SinceJulian''''''''scasehadbeenclosed,theamusementparkshouldhavebeenclearedtoreopewhenthepolicetriedcallingthemaherewasnoanswer.
Thatwasunusual.
Themanagerhadalwaysbeencooperativethroughouttheiigation.Sure,hegrumbledalotandpinedunderhisbreath,buthealwaysansweredcallsandshowedupwhehissuddensileeveryarminLu''''''''sgutbring.
Hewasabouttodispateoochethemanagerinpersohephoneonhisdeskrang.
Themanager''''''''shousewasonfire.
Normally,aresidentialbzewouldfalloutsideahomicidedetective''''''''sjurisdi—unlessabodywasdiscovered.Butthisfire,breakingoutimmediatelyafterafreshlyclosedcase,sosuddenandsovelytimed,reekedofstagedfinality.
Luhad,atonepoint,suspectedthemanager.
Thevictim,Julian,hadworkedunderhim,andReyahadgonemissingaroundthesametime.Luhadevensideredpgthemanagerundersurveilwithnosolidevidendgutinstinctaloogoon,hisrequestwasdenied.Ohecasewasofficiallyclosed,everyone''''''''sattentionshiftedelsewhere.
ExceptJun.
Bysheerluck—orfate''''''''scruelseiming—therookiehadbeengrabbinglunearbywhensmokecwedatthesky.HiscallbroughtLuandhisteamscreegontothecurbjustasfiretruspooledtheirhoses.
Luparkedatadistandhadbarelytakeepswhenhefrozeinpce.
Itwasn''''''''ttherfmesortheblindingwhitestreamsfromthefirehosesthatstoppedhimdead—itwasthegirltrailingbehindJun.
Reya.
Headbowed,lipscaughtbetweeeeth,shelookedeverybitthechastenedchildawaitingscolding.
"Dad."
Lu''''''''sgazesweptoverher—noinjuries,novisibleharm—andthevisearoundhischestloosenedjustenoughtobreathe.Foralongmoment,hesimplystared,theweightofdaysoffearandfurydissolvingintofourquietwords:
"You''''''''reokay.Good."
Thefireragingaheadleftnoroomforpersonalmatters.WhateverhadhappehReyawouldhavetowait.
HejerkedhisatJun."Takeherhome."
Then,turningtoNeilfromForensics:"Whenthefire''''''''sout,sweepeveryinch.Assumearsonuntilprovenotherwise."
Somethinguglycurledinhisgut—adetective''''''''sinstinct,sharpenedbyyearsofseeinghowcasesreallyended.
Andhisdreadwasfirmedbeforedawn.
Intheburned-outbasement,firefightersdiscoveredacharredcorpse.
Thebody—male—ycurledatoptheremainsofamattress,limbstwistedlikeadiscardeddoll.Firehadobliteratedhisfeatures,leavinghimunreizable.Butthesilhouettematchedthemanager''''''''sportlyframe.HisdentalrecordsandDNAhadalreadybeeoMoxiforverification.
Whattrulychilled,however,weren''''''''tthecorpse''''''''sbones,buttheroomitself.
Fouriroillfixedtothescorchedwalls,bedbythebze.Bythebedsatadeformedpstitainer,partiallymeltedfromtheheat.Inside,iigatorsrecoveredahandfulofphotographsthathadsurvivedtheinferno,enoughtomakeLu''''''''scoffeecurdleinhisstomach.
Backathisdesk,hesiftedthroughthesalvagedimages,whichhadbeencarefullyseparated.Damonhadalsorestructedsomeofthedamagedonesdigitally,stitgdepravitybacktogether,pixelbypixel.
ItwashardnottoectthisdiscoverywiththepreviousSilverRingandCocase:thephotoswereexplicitshotsofdifferentwomen—mostofthemmid-act.
Someofthewomenappearedscious,theireyesgzedwithtearss.Otherslimp,unscious,limbsspyedatunnaturangles.
Everyimageborethesamepredatoryperspective—thephotographer''''''''sown,immortalizinghiscrimes.
Lu''''''''sexpressiondarkenedashetiosiftthroughtheimages.Theimplicationswerebeingterrifyinglyclear.
Hisfingersfrozemid-turn—there,iheless-damagedphotos,wasLinisan,theingdy.
Notthehollow-eyed,pregnantwomanthey''''''''dinterviewed,butayoungerversion—pinhthemanager''''''''sbulk,herfacetwistedinpainorchemically-iupor.Thetimestampintheermarkeditroughlytwo.
Therumorsuddenlyseemedpusible.
ThatunbornchildLinisancarriedcouldverywellbethedeadman''''''''s.Andifshehadbeentrappedinhisprivatehell,hererraticbehavior—thetremblinghands,thefragmentedwarningsaboutReya—suddenlymadegrotesquesense.
Apaternitytestwouldlikelybeneededsoon.
"FindLinisan.Now,"Lubarkedintohisphone.
TheuroDamon,"Cross-referenceallphotoswithemployeerecords."
Theresultswereswiftandgrimly:
Over80pertoftheidentifiablewomenhadworkedattheamusementpark.Somestilldid.Othershadquitabruptly—alwaysafterteshiftshemanager''''''''soffice.
Thiswasn''''''''tjustacacheofexploitation.
Itwasaledger.
***
MoxihaheautopsyreporttoLu,shakingherheadslightly.
"firmed—thedeceasedwasihemanager.Butthebodywassobadlyburned,wecouldn''''''''tdetermineanysignsofsexuactivitypriortodeathasyoususpected."
Lu''''''''sjawtightened,buthedidn''''''''treact.
Firedidmorethanreducefleshtoash.Iterasedthetracesofwhathadebefore.
Hightemperaturescouldinducemusclerigidity,easilymistakenfornaturalpostmortemstiffness.Chemicalslikecateines,whichmightindicateinteionalorphysicarousal,breakdoidlyunderheat.Signslikemyocardialhemes,pulmonaryedema,orcerebralgestioncouldocderextremestress,butwhethersuchtraitscouldsurvivethefmesossibletopredict.Asfortoxicology,thetissuewastoocharredtogetviablesamples.
Moxistuffedherhandsintoherbcoatpockets.Hervoicecutthroughthesilence."Youwaocheckifhediedduriremearousalbecause...yoususpectthesamekillerasbefore?"
Luletoutaslowbreath,heavyandmeasured."Thanksforyourhelp.Gogetsomerest."
Officially,theSilverRingandCocaseswereburiedunderredtapeandpoliticalveniencebyhigherauthorities.Anyewouldneverseedaylight.Besides,thesignaturesdidn''''''''tmatekillerleftbodiesposediasy,thisoneburhemtoash.
Moxihesitated,asifshehadsomethioask,butintheend,sheonlysaid,"Don''''''''tletthiseyou."
Asshereachedthedoor,Luadded,hisvoicelow,almosttohimself,"TherearethingsI''''''''task...becauseI''''''''maman.TalktoReyawhenyougetthece."
Nofurtherexpnationneeded.Moxiuoodtheunspokenterror:Lucouldn''''''''tstomachthethoughtofJuliantoughisdaughter—letalohemanager.Reyadidn''''''''tappearinthesurvivingphotos,somefootagehadbeeroyed,andtherewasnowaytoknowwhoelsehadbeencaptured.
Shegaveasmallnod."Don''''''''tworry.Iwill."