Twenty-Seven
“WHAT?” HELEN WHISPERS. She sways and her knees buckle. I catch her and hold her steady, leading her into a vacant office where she can sit down.
“Dan, this has to be a mistake,” I say.
“He ran it twice. Both times, it was a match to Helen Mason Parr.”
“What is she doing in CODIS anyway? I mean, I thought that was just for criminals?” I ask.
“There’s a separate database in Maryland for police officers,” Helen says. “Helps with elimination at a crime scene. Kind of like elimination prints.”
“But how did her blood get on that sword? I mean, it’s impossible!”
Dan sighs and shakes his head. “I know, Tom. But somehow, SSM got Helen’s blood and smeared it on. Helen, have you given blood recently?”
She shakes her head and looks down. “No. My . . . my oncologist told me I shou
