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“Hoould you like to lead the recovery and identification of a hundred deco bodies, maybe more? Maybe lots more?”

He laughed “You’re one of the few people who actually find that an irresistible temptation,” he said “But I’et a leave of absence right now to do that I feardays are over, for a while at least”

“You wouldn’t have to travel At least not outside your jurisdiction”

Sean didn’t say anything for a long time When he did speak, his voice sounded unnatural and forced, as if he were pushing the words out by sheer willpower “Are you telling ia with a hundred or more bodies in it?”

“No, and not exactly,” I said “I don’t think-I know But it’s not a grave, it’s surface You wouldn’t even have to dig” As I described what I’d seen in the woods, he interruptedme to repeat or confirave way to a h to realize that this case would be forensically fascinating, as well as a watershed in his career But his anger at the indignity inflicted on the dead-duenuine, and I knew that Sean would do whatever it took to make the case a priority for the GBI

His eagerness was tey lab was small, and Sean’s resources-equipment and personnel-were nowhere near adequate to recover and identify so ht want to ask for help from DMORT,” I said DMORT-the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teaned to assist with mass fatalities The teaists, dentists, funeral directors, and other professionals skilled at identifying or handling corpses, were volunteers, but they were highly trained and extremely capable DMORT teams had performed heroically at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks, and they had worked for months to identify the hundreds of victireed that DMORT could be a valuable resource

“You ht also want to ask the FBI for an Evidence Recovery Teaist of ent Price “They don’t want to run the case,” I said, “but I gather they’d be willing to roll up their sleeves and help with the fieldwork If you ask”

“I’ll certainly recoe, and we’ll need all the help we can get” He paused, then said, “H up to another question, and I was right “So when my bosses ask me how I know about this mess, what do I tell them?”

“Tell theive theoose chase if they know the tip caood idea what bodies in the woods look like”

He chuckled at that “True Be hard for them to doubt the accuracy of the report if they know it comes from you”

“I don’t particularly want h, if you can keep me out of it,” I said “An

y chance y’all could say the GBI received a call from a ‘concerned citizen’ or some such?”

“I’ll suggest it,” he said “Politically, that ist froht But if we say, ‘We acted swiftly in response to a tip,’ we look semicompetent”

“Se,” I said “Y’all’ll be heroes But only if you quit yakking and get busy”

“Right,” he said “Thanks, Dr Brockton”

“Excuse me-who?”

“Oh Sorry Thanks…Bill”

His teeth were nearly clenched as he said it But at least he said it

CHAPTER 17

DOWN IN GEORGIA I’D STUMBLED UPON A BUNCH OF bodies that should have been burned but weren’t Here in Knoxville, I reflected, I was obsessed with a body that shouldn’t have been burned but was I guess the universe is in balance, I thought Except that Garland Hamilton’s still out there somewhere

Darren Cash answered his cell phone on the third ring

“I think I kno he did it,” I said

“Hoho did what?”

I laughed “Sorry It’s Dr Brockton from UT I think I kno Stuart Lathaas”