The Executioner

Hundred and Twenty-Three

Garcia thought about it for a moment, his eyes on the face on Patricia Phelps’s screen. ‘Probably.’ He didn’t sound very sure.

‘Most definitely.’ Patricia nodded enthusiastically. ‘I’ve seen the kind of damage severe bullying can do to someone. The daughter of a friend of mine committed suicide a few years ago because of it.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Hunter said.

Patricia gave him a soft smile.

‘Alright, so if you’re this kid-’ Hunter pointed to the computer monitor ‘-what would you have changed?’

Garcia crossed his arms and chewed on his bottom lip while studying the young student’s face.

‘Those umbrella ears would have to go,’ Patricia said, leaning back on her chair. ‘He probably got some real heat for them. They’re quite – shall I say? – predominant?’

‘Yeah, OK. I’ll have to agree.’ Garcia nodded.

‘Can you change that?’ Hunter asked, resting a hand on Patricia’s left shoulder.

‘Watch me work.’ She entered a few algorithms into the software and used a device that looked like an electronic pen to draw on a flat board on her desk. Like a painter stroking a canvas, her movements were precise and graceful. Moments later the student’s ears were completely different.

‘Wow, that’s cool,’ Garcia said.

‘Yeah, that looks much better.’ Patricia smiled.

‘OK, so what else would you change?’ Hunter pushed.

‘Probably that bump on his nose,’ Garcia offered. ‘It looks as if it’s been broken.’

Patricia nodded and made the change.

‘Good. Any other problems either of you would like to fix?’ Hunter asked.

‘His teeth.’ Patricia this time.

‘You can’t see his teeth.’ Garcia shook his head, frowning at her.

‘That’s true, but see the way he closes his mouth?’ She used the electronic pen to indicate it on the screen. ‘He’s not doing it naturally. He’s forcing his lips together in a pouting movement, which tells me his teeth were bigger than normal and pushed forward.’

Hunter and Garcia squinted at the picture.

‘Trust me, guys. I work with this sort of stuff every day.’

‘OK.’ Hunter shrugged. ‘But how can you change his teeth on the picture if you can’t see them?’

‘I can change the shape of his mouth, push his lips back a fraction and do away with his pouting. You’ll see,’ she said as her perfectly manicured fingers punched several keys on her keyboard. A few more strokes with the magic pen and the kid had a new mouth.

‘Wow, he looks quite different from the original,’ Garcia agreed.

Hunter shook his head, unsure. ‘Something is not fitting.’

‘His jaw,’ Patricia noted. ‘Because of the alterations I made to his lips and teeth, I’m certain a surgeon would suggest a small redesign of his jawline to fit his new smile. Maybe square it a little.’

‘Can you do that?’

‘As I said, with this pen I can do anything.’ She smiled confidently and made the alterations. When she was done, they all took a step back from the monitor. The image they were staring at was that of a very different-looking boy from the one they’d started with.

‘That’s it,’ Patricia said. ‘I don’t see anything else to add or subtract, do you?’

Both detectives shook their heads.

‘We just turned a geek into a hunk.’ Patricia laughed.

‘That’s perfect,’ Hunter agreed.

Something had changed in Garcia’s expression, but the recognition still wasn’t there.

‘Do me a favor now, Pat.’ Hunter hunched his body over her desk. ‘Darken his hair to a brownish color, add some gray over his temples and make it a shorter, combed-back style, will you?’

They waited while Patricia tweaked the picture once again.

‘Can you hypothesize age?’ Hunter asked.

‘Of course.’

‘Great. Let’s age him about twenty-five years.’

The ageing process took a little longer. When it was finally done, Garcia’s jaw dropped open.

‘No fucking way.’