The Fourth Monkey: A twisted thriller you won’t be able to put down. J.D. Barker

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      “On three. One, two …”

      It was too soon for rigor to set in; the body was loose. It looked like the right leg was broken in at least three spots; the left arm too, probably more.

      “Oh, God. That’s nasty.” Nash’s eyes were fixed on the man’s face. More accurately, where his face should have been. His cheeks were gone, only torn flaps remaining. His jawbone was clearly visible but broken — his mouth gaped open as if someone had gripped both halves of his jaw and pulled them apart like a bear trap. One eye was ruptured, oozing vitreous fluid. The other stared blindly up at them, green in the bright light.

      Porter leaned in closer. “Do you think you can reconstruct this?”

      Eisley nodded. “I’ll get somebody on it as soon as we get him back to my lab.”

      “Tough to say, but based on his build and the slight graying in the hair, I’d guess he’s late forties, early fifties, at the most.”

      “I should be able to get you a more precise age too,” Eisley said. He was examining the man’s eyes with a penlight. “The cornea is still intact.”

      Porter knew they were able to able to estimate age through the carbon dating of material in the eyes; it was called the Lynnerup method. The process could narrow the age down to within a year or two.

      The man wore a navy pinstripe suit. The left sleeve was shredded; a jagged bone poked out near the elbow.

      “Did someone find his other shoe?” The right was missing. His dark sock was damp with blood.

      “A uniform picked it up. It’s on that table over there.” Nash pointed to the far right. “He was wearing a fedora too.”

      “A fedora? Are those making a comeback?”

      “Only in the movies.”

      “There’s something in this pocket.” Watson was pointing at the right breast pocket of the man’s jacket. “It’s square. Another box?”

      “No, too thin.” Porter carefully unbuttoned the jacket and reached inside, retrieving a small Tops composition book, like the ones students carried prior to tablets and smartphones: 4½" x 3¼" with a black and white cover and college-ruled pages. It was nearly full, each page covered in handwriting so small and precise that two lines of text filled the space normally occupied by one. “This could be something. Looks like some kind of diary. Good catch, Doc.”

      “I’m not a —”

      Porter waved a hand at him. “Yeah, yeah.” He turned back to Nash. “I thought you said you checked his pockets?”

      “We only searched the pants for a wallet. I wanted to wait for you to process the body.”

      “We should check the rest, then.”

      He began with the right front pants pocket, checking them again in case something was missed, then worked his way around the body. As items were discovered, he gently set them down at his side. Nash tagged them and Watson photographed.

      “That’s it. Not much to go on.”

      Porter examined the items:

      Dry cleaner’s receipt

      Pocket watch

      Seventy-five cents in assorted change

      The receipt was generic. Aside from number 54873, it didn’t contain any identifying information, not even the name or address of the cleaners.

      “Run everything for prints,” Porter instructed.

      Nash frowned. “What for? We have him, and his prints came back negative.”

      “Guess I’m hoping for a Hail Mary. Maybe we’ll find a match and it will lead to someone who can identify him. What do you make of the watch?”

      Nash held the timepiece up to the light. “I don’t know anyone who carries a pocket watch anymore. Think maybe this guy’s older than you thought?”

      “The fedora would suggest that too.”

      “Unless he’s just into vintage,” Watson pointed out. “I know a lot of guys like that.”

      Nash pushed the crown, and the watch’s face snapped open. “Huh.”

      “What?”

      “It stopped at fourteen past three. That’s not when this guy got hit.”

      “Maybe the impact jarred it?” Porter thought aloud.

      “There’s not a scratch on it, though, no sign of damage.”

      “Probably something internal, or maybe it wasn’t wound. Can I take a look?”

      Nash handed the pocket watch to Porter.

      Porter twisted the crown. “It’s loose. The spring’s not grabbing. Amazing craftsmanship though. I think it’s handmade. Collectible for sure.”

      “I’ve got an uncle,” Watson announced.

      “Well, congrats on that, kid,” Porter replied.

      “He owns an antique shop downtown. I bet he could give us some color on this.”

      “You’re really trying to earn a gold star today, aren’t you? Okay, you’re on watch duty. Once these things are logged into inventory, take it down there and see what you can find out.”

      Watson nodded, his face beaming.

      “Anybody notice anything odd about what he’s wearing?”

      Nash examined the body once more, then shook his head.

      “The shoes are nice,” Eisley said.

      Porter smiled. “They are, aren’t they? Those are John Lobbs. They go for about fifteen hundred a pair. The suit is cheap, though, possibly from a box store or the mall. Probably no more than a few hundred at best.”

      “So, what are you thinking?” Nash asked. “He works in shoes?”

      “Not sure. I don’t want to jump to conclusions. Just seems odd a man would spend so much on shoes without a comparable spend on his suit.”

      “Unless he works in shoe sales and got some kind of deal? That does makes sense,” Watson said.

      “I’m glad you concur. Silly comments will get your gold star revoked.”

      “Sorry.”

      “No worries, Doc. I’m just busting your balls. I’d pick on Nash, but he’s too used to my shit at this point. It’s no fun anymore.” Porter’s attention drifted back to the small composition book. “Can you hand me that?”

      Watson passed it СКАЧАТЬ