“Sure.”

She took the camera from the bag, then stepped back so Beck could get what he needed. As he sprayed the solution on the canvas tarp, several reddish-brown prints appeared, which Mia photographed immediately, before they faded in the hot sun. When they were finished, Beck packed the evidence they’d gathered along with the camera, and carried it onto the dock. Since he’d walked to the scene from the municipal building, he’d have to carry it back with him.

“She’s all yours, Viv,” he told the medical examiner.

“Thanks, Beck.” A somber Vivien dropped onto the deck with one of her assistants.

“I’m going back to the office.” Beck turned to Mia and held up the evidence bag.

“I’ll walk back with you.” She stood back and watched respectfully as Vivien directed the careful transfer of the body from the deck of the boat into a body bag. “There really isn’t anything to do here except wait for the press to show up.”

She fell in step with Beck, but stopped halfway across the parking lot.

“Crap. I changed in the ladies’ room at Singer’s and left the bag with my other clothes there. Give me a minute to run inside and grab it?”

“Can you make it fast?”

“Sure.” Mia jogged up to the door and went inside.

She was back in less five minutes. Beck started walking as soon as he saw the door open, so she had to hurry to catch up with him.

“Sorry, Todd was there. I hadn’t met him before. I told him you were trying to get in touch with Lisa, but hadn’t been able to. He said the last time he spoke with her was around an hour ago, but her phone was having trouble keeping a charge, said the battery needed to be replaced. Said he’s taking their kids to his sister’s in Annapolis today to spend the week and he checked in with Lisa to make sure their bags were packed and ready to go, since they’ll be leaving before she gets home from work.”

“I guess Lisa will just head back to the station when she’s finished. In the meantime, we’ll take a look at these prints.”

“You expect to find anything that will point us in the right direction?”

“No. But I want to make certain, get that piece out of the way.”

They completed the walk to Kelly’s Point Drive in silence. When they reached the building, Mia held the door for Beck, and once inside, he stopped to exchange a few words with Garland and Mia went directly to the conference room.

The first thing Beck did when he reached his office was check the fingerprints Mia had lifted from the boat against the prints he had on file for Hal. As suspected, the majority of the prints matched. He printed himself and checked against the remaining prints, and found two that matched his own. That left two other prints unmatched.

He went into the conference room and asked Mia for her prints. One matched a print that was lifted from the rail, which made sense. She’d grabbed onto it as she’d jumped to the deck that morning.

One down, this one from the tarp.

He was packing up envelopes holding the cards with the matched prints when Hal came in.

“You okay?” Beck studied Hal’s face.

“Damnable thing, Beck.” Hal shook his head and lowered himself into the nearest chair. “Damnable.”

“I asked if you were okay.”

“Yeah.” Hal got up and walked into the kitchen. “Want water, soda?”

“Nothing, thanks.”

Hal returned for a moment and stood in the doorway taking the lid off a bottle of spring water. He took a long drink, then asked, “You hear from Lisa?”

“No. She must have found someone at the gym who recognized Holly Sheridan or Mindy Kenneher, maybe she’s taking some statements.” Beck tapped his fingers on the desk. “Todd told Mia that Lisa’s having trouble with her phone losing the charge. Which would explain why she’s not getting our calls.”

“Damn cell phones. I’m forever forgetting to recharge my phone, then it makes that beeping sound in the middle of the night to remind me. Drives me nuts.” Hal nodded in the direction of the evidence envelopes on Beck’s desk. “You find anything there worth mentioning?”

“No. Most of the prints are yours. One print is Mia’s, a couple are mine, probably from last week when we took the boat out. One print from the tarp doesn’t match any of us.”

“Todd’s, most likely. He sold me the tarp, he would have handled it. I can stop out later and get his prints, just to make sure, but I’d bet money they’re his.”

“He said something about driving their kids over to his sister’s in Annapolis today. You might want to try to catch him before he leaves.”

Hal glanced at the wall clock. “I’ll do that now. I want to talk to him anyway. He’s been after me for the past couple of years to sell him the Shady Lady. After today…well, I think I’m going to be looking for another boat. Doubt I’d ever set foot on that deck without seeing that poor girl, all wrapped up like that.”

Hal stood with his hands on his hips.

“God damn him, why’d he have to choose my boat?”

“He’s taking another shot at Beck,” Mia said from behind him.

Hal turned to her and asked, “Why?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about that. Maybe he’s just pissed off and this is his way of giving him the finger. He’s showing you how clever he is, how slick, that he can get that close and still elude you. It was a risk, both times-leaving one body in Beck’s car, and another on your boat, Hal. Risk is essential to him, it’s vital.” She sat on the arm of the chair so she could face both men.

“Why?” Hal asked again.

“It ups the stakes.” She shrugged. “Then again, it could be something deeper than that, something far more personal.”

Beck leaned forward, his arms resting on the desk. “Dr. McCall said that, too. That she thought it could be personal.”

“Maybe somehow he holds you responsible for whatever kicked this off, and he’s sharing the spoils with you. Laying the victims at your feet, so to speak. ‘See what you made me do.’”

Beck ran a hand over his face. The expression on his face was pure anguish.

“If I thought for one second that something I did or said somehow kick-started this madness…”

“No, no,” Mia told him, “don’t buy into it. Whatever his thinking is, it’s strictly his choice, all the way. He has to explain his choice to himself, remember, he has to have an excuse that permits him to do these things. His thinking is twisted. He could just as easily be mentally pointing the finger at Mother Teresa or Madonna. Whatever it is, it only exists inside his mind.”

“So he rationalizes…”

“Absolutely. He has to. He has to justify his actions to himself. And remember, I’m just speculating. We don’t know that you have anything to do with his motive.”

“But your gut tells you…what?”

Mia thought it over for a moment before replying. “If he’d left the second body someplace else, I’d say the first time, leaving one of his victims in your car was a tweak.”

“But…?”

“But…leaving this one on Hal’s boat…I’d have to say, yeah, it’s more personal.”

“Maybe it’s because I was the chief before Beck,” Hal said. “Maybe it’s something to do with that, something to do with not liking the police.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s because you’re his father.” She looked from one to the other.

Beck stared at her without comment for several seconds.

“Bastard,” Hal said and started out of the room. “I’ll be at Singer’s if you need me.”

Mia turned to Beck. “If that trace is ready to go to the lab…”

“How did you know?” He asked when Hal was gone.

“Someone mentioned it,” she replied.

“Why?”

“In reference to why the body may have been left on Hal’s boat. Does it bother you?”

“Not really.” If he did, he’d already dismissed it. “I’m going to run out to the gym outside of town and see if Lisa’s still out there. She might have found some witnesses to interview, and I want to tell her about finding Mindy before she hears it on the news. Want to come along?”