are j

d a napkin on her lap.

'I need my suit. My

ase, Veronica, show an in

drobe, my t

potatoes onto his plate.

ou? Dad sent yo

're at the

have said. I could

ron

p. 'I'm sorry. I won't me

phone was ringing. 'I

to. 'As if I c

lass down and pus

rated, putting the fork d

y have. Can't you

N

he picked up th

me. You we

you I wo

do this to

what'

e governor OK'd bringin

h team found

ipme

PR

roke off. Veronica pus

s, closing the bedroom do

g after her, one hand pro

here,

ere you saying? GPR,

eth

Probin

me is—' Caffery dug a sma

. 'You're telling m

' Maddox was sol

his neck. 'In at t

rted on the

ere'll

n follow them down

tuary? G

already started with the

l-nighte

ee you ther

n the bedroom with the d

d once out of the wind

nothing – and, doing up

edroo

oing to talk. W

ting in bed, the covers

a bottle

are

. Bruised, sullen ey

re you

thi

you doing,

oat's u

tended in his left han

what I

ce w

n't k

our throat's u

der her breath, opened th

ooked up at him. 'G

our throat was up? Should

ou've got more important

ron

at

ent. 'Nothing.' He fini

for the

ill you?' she called aft

and Maddox stood silen

: five aluminium dissecti

shoulders, skin peeled

t and muscle. Juices lea

h

: the smell of disinfe

scera in the chill air. B

e had never seen it on th

r peppermint-green galo

sual. One smiled as she

emen.' Harsha Krishnamu

pse's scalp had been peel

e nose, and folded over

g the mouth and neck, pooling on the clavicle. K

stainless

s run

ian in round glasses

m, run them, prepare sam

Don't let the sutures

de the halogen light, lif

fery, gloved, splattered

the deep-polished woodcoloured eyes slightly w

tour,

'Have we got a

ght, a very interesting one

Entomology'll give you m

em: the first one you fou

ive. She died less than

n another five weeks and

bably died Decemberish

t too much in the way o

rved.' He pointed to a sa

second diss

nes tell me she hadn't eve

a tattoo on her left arm

ontology. Now.' He hel

I don't know how much

make-up. Heavy make-up

the ground this long.

r has it al

up, ta

thinking along those

tinized anus, plenty o

spid valves. I don't want

uttered. 'So we're saying

What can you tell us a

amurthi edged in next to

t, not for the first time

dy is. 'You can see what

ght, missing the one our

psy the incisions and get

on in

nd

ue has bee

affery excha

stent with a standard be

too. I suppose it's sign

is decoration on the sm

ch o

And let me show you so

a mortician was stitchi

s from. 'The nail scrapi

n't find any signs of a st

ictim num

corpse. It was small,

his accidental resembla

de in the team's

kilos, that's not much mo

thi said, 'But she wasn't

t's why the breasts

r colour

very slowly. That aubergi

. Now, look.' He pointed

rists. 'It's difficult to

ly ligature marks. Antemortem. And a gag aroun

as cool as ice; they jus

ummit – 'just tipped o

But this one – th

fery looked up.