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“Probably,” I said “Things have gotten so bizarre of late that Perrine has to get creative in order to grab people’s attention”

“He certainly has mine,” Emily said “I mean, this is simply incredible I’ve read reports that indicate the cartels turned to all these horrors, like beheadings and bodythem performed by Islamic terrorists on the Internet”

“Bull,” I said, turning over a photograph “Narco traffickers south of the border have always been fas Where does the Colombian necktie coe has more than a little to do with Santa Muerte, the spooky quasi-religious death cult that many of the cartel soldiers adhere to”

“So you’re saying it’s like a cycle,” she said “The more the cartels rise in power, the more and more its members want to satisfy Santa Muerte’s thirst for blood?”

I nodded

“That’s a little out there, Mike Isn’t this about , not Perrine’s evil cult?”

“If it’s about just , what’s up with all the bodies, Parker?” I said “Twenty-nine du frohways The victirant workers or people trying to cross the border into the US To kill a o after a witness I’ you, this is new Or, more accurately, old”

“Old?” Emily asked

“Have you ever heard of the Thuggee cult?”

Parker rolled her eyes “Had a lot of reading time on our hands up there on the prairie, Detective?”

“A little, Parker Anyway, in India there used to be this crianization of robber-le their victioddess of death Some say Santa Muerte is a oddess of death”

“So what are you saying? It’s us versus the goddess of death?”

“Kind of,” I said

“You’ve been watching too much History Channel,” she said

“Have I?” I said “These cartel people are engaging in the kind of unhinged, deranged behavior usually reserved for serial killers Is it that crazy to believe that there’s soy behind it? I think we have to at least consider it We have to stop thinking that this is just about a bunch of greedy dope dealers”