Chapter 10

 

Chapter Ten

 

Thursday Morning – 6:30 AM

 

“The police report they have discovered the body of a young woman in a parking garage at The Tyson’s Galleria. The woman is in her mid-twenties with shoulder length blonde hair. There was no identification, but authorities say she did have an unusual tattoo on her left shoulder.”

 

Mosby looked up at the television set just as the picture of the tattoo was flashed on the screen.

 

It couldn’t be! Mosby grabbed the dvr remote – hit rewind, then pause. He stared at the frozen image of the dead girl’s tattoo. He recognized it immediately. The tattoo was exactly like the one on his left buttock. He grabbed the phone and called Lilly. The phone rang nine times before she answered.

 

“Lilly? It’s Mosby. Are you watching the news?”

 

“No, Mosby. I was asleep. What time is it anyway?”

 

“It’s 6:30.”

 

“In the morning? Goodbye, Mosby. I’m going back to sleep.”

 

“Wait Lilly. Listen. Don’t hang up. This is important. I just saw on the news that they found a body of a girl who has my cherub on her shoulder. The one I sketched. The one you did for me.”

 

Lilly tried to make sense of what Mosby was saying but her brain was still fogged with sleep. Body? Tattoo? Cherub? “Mosby, slow down. What are you talking about?”

 

Mosby repeated what he’d said. “Lilly, did you give that tattoo to anyone else?”

 

“Yes. A couple came in right after you left that night. They were in the Navigator. You remember.. They wanted matching tattoos. The woman saw your sketch and she wanted one like it. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

 

“Lilly. Don’t you understand? The police found a dead woman with my tattoo on her shoulder. The woman you gave the cherub to – what did she look like?”

 

“She was pretty, young, blonde.”

 

“Lilly. That’s her. That’s the girl they found.”

 

“Mosby, there’s something else. The man she was with. The one who got the matching tattoo. I recognized him.”

 

“Who was he, Lilly?”

 

 It was Senator Stuart Jaffe.”

 

“Lilly. You have to call the police right now.”

 

“I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to get involved in this. Let me think about it. Cops have always made me nervous. You know that.”

 

“Lilly, don’t be ridiculous. Just call them and tell them what you told me. Promise me you’ll do that. Okay?”

 

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up the phone. The last thing she wanted to do was to get caught up in a murder investigation. She’d think about it later. Right now she needed a cup of cinnamon tea.”