A Killing Spring Read Online Free PDF Page A

fought about.”
    “Maybe,” he said wearily. “Or maybe they fought over the fact that she didn’t share his sexual tastes. When it comes to domestic disputes, causes are never in short supply.”
    “Do you know anything more about what happened to Reed?”
    “Splatter says that, judging from the condition of the body, Gallagher died last night.”
    “Who’s Splatter?”
    “Sorry, he’s our M.E. – the medical examiner. His real name is Sherman Zimbardo. The guys call him Splatter because he’s got this uncanny ability to interpret blood patterns at a crime scene.”
    “I’m sorry I asked.”
    “Actually, I think the guys see the nickname as a kind of compliment. Anyway, Zimbardo says he should have more solid information about how Reed Gallagher died after he’s completed the autopsy. Till then, we’re just calling it a suspicious death.”
    “Which means …?”
    “Which means that we don’t know what happened, but there are enough loose ends to keep us interested for a while. Zimbardo says he’s seen a couple of cases like this.”
    “You mean with the hood and the cord?”
    “Yeah. Apparently, they indicate a particular type of autoeroticism.”
    “Sex play on your own.”
    “Right. How did you know that?”
    “I took Greek and Latin at school.”
    “Fair enough. Anyway, this particular variation of auto-eroticism is called … wait a minute, the name’s in my notes … it’s called hypoxyphilia. Did you cover that in class?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Good. It’s a dangerous business. The people who practise it apparently find sex more interesting when they cut off their oxygen. Every so often the fun and games get out of hand, then we have to cut them down.”
    “That doesn’t make sense to me.”
    “It doesn’t appeal to me much either.”
    “I didn’t mean the kinkiness. I meant that I don’t understand why a man like Reed Gallagher would have a fight with his wife and decide that the next step was to hop in the car, drive downtown to a rooming house, and go through some sort of bizarre masturbation ritual.”
    “Zimbardo’s done some reading on the subject. He says people who are into hypoxyphilia claim that it’s a great stress-reliever.”
    “I think I’ll stick to single-malt Scotch.” I said. “And from what I’d seen of Reed Gallagher, I would have thought that would be his solution, too.”
    “The leather and lace doesn’t sound to you like something he’d do?”
    “No,” I said, “Reed always struck me as a man who coped with life head-on.”
    “But you didn’t know him well.”
    “No,” I said. “Not well at all.” Just then I heard the call-waiting signal. “Alex, could you hang on? I’ve got a beep.”
    At first, all I heard on the other line was music and party sounds. Then there was giggling, and Kellee Savage said, “Can you hear them singing? Well, they don’t have as much reason to sing as I do.” Her words were slurred. It was obvious that she’d been drinking, but I’d had enough. Birthday or no, Kellee Savage was going to have to find somebody else to play with.
    “Kellee, I’ll have to talk to you later. I have an important call on the other line.”
    “This is an important call,” she said belligerently. “I’ve figured it all out. Exactly why he’s after me all the time. Here’s what’s happening …”
    “Kellee, I really have to go. If you want to talk to me, come to my office Monday morning.” I clicked off, but not before I heard someone in the bar begin to sing “Danny Boy.”
    When I apologized for keeping him waiting, Alex’s voice was easy. “It’s okay,” he said. “I was just remembering the Gallaghers’ wedding.”
    “I would have thought you’d want to excise that from your memory.”
    “It wasn’t that bad, Jo. At least nobody called me Chief. Anyway, the whole thing just seems so sad now. I keep thinking about those birds they had on the wedding cake.”
    “The doves,” I said. “They