“Well, shit, would you look at this,” Tasha said as she set down her evidence bag and opened it. “Two in one week?” She shook her head and looked up at Cass. “I’d say we have a problem here.”

“I always admire the way you get right to the point, Tasha.” Cass crouched down and took another few shots of the body.

“What’s the point in pussyfooting around.” Tasha pulled on her gloves. “You got two bodies in what… four days? Two victims who, at first glance, bear a strong resemblance to each other. Bodies positioned the same way-and look at that hair, the way it’s covering her face. I’d bet you a month’s salary that she’s been manually strangled and raped, just like the other one, but you’re too smart to take a bet like that, Burke.”

Tasha bent down next to the body, and eased the hair from around the victim’s neck.

“Oh, yeah. There they are.” She studied the bruises, all the while murmuring to the dead girl, “Ah, honey, what did he do to you?”

Cass snapped a few more pictures.

“Burke, did you get her fingers?” Tasha asked, and Cass nodded. “One of them looks to be broken.”

“I’m pretty much finished with the body from this angle. I’m waiting for some lights so I can begin to look around the alley. I’d hate to kick evidence aside and miss something important.” Cass stood and straightened her back. “She’s all yours.”

“Well, don’t go too far with that.” Tasha pointed to the camera. “As soon as I’m done on this side, I’m going to want to turn her over. You can give me a hand. Let me see what’s what under these fingernails…”

Cass stood back and waited for Tasha to finish her ministrations. A car pulled into the driveway, its lights illuminating the scene. Jeff Spencer got out of the driver’s side and hurried up the walk.

“Where have you been?” Cass asked.

He shrugged, mumbling something unintelligible.

“Jeff, we have another homicide here,” she pointed out the obvious, taking care not to raise her voice. “Second one this week. We need-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what we need,” he muttered under his breath as he walked past her, toward the body.

Cass stared at his back, then shook it off. Must have had a bad night, she thought, then turned to wave to the officers that pulled into the drive and started to unload the lights.

“Yay. Lights. Up here.” She motioned them along. “Set them up right here…”

The lights brought new visibility to the scene, and the area was carefully searched for anything that the killer might have brought with him or left behind. Several cigarette butts near a hole in the fence went into a small plastic evidence bag, as did a drink container from a local fast-food restaurant and a dirty white sock. Any or none could have a connection to the killer. Only lab analysis would tell, and that not for a few more days, if ever.

“Huh…” Cass heard Tasha say softly.

“What?” She turned to see the CSI kneeling behind the body, a pair of tweezers in her right hand. She appeared to be inspecting something on the back of the dead woman’s head. Whatever it was, it was invisible to Cass. “What did you find?”

“Some fiber” was the reply. Tasha crooked a finger at Cass. “Take a shot of this for me before I remove it.”

Cass leaned forward to line up the shot as she was directed. Tasha slipped the thread into a bag, which she sealed and marked. She looked at Cass and said, “I found some similar trace tangled in the hair of our first victim.”

“The same type of fiber? Blanket? Carpet?”

“Too long to be either. It’s long and thin.”

“Rope, maybe? Something he might have used to tie them up with, subdue them?” Cass’s mind started to consider different possibilities.

“Nooo,” Tasha said slowly. She held the bag up as if inspecting its contents. “I don’t think it’s rope, it’s not that substantial. It looks thinner, more delicate. I can’t wait to get back to the lab to check it out.”

“Did you analyze the fiber you found on Linda Roman?”

“Not yet. I was concentrating on the trace from under her fingernails, trying to find skin cells, something that would give me DNA. The fiber is still in the evidence box, but I think it just moved to the top of the list.”

“You’ll let me know?”

“Do I get a set of those prints?” Tasha nodded at the camera Cass held in her right hand.

“I’ll run them off as soon as I get back to the office.”

“Then you’ll be the first to know what the little fibers are.”

“Chief, there are reporters from four television stations and nine newspapers in the lobby,” Phyllis announced through the intercom.

“Yes, I know,” Denver replied. “I haven’t decided what I want to tell them.”

“May I come in there for a moment?” Her voice sounded shaky.

“Sure,” he said, somewhat taken aback. Normally sure and confident, it wasn’t like Phyl to be so hesitant.

The intercom clicked off and seconds later the door between the chief’s office and his secretary opened. Phyl came into the room holding a can of Diet Pepsi in one hand and a chewed-up pencil in the other. She set the can on the chief’s desk, and twirled the pencil between her index and middle fingers.

“What’s on your mind, Phyl?”

“I just saw the pictures of this new one-this new murder victim-on Detective Burke’s desk. The body from this morning. I think I might know her. I think I might know who she is, Chief.”

“You do?” He frowned. His detectives were still checking missing persons leads.

“She does manicures at the Red Rose Salon down at Fifth and Marshall.”

“You have a name?”

“Lisa. I don’t know her last name. But I’m pretty sure her first name is Lisa.”

“Did you tell this to Detective Burke?”

“No. She was on the phone, and I was so startled, I just backed out of her office. It’s taken me a few minutes to collect my thoughts. I could be wrong.” Her eyes misted, and her hands, he realized, were shaking.

He pushed the button for Cass’s extension. “Burke, I need you to come in here. Now.”

Cass appeared in the doorway in less than a minute.

“Is something wrong?” She studied his face. “Please tell me there hasn’t been another body…”

“No. But Phyl thinks she knows who our lady of the morning is.”

“I think she’s the manicurist at the Red Rose. Lisa something. I could be wrong, Detective. God, I hope I’m wrong. But I saw the pictures on your desk. I didn’t mean to, I just came in to bring you a phone message that had been put in the chief’s box by mistake. And the pictures were there, right on your desk…”

“I’m so sorry you had to see them, Phyl. They weren’t pretty. And it must have been a shock, once you realized that you might recognize the woman.”

“It was. It still is.” To steady herself, give her hands something to do, Phyl took a sip of Diet Pepsi. “I can call down there, to the Red Rose, if you want. I’ll see if she’s there…”

“No, no. I’ll do that.” Cass glanced at the chief. “I’ll do that right now, and I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”

“Do it.” Denver nodded. “Do it right away.”

“I’m on it.” Cass disappeared through the doorway.

“And then there are all those reporters. The sergeant on the front desk is getting a little rattled. Everyone wants to know what’s going on,” Phyl said as if to prod him.

“I’ll come out and speak with them. Not much I can say, though.”

He rubbed his chin and wished he had taken more time to shave this morning. He knew he’d be appearing on the six and eleven o’clock news all across the state, with a serious five o’clock shadow.

“Chief, Chief!”

“Chief Denver, is it true there’s a serial killer in Bowers Inlet?”

“Chief Denver! Chief Denver…!”

The crowd of reporters pushed forward the minute Denver started down the hall toward the lobby. It was as if they had smelled him. They moved en masse, and he held up both hands to stop them in their tracks and quiet them.