“It’s strange that Doc didn’t know him, but maybe he was just passing through.”

“Maybe. I just need to know more about him.”

“So you want to investigate him?” Lonnie asked.

“No, not really. But I do want to know more. Maybe he has relatives somewhere we ought to notify.”

“I understand,” Michelle said. “You need to know for your own peace of mind.”

“Yes, that’s part of it. I also need to know because he’s a mystery. I didn’t know him, Lisa didn’t know him, Doc didn’t know him, and nobody at the hospital knew him.”

“How about Mother?”

“I didn’t ask her to look. You know how squeamish she is. There’s no way I’d ask her to go down to the morgue and look at him.”

“You’re right,” Michelle said. “She’d do it for you, but you’d hear about the huge favor she did for you for the rest of your life.”

“Maybe the guy was a transient,” Lonnie suggested. “He could have been some street person who hitchhiked here.”

“I don’t think so. He was dressed too well to be homeless.”

“He was?” Michelle sounded surprised. “You didn’t mention that before.”

“That’s because I didn’t think of it before. I just wrote it all down for Howie. He told me he wanted every detail I could remember and I described what the man was wearing.”

“What was he wearing?” Lonnie asked.

“Jeans and a white shirt. The jeans were expensive. I’m pretty sure I recognized the logo on the pocket.”

“Do you think he could have gotten them from some charity that gives clothes to the needy?”

Hannah shook her head. “I don’t think so. They fit too well for that. The shirt looked expensive, too. The only thing wrong with it were the stains on the front.”

Michelle shivered. “Bloodstains?”

“No. The stains were reddish-purple, but I’m almost certain they weren’t from blood. It was . . . thinner, a little like juice. And his shoes were expensive. I know that because I’ve seen them advertised and they’re almost two hundred dollars a pair. I don’t remember the brand, but I do remember the price.”

“Anything else?” Lonnie asked, and Hannah could tell he was going into detective mode.

“He had a ring. I didn’t get close enough to really see it, but it looked like a high school ring with a school seal on the front. Doc Knight probably still has it with his personal effects at the hospital. Either that, or Bill sent someone from the department to collect it.”

Michelle and Lonnie exchanged glances. Then he turned to Hannah. “I’ll check with Rick. If they’re here in the evidence room, he’ll know. And if they aren’t, we’ll run out to the hospital to look at them before we go back to your condo.”

“There’s one other thing. He had a diamond.”

“In the high school ring?” Michelle asked.

“No, in his left front tooth. It was one of those embedded jewels like the fake ones Norman made for you.”