.
    “Hold him steady,” I told Jack. I got a good grasp on the hilt and removed the knife.
    “Whoever did this has some strength behind them. Stabbing someone in the heart isn’t as easy as it looks on TV. It’s always better to go for the soft tissue areas.”
    “Is that writing on the blade?” Jack asked.
    I took a closer look and sure enough something was inscribed on the blade. “I can’t make out what it says. We’ll need to look at it under better light, but it doesn’t look like English. That blade is probably close to ten inches. Very unusual.”
    “We don’t have a lab, and I doubt Joe’s going to authorize the expense of sending it off to a bigger city for examination. We can do some Internet searching and send a photo to any of the known collectors. If it’s as old as it looks it might not be too hard to identify.”
    “He’s still in primary flaccidity, but rigor is starting to set in because of the heat. It can speed up the process. But I’d say his death is less than two hours old. That works with Father Fernando’s statement of when he found the body. It’s just after six o’ clock.”
    I looked at the area around the body and then lifted Leon’s shirt and looked at his back. “He was definitely killed here. There’s no sign that