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“Well, it didn’t quite do the job,” I said, “thanks to the bugs Let’s see if there’s anything else to find”

Art and I had brought a few things in the back of led into they sleeper pajamas I opened the tackle box that held an assortment of tools and took out two sharp-pointed trowels and two pairs of tweezers I handed one of each to Art, then slid a wire screen out fro in the mesh was four millimeters square-about the size of the end of a set of wooden chopsticks from a Chinese take-out place

Cash showed s had been down in the driver’s well, her left arht arer door Her torso and head were flopped over to the right also

“As I understand it,” I said, “there were no traces of accelerant found in the interior Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Cash said “Arson dog didn’t sreat nose”

“Sure is thoroughly burned for no accelerant,” I said, peering into the burned-out shell of the vehicle The upholstery was coone The seats had been reduced to charred, rusted springs and support rails The underside of the roof was fully exposed, the saray as the vehicle’s exterior The windshields and ere gone All that re the e had been before it fired

“Used to be cars had a lot of ’s plastic, and once the car catches fire, that plastic keeps feeding it It’s like pornography”

I stared at hiraphy? How so?”

“Hot and nasty,” he said “Teo over two thousand degrees And all that burning plastic releases all kinds of toxic che before the heat does”

I recalled the s far out the s and windshields once the glass gave way-and nodded “Any way to tell where the fire started?”

Cash shook his head “Not for sure,” he said “The ignition was on, though, so the engine was probably idling We think either the catalytic converter or the rass underneath on fire Most of these luxury SUVs never get off the pavement, but out in that pasture it’d be easy for the exhaust systerass on fire, especially as hot and dry as it’s been Catalytic converter can get up to nearly a thousand degrees, if the car’s fairly new and the converter’s still working”

“I bet one of you guys knows the ignition terass,” I said

“Six hundred degrees,” they chorused

“So if that converter was in contact with the vegetation,” I said, “it shouldn’t have taken rass fire”

“Right,” said Cash

“Which begs the question,” I said, “if the husband did it, how’d he get fifteen hundred ?”

None of us had an answer, so Art and I squatted down beside the vehicle-ht rear door-and began sifting through the debris in the floor pan I didn’t find much: A layer of ash A few bolts, screws, and coins A couple of phalanges, the sers and toes “Hey,” I razzed Art, “how come KPD missed these?”

“Siht after ‘Tiffany’ got out of school and got on the Web I was too busy reading love notes froo out to the Latham farm and look for bones They had to send the B-team instead”

“We gotta get you off that pedophile assignment,” I said

“I’ a replaceunshots and stabbings and bludgeonings-within a month or so”

Art wasn’t finding s, seat-belt buckles, and a few coins dohere the rear bench seat once met the seat back-that place where every car accue and candy wrappers and stray peanuts I was about to suggest we call it awhen I heard Art say, “Hmm Hmm” From one corner of the backseat, he plucked a tiny scrap of partially burned material He held it up for Cash and h renizable as a shred of crue stan policy” and “Ira,” they read Iq on the end of “Iraq”

“Darren,” I asked, “any other newspaper found in the vehicle?”

“No”