The Executioner

Hundred and Twenty-Two

Garcia stared at the picture in Hunter’s hands, confused. ‘What are you talking about? Who’s Michael Madden?’

‘Look at the eyes, Carlos. You can change everything on a person’s face but the eyes stay the same. They’re like fingerprints.’

Garcia did as he was told, concentrating harder this time. ‘Nope, I still have no idea who this guy is.’

Hunter looked at the photo one more time. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He would have only one shot at this. He needed to be one hundred percent certain. ‘Let’s go.’ He rushed out of the office.

‘Where are we going this time?’ Garcia asked, following Hunter, who took the stairs going up in giant leaps.

‘SID. I need to be sure. We need to talk to Patricia Phelps.’

Garcia frowned. ‘The composite sketch artist?’

‘That’s her.’ Hunter nodded.

The LAPD Scientific Investigation Division is responsible for the collection, comparison and interpretation of physical evidence found at crime scenes or collected from suspects and victims. It’s located on the top floor of the RHD building. The LAPD composite artists are part of the SID team.

Patricia Phelps was the most senior and most experienced of the SID sketch artists. She was getting ready to go home after doing a couple of hours’ overtime when Hunter and Garcia burst through her office door.

‘Pat, we need your help,’ Hunter puffed, half out of breath.

The short-haired brunette with a stop-traffic figure looked at Hunter through the top of her thin-rimmed designer glasses. ‘Did you just run up six flights of stairs, Robert?’ she asked in her husky voice that made most men melt. ‘I guess if you ran all the way up here this can’t wait until tomorrow, can it?’

Hunter took a deep breath but didn’t reply.

‘I thought not. What do you need?’ She undid her coat.

Hunter handed Patricia the photograph. ‘I need you to alter this picture.’

She studied it for a second before shrugging. ‘OK. Let me scan it in.’ She returned to her desk and a minute later the image appeared on one of her computer screens.

‘How advanced is your software?’ Hunter asked.

Patricia chuckled proudly. ‘State of the art. As good as any animation studio in Hollywood. I can turn him into Brad Pitt if you like.’

Hunter smiled and motioned Garcia closer, who still looked puzzled. ‘OK, guys, now here’s the scenario. When you were young, everyone made fun of you, mainly because of the way you looked. It happened in school, on the streets… everywhere. Girls wouldn’t give you the time of day and boys pushed you around, called you names and beat you up. It went on for so long and it got so bad that you ended up hating yourself and the way you looked. You wished you could be somebody else. Are you with me so far?’

Garcia and Patricia both nodded.

‘What if you became rich early in your life? What if you had enough money to do anything you liked, including drastically changing the way you looked? You could finally become that someone else you always wanted to be? No more laughing or name-calling or being beat up. People you knew wouldn’t even recognize you. Would you go through with it? Would you change your face?’