During the call, senior people had determined that for this huge case, material would be distributed for analysis and collaboration involving forensic experts with Miami-Dade, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI’s crime lab in Quantico.

Perez, one of the most meticulous examiners in his section, was tasked with collecting latent prints from the evidence in the burglary/homicide cases to be submitted to local, state and national databases for comparison.

To find a killer.

That was his job. Making the invisible known.

Working at his bench, Perez used the utmost care and attention. He applied cyanoacrylate, also known as superglue, to the knife. It was excellent for developing latent prints because it made the prints more durable. Allowing sufficient time for the glue to dry, he then reached for a plastic squeeze bottle. It contained a pinkish liquid, Rhodamine 6G. Perez used it as a tracing agent because it adhered to superglue.

After treating the knife and superglue with Rhodamine, Perez placed it in the fuming hood to dry. When the knife had dried, he removed it and took it to room 1125 for more processing by placing it on a small examination table and switching off the room’s lights. He turned on a laser light, which bathed the knife in glowing green, rendering latent impressions visible.

Perez studied the blade and handle for friction-ridge detail.

He found prints.

“Oh no,” he said aloud to himself.

It was just as he’d feared and something common at crime scenes. Yes, the tech’s notes had indicated several people had handled the knife—Perez knew that—but the multiple prints were overlapping. He needed to separate the prints so they could not only be run through databases but could also be compared with the partial latent print the FBI had taken from an attack attributed to the unknown serial killer.

The one they called The Collector.

Perez took in a breath and let it out.

Separating the prints would not be easy.

74

The next morning, the steel door of the cinder-block interview room opened with the clinking of metal as two correctional officers deposited Loften into a plastic chair at a large table.

Loften wore an orange jumpsuit with a belly chain attached to leg-irons around his ankles and handcuffs around his wrists. Since his capture, he’d been isolated from the rest of the population at Miami-Dade County Pre-Trial Detention Center and held in a special maximum-security section.

Before leaving, the officers affixed a chain from his wrists to the steel handcuff loop on the table so Loften could rest his arms.

Detectives Cruz, Reddick and Bogan and FBI agent Morrow sat across from Loften, studying his pocked face. Several other investigators were watching from behind the one-way-mirrored glass of one wall.

“Welcome home, Clete. We missed you,” Reddick said, then tilted his head, studying him with mock concern. “It’s nice that every time we meet, you get yourself all prettied up for us.”