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Crossing the room to the desk, he arched an eyebrow. “Like key their car scare them or...?”
A laugh bubbled in her chest, but she had keyed a car once. Her grandmother’s. “Maybe intimidate is the right word.” She was aloof. Cut and dry. Direct. Threw men off for the most part.
“You don’t intimidate me, Violet. And I will kick your behind if I catch you keying my car. I’m all for gender equality,” he teased again. John Orlando would no more lay a finger on a woman than he would his own daughter. But he was amusing.
No, he wasn’t afraid of her or intimidated, which irked her. Why wasn’t John unnerved by her?
“You’d never catch me. Never find a print. Trust me.”
“I believe you,” he murmured and opened the dresser drawer. “Hey, Violet...”
She walked over and peered into the dresser.
John took a photo then removed a small suede purse identical to the one they found belonging to Atta Atwater.
I am dark but lovely.
“Well, that’s interesting.” She handed John a plastic bag, and he entered the evidence then logged the information. “I wonder where they’re getting these and if Tillie had one.” Maybe Amy would know. They’d have to ask later. “Maybe we’ll find one at her residence.”
“Maybe.” He stared at it through the plastic. “Perfect stitching like the other one. Same material. It might be nothing, but I feel like it’s something.”
“Agreed.” She called Ty, set the phone to speaker, and he answered on the fourth ring. She heard Owen in the background cackling. “What’s he laughing at?”
“The ringtone I use for you,” Ty said through a chuckle. “What’s up?”
She didn’t even want to know what he’d set his phone to ring to when she called. “We’ve found two leather purses from two vics. Both have Scripture—the same Scripture on them. I am dark but lovely. John told me it’s from Song of Solomon about marital love. Give me something.”
“First of all, you could make your requests more cordial.”
“Doubtful.”
“Fine,” he said and sighed. “John’s right. It’s about Solomon and his bride and gives some good marital advice. But some believe it has more poetic symbolism and speaks about Jesus and His bride, which is the church. It’s about spiritual intimacy. The I am dark but lovely statement can mean that though she is dark with sin, she is still lovely because Christ died to set her free from her sins, and now she’s pure and clean and lovely. Forgiven.”
Violet sucked on her bottom lip, thinking. “Then whoever gave them this purse knows or believes these women are sinners but still pretty or salvageable or forgiven? Would he think he’s their bridegroom or something?”
“Well, this is the SCU. So maybe. But if he thinks they’re any of those things you rattled off, why kill them?”
Good question. “Maybe they committed adultery against him in some weird way. Or maybe whoever made the purses isn’t the killer. Maybe the killer didn’t care that they were dark very much, but that they were lovely.” She glanced at a photo of Darla Boone and Amy. Darla was a looker. Even prettier than Atta.
“I don’t know, but I’ll be thinking because it’s strange to make that your life verse. Or maybe not. Who knows.”
“Any progress with the numbers on the forehead?”
“Not enough. But I’ll see if I can find anything that might link to the book of Song of Solomon. The only number I am sure of right now is six. Because that’s when we’re meeting for dinner, and I’m starved. I was actually about to call you. Little place called Blue Grass Café. I’ll text you the address.”
“See you then.” She ended the call. “What do you think?”
John massaged his chin. “I think what’s on their forehead is a message. What’s on the pouch is a declaration. And my gut says they’ll intersect.”
He believed whoever gave the women the gifts also murdered them.
But why?
Chapter Six
Tuesday, October 17
8:00 p.m.
