The Treasure of Skull Valley by Barry Forbes

Author:Barry Forbes [Forbes, Barry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Leo Press

11

Do You Know Me?

On Monday morning—one week after the intriguing cry for help fell from the pages of Wuthering Heights—stunning images of Grant Dorrance Hutchinson appeared in Suzanne’s inbox as she sat chewing over the evidence with Kathy.

In her cover email, the forensic artist explained her approach: “Thanks for the photos. Since Grant died in 1970 at age seventeen, I created a ‘close age’ image to the present day. I aged Grant by giving him a receding hairline and styling his remaining hair, which I also grayed, in an age-appropriate manner for today. He might also be completely bald by now, but since his father had thick hair late in life (and even though male-pattern baldness can be inherited from either parent), I’ve split the difference and shown Grant balding considerably—but not bald. I also dropped the tip of his nose, lengthened his earlobes, and turned slight depressions in his teenage skin into wrinkles—all normal aspects of aging. The turned-down corners of his mouth represent aging due to loss of skin and muscle tone. I’ve given you three options for facial hair: clean shaven, with gray stubble, and with a full beard and mustache.”

“Oh, my gosh,” Kathy said. “These are as good as photographs. You can see it’s the same guy, but—wow.”

“Check out those eyes,” Suzanne exclaimed. “And those ears. He’s the spitting image of his father. It’s amazing.”

Gray strays of hair folded across Grant’s pate, replacing his once well-known teenage seventies mop. His eyes still twinkled, and his chin appeared identical in the clean-shaven image to the way it looked in his high school photo. His cheeks sagged, but the nose matched that of his elegant and still-attractive sister.

“A little longer than hers,” Kathy said, giggling. “But can’t you just tell that Daisy and Grant are siblings?”

The two girls put Suzanne’s mobile on speaker for a big thank-you phone call to the artist. “You’re welcome,” she replied. “Send me a pic if you find him. I’m curious to know how close I got.”

“We will!” Suzanne said before saying goodbye.

“Not if,” Kathy said after the call. “When.”

Later, when the boys saw the drawings, they were ecstatic. “Okay,” Tom said. “I bet we couldn’t get any closer. Now for the next step.”

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