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The woman stopped and stood for a moment, hands on hips as if she were lost, then she walked over to the Jeep "I don't understand it," she said, her brorinkled in puzzleht here The tents, the vans Everything has vanished"

The captain turned to the broadshouldered man whose hair was the color of the snow on the Atlas Mountains "Perhaps Mademoiselle is mistaken about the location"

Nina glared at the police offices "Mademoiselle is not mistaken"

He sighed "These people who attacked you Bandits?"

She considered the suggestion "No, I don't think they were bandits"

Mustapha gave a Gallic shrug worthy of a Parisian boulevardier, lit up a Gauloise, and pushed his visor back over his black hair He was so in the presence of a wos and arms uncovered, but he was not an insensitive man He'd have to be blind not to see the lacerations that streaked her skin, and she was clearly distraught Yet he could observe with his own eyes that there were no tents, no pile of dead bodies, no vehicles In fact, there was nothing to indicate the story was true

The officer took a drag froarette and blew the smoke out his nostrils "I was notified, of course, that an expedition was near the Place of the Dead Perhaps they left without telling you"

"Great," Nina snapped "Of all the cops in Morocco, I get a Berber Inspector Clousseau"

Nina's frayed nerves hadshorttempered with the policeh but decided it was ti campfire Could you show me about where it was?"

With the police officer trailing leisurely after the and drew an X in the dirt with the tip of her shoe

About here, I'd say"

"Do you have a shovel?" Austin asked the policeman

"Yes, of course It is a necessary tool for driving in the desert"

Mustapha sauntered over to his Jeep, and fro shorthandled army-issue spade Austin took the spade and knelt at Nina's feet, where he began to dig a series of parallel trenches about six inches deep The first two produced nothing of interest, but the third hit pay dirt, literally

Austin scooped a handful of blackened earth and sround "Still warm," he said