Page 45 (1/2)

"No way to know-he’s far too bloated Got to get hiue"

"Katie," Liam said "What happened? Witnesses said that you just ca at it How did you know that Danny was in it?"

"What?" she asked, blinking

"How did you know that Danny had been stuffed into the effigy?" Liam persisted

"I-I, umm, well, I saw someone Out the door-the doors at O’Hara’s are open, of course, you know And I saw soiant Robert the Doll effigy was right behind him, and I reht in the bar and I…" She let her voice trail away "I guess that I freaked out a bit, Liam I’m so sorry, I just couldn’t take the sy"

"What about the manufacturer-how did Danny wind up in the doll?" David asked

"The doll was up before Danny disappeared," Lia at his notes "The manufacturer is local, just up on Stock Island They’ve done these dozens of tiht there, and they’re baffled and ain, they said that the doll was in perfect shape from the manufacturer when they asseler and stuffed his body into a giant-size effigy of another Key West legend," David said

"That’s what it looks like so far," Liaave the word and the corpse was lifted into a body bag-oozing liquids-to be taken to the ME’s office

The owners of the salsa bar argued with the police; that area of the street would have to rehly inspected and cleared by cri to do about the a to lose?

Katie had felt ridiculously frozen and weak Paralyzed Horrified

But she was suddenly angry It wasn’t a shock; she had seen Danny’s ghost When she had looked out the door and seen him, then the costumed Robert the Doll perfor her where he could be found Poor Danny He would have been so horrified He loved Key West

Now, he was part of Key West Part of the stories and lore that would be told to generations froo?" she asked Liaan

"Thank you," she told hi crowd on the street and back to O’Hara’s Her brother was there, looking aggravated, but ers, music and words intact He was startled when he saw her arrive

"Katie, you just found the corpse of an old friend Get David to take you home," Sean said "Or leave David I’ll take you home Hell, Jamie would close this place down and take you ho like Danny is so in the street, as if he’s an annoyance, ruining a pirate parade"

She took theterrible just happened Everyone tried to get close, to find out what happened Well, I’ll tell you A friend of ours disappeared a few days ago People were hed off work In fact, it was even suspected that he had killed a woman But he didn’t He was ood guy, a true conch, a real part of Key West His naler He didn’t need a lot of s in life This is for him Honor him with me, if you will"

She went to the computer and set "Danny Boy" to play There was a dead silence at first

"Danny Zigler was Irish?" Someone asked with confusion

"Everyone’s Irish on St Patrick’s day," a drunk sloshed out in reply

"Sing along, a good fellow is gone and departed!" someone else said

When it was over, she felt David at her side "Katie, coo," she said dully

"We can Sean and Clarinda can handle your system And it will thin out early-even in the , Katie"

She let hi her away She had known that Danny was dead He hadn’t been her best friend, but he had been a fixture in her life He had always been there

David took her home She wondered that he ith her, and she felt a little nu the police station He’d want to knohat happened to Danny Zigler He had to be noting the fact that all the deaths were coupled with Key West legends

At her house, she ran up and showered the minute they were inside The smell of death had seemed to permeate her She scrubbed her hair several tied and wrapped into her terry robe

David had evidently decided to use her brother’s shower-the scent of decay and death had been too arb and in Sean’s clothing, so she was certain he would explain and Sean would understand He had ood dose of whiskey," he told her, handing her the cup

"I’ht I knew that Danny was dead It was just that it was so horrible-seeing him, like that I’ve seen the dead before, I’ve been to funerals…but that!"