Page 173 of Forever Dead

Foss regarded her over the rim of his glasses.

“He also killed women.”

Selena closed the folder.

“So, you think our killer could be copying him?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. There are similarities, but similarity is not imitation. Your man may never have given Gein a thought. But it’s worth considering. Perhaps you could look to find someone with an interest in serial killers, that sort of thing.”

“If those first fragments came from the mask, he already had it when he killed Eleanor,” Selena said. “Whatever he took from Nora came later.”

“Yes.”

“So we still need to establish where the original material came from.”

“First establish what it is,” Foss said. “Then you can investigate its source.”

“What about the stitching?”

Foss looked again at the phone.

“What about it?”

“A section of skin was removed from Nora. Blethan has examined the wound. He described controlled dissection, with little damage underneath. He thinks surgical experience is worth considering. Does the stitching support that?”

Foss held out his hand.

Selena passed him the phone again.

He studied the close-up for almost a minute.

“It’s possible,” he answered.

“But?”

“I wouldn’t make surgery a requirement.”

“Why not?”

“People learn technical skills in all sorts of places. Pathology. Mortuary work. Veterinary medicine. Even taxidermy can create familiarity with tissue and preservation.”

That matched the caution Selena expected from him. “I’ve been chasing down those angles, as well.”

Foss enlarged the image. “Still, whoever did this knew what he was doing.”

“The stitching?”

“Among other things. Look at the spacing.”

Selena moved beside him.

Foss pointed without touching the screen.

“The stitches aren’t elegant, but they’re regular. Tension is reasonably consistent. More importantly, the material hasn’t torn around most of the punctures. Skin that has been dried or chemically altered can split very easily if you put too much force through it.”

“So, he practiced.”

“Almost certainly.”