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Establishing that the territory belonged to him and Carson, Michael said, "Yesterday’s hand bandit is this reasy and blanched His face had no color He kept one hand on his expan-
sive gut as if he had eaten some bad pepper shrimp for breakfast
He said, "Far as I’m concerned, you take the lead on this one I’ve lost e of heart, his reasons were not identical to Frye’s His face was as boiled red as ever, his eyes as challenging
Running one hand through his sun-bleached hair, Harker said, "Looks to h wire One h profile, the media will flush your career down the toilet"
"If that means cooperation instead of competition," Michael said, "we accept"
Carson wasn’t as ready as Michael to forgive the toe-tra they had received froht security man," Harker said
While Frye remained behind, Harker ducked under the yellow tape and led the row of stacks
The end-stack sign declared ABERRANT PSYCHOLOGY Thirty feet away, the deadhalfway through a slaughterhouse
Carson entered the new aisle but did not proceed into the blood spatter, leaving the wet zone unspoiled for CSI
As she quietly sized the scene and tried to fit her-
self to it, planning the approach strategy, Harker said from behind her, "Looks like he cracked the breastbone neat as a surgeon Went in there with co to Carson’s side, Michael said, "At least we can rule out suicide"
‘Alhtfully Michael said, "Now, let’s remeht le," Harker said "The books were pulled off the shelves"
About twenty books were scattered on the floor this side of the dead man None was open Some were in stacks of two and three
"Too neat," she said "This looksthe on the floor, researching his own insanity," Michael conjectured, "when the guard discovered hihtly contained around the body Not le?" Harker uy without a heart"
"His piece is still in his holster," Carson said "He didn’t even draw, let alone get off a shot"
"Chloroforested
Carson didn’t respond at once During the night,
ical tools She could hear the soft footsteps of
The stench of the victi current of fear So she could not quite identify, was extraordinary, unprecedented in her experience, and so unnatural as to be almost supernatural It spoke first to her emotions rather than to her intellect; it teased her to see it, to know it
Beside her, Michael whispered, "Here comes that old witchy vision"
Her mouth went dry with fear, her hands suddenly icy She was no stranger to fear She could be simultaneously afraid but professional, alert and quick So
"Looks more," she said at last, "as if the vic just laid down there and waited to be butchered Look at his face"
The eyes were open The features were relaxed, not contorted by terror, by pain
"Chloroforain
Carson shook her head "He ake Look at the eyes The cast of the mouth He didn’t die unconscious Look at the hands"
The security guard’s left hand lay open at his side, palested sedation before the ht Chloroformed, he would have relaxed the fist,
She jotted down these observations in her notebook and then said, "So who found the body?"
"A -shift librarian," Harker said "Nancy Whistler She’s in the women’s lav She won’t come out"
CHAPTER 16
THE women’s rest room smelled of pine-scented disinfectant and White Diaular janitorial service was the source of the for, pretty woe of librarians, she wore a clingy summer dress as yellow as daffodils
She bent to one of the sinks and splashed cold water in her face fro faucet She drank from cupped hands, swished the water around her mouth, and spat it out
"I’m sorry I’m such a mess," she said
"No problem," Carson assured her
"I’m afraid to leave here Every tiain, I do"
"I love this job," Michael told Carson
"The officers who did a perins of forced entry So you’re sure the front door was locked when you arrived for work?" Carson pressed
‘Absolutely Two deadbolts, both engaged"
"Who else has keys?"
"Ten people Maybe twelve," said Nancy Whistler "I can’t think naht now"
You could only push a witness so far in the aftermath of her encounter with a bloody corpse This wasn’t a time to be hard-assed
Carson said, "E-ht, sure I understand" The librarian griain Instead she said, "God, he was such a toad, but he didn’t deserve that" Michael’s raised eyebrows drew an explanation frouard"
"Define toad," Michael requested
"He was alwayslooking aton toforceful Just weird As if he didn’t get a lot of things, the way to act" She shook her head ‘And he went to funeral hoed a look, and he said, "Well, who doesn’t?"
"Viewings at funeral homes," Whistler clarified
"Memorial services For people he didn’t even know He went two, three times a week"
"Why?"
"He said he liked to look at dead people in their caskets Said it… relaxed hieek But… ould soed "Souvenir Sexual gratification Dinner"
Appalled, repelled, Nancy Whistler bolted for a toilet stall
To Michael, Carson said, "Oh, nice Real nice"