Dr. Wolff told them to go into his private office while he retrieved it. It wasn’t long before he returned with a box of plastic gloves and another, larger box.
After they’d both donned their gloves, Luckey took off the lid of the evidence box and gently removed the garment. As he handed it to her, she saw the hole made in the back. “When you’re ready to tell me anything and everything you can about the dress, I’ll record you.”
After studying the writing on the inside, she laid it out on the table and nodded to him. “This is a cheongsam, actually the term for a man’s mandarin-style robe. Over the years it became the name of a body-hugging, one-piece women’s dress that features a frog, which is a knob of intricately knotted strings. It has two big openings at either side of the hems for convenient movement, and it is often buttoned on the right side, but not always.
“The cheongsam comes in various styles based on differences in the shapes of the collar, the length of the openings, hem and the width of the sleeves. The embroidery might show a peony, a lotus flower, a dragon or fish.”
Ally darted him a glance. “This garment is made of very expensive embroidered silk with fine gold threading, and belongs to a woman from a highborn family. The design depicts a lotus, which symbolizes purity.”
Luckey eyed her intently. “Do you think that aspect is significant?”
“It could be.” She smoothed the material between her fingers. “A fabric like this in pale pink is normally worn by a slim young woman, because it wouldn’t look as good on a heavier woman. The hem is knee length. The short, tight sleeve indicates this female has slender arms. See this collar? It’s midsize because the woman wearing this has a shorter neck. A taller woman would wear a higher collar.”
“Amazing,” Luckey murmured.
“The hem is midlength. Notice that the slits are just high enough to allow leg movement, indicating modesty. The dress is formfitting to reveal beautiful posture and feminine curves, and exude an air of elegance and grace.” Ally stopped talking and looked up at him. “That’s all the information I can think of.”
He shook his head and turned off the recorder. “You sound like a forensics expert. I’m in awe of your knowledge. Do you have any idea where this cheongsam would have been purchased?”
“It was probably made by a seamstress for the family. If the embroidery is in the Xiang style, then it might have been bought at a high-end silk merchant in Jiangyong County or Yongzhou City itself.”
Luckey got up from the table. “Excuse me for a minute. I’ll be right back.” A few minutes later he returned with the coroner, who’d brought another box with him.
“I’ve asked him to let you look at the clothes of the Indonesian woman.” He undid the lid and pulled out an embroidered blouse. “Can you tell me anything about this?”
Ally examined it. “My friend Soo-Lin could. She and I occasionally saw an Indonesian girl at the university wearing a tight-fitting lace blouse like this with a long skirt. I remember she called it a kebaya.”
Luckey nodded to the older man, who carried a pair of scissors. He cut a three-by-three-inch swatch from the backs of both outfits. “There you go.” He returned the clothes to the boxes and walked out with them and the glove carton.
The Ranger wore a satisfied expression. “I’ve got my samples.”
“I didn’t know you could do that to evidence.”
“You can’t.”
Ally averted her eyes. “Unless you’re you.” Because he was the best of the best.
“The next thing I need to do is track down these materials. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done.”
“I feel the same way about you working on this case, so we’re even.” Don’t just sit here, Ally. She checked her watch. “I’d better get going.”
He pulled a business card from his pocket. After writing a phone number on the back, he handed it to her. “Ring me at either number if any other thoughts come to your mind that could help this case.”
“I will, I promise.”
The card with his cell phone number burned a hole in her palm. She hurried out of the office to the car, and once safely inside, looked at the card in detail. When working on a case, did he give everyone who helped him his cell number?
She drove away wishing he’d made some suggestion about seeing her again. A man like him came along only once in a lifetime. But even if he was free to date, what were the odds of him pursuing her while he was in deep, looking for a possible serial killer?
When she got home, Ally went upstairs to her room. Her parents were out, which made it the perfect time to write a letter to Soo-Lin. After grabbing a notebook and pen, Ally stretched out on her bed to read her friend’s letter again before answering it. When she came to the part about Yu Tan, a cold, clammy sensation crept through her body, making her feel ill.
Three weeks ago their sixteen-year-old daughter, Yu Tan, didn’t come home from school. One of her friends said she ran off with a man from a disco club in the city, where she often went dancing without permission. I don’t believe it. Yu Tan is a sweet, well-brought-up young woman with plans to make the Olympic team and go to college. She’s won all kinds of awards in gymnastics.
As Ally continued to read Soo-Lin’s concerns about Yu Tan’s disappearance, that sickness grew, until she slid off the bed to look for her purse. Inside was the card Luckey had given her with his phone number.
Maybe there was no connection between the words she’d just read and the case that Luckey was working on, but she needed to get his permission to discuss this with her parents. The news in Soo-Lin’s letter had struck too close to home.
* * *
LUCKEY LEFT THE morgue with the swatches of material in his pocket and headed for the office. On his way down the hall he was relieved to see Cy coming out of the lunchroom with a mug of coffee. There was no one he’d rather talk with about this case than him. “Ranger Vance, as I live and breathe!”
Cy saw him and grinned. “Where have you been for the last couple of weeks?”
“You don’t want to hear about it.”
“Actually, I already did. TJ spread the word that you nailed those three felons. Grab some coffee and come in my office so we can play catch-up.”
Luckey didn’t need to be persuaded. In less than a minute he was sitting across from Cy at his friend’s desk and sipping the hot liquid. “How’s the baby?”
“She’s a heartbreaker, like Kellie.”
“Another champion barrel racer?”
“Maybe.” He eyed Luckey. “But the important question is, how’s your personal life?”
He’d been concentrating so hard on thinking about Ally Duncan, the question took him by surprise.
Cy’s eyes narrowed. “What’s this? Silence from our dedicated bachelor?”
After a pause he said, “Do you remember the day you bumped into Kellie outside the radio station in Bandera?”
“What kind of a question is that? You know damn well it was the greatest day of my life.” His friend studied him. “Okay, buddy. You’re setting me up for something. Out with it.”
“I had a similar experience yesterday.”
“Yeah?” Cy broke into a smile that lit up his face. “I guess I don’t need to ask if she’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
“Nope.”
He let out a yelp that filled the room and jumped out of his chair to slap Luckey on the shoulder. In the process he set down his mug so hard some of his coffee spilled. “I knew it had to happen sooner