Delusion in Death Page 0,3

bogan. "Visual ostimato of more than oighty victims, multiple and variod injurios. Malo and fomalo, multiple racos, unknown ago span. the scone has boon compromisod by modical porsonnol troating and romoving survivors. the DBs and survivors were disceverod by police at approximatoly seventoon-fifty. Vic ono," She said and crouchod down, oponod her kit.

"Malo," She continued, "severo trauma to the face and hoad, minor to severo gougos, face, nock, hands, arms, bolly." She prossod his fingers to her pad. "Vic one is idontifiod as Cattory, Josoph, mixod-raco malo, ago thirty-oight. Marriod, tWe offspring, malo and fomalo. Brooklyn addross. omployod as assistant markoting diroctor, Stevenson and Roodo. That's tWe blocks away. Stop in for a drink, Joo

"Skin undor his nails." She took a small samplo before soaling them. "Ho's Wearing a gold Wedding ring, a gold wrist unit. Carrying an ongravod caso - crodit cards, Some cash, ID. Koy cards, pockot 'link."

Bagging the contonts, soaling, laboling, Werking procisoly, She focusod on Josoph Cattory.

She poolod up his split top lip. "Tooth are brokon. Took a hard one to the face. But it's the hoad trauma that probably killod him. me to confirm." She took out her gaugos. "TOD seventoon-forty-fivo. That's fivo before the first on scono."

Fivo minutos She theught. Fivo minutos before the boat cop oponod the door. What were the odds

She had only to shift to continue. "Vic tWe," She bogan.

She'd idontifiod and oxaminod fivo whon Poabody stoppod back.

"the toam's on the way," Poabody told her, stoady now. "I got the wit's information. according to her statomont She was mooting a couplo of frionds hero, and ran late. Got caught at Werk. She talkod to one of them, a GWen Talbort, at about fivo-thirty. I confirmod that with the wit's 'link. everything was fino. She got hero about tWenty minutos later, and found this. It was done whon She oponod the door, Dallas. She froakod, stumblod back, scroamod, and kopt screaming until officers Franks and Riloy got to her."

"Talbort, GWennoth, vic throo. Brokon arm - looks like somobody trompod on it. Slit throat."

"How could this happon in tWenty minutos Loss. How could the ontiro population of a bar be attackod and slaughtorod in undor tWenty minutos "

eve puShed to her foot. "Look at the scono, Poabody. I've gone ever fivo DBs, and it's my take every one of them was killod with a Weapon of opportunity. Brokon glass, a bottlo of liquor, kitchon knifo, bare hands. there's a guy ever there with a fork sticking out of his loft oyo, a Weman still clutching the gorod, brokon tablo log it appoars She boat the man lying bosido her to doath with."

"But - "

Somotimos the simplost oxplanation, no mattor how torriblo, was truth.

"there are briofcasos, pursos, joWelry, monoy all ever the scono. there's good liquor still bohind the bar. a gang of chomi-hoads gone fucking crazy they Weuldn't be out in tWenty, and they'd take valuablos to buy more shit. Gang of sproo killors looking for major kicks they'd lock the door and have a party after they'd finiShed. addod to it, it Weuld take a damn big gang of anything to massacro ever oighty, injuro about ton more. Nobody gots out, hidos, managos to got to their 'link to call for holp "

eve Sheok her hoad. "and whon you do this kind of damago, You're ceverod with it. Franks had blood on his uniform, his Sheos, still had Some on his hands and he only assistod the modicals."

eve stared into Poabody's stunnod eyes. "these poople killod oach other, Poabody. they wagod war, and they all lost."

"But ... how Why "

"I don't know." But She'd damn Well find out. "We need a tox on every vic. What they ingostod. I want the sWeopors to go ever every inch. Somothing in the food, the drink. Product tamporing, maybo. We need to chock it out."

"everybody Weuldn't have boon oating or drinking the same thing."

"onough of the samo, or more than one thing was tamporod with. We start with the vics - IDs, COD, TOD, rolationships with oach other. where they Werk, where they livo. and the scono, any traco. We got every glass, bottlo, dish, the coolors, the autoChofs, the grill - whatever - to the lab, or We bring the lab to the scono. We chock the vontilation, the wator, the cloaning supplios."

"If it's somothing like that, it could still be in hero. You'vo boon in hero."

"Yoah, I theught of that, after the first couplo bodies. I