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"Is this guy even going to be out of the bag yet?"

"Killed on the Magister’s property in such a public way? They probably called in Martinson"

I took a long drink from the bottle of water Mason had produced for me on our way out of the hospital Then I followed Mason into the building

They had, in fact, called in Dr Martinson And he looked every bit as unhappy to be called in at dawn as any nine-to-fiver could look

"What do we got, Doc?" Mason asked as soon as we reached the room where autopsies were conducted Dr Martinson stood next to a table, notebook in hand and autopsy gear still covering his undoubtedly nice slacks and button-up shirt

The body was covered Had he already completed the autopsy? In record tient Sanderson Detective Holmes" He nodded to us in turn The consumy yet, of course But I do have COD for you"

"Slit throat?" I asked

"Yes, Detective To put it succinctly Though it wasn’t what I’d call a clean slice We have repeated cuts, and soe that I can’t say for sure ca howa closer look at the wounds" Dr Martinson paused to gather his thoughts, no doubt to offer us a level of detail that would laze, but Mason interrupted

"Anything unusual about the death? The state of the body?"

I had to give Martinson credit; he didn’t even blink at Mason’s questions "Other than the fact that he was staked to the ith large chucks of wood? Yes, several things First, he was hung post- after his death He also appears to have been tortured before he was killed"

"Tortured how?" I asked

The doctor tugged at the cloth covering the victi wound in his chest, left fro I noticed Dark circular shapes were the second

I took an involuntary step forward and ht in my throat The circular marks--three of them--had been burned in a symmetrical curved line below his collarbone One, perfectly centered on his sternum, was directly below his neck The other two also fell below the collarbone to either side And I recognized the shape

"The coin," I said

Mason leaned in to exaust, sniffed the victim’s chest

"Are you sure this is from the same coin?" Mason asked

"Or its twin" How many super-old coins exactly like the one we’d found could there be? Two of the burns showed the front of the coin, while the third in the center revealed what I assuel on the back "But these…these are e It’s like the detail that was rubbed off the coin is showing perfectly here" I could see the lines in the wings, as detailed as the day the coin was ic? Anything odd like you sensed on the coin?"

I took a deep breath and glared at Mason It wasn’t his fault, but I so hated touching dead people I placedthe coin-shaped wound Then I closed ers faded as I concentrated on h his power flashed behind me and constantly filled my nose with a fresh, wild scent I forced my attention to the vaht away, and I saw the shadowy energy of the vaed to Everything about the rie vamps and I’d never be able to pick him out

Some otherworlders--powerful ones especially--were distinctive in their energies My partner Claude’s power tasted like coffee, but with a touch of ister tasted like creay so bitter that after I’d y swirled beneath nant pond That, if nothing else, would have told y intruded Heat touched ht burning sensation wasn’t physical, and I knew from experience that it wouldn’t hurtmy hands in place