III
"Yeah.
Why?"
Sam heard Speed's voice ask.
"Because it said
'Samantha'. Just checking."
"Okay"
Sam ended the
call and looked at the note. Yeah, she probably wasn't the only on in
Miami whose name was Samantha.
She put the note under the
microscope. She paid most attention to the capital 'S' in Sam and the
't' in it. Both letters that varied the most in people's handwriting.
She recognized the 'S' in Sam, but from what? Another case? Probably.
But then it would be in the database. She'd check.
Sam looked
again at the 'S' and 't'. Male writer, mid thirties, criminal
intention. Written with a fountain pen, Parker 51 Mark III. Sam
looked at the pressure the writer put on the paper, the size of the
letters and things that distinguished the handwriting from other
writing. The paper was simple, recycled paper from a common notebook.
Sam put all these 'trademarks' in the computer and waited. She
waited. She better could grab a quick lunch, this would take a while.
Sam walked down the outside steps and just wanted to cross the
star when she felt something poking her in the back. She wanted to
turn around but a deep, dark voice told her to turn right and
walk.
"Sure" Sam nodded. She could better do what he
asked.
Just around the corner of the lab, the man ordered her to
stop. The thing that poked her in the back got taken away and Sam
turned around.
"Ja-" the man put his hand on her mouth.
"No, no, no. Shhh. Yes, I killed that O'Connor-guy."
Sam
eyes looked at him, scared.
"Oh Sam, don't be so scared.
Yeah, I indeed wrote the note. Now go get back inside, here's my
fountain pen, and rewrite the letter. You know how to. If you don't
do it, you can easily imagine what can happen. You work at a Crime
Lab."
Sam could only nod and the man pushed her back toward
the entrance door. Sam couldn't help it but she looked around, to see
her attacker again. She knew him. That explained the red droplets in
the sink. That explained why the steak knife had been missing
yesterday. Oh damn.