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The second floor was s thatin the master bedroom, and a bathroom that seemed to take up one entire side of the house It was to that bathroom that I was directed now

I’d never h to be willing to drop the cash that an evening at his restaurant would cost h pictures of him in the society section of the newspaper to know that he’d been a well-styled man with a very professional appearance, as one would expect of an aspiring politician Which, of course,and definitely snicker-inducing, though everyone on the scene was being exceedingly careful not to let their a slammed for it later

It took ure out what had happened I finally decided that Councilman Sharp had either slipped and hit his head or passed out in the shower, ed into the corner, with his chin nearly touching his chest and his ass sticking nearly straight up in the air I’d seen a couple of cases of positional asphyxiation before, and this one pretty much fit the bill

But I saw those details only peripherally My gut dropped and a chill swept through ness I shifted quickly into othersight to verify, seeing the tattered reht in nu this? I knew that it couldn’t be my ilius, since it wasn’t possible for a de But whatever it was, it wasn’t an isolated event anymore

Could it possibly be another summoner? But su in this area and suh to even conawed ataway the horror There was far too much that I didn’t know

And whatever it is, what if there’sabout how disastrous that could be and forced ation I stepped back and pulled my notebook out so that I could jot down the notes I needed to make about the scene The bathroom and bedroom were neat and tidy, and when I opened a closet I saw orderly rows of shirts and slacks, with shoes lined up precisely along the floor A second closet was eers--the kind I told ot for free from the cleaners I went back into the bathroo unusual except for the lack of anything feminine

His ent to their condo in Mandeville? I etaway That was an interesting--and iave the bedroom area one final scan, then went down the hall to a smaller bedroom to speak to the maid

She was shaken but coherent I asked her a few quick identification questions, ignoring rant and instead being grateful that she spoke dalish Auri had worked for the Sharps for the past two years--co in to cook and clean on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays Except that this week she’d come Friday as well, at Davis Sharp’s request She seemed terribly nervous, which I wrote off as concern that I would ave herthis case than dealing with i her head firesturing with a fluttering hand toward the bedroom "He bad upset yesterday"

"Because of his wife?"

"Sí Miss Elena go Thursday s But that not all"

"What else was there?"

"Another lady coo I hear her talk to Mr Sharp, then they go upstairs" She pursed her lips in clear disapproval "A few o, askback and he need laundry and cooking"

I blinked "Hold on Have you ever seen this woman here before?"

She shook her head slowly "No … I no think so I coo out for walks with ladies frohborhood, but I no think this lady one of those But yesterday I coain I clean house and cook dinner like Mr Sharp want, but he no look happy He stay upstairs most of day This other lady coo upstairs like she live here" Auri scowled and shook her head "Mr Sharp, he lean out bedrooo early" She spread her hands and shrugged "I leave dinner in fridge and go" Her lower lip treo to bedroom to pick up laundry I hear water, so I think he in shower I clean, start laundry, and water still running It been almost hour, so I call for him, then I look … I think he hurt real bad I see hi" Tears welled up in her eyes "I turn off water and call police"

I pressed her for any further details or a description of the woliht hair, slender figure, dressed in what looked like expensive clothes And that describes half the feht in ot as much contact information as I could fro so on? And was that why his wife left? And had this other woman come back later?

I returned to the bathrooness of it I had to clenchCould it just be ment that’s out of whack?

I let out an unsteady breath as I took aaround the bathroo bedroo leaped out at hborhoods, different class of victim

Maybe a similar cause of death? Brian’s was an apparent suicide, but there were still a lot of questions, and until we found Carol ouldn’t know anything for certain And, on the surface, the Davis Sharp case looked as if it was going to be a garden-variety accident or possibly a heart attack, but the fact that his wife had apparently left him certainly added a twist I had to keep in ed to look like an accident I’d check with Jill later to see if Cri suspicious, and I’d also check the maid out asa noise in the back of his throat at the sight of Sharp’s still-da yet, Kara?" he asked as he took in the scene

"Just soave hiaze inexorably drawn back to the body The emptiness seemed to mockwrongness in soed in the way essence was released after death? Changed in the universe in general? Maybe this was happening to all bodies, not just the ones I’d seen yesterday and today I hadn’t been on any death calls--natural or hoh the spheres had changed so in my perception?

No, that didn’t make any sense The essence had obviously been ripped away as soon as death had loosened its grip I could see the trailing threads, and I couldn’t iine any possible way for that to occur naturally