Sinner's Ball Read Online Free PDF Page A

the file folder across the table.
    â€œThey cover the three on the main floor, and the six in the basement,” she said.
    I read the ME’s findings on the squatters first.
    Two men. Early twenties. A woman somewhat younger. Soot in their mouths, throats, and lungs. Organs bright cherry red. Meaning elevated levels of carbon monoxide in their blood and tissues. Ditto for cocaine. Even if they’d had time to escape, the combination of CO and cocaine would have made it impossible. They’d died in the fire.
    The men in the basement were a different story.
    No soot. No carbon monoxide. But the shocker was multiple stab wounds to the groin. Bled out. Dead before the fire hit. Cause of death: homicide.
    I moved on to the tox report.
    â€œRohypnol?”I said.
    â€œAppears so.”
    â€œWhy use a date rape drug on men?”
    â€œVery good question,” Luce said.
    â€œAre roofies part of the gay scene?”
    â€œAs a card-carrying lesbian, I never saw roofies. Hell, places I used to frequent folks don’t need knockout drugs to get somebody into bed with them.”
    The germ of an idea began to form.
    â€œNow it’s my turn,” I said, handing her Sal Lomascio’s file. “The findings of the insurance company investigator. Save the prose for later. Look at the photos.”
    She spread them out on the table and looked away.
    â€œBeen doing this a long time and it’s still hard to take,” she said.
    â€œForget about the three on the main floor for now. What do you see in the basement?”
    â€œSix rectangles of charcoal,” she said.
    â€œThe crates are lined up next to each other in two columns of three. Nice and neat. And that says thinking and planning.”
    â€œI agree.”
    â€œSomehow the doer got these guys to the warehouse. Used Rohypnol as a restraint. And the stab wounds to thegroin introduce a sexual element. All in all, very organized.”
    â€œOrganized to a point,” Luce said. “The stab wounds indicate frenzy.”
    â€œRight. The doer makes a plan, nabs the guys, and then loses it.”
    â€œClassic serial profile. Though a little disorganized at the end.”
    â€œHold that thought,” I said.
    â€œOK. If it is a serial killer, the odds say it’s likely a Caucasian male between the ages of eighteen and thirty-two who showed signs of abuse as a child. And the sexual element puts a gay man into play.”
    â€œA moment ago you said that Rohypnol is rare in the gay scene.”
    â€œI did. But that don’t mean it’s not around. Hell, you can buy anything on the street.”
    â€œFair enough. But if it is a serial, the ages of the vics pose a problem.”
    â€œHow so?”
    â€œThe autopsy gave approximate ages. These guys range from their early forties to sixty plus. Serials typically fantasize about a certain type. The guys in the packing crates are all over the place. Early middle age to considerably older.”
    â€œDoesn’t really add up, does it?” Luce said.
    â€œIt could if we take conventional wisdom off the table.”
    â€œHow so?”
    â€œLet’s say fantasy had nothing to do with it. Maybe the doer was someone with an orderly mind and smart enough to plan things out, but something else was in play.”
    Luce considered that for a few moments.
    â€œSuch as?” she asked
    â€œRevenge. Payback. Any number of things. The groin work and the age range of the men suggests a seriously pissed off prostitute.”
    â€œLike Aileen Wuornos, the hooker down in Florida who took out her johns.”
    â€œAnd that’s what I’m going with until I find out more about these guys. Like what they had in common.”
    â€œAnd then your theory changes.”
    â€œFacts on the ground trump theories any day of the week. In this business you’ve got to be nimble.”
    â€œOr the things that go bump in the night get you before you get