Page 31 (1/2)

I didn’t have to stoop o under the crime scene tape in the hallway New reverse li the footprints The blood was drying to rust and would eventually look brown even against the white carpet

“Who puts white carpet on the kids’ side of the house?” I asked

“I asked Duke that He said that they’d reh school They let the kids choose the colors up here”

“What teenage boy would choose white carpet?”

“Maybe it was Jocelyn’s pick?” he said

“Maybe,” I said, and then gave my attention to the bloody footprints

They were bare feet, and they looked a si to see if there was blood on his feet, not sizing him for shoes There weren’t that many steps until they turned into the open door of a bedroom One of the prints crossed the threshold, but then the floor was covered in short beige or maybe taupe carpet It wasn’t as pretty as the white in the hallway, but it was a lot more practical It also acted like a nice neutral to the blue walls of the bedroo in the doorway but didn’t walk inside the roome about the prints?

“You’ve got that thinking look again,” Newman said from down the hallway

I turned around and went back to the footprints in the hallway, but this time, I tried to match the stride pattern I had to daot all the way to New my way down the hallway

“Bobby Marchand is ht?” I asked

“I’d say five-eight, maybe five-nine,” Newman said

“Come walk beside the footprints in the hallway, and let me watch where your stride hits”

He didn’t argue, just did what I asked When he got to the end of the hallway prints, he turned back to look at me His face was expectant, as if he just knew I’d explain it to him

“How tall are you?” I asked

“Six-two”