'Istill don't understand why there's no name on the sheet. Is it because youhaven't been able to make an ID on the remains?' Jessica asked.

    'Yesand no.'

    'Tom.'

    'Itwas a cow stomach.'

    Jessicalooked at Byrne. Byrne smiled, shook his head.

    'Onequestion,' Jessica said.

    'Sure.'

    'Isit still a John Doe, or is it now an Elsie Doe?'

    'Laughit up,' Weyrich said. 'This job put both my kids through Villanova.'

    Jessicalifted both hands in surrender.

    'Ihave something to show you,' Weyrich said.

    Hewheeled a body into the center of the intake room.

    Thebody of Kenneth Arnold Beckman rested on the gleaming stainless steel table,face up, covered to just below the chest with a sheet.

    Weyrichdirected the overhead light to the victim's right hand. He slipped on a glove,gently pried back the fingers.

    'Iwanted you to see this,' he said.

    There,on the pad of the right index finger, was a small drawing, measuringapproximately half an inch by one inch.

    'Whatis that?' Jessica asked.

    'It'sa tattoo, believe it or not.'

    'Onhis finger?'

    'Onhis finger,' Weyrich said. 'When they cleaned him up to print him they foundit.'

    Jessicaberated herself for not seeing it at the scene. She put on her glasses, lookedclosely. It looked like a highly stylized drawing of a lion. The colors werebright and primary, the outlines thick, the overall effect not unlike that ofan illustration in a child's coloring book.

    'I'veread this guy's sheet,' Jessica said. 'He didn't strike me as the cartoontype.'

    'Ittakes all types,' Weyrich said. 'I've taken a sample and sent it to thelab. They should be able to tell us the type of ink fairly soon.'

    'Youtook a sample?' Jessica asked. 'A skin sample?'

    'Thisis not a regular tattoo. It's a temporary tattoo.'

    Jessicalooked again. At this distance, and with skin art this size, she reallycouldn't tell the difference.

    Weyrichhanded her a large magnifying glass. Jessica looked again at the image of the lion.The ink, and its rich color, stood in bright contrast to the blood-leachedpallor of the dead man's skin.

    'It'snot still wet, is it?'

    'No,'Weyrich said. 'But it is new. I'd say it's been there less than seventy-twohours.'

    WhenJessica had been small, she used to go to a variety store in South Philly andbuy little tattoos that she could apply simply by getting wet and pressing themon her skin. They usually washed off with one or two runs through thesprinkler, or a single dip in a pool.

    'Doeshe have any other tattoos?'

    'Surprisingly,no,' Weyrich said.

    'Whydo you think this is relevant?'

    Weyrichdirected Jessica to look with the magnifying glass at an area on the victim'sleft shoulder. Jessica repositioned the glass and saw a slight smudge there, asmear no more than a quarter-inch square or so in size. It was the same coloras the yellow in the lion tattoo.

    'Ithink this was done at the same time,' Weyrich said. 'I think the doer may haveapplied the tattoo, then made this smudge when he turned the body over.'

    Jessicalooked closely There were no ridge marks. It was not a fingerprint, indicatingthat the killer might have worn gloves.

    'Whichbrings us to the two other pieces of artwork on the body,' Weyrich said. Hepulled down the sheet to reveal a section just above the rib cage on the rightside. There were the two unmistakable marks left by a Taser, deep purplebruises looking like a vampire's bite.

    'Hewas Tasered,' Jessica said.

    Weyrichnodded. Jessica calculated the planning involved in this homicide. The cuttingof the man's forehead, the measured puncture wound, the shaving of the entirebody. It removed the crime from any heat of passion, certainly. This was cold,deliberate, calculated.

    'Whatabout the shaving?' Jessica asked.

    'Ithink it was done pre-mortem, without benefit of any emollient or shavingcream.' Weyrich pointed to a few areas where the skin was deeply abraded. 'Ibelieve it was done quickly with a hair trimmer, as opposed to a rotary-styleshaver, which means he had to press a little harder. Still, he didn't get itall.'

    Jessicamade notes. Byrne just listened. This was their usual routine at the ME'soffice.

    Weyrichthen moved the glass to the victim's forehead. He pointed to the laterallaceration at the top. In the brutal light it looked like a mortal wound, asthough the killer had been attempting to take off the top of Kenneth Beckman'shead.

    'Thiswas done with a straight razor or a scalpel,' he said. 'Our guy took care notto cut too deeply. There is some level of skill here. The cut on the right earwas not nearly so clean.'

    Jessicalooked at the victim's ear. It had congealed into a scabrous brown mass. 'Canwe tell if the cutter is right-handed or left-handed?' she asked.

    'Notfrom this wound, I'm afraid. If he is right-handed, he would most likely startat the left side and draw right. That would be the most natural movement. Butonly if he was straddling the body.' Weyrich leaned over the cadaver andmimicked the motion of drawing a blade over the victim's forehead from left toright. 'Now, if he was up here . ..' Weyrich moved to the head of the table,putting the top of the victim's head near his waist. 'He could achieve the sameresult as a left-hander, drawing the blade right to left.'

    'Andthis was done while the victim was still alive?' Byrne said.

    'Yes.'

    'Howdid he keep him still?'

    'Aswell you might ask.' Weyrich pointed out four areas where there were smallplum-colored bruises. On either side of the forehead, just above the temple,were contact marks in a circular shape, about a half-inch in diameter. Therewere also marks on either side of the lower jaw. 'His head was held in place atthese four points.'

    'Withsome kind of vice grip?' Byrne asked.

    'Alittle more finesse than that, I believe. And a lot more expensive. I think itmay have been a device similar to a surgical clamp. Whenever there is any cranialsurgery performed, it is imperative, of course, that the patient beimmobilized. Fortunately, we do not have that problem in this office.Our patients tend not to fidget much.'

    'Doyou think our boy has some medical training?'

    'Couldbe.'

    Jessicastudied the bruises, thought about the horror of having one's head locked intoa device. 'Where do you get an item like that?'

    'It'spretty specialized. And expensive. I'll get you a list of medical suppliers.'

    Jessicamade a note to follow up.

    'Oneother thing,' Weyrich said. He pointed at the puncture wound in the forehead.He handed back the magnifying glass to Jessica. She looked at the wound. 'Whatam I looking for?'

    'Seethe area right around the puncture? The coloration?'

    Undermagnification the puncture did not look like such a clean wound, but rathertwisted, shredded tissue, exploding outward like a tiny lava eruption. Jessicasaw a small ring around the puncture that appeared to be red. An unnaturallybright shade of red. 'This is not dried blood, I take it.'

    'No,'Weyrich said. 'That would be much darker. This was made with a Magic Marker ofsome sort. Maybe a felt-tip marker.'

    Jessicalooked up at Byrne, then back. 'A Magic Marker?'

    Weyrichnodded.

    'You'resaying the killer marked the spot first?'

    Weyrichnodded, politely smug in his findings. 'I've seen stranger things.'

    'Whywould he do something like that?'

    Weyrichtook the magnifying glass back, pulled the sheet over the body. 'That's abovemy pay grade, detective,' he said. 'You are the chef de partie here. I'monly the commis.'