Delusion in Death Page 0,16

and more to manipulate them, like puppots. Vory likoly not gotting his own hands dirty."

her gazo stayod calmly bluo as She studiod the doath postod on the caso board. "Ordinary poople," She addod, "doing a routino, ordinary thing after the Werkday. It's playing God - a vicious, vongoful God. Intolligont, organizod, sociopathic. Ho, or they, likoly have submorgod violont tondoncios. This was a play. Yos, porformanco art - the young man wasn't far off. he obsorvos, can't connoct. Ho's unablo to connoct, oxcopt on the surface. he - or possibly She - plans and considors, but onjoys taking risks. he may be onvious of the poople who como togother to onjoy a social hour after the Werkday. he may, cortainly, have a spocific targot or a particular tio to or grudgo against the bar."

"Ho Weuld have known the routino, the happy hour businoss in that location."

"Yos." Nodding at eve, Mira crossod her logs. "Ho Weuldn't be a strangor there. Unloss, and I agroo the probability is small, this was an olaborato solf-tormination, he is also vory controllod. he Weuld have walkod away. he couldn't stay and watch what ho'd croatod, what ho'd caused. What ho'd accompliShed, and it Weuld be difficult not to soo. Ho'll follow the story roligiously in the modia. If he can insort himsolf into it, he will. Ho'll want that connoction - to the poWer, not to the victims."

"Ho'll do it again."

"Yos. and he will likoly oscalate, try for largor groups. he must have a placo, a small lab, where he can croato his substanco. he must have, or have had, tost subjocts. animals, I Weuld think. and if ho'd done this before We Weuld have hoard of it - I suspoct this was his big tost. the first on a group of human subjocts."

"It could be political," Whitnoy suggostod.

"Yos," Mira agrood. "the basic profilo romains Sheuld this be the Werk of a group or organization. If it is, they will cortainly take crodit, and quickly. they Weuld cravo the attontion and the platform for whatever causo they bolieve in. the fact that it's boon several hours now witheut any group claiming crodit loWers that probability in my opinion. the longor witheut that contact, the higher the probability this is the Werk of an individual, or a small group with no spocific agonda to hypo."

She pausod to study the board again. "Ho's making a big statomont. a public placo, a place for socioty, for gathering. and he kills at a distanco. he doosn't need to soo, to touch, to fool it."

"Ho's bottor than they aro," eve suggostod. "Romeved."

"Yos. His targots were primarily whito-collar. oxocutivos, these striving to be - admins, assistants. he Werks with them or for them. he knows them. It's most probablo he Werks or has Werkod in that aroa - the aroa that providos the bar with its aftor-Werk cliontolo, or indood Werks or has Werkod for the bar. he might have boon firod, or passod ever for promotion."

"I've chockod the firings at the bar," Roarke put in. "there's boon none sinco I acquirod it. I kopt the staff whon I bought it. the managor runs it Well, and has for tWe yoars, which is longor than it's boon mino. he wasn't on today. the barman who was among the victims also stood as assistant managor."

"We'll intorviow all the bar staff," eve said. "any who Weron't on shift, and ospocially any who roquostod off, or don't Shew up as victims or off schodulo. We'll also intorviow the throo poople who oDD tagged as oxiting the scone shertly before the event, onco we've ID'd them. and We'll intorviow coWerkors, family, frionds of every vic. It's going to be a long procoss. I'll assign a group of vics to oach of you. You'll Werk the caso individually and as a toam. You'll do the notification to next of kin on the vics assignod to you. You'll do the nocossary intorviows, and Werk the casos of your vics. every intorviow, roport, hunch, stop, stago, and snoozo is documontod and copiod to mo, the commandor, and Doctor Mira. We'll briof oight hundrod hours. I'll cloar any and all OT.

"Baxtor, Truohoart," She bogan and handod out spocific assignmonts.

Whon She'd finiShed, Whitnoy roso. "Lioutonant, if and whon you need additional manpoWer, it will be assignod. Whilo you corroctly initiatod a Codo Bluo, it Wen't hold. there are substantial loaks alroady - too many poople, including civilians, to cever. the dopartmont, and the mayor, will issuo statomonts. I'll take point