The Face of Deception (15 page)

Bonnie was sitting on the floor by the door, her arms linked around her knees. And its dumb to fall asleep at your desk when you have a bed to go to.

I was going to close my eyes for only a minute, she said defensively. I have work to do.

I know. Bonnie looked at the skull on the pedestal. Good work.

Good?

I think so. Bonnies forehead was creased in a puzzled frown. Im not sure. I think its important. Thats why I called you up to the cemetery.

You didnt call me. It was an impulse.

Bonnie smiled Was it?

Or maybe all those flowers on the graves stirred some kind of subliminal message. I knew Logan was devious and maybe I suspected he was Stop smiling.

Im sorry. Im actually very proud of you. Its nice to have a mom whos so smart. Wrong, but still very smart. She looked back at the skull. Youre get-ting along pretty well with Jimmy, arent you?

Fair. There are some problems.

Youll solve them. Ill help you.

What?

I always try to help you in whatever you do.

Oh, now youre my guardian angel? And I sup-pose you were looking out for me when I was in that limo the other night.

No, I couldnt do anything. It scared me. I want to be with you but not yet. Its not your time and it would upset the balance.

Bull. If there was any sense or balance in the uni-verse, you would never have been taken from me.

I dont know how it works. Sometimes things go terribly wrong. But I dont want it to go wrong for you too, Mama. Thats why you have to be very careful now.

Im being careful and trying my darnedest to get out of this mess. Thats why Im working on Jimmy.

Yes, Jimmy is important Bonnie sighed I wish he werent. It would be easier. She leaned back against the wall. I can see youre going to push yourself to exhaustion in the next few days. If you wont go to bed, lay your head back down on the desk and go to sleep.

I am asleep.

Of course you are. Sometimes I forget Im only a dream. Well, will you do me a favor and lay your head back down on the desk? Its a little weird sleeping sit-ting upright in that chair.

Youre the one whos weird. She laid her head on her arms on the desk. After a moment she asked in a low voice, Are you leaving now?

Not yet. Ill stay awhile. I like to watch you when youre sleeping. All the kinks and worries kind of flow away. Its nice to see you that way.

Eve could feel the tears burn her eyes even as her lids closed Weird kidhellip;

BARRETT HOUSE

WEDNESDAY MORNING

You didnt eat anything last night. Logan opened the door and strode into the lab carrying a breakfast tray. I hate to have my labor wasted. Im going to stay and watch you polish off this meal.

Eve looked up from the skull. Your concern is touching. She went to the sink and washed her hands. Except I know you just dont want me to keel over and waste time.

Exactly. He settled himself in the visitors chair. So humor me.

The hell I will. She sat down at the desk and took the napkin off the tray. Ill eat because Im hungry and its sensible. Period.

Thats putting me in my place. I dont care as long as you eat. He was studying her face. You look surprisingly rested but your bed hasnt been slept in.

I took a nap here. She drank the glass of orange juice. And stay out of my bedroom, Logan. Youve invaded too many parts of my life as it is.

I feel a sense of responsibility. I want to help.

To speed up the work?

Only partly. Im not a complete bastard.

She took a bite of omelette.

He chuckled. That was a weighted silence. Well, at least youre not openly attacking me. That nap was good for you. I sense a slight mellowing.

Then you sense wrong. I just dont have time to try to analyze your good and bad points. Im busy.

Even thats a concession. His gaze went to the pedestal. I see youve gotten to the voodoo doll stage. Did you name him too?

Jimmy.

Why did He chuckled again as he under-stood. Its not Hoffa, Eve.

Well see. To her surprise, she found herself smiling. After the tension of the hours of work it was good to relax for a few momentshellip; even with Logan. Though I dont think youd be this involved with a labor leader.

Well, lets just say I wouldnt regard resur-recting him of paramount importance. His gaze returned to the pedestal. Interesting. It seems im-possible you can rebuild a face with that little to go on. How do you do it?

What do you care? As long as it gets done.

Im cursed with an inquiring mind. Is that so odd?

She shrugged. I guess not.

What are those little sticks called?

Tissue-depth markers. Theyre usually made of ordinary pencil erasers, the kind you use in a me-chanical pencil. I cut each marker to the proper mea-surement and glue it onto its specific point on the face. There are more than twenty points of the skull for which there are known tissue depths. Facial tissue depth has been found to be fairly consistent in people the same age, race, sex, and weight. There are anthro-pological charts that give a specific measurement for each point. For instance, in a Caucasian male of average weight, the tissue-depth thickness at the mid-philtrum point is

What?

Sorry. I mean the space between the nose and top lip is ten millimeters. The architecture of the bone beneath the tissue determines whether someone has a jutting chin or bulging eyes or what-ever.

And what do you do next?

I take strips of plasticine and apply them between the markers, then build up to all of the tissue-depth points.

It sounds like a connect the dots game.

Sort of, only in three-dimension and its a hell of a lot more difficult. I have to concentrate on the scien-tific elements of building the face, like keeping true to the tissue-depth measurements as I fill in between the plasticine strips and considering where the facial muscles are located and how they affect the contours of the face.

But what about the size of the nose? Old Jimmy doesnt have one.

Thats a toughie. The width and length is determined again by measurements. For a Caucasian like Jimmy, I measure the nasal opening at the widest point and add five millimeters on each side for the nostrils. That gives me the width. The length, or pro-jection, depends on the measurement of the little bone at the base of the nasal opening, called the nasal spine. Its very simple. I multiply the spine measure-ment by three and add the mid-philtrum tissue-depth measurement.

Ah, the dreaded mid-philtrum again.

Do you want to know this or not?

Yes, I always joke when Im faced with some-thing a little out of my depth. He made a face. Honest, I didnt mean it. Go on.

The nasal spine also determines the angle of the nose. It will show me if the nose is turned up, angled down, or very straight. Once youve got the nose, the ears are easier. Theyre usually as long as the nose.

It sounds very precise.

She shrugged. I wish it were. Even with all the formulas and measurements and scientific data about what makes up a nose, theres no way I can be sure Im reconstructing the original nose. Ive just got to do my best and hope I come close.

And the mouth?

Measurements again. The height of the lips is determined by measuring the distance between the top and bottom gum line. The width is generally the distance between the canine teeth, which usually co-incides with the distance between the centers of the eyes. Thickness of the lips comes from the anthropo-logical charts for tissue depth. Like the nose, I have no clues about the unique shape, so I have to use instinct and judgment to She pushed the tray away and stood up. I dont have time to talk anymore. I have to get back to work.

Then I assume Im dismissed again. He rose to his feet and picked up the tray. Would it be all right if I come in and watch you sometime, or would that be invading your space?

Why? Do you think Im really going to make him look like Jimmy Hoffa?

No. But could it happen?

She shook her head. Havent you been listening? The bone structure tells the tale.

What about the smoothing and filling-in process and the judgment calls on the nose and mouth and

Okay, if you have a preconceived idea of iden-tity, it might influence what you do. Thats why I never look at photos until Im finished. During this period I dont allow myself any creativity. Pure sci-ence has to guide the basic foundation for the face. When the technical development is complete, then I can consider the face as a whole and give artistic judg-ment full rein until its finished. If I didnt do it that way, the product would just be a sculpture and not a facial reconstruction. Her lips tightened. You can bet I wouldnt let that happen. Jimmys not going to look like Hoffa unless hes Hoffa. So you dont have to keep an eye on me, Logan.

That wasnt my intention. He grimaced. If I admit Im tense and maybe a little worried, would you please let me come?

Doubts? I thought you were so sure it was Kennedy.

I want to see that skull come to life, Eve, he said simply. I know that I dont deserve any consid-eration, but will you let me?

She hesitated. She was still annoyed and re-sentful. After all he had done, she should tell him to go jump in the lake. On the other hand, a truce might be necessary for getting out of this predicament safely. She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. I dont care if you dont talk to me. I probably wouldnt know youre in the room. If you open your mouth, youre out.

Not a word. He headed for the door. You wont even know Im here. Ill bring you food and coffee and then curl up in the corner like a docile pussycat.

I dont know any cats that are docile. She moved toward the pedestal and was already closing him out. Just be quiethellip;

CHEVY CHASE

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

You dont seem to be progressing very fast, Doprel, Fiske said. And youre not even working on the skull.

I never work on the skull, Doprel said. Im making a cast and Ill do the work on that.

Does everyone? It seems like a waste of time.

No, but I prefer to do it that way, Doprel said with irritation. Its safer. I dont have to be so careful of the skull.

Timwick wants the work done quickly. This cast is

I work the way I work, Doprel said coldly. I find it goes even faster when I dont have to be cautious.

Timwick doesnt care if the skull is damaged. We dont have time for the cast. He paused. Id think youd want to get this done fast so you can go home.

Its not the way I He hesitated. Screw it. What the hell do I care if the damn thing gets broken? Ill work on the skull. Now leave me alone, Fiske. Youre supposed to bring me meals and get me what I need, not criticize my methods.

Arrogant prick. He was treating Fiske like a lousy servant. Fiske had seen those scientific types before. They thought they were better and smarter than everyone else. Doprel with all his training and brains couldnt do what Fiske did in a million years. He wouldnt have either the cunning or the guts.

But maybe Doprel would learn his mistake be-fore this was over. Timwick said it depended on the results. Fiske smiled. I didnt mean to offend. He started to leave. Let me go make a pot of coffee for you.

BARRETT HOUSE

WEDNESDAY

10:50 P.M.

Done.

Eve stepped back, took off her glasses, and wiped her stinging eyes with the back of her hands. The meticulous work of laying the clay strips was fin-ished, and her eyes were strained badly. She didnt dare do anything else right now; she couldnt risk making a mistake. Shed sit down, rest for an hour or so, and then begin again.

She crossed to the desk, dropped down in the chair, leaned back, and closed her eyes.

Are you okay? Logan asked.

She jumped, and her gaze flew to the far corner of the lab. Jesus, she had forgotten he was in the room. In the past twenty-four hours, he had moved in and out of the lab like a ghost, and she couldnt remember him even speaking to her.

Maybe he had. She had been so absorbed with Jimmy that she didnt remember much of those hours. She vaguely recalled she had called her mother once but had no idea what she had said.

Okay? Logan repeated.

Of course Im okay. I was just resting. I dont have the best vision in the world and my eyes are strained.

With good reason. Ive never seen anyone work with that much intensity. Michelangelo probably was less tense when he was sculpting David.

He had more time.

Hows it coming?

I dont know. I never know until its done. Im through with the donkey work. Now comes the hard part.

A little rest might help. He was sitting with apparent ease, but she was suddenly aware of the ten-sion in him.

I was trying to rest, she said dryly.

Sorry. And I was trying to help. He smiled crookedly. Ive been expecting you to collapse any minute.