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Conklin was met upstairs by the two beat cops who’d arrived on the scene first Their naned the log, put on booties and gloves, and then walked into a clean, bright three-room apartment

Welky said, “The s to one Arthur O’Brien, an actor and probably a junkie Murdock got a call from O’Brien’s mother She hadn’t heard fro her calls Murdock went to the young man’s residence, found his body here, and called it in”

Conklin looked around the living room It was dominated by a fifty-two-inch TV Across the roohts took up one corner of the space It looked to Conklin like this was a single man’s apart up the unifor detail of all was the drug para

phernalia that was scattered across the coffee table

Conklin noticed a stubby candle, a scorched spoon, a box of lassine envelopes that were coated hite powder

Conklin walked to the bedroom, stood in the doorway, and nodded to the two CSIs ere photographing the deadin the center of the unmade bed

Conklin said hello to Claire and Bunny, and then he took in the whole of the roo by the , a desk with an open laptop coainst the wall His eyes went back to the deadin a relaxed fetal position

If you squinted, you could al

Conklin wished that he could shake the man to ask him some questions

Who are you, bud? Why do you have Sam Alton’s wallet?

Chapter 20

Claire Washburn photographed the deceased frole with her old Minolta camera while she and Bunny waited for Rich Conklin to arrive

The dead man’s real name was Arthur O’Brien He hite and in his thirties, but since that’s where his similarities to Samuel J Alton ended, it was a wonder that he was in possession of Alton’s identification

Arthur O’Brien didn’t have a double chin or love handles He was as thin as a rail, and had spiky blond hair and a square dia-sleeved blue knit shirt One of his sleeves was rolled up, al knotted around his left biceps The track marks that ran down his arm showed that this had not been his first ti on the sheets about three inches froht hand, and there was a puddle of vomit on a pillow

Probable cause of death: suicide, most likely unintended