HF Lighter¶
The HF Lighter is a bloody stainless-steel lighter, marked "HF" in Sharpie, that Andrew Howard finds clutched in his own hand after waking in the woods outside Dahlonega.
| Type | Item (evidence) |
| Aliases | bloody steel lighter |
| Found by | Andrew Howard |
| Probable owner | Dead Man in the Cave |
| First appearance | Appalachia 03 |
Description¶
The lighter is stainless steel, a little more upscale than a gas-station lighter, with no engraving. Under the blood on its bottom, the initials "HF" are written in Sharpie. Dark hair and fat stuck to its side look roughly right for the folded face. Kurt examines it in gloves. (Appalachia 03)
Properties¶
The blood on the lighter is not Andrew's: the cuts on his feet are his own, but the lighter's blood is not. (Appalachia 03) Zack observes from the dead man's face that he looked like a smoker, which the team takes to fit the lighter and the cigarette pack found in the cave. (Appalachia 03)
History¶
Andrew wakes in the woods in sweat-soaked pajamas, bleeding from the feet and clutching a lighter he has never seen. He walks for hours and gets back to the Smith Hotel. Before rinsing off, he bags the lighter and as much of the blood on his hand as he can. (Appalachia 03)
The next day, Dante points out that the team has not yet looked at the lighter, and examines it for a name. The team follows Andrew's blood trail to a crevice, which leads them to the bloody chamber and the man's face. (Appalachia 03) Everything, including the lighter, goes into the hotel mini fridge. Andrew asks how the team will explain the lighter when it has to be recorded. Dante says they will treat it as circumstantial evidence from the crime scene he found, and leave out that he was sleepwalking. (Appalachia 03) Kurt tells Sheriff Carter Burke about the lighter and the blood, and the sheriff puts the matter aside until after the search for the missing German boy, Frederick. (Appalachia 03)
Later in the episode, Andrew phones the Spud Hut distribution center about a missing worker, Aaron Richters, but notes that his initials do not match the lighter's. The team concludes that the dead man might have borrowed a friend's lighter. (Appalachia 03)
Unresolved¶
The episodes never explain the initials "HF", nor how the lighter came to be in Andrew's hand.