Page 51 of Evil Bones
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“No offense taken.”
“Could you please phone Detective Slidell and report that I have news for him?”
“As I said, that won’t be necessary.”
“Oh?” Voice neutral, masking my annoyance.
“The gentleman is waiting in your office. He said you suggested that would be best.”
“Did he.”
“He did.”
“Fine.” It wasn’t. “Offer coffee and tell him I’ll be there shortly.”
It took less than ten minutes to secure MCME-741-25, wash up, and cross to my office. Enough time for Skinny to escalate from prickly into full-on belligerent.
“Sorry you had to wai—”
“I got a goddam job to do.” Theatrically tapping his watch.
“Serve and protect.” I circled to the chair behind my desk. “Such a thankless task.”
“You’re a regular Henny Youngman.”
“Seriously? That’s the most recent comic you can reference?”
“The guy was funny.”
“Glad someone is. This creep tacking up carcasses isn’t a load of laughs.”
“I talked to your pal Kumar again.” Slidell segued straight to his current pet theory. “She thinks the doer’s a perv.”
“You may be overstating her opinion.”
“How’s that?”
“She thinks the doer’s behavior couldpossiblyhave a sexual component.”
“Don’t everything when you get right down to it? I mean, there’s guys get their rocks off licking the labels on cans of baked beans.”
I had no response to that, so I said nothing.
“Tell me about this latest batch of bliss,” Slidell ordered.
I briefed him on the remains Devlin Finch had collected. Explained the human bones I’d found in the mix. The cut marks suggesting intentional removal of a hand.
“Just the one DOA?”
I nodded.
“Sonofabitch.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Sonofabitch.”
“What else can you tell me about this Finch find? Give me more details.”
