I made my move, and after a moment or two Larsen's eyes opened. I'm not sure what he was looking at-there wasn't much. His shirt was ripped and covered in dark maroon blood. Or maybe it was mud. It was unclear where the creek stopped and the man began. “Mr. Larsen?” I said.

His eyes turned in my general direction.

“Hi there,” I said.

Brad stared at me.

Now came the next step: soul collection. I had to work fast-a soul can't animate a corpse for long. It's a trick, really: The meat thinks it's back on the job, and it takes a while to realize, Hey, waitasecond… I don't think I'm alive anymore…

I knelt down next to Brad and scooped some water onto his face. I needed a better look at him. “Listen to me,” I continued. “You've been murdered. I'm here to investigate. Your full cooperation will help bring your killer to justice."

His eyes rolled down at his body; his eyelids fluttered. Typical reaction. The victims are always curious, even after being pulled back from the dark wonderland of discorporation. A few check to see what they are wearing. Some even try to fix their hair. Brad tried to say something, but his throat was apparently blocked. I scooped another handful of water into his open mouth. He choked, then coughed up a dollop of mud and insects. I scooped more water onto his face, wiping the mud away. He was a handsome guy.

“We're in this together,” I told him. “All you have to do is look at me."

“Sh-Sh-She…” he sputtered.

“Who?” I asked, but instantly regretted it. Clearly, he was talking about his dead wife, Alison. Shit. I had to switch gears. No sense having him freak out now.

I said, “I need to ask your permission for this.” Not true, but I always made it a point to make this soul-collection thing sound like a matter of free will. “Will you join me to avenge your murder?"

“Sh-Sh-She's… c-c-cut…” Brad said, shaking.

Good enough. I snapped my fingers, which caught his attention, and then I collected his soul.

How, exactly? An excellent question. And I'll admit that I don't know.

Maybe this analogy will be useful: You probably drive a car, right? And you know how to use the gas pedal, and the brakes, shift into reverse and neutral, and operate the air-conditioning and the radio and windshield wipers and window crank?

Of course you do. But I'll bet dollars to doughnuts you wouldn't be able to explain the mechanical functions behind those operations. You probably don't even know how an internal combustion engine works. Which is fine. Neither do I. Nor do I understand the technical details of my soul-collection abilities. But rest assured, I know how to drive a soul, just as well as you know how to drive your Datsun.

I've been driving souls for five years, and I've gotten good at it.

In an instant, Brad Larsen became part of me: We were now Farmer-Larsen. I allowed Brad momentary control of my body so he could get whatever he needed to get out of his system. Kick at the mud, punch the air, curse God, whatever. Better to have his psychic anger dispelled on the banks of Woody Creek than inside my head.

Surprisingly, Brad didn't do a thing. I couldn't even guess what he might have been thinking. The connection was too new. All he did was use my eyes to stare down at his own dead body.

Me? Back when I was first soul-collected-after the initial exhilarating rush of being absorbed had passed-I cried. I was faced with a voyage into dark, terrifying turf. My collector, Robert, spent hours calming me down, explaining things to me.

But Brad only looked at his corpse as if he were looking at an interesting piece of modern art. I felt my head cock. He didn't ask a single question, or voice a single complaint. Which was fine with me, as I didn't have time to explain it all to him.

“Relax, Brad,” I told him, unnecessarily. “You're gone, but not forgotten.” Then I regained control of my body.

Usually, next came the tricky part: stealing the victim's face. Thank God I didn't have to take Brad's right then and there.

A soul has its own momentum; it can propel itself anywhere, given the push or shown the right image. After all, a soul is built for travel. You can trick it back into its body, you can collect it and stick it in your own mind, no problem. A face, on the other hand, was dumb meat, stretched and burned and replenished and readjusted over a period of many, many years. Which meant, to steal Brad's face, I had to stretch and burn and replenish and readjust my own face.

I knew it would be worth the effort, however. Whatever priceless information Brad Larsen had locked away in his mind would become a more powerful weapon if I became Brad Larsen. On the day I confront The Association, I want to wear a face they fear. The fact that they had sent somebody 1,200 miles to smash Larsen's face meant I'd found one.

But there was no time to do a full reconstruction here in the creek-plus, my FBI friends would be sure to hear my hellish screams-so I whipped out my trusty Kodak Instamatic and used an entire roll of 110 film on Larsen's corpse, for later reference. I also tried to memorize the features (just in case): The stiff, bony forehead and the high cheekbones and short, upturned nose. He had a strong jawline, but not so strong as to detract from his boyish good looks. This was definitely going to be an improvement over Special Agent Del Kennedy. No offense to the dead.

I placed Brad Larsen's soul in one of the rooms inside my head, then thought up a mild brain sedative. He took it without complaint. In fact, he didn't even seem to be aware I gave it to him.

These “rooms” are simply mental constructs, built to house the souls I collect. Consider it a Holiday Inn of the brain. How would you like to be plucked from death, only to find yourself floating around some ethereal space inside somebody else's skull? For souls to retain a sane, working version of their earthly memories-and not be corrupted by the strange limbo of my brain-they had to retain a semblance of earthly surroundings. So, I had a hotel in my brain.

From the soul's point of view, it's a sweet deal. Each soul receives a two-bedroom apartment, and is allowed to furnish it as desired. After all, it's their own mental power doing the creating; I merely supply the guise of walls, floors, water, gas and electric. They are free to pursue any kind of art or hobby they wish, or consort with the soul of a prostitute named Genevieve I'd absorbed a few years back. If they want a professional oak pool table, it's theirs. A wet bar, a color television set-not to mention whatever programming they desire-presto, bingo, there it is. Not a bad afterlife at all.

I do my business on the first couple of floors of the Brain Hotel. There's the lobby, reserved for social functions and meetings. I have my office to retreat to when the need arises. I've resisted the urge to absorb the soul of a secretary… though it is tempting. There is a series of interrogation rooms-ranging from a clean, comfortable lounge to a shithole dungeon with a scratchy, houndstooth couch-depending on the suspect. It helps with the acclimation process.

I had 6 souls in residence in my Brain Hotel. Brad Larsen made it 7. I suppose I made 8, since I also lived in the hotel-that is, whenever I wasn't busy controlling my real, physical body.

I don't keep the souls locked up in the Brain Hotel all the time. Once in a while, as a reward, I'll allow one of them to take control of my physical body, so long as it doesn't interfere with my investigations. Most times, the soul will merely want to experience the taste of real food again.