〃Spare me the analogies； Larry。 I'm confused enough。〃
〃So how do you explain it？〃
〃I can only offer a scenario。〃
〃Fire away。〃
〃He might have only freshwater diatoms in his hair；if his head were immersed in fresh water；〃 I said。 〃If he were put 。headfirst inside a barrel with fresh water in the bottom； for example。 You do that to somebody； they can't get out； just like toddlers who fall headfirst into buckets of waterthose five…gallon plastic kind detergent corRes in。 Waisthigh and very stable。 Impossible to topple it over。 Or he could have been drowned in a normal…size bucket of fresh water if someone held him down。〃
〃I'm going to have nightmares；〃 Posner said。
〃Don't stay here until the roads start freezing again；〃 I said。
Marino gave me a ride home； and I took the jar of formalin with me because I would not give up hope that the flesh inside it had something else to say。 I would keep it on my desk in my study and now and then put on gloves and study it in sidelight like an archaeologist trying to read crude symbols worn away on stone。
〃You ing in？〃 I asked Marino。
〃You know； my damn pager keeps going off and I can't figure out who it is；〃 he said； shoving his truck in gear。
He held it up and squinted。
〃Maybe if you turned on the overhead light：' I suggested。
〃Probably some snitch too stoned to dial right；〃 he replied。。 〃I'll eat something if you're offering。 Then I gotta go。〃
As we stepped inside my house； his pager vibrated again。 He grabbed it off his belt in exasperation； tilting it until he could read the display。
〃Screwed up again！ What's five…three…one？ Anything you know that's got those numbers in it？〃 he asked； exasperated。
〃Rose's home number does；〃 I said。
27
Rose had grieved when her husband died； and I thought t she would fall apart when she'd had to put down one of her greyhounds。 Yet somehow she'd always worn her dignity the sate way she dressed； properly and with discretion。 But when she learned on the news that morning that Kim Luong had been murdered； Rose got hysterical。
〃If only； if only。 。 。 ；〃 she went on and on； crying in the wing chair near the fire in her small apartment。
〃Rose； you got to quit saying that；〃 Marino said。
She had known Kim Luong because Rose often shopped at the Quik Cary。 Rose had gone there last night； probably at the same time the killer was still inside beating and biting and smearing blood。 Thank God the store had been closed and locked。
I carried two mugs of ginseng tea into her living room while Marino drank coffee。 Rose was shaking all over； face swollen from crying and gray hair hanging over the collar of her bathrobe。 She looked like a neglected old woman in a nursing home。
〃I didn't have the TV on。 I was reading。 So I didn't know about it until I heard it on the news this morning。〃 She kept telling us the same story in different ways。 〃I had no idea； was sitting up in bed reading and worrying about all the problems in the office。 Mainly Chuck。 I think that boy's as twisted as they e and I've been working to show it。〃
I set down her tea。
〃Rose；〃 Marino said。 〃We can talk about Chuck another time。 We need you to tell us exactly what happened last。。。〃
〃But you've got to listen to me first！〃 she exclaimed。 〃And Captain Marino； you've got to make Dr。 Scarpetta listen！ That boy hates her！ He hates all three of us。 I'm trying to tell you； you must do anything to get rid of him before it's too late。〃
〃I'm going to take care of it as soon as 。 。 。〃 I started to say。
But she was shaking her head。
〃He's pure evil。 I believe he's been following me； or at least someone involved with him；〃 she claimed。 〃Maybe even that car you saw in my parking lot and the one following you。 How do you know it wasn't him who rented it under a phony name so he didn't have to use his car and be recognized right away？ How do you know it's not whoever he might be involved with？〃
〃Whoa； whoa； whoa；〃 Marino interrupted her； holding up his hand。 〃Why would he follow anybody？〃
〃Drugs；〃 she answered as if she knew it for a fact。 〃This past Monday we had an overdose case e in； and it just so happened I decided to e in an hour and a half early because I was going to take a long lunch break to get my hair done。〃
I didn't believe that Rose just happened to e in early。 I had asked her to help me find out what Ruffin was up to； and of course； she had made that her mission。
〃You were out that day；〃 she said to me。 〃And you had misplaced your appointment book and we looked everywhere with no luck。 So by Monday I was obsessed with finding it because I knew how much you need it。 I thought I'd check the morgue again。
〃And I went in there before I'd even taken my coat off；〃 she went on； 〃and here's Chuck at six…forty…five in the morning sitting at a desk with the pill counter and dozens of bottles lined up。 Well； he looked as if I'd just caught him with his pants down。 I asked him why he was getting started so early； and he said it was going to be a busy day and he was trying to get a head start。〃
〃Was his car in the parking lot？〃 Marino asked。
〃He parks in the deck；〃 I explained。 〃His car wouldn't be visible from our building。〃
〃The drugs were from Dr。 Fielding's case；〃 Rose resumed； 〃and out of curiosity I looked at the report。 Well； the woman had about every drug known to man。 Tranquilizers； antidepressants； narcotics。 A total of some thirteen hundred pills； if you can believe that。〃
〃Unfortunately； I can；〃 I said。
Overdoses and suicides typically came to us with months； even years； of prescription drugs。 Codeine； Percocet； morphine； methadone； PDC； Valium and fentanyl patches to name a few。 It was an unbearably tedious task to count them to see how many were supposed to have been in the bottle and how many were left。
〃So he's stealing pills instead of washing them down the sink；〃 Marino said。
〃I can't prove it；〃 Rose replied。 〃But Monday wasn't god…awful busy like it usually is。 The overdose was the only case。 Chuck avoided me as much as he could after that； and every time drugs came in with cases； I wondered if they'd gone in his pocket instead of down the drain。〃
〃We can hook up a VCR where he's not going to see it。 You've already got cameras down there。 If he's doing it； we'll get him；〃 Marino promised。
〃That on top of everything else；〃 I said。 〃The press about that would be awful。 It might even go out on the wire； especially if an investigative reporter started digging and found out about my alleged refusal to take calls from families； and the chat room； and even the subterfuge of running into Bray in a parking lot。〃
Paranoia pushed against my chest and I took a deep breath。 Marino was watching me。
〃You're not thinking Bray's got something to do with this；〃 Marino said； skeptically。
〃Only in the sense that she helped put Chuck on the road he's on。 He himself told me the more bad things he did； the easier it got。〃
〃Well； I think Chuckie…boy's on his own when it es to stealing prescription drugs。 It's too easy for slime like him to resist。 Like the cops who can't resist pocketing wads of cash at drug busts and shit like that。 Hell； drugs like Lortabs； Lorcet； not to mention Percocet； can go for two to five bucks a pop on the street。 What I'm curious about is where he's unloading the stuff〃
〃Maybe you can find out from his wife if he's out a lot at night；〃 Rose suggested。
〃Honey；〃 Marino replied； 〃bad people do stuff like this in broad daylight。〃
Rose looked dejected and somewhat embarrassed； as if afraid that her being so upset had sent her spinning threads of truth into a tapestry of conviction。 Marino got up to pour more coffee。
〃You're thinking he's following you because you're suspicious of his drug dealing？〃 he asked Rose。
〃Oh； I guess it sounds so far…fetched when I hear myself say it。〃
〃Might be someone involved with Chuck； if we want to keep going down this path。 And I don't think we should dismiss anything right now；〃 Marino added。 〃If Rose knows； then you do；〃 he said to me。 'Chuck sure as hell knows that：'
〃If this is tied in with drugs； then what's the motive if Chuck's involved in our being followed？ To hurt us？ To intimidate us？〃 I asked。
〃This much I can guarantee；〃 Marino replied from the kitchen。 〃He's mixed up with people who are way out of his league： And we're not talking small amounts of money。 Think how many pills e in with some of these bodies。 Cops have to turn in every bottle they find。 Think of all the leftover pain medication or who…knows…what in your average person's medicine cabinet〃
He came back into the living room and sat down； blowing into the cup as if that really would cool his coffee in a hurry。
〃Add that to the shitload of other stuff they're actively taking or supposed to be taking and what do you get？〃 he went on。 〃That the only reason Chuckie…boy needs his job in the morgue is to steal drugs。 Hell； he doesn't need the pay； and that may have something to do with why he's been doing such a shitty job over the last few months。〃
〃He could be taking in thousands of dollars a week；〃 I said。
〃Doc； you got a