Chapter 3 — Analyzing the Glass Scatter Pattern
Jordan leaned in closer under the lip of the heavy oak table.
The glass shards were not lying directly beneath the spot where the frame had rested.
Instead, the tiny fragments and large panels of broken glass had been thrown outward.
They rested toward the center of the room, far past the baseboard of the table.
The heavy wooden frame itself lay face down near the edge of the rug.
Vincent watched the inspection with a skeptical frown.
“She probably swiped at it with her arm and sent it flying,” Vincent argued, doubling down on his claim.
“If she swiped at it, her hands would have caught some of the glass,” Jordan countered quietly.
Jordan carefully lifted the discarded wooden frame by its narrow side moldings.
He turned the heavy oak border upward toward the daylight coming through the living room window.
He examined the smooth, polished surface where the photograph was housed.
There were no fingerprints anywhere on the delicate glass surface.
The glass was completely clear of smudges, prints, or palm marks.
Vincent stared down at the bare wooden border in silence.
The total lack of finger smudges weakened Vincent’s theory that Samantha had grabbed and thrown the frame.
A child gripping a heavy object in panic would leave distinct marks on the glass.
Samantha’s hands were entirely clean when Jordan had pulled her away from the floor moments earlier.
Jordan set the empty frame gently down on a nearby chair.
He stood up and began tracing his fingers along the outer edge of the wooden side table.
His hand paused over a faint, distinct scuff mark right on the corner of the polished wood.