'I'll hit some of the bigger parlors in town,' Sellitto said. 'See what I can find.'
Rhyme mused, 'Those lines.' He pointed to the border, scallops above and below the words. 'You were right, Sachs. They look cut, not tattooed. Like he used a razor blade or scalpel.'
Sellitto muttered, 'Just fucking decorations. What a prick.'
'On the chart. Don't know what to make of that. Now, the words: "the second". Meaning? Thoughts?'
'The second victim?' Pulaski offered.
Sellitto laughed. 'This guy ain't really covering up his tracks. We probably woulda heard if there was a number one, don'tcha think? Bet CNN would've caught on.'
'Sure, true. Wasn't thinking.'
Rhyme regarded the picture. 'Not enough to draw conclusions at this point. And what's the rest of the message? My impression is that somebody who knows calligraphy that well also knows spelling and grammar. Lowercase "t" on the article "the". So something preceded it. There's no period so something comes after the phrase.'
Sachs said, 'I wonder if it's a line he made up. Or is it a quotation? A puzzle?'
'No clue ... Lon, get some bodies at HQ to search the databases.'
'Good idea. Efficient: a task force to find "the second" in a book or something? You think that's ever appeared before, L
inc?'
'First, Lon, aren't air quotes a bit overused? More to the point: How's this? Have them search for the words in famous quotes about crimes, killers, tattoos, underground New York. Tell them to be creative!'
Sellitto muttered, 'All right. "The second". And for the number - the numeral two - with "nd" as a suffix.'
'Hm,' Rhyme muttered, nodding. He hadn't thought of that.
The bulky detective placed a call, rising and walking to the corner of the parlor, and a moment later began barking orders. He disconnected and wandered back.
'Let's keep going,' Rhyme said to the others.
After more trace analysis Mel Cooper announced, 'We've got several instances of benzalkonium chloride.'
'Ah,' Rhyme said. 'It's a quat. Quaternary ammonium. A basic institutional sanitizer, used mostly where there's particular concern about exposure to bacteria and a vulnerable clientele. School cafeterias, for instance. On the board.'
Cooper continued, 'Adhesive latex.'
Rhyme announced that the product was used in everything from bandages to construction work. 'Generic?'
'Yep.'
'Naturally,' Rhyme grumbled. Forensic scientists vastly preferred brand-name trace - it was more easily sourced.
The tech ran additional tests. After a few minutes he regarded the computer screen. 'Good, good. Strong results for a type of stone. Marble. Specifically Inwood marble.'
'What form?' Rhyme asked. 'Put it up on the screen.'
Cooper did and Rhyme found they were looking at dust and grains of various sizes, white, off-white and beige. The tech said, 'Fractured. See the edge on that piece in the upper left-hand corner?'
'Sure is,' Rhyme offered. 'Bake it!'
The tech ran a sample through the GC/MS. He announced, 'We're positive for Tovex residue.'
Sellitto said, 'Tovex? Commercial explosive.'
Rhyme was nodding. 'Had a feeling we'd find something like that. Used in blasting foundations out of rock. Given the trauma to the marble grains, our unsub picked up that trace at or near a construction site. Someplace where there's a lot of Inwood marble. Call the city for blasting permits, rookie. And then cross-reference with the geological database of the area. Now, what else?'