"Did they find a murder weapon?"
He jumped at Yeager's voice and opened his eyes."I don't know.They never asked me to touch one."
He nodded, sipped his coffee, then sat in his chair again."Okay.Head-shape?"
And off they went again.Yeager asking questions, and Frode answering only to see a face take shape on paper.Amazing.
* * * *
Nikolai held a hand over his nose.The house smelled of death, which shouldn't have come as a surprise, but damn.Saylor looked grim in his marshmallow suit.
"Killed in February?"Nikolai believed she had been.
Saylor shrugged."Sounds plausible.We have to take her back with us and look her over, but judging by the bloating, separation of skin and muscles, and the discoloration, I'd say February is possible."
"It would mean a body every other month, so if he's sticking to a pattern..."
Saylor's eyes narrowed above the face mask."Then the fifth one will come in June."
"We'll catch him before June."
"I hope so."Saylor looked around."I'll send you a report as soon as we're done."
"The rug, can you tell if it's old or new, if it's been touched a lot?"
Interest shone in Saylor's eyes, and he looked at the blood-soaked rug."Hard to tell with the decomposition happening on top of it, but I can try to look at the fibers.See if it's been walked on a lot."His eyes narrowed."I didn't think Frode did rugs."
Nikolai swallowed the urge to snarl at him."He doesn't normally, but he touched the rug from the first victim's home."
It was hard to guess Saylor's expression behind the mask, but Nikolai got the feeling he was pleased.Excited.Fuck.
"We should talk to the neighbors."Isaac's interruption was welcome.
"Yes."Nikolai looked at Saylor again."Let us know as soon as you have anything."
They couldn't exit the house fast enough.Once they were out in the fresh air, Isaac bumped his shoulder with him, or more like he bumped Nikolai's upper arm with his shoulder."You don't want to piss Saylor off."
"I didn't."
Isaac snorted.
"What?I wasn't rude."
"You were having a pissing contest over Frode."
"We were not."But Saylor could go fuck himself.
Isaac laughed, but it wasn't a nice laugh."So neighbors?"
"Frode lives over there."He gestured across the field in front of them.The house wasn't visible, but if they followed the gravel road around the bend, it would be.
Isaac looked at him."Frode lives out here?"
"Yeah, small house hidden behind those trees you see the tops of over there."He gestured again.The ground was a little sloped, but his house was right there on the other side.
"Is he neighborly?"
Nikolai laughed before he knew what he was doing."Neighborly?No, I don't think so."
