The Dead Room Read Online Free PDF Page B

thighs, feeling her arms and then grabbing at her chest until he finally reached her neck. It was almost as if his hands and mouth had been dipped in bright white paint, leaving a record of what they’d done. Now Teddy understood why Vega hadn’t wanted the body disturbed—why the detective had taken the chance and tented the body before it was handled or moved. Teddy couldn’t help but admire him. Even at a glance, the brilliance in the man’s dark eyes shined through.
    “Bring in the cameras,” Vega said. “Video first, then stills. We’ll do prints and take samples later.”
    The man Teddy had seen loading his camera with a fresh tape brushed by him and approached the table. After he recorded the body in wide shots, he moved in for a series of closer views. Vega stood by his side, pointing out where the killer had squeezed the girl’s breasts, pressed his lips into them, and then removed the skin with a knife that must have been as sharp as a razor blade or scalpel.
    Teddy felt his stomach turn and thought he might vomit. He’d seen enough and slipped past Powell through the entryway. Not sure that he could drive just yet, he found a seat in the living room and sat down in the darkness. He wondered what kind of person could do this. We all share the same world and even breathe the same air, he thought, but what could be going through this person’s twisted mind? What brand of madness brought him to think it and desire it, let alone carry it through?
    Someone entered the living room. Teddy looked up and saw the district attorney take a chair on the other side of the coffee table across from him. Andrews was a seasoned veteran. But Teddy could tell that what happened to Darlene Lewis was a mile or two beyond even the district attorney’s every day tour.
    “You okay, Teddy Mack?”
    Teddy nodded. The district attorney’s continual use of his full name irritated him, but not enough to say anything right now. He watched the man light a cigarette. Andrews must have sensed his need and offered him one. Teddy took it, leaning into the flame with a shaky hand as Andrews struck his lighter. Teddy didn’t smoke very often—one or two at parties—but the nicotine seemed to help quiet him down.
    “What was wrong with her breasts?” Teddy whispered. “That clear liquid oozing out.”
    “Implants,” Andrews said.
    Teddy took another drag on the cigarette, drawing the smoke in and wondering why an eighteen-year-old girl who looked as good as Darlene Lewis thought she needed breast implants. He thought about what Carolyn Powell had said in the girl’s bedroom—Darlene Lewis in the modern world.
    “We’re glad you’re here,” Andrews said after a moment. “You can go back to Barnett and tell him what you’ve seen. Holmes will face his preliminary arraignment tonight. After that, he’ll be transferred to one of the city’s prisons. When I know which one, I’ll let you know.”
    Teddy looked for an ashtray, but couldn’t find one. Andrews slid his across the table.
    “The reason I mention it,” Andrews said, “is that I’d like you to be there when Holmes checks in. I want to make sure everything’s done just right. I’m offering you a chance to observe the process so you’re as sure as I am. If he’s got a black eye, it’s because he walked into a door on his own. If he should die tonight with a bump on the head, it’s because he slipped on the floor and fell down. If you’d like to meet with your client after he’s checked in, that’s okay, too. I’ll make the arrangements no matter what the hour.”
    Teddy nodded, crushing the cigarette out and ready to hit the road. He stood up. Andrews followed, shaking his hand. As Teddy started for the front door, he remembered the dismantled plumbing and turned back to Andrews.
    “What was with the sinks and toilets?” he asked. “What were you guys looking for?”
    “Her skin,” Andrews said quietly. “We tore everything apart. We did the same