Revenge by Debra Webb

less and less like a professional job.’ In Jess’s opinion, the killer didn’t have murder on his – or her – mind when he walked into Baker’s office. Just another reason to rule out the widows’ involvement in any capacity.
    The key to this case was finding out who had reason to want or need Baker out of the way. Every act of violence was prompted by motive. Motives were rooted in emotion. Emotions ensured mistakes. It was a no - win situation for the killer.
    All Jess had to do was find the motive and the mistakes. It looked as if she had a new avenue. Infidelity .
    ‘And more like Baker pissed off the wrong person,’ Sylvia agreed. ‘A person shorter than him, by the way. The angle of the blow appears to have come from an upward slant.’
    That might not be as significant as she’d hoped since the victim was over six feet. Lots of folks, female and male, would be shorter than him. ‘All I need now is a usable print or DNA sample and I can set out just like the prince in Cinderella to find who it belongs to,’ Jess said, only half kidding. That was the thing about DNA evidence and even prints – there had to be something to compare that kind of evidence to. If there wasn’t a match in one of the many criminal databases, then she had to pound the pavement and find it.
    ‘There’s something else.’
    Jess’s instincts perked up.
    Sylvia drew back the sheet and tapped Baker’s right hip. ‘I have no idea what it means. Some fraternities have symbols but this isn’t one I’ve seen before.’
    The tattoo was a set of five small circles intertwined with a number five in the center. The ink was black, faded a little as if he’d had it for a while. ‘Looks like a brand.’ Jess met the doctor’s gaze. ‘The way ranchers mark their livestock. Maybe it’s a family thing.’ But Baker had only three siblings, not four. Jess studied the tattoo a moment longer. ‘No gang or business affiliation I recognize.’ She fished for her cell and snapped a picture.
    ‘I looked it up,’ Sylvia told her. ‘It’s a Celtic five knot. Represents earth, wind, fire, water, unity.’ She surveyed the victim. ‘For now that’s all I can give you.’
    ‘I appreciate it.’ Jess readied to head out. ‘How’s Leslie working out?’ Leslie Chambers was the teenage sister of the key witness in the homicide case Jess had worked last week. Sylvia had pretty much taken the two kids under her wing. She was funding Leslie’s college and the younger brother’s attendance at a private school for autistic children. Sylvia had also gotten the girl an internship here at the coroner’s office. The lady had truly gone above and beyond.
    ‘She’s a fast learner and a hard worker.’ Sylvia tidied the sheet on the victim. ‘She’s a terrific kid.’
    ‘She’s lucky to have made such a good friend.’ Jess didn’t expect the other woman to acknowledge the compliment. For a woman who seemed so arrogant and full of herself, Sylvia Baron didn’t take real compliments well.
    Before Jess was out the door, the ME called after her, ‘My family has their annual Labor Day barbeque coming up. Check your schedule – if you don’t have plans already, you should come. Bring Dan along.’
    Jess hoped her surprise wasn’t showing. ‘I’ll let you know.’
    So maybe they were friends, or at the very least on the road to becoming friends. The jury was still out.
    Jess caught up with Lori in the long corridor outside the autopsy room, and the detective tucked her phone into the pocket of her trousers and gave Jess a look that warned she wasn’t going to like the news.
    Before Jess got any more bad news – she’d had more than her share last week – she needed to pass along a revelation of her own. ‘Let Harper know that Baker was definitely having an affair.’ Harper was digging around in the victim’s personal life. This news would give him a direction. ‘And our perp is in all probability shorter than the