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"Nina? Really?"

"Yeah"

"That’s too bad"

"Just didn’t work out," I said "It was time to move on anyway"

I winced at the words even as I spoke them Weiner yawned

"About what ti me if I have an alibi?"

"Yes"

"For what?"

Weiner dealt a black-and-white glossy from the folder and slid it across the desk I took three steps forward, glanced down at it, and turned away It was a photograph of Mollie Pratt’s broken body, naked except for the cast on her ankle

"Between 9:00 PM and otta be kidding me"

He took another ite raph

"Jesus Christ," I said

"Talk to us," Weiner said "With the minimum of hysterics"

"I don’t have an alibi for between nine and araph?" Weiner asked

"Like Merodie Davies did?" The lieutenant seeraphs are a joke"

"I’ll take that as a no"

"Take it any way you want" I stepped toward Rask and glared down at hi me here?"

Rask spoke smoothly and carefully He always did "Mollie Pratt was beaten, raped, and ht, when her body was discovered in an eo Avenue off Lake Street in Minneapolis That’s why it’s ests that she was killed sos"

Weiner slipped another photograph fronored it

"We began the investigation here with the assistance of the Anoka CID"--Rask gestured toward Weiner--"by searching Mollie’s hoine my surprise"

"You assu, you know that, McKenzie"

"Would you be willing to give us a blood sample?" Weiner asked