He wants to see me squirm, Alice thought. Gets off on it . Determined not to play his game, she lifted the hand and felt bones and muscles move beneath the soft skin. The pores looked perfect, hair fine and black, skin a light pink. She lifted it to her nose and caught a hint of wax and peppermint oil. She licked the index finger with her tongue. It tasted of nothing, or rather the absence of something, of life—dirt and sweat. She held it close and focused on the fingerprints; there was pixilation at the limits of her vision. It would fool the casual observer, but she’d been this close to Julia and seen nothing. That body was on a different level of craftsmanship.