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You re right. It doesn t make sense. Maybe some kids stole the car and drove it to the lake and then torched
the gazebo. Kids are funny like that, you know? They ll do anything for kicks.
Yes, you see that s the other thing. I set the spray paint back on the shelf and reached into my pocket for a
set of keys. I don t think the car was stolen. We found the keys in the ignition. I think the girls drove it there.
The car seat was still pulled up as far as it could go, with the steering wheel telescoped out, you know, like
someone small had been driving: someone like Shekina or Akasha.
Or some kid.
I suppose, but I don t think so.
I don t know, then. That is strange. Guess I can t help you there. No telling who knows about that mystery.
Listen. Can you think of any place Leona might hide out? Something tells me she s the key to this whole
thing.
Gee, you think?
Is that sarcasm?
No, I m just asking. You think?
Yes, I do, and I ll tell you why. The other night, before she ran out of the room, she said something in
Spanish. Do you know what she said?
No, sorry. My Spanish is not that great.
Then let me tell you. Her last words were, Oh my God, I know who the killer is. Do you think that s
possible?
Detective, anything is possible. You should know that by now.
Yes. I think I m beginning to see that. I gestured of farewell by tugging on the brim of my hat before
turning away. I took only a few steps before stopping and turning back. Oh, just one more thing.
Yes, Detective?
A moment ago we were talking and I mentioned how Doctor Lieberman s head had been cut off.
Yes, sir. You did mention that. I m sure it was gross.
Of course, it was, but my point is that I never referred to the killer as they, but you did. Did you know that
more than one person might have been involved?
Michael hesitated, gulped hard and then turned away to break eye contact. He cleared his throat and
struggled to find a comfortable stance, keenly aware that I would probably analyze and try to interpret his body
language.
I didn t know that, he said, shrugging before finally meeting my eyes again. I guess I didn t really notice I
did that.
I hatched a foxy grin. I love it when I catch someone in a lie. Yes, that s the strange thing about this case.
Doctor Lieberman was a large man. It appears someone badly beat him before his death. It probably would have
taken a couple of strong individuals to take him down. Don t you think?
Sure. I suppose. It could have been an entire gang.
Yes, and that s just it, another inconsistency. In Doctor Lieberman s case, there are not many similarities
between his death and the others. The unnecessary brutality, for one, doesn t fit the same MO as the others.
That s interesting.
Isn t it? I think I can say with certainty that somebody other than the Stalker killed Doctor Lieberman. I
believe several people killed him. Oddly though, I also think the Stalker came by later for the liver, after the real
killers had gone.
Why do you think that?
Because the neatness in the way the liver was removed contrasts so greatly to the sloppiness of the killing.
The extraction of the organ definitely carries the signature of the Surgeon. Somehow, he knew about the
murder.
And you suspect all this because Doctor Lieberman got his ass kicked before he died?
Yes, that and the fact we found the footprints of five, six, maybe seven other individuals at the crime
scene.
If I listened a little harder, I could probably have heard Michael s heart skip a beat before picking up again
double time.
Footprints? he said, and his eyes fell involuntarily to the floor around his feet. My eyes followed, locking
upon a pair of black-leathered work boots. They seemed free of the mud and blood I might expect to find, had
he worn the shoes at the site of Doctor Lieberman s murder only two nights before. I imagined Michael s
thoughts flashing back to that night when the seven of them trampled recklessly in the mud around Lieberman s
hanging corpse. At the time, I could not know how suddenly grateful he felt for Akasha demanding that they all [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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