The Skin Collector (Lincoln Rhyme 11)

'I didn't pay much attention. Late twenties, thirties. White. Had a cap on, dark, and a scarf around his neck. It came up high, almost covering his chin. Sunglasses too. Which he didn't need because the weather was as bad as now. That, the glasses, seemed hipster and uncool. But we get imagistas in here a lot. It's a fine line between posing with ink and being real with ink.'

Imagistas. Clever.

Sellitto showed her the Identi-Kit pic.

Thomson shrugged. 'Could be. Again, not paying much attention. Oh, but one thing I remember. He wasn't inked that I could see. Wasn't pierced either. Most skin artists're pretty modded.'

'He has one on his arm. Maybe a dragon, some creature. In red. Does that mean anything?'

The snake-and-bird woman shook her head. 'No - after that book, that thriller, a lot of people wanted dragons. Copycats. No significance that I know.'

He then asked, 'You know anything significant about a tattoo of the words "the second"? Or "fort"Y? They mean anything in the skin art world?'

'No, not that I've ever heard.'

He displayed pictures of the tattoos.

'Well,' she said. 'Old English font. That's hard to do. And the lesions, the raised part? That was because of the poison?'

'Yeah.'

'Well, whatever else, he's good. Real good.'

'And he worked fast. Probably did that in ten, fifteen minutes.'

'Really?' She seemed astonished. 'And the scarification too? The scalloped border?'

'All in ten or fifteen. Does that, or the style, give you any idea who this guy might be?'

'Not really ... But I don't see the outlines.'

'No, TT said he used a bloodline. Freehand.'

'Then nobody I know could do a work like that in fifteen minutes. And I know all the talented people in town. That's one hell of an artist you're dealing with.'

'TT said he was from out of town but didn't know where.'

'Well, you don't see that font much in the area. But I couldn't tell you what's hot now in Albany - or Norwalk or Trenton. My clientele's pretty much downtown Manhattan.'

'He paid cash for the needles, right?'

Why bother to ask?

'Right.'

'Any chance you'd still have the money? For prints.'

'No. But it wouldn't matter. He wore gloves.'

Natch ...

'I thought that was a little weird too. But not suspicious weird, you know?'

Imagistas.

'Did he say anything?'

'To me? No. Other than to ask for the needles.'