The Reviver Read Online Free PDF

revivals, the best-planned murders had one thing in common – no one would find the body at all.
    Revival would be best for the cases where murder had been poorly thought out, or where it had been badly executed; where it had been rushed, or where it had been spur of the moment. Inept, sloppy, complacent. And that covered most of them.
    Sure enough, amateur killers who thought they knew how to prevent revival did their best, but even when they succeeded, the additional mess and complication often proved their downfall.
    The public in general had a limited idea of what revivers could actually achieve. The more lurid novels and television dramas played fast and loose with the truth for narrative convenience, just as they did with every other area of forensic science. As a result, belief ranged from one extreme to the other – from thinking that any significant damage to a corpse stopped revival, to thinking that no amount of injury or putrefaction could prevent it.
    The trial was a success. Sam’s team moved to their current site in Richmond and established the Forensic Revival Service. Cases came to them from all over the country, even though transporting a body shaved a good 20 to 30 per cent off the revival chances.
    While Baseline ground to a halt and closed down, the FRS grew rapidly. One office became five across the US; five became twelve. Overall management was moved to the largest of the regional offices, in Chicago. And Sam Deering was happy to remain, quietly excelling in what was now called the Central East Coast Forensic Revival Service.
    ‘Sorry about that, Jonah,’ said Sam from behind him.
    Jonah turned his head and gave Sam a nervous smile. ‘Problems?’
    ‘Budgets. One thing I’ll not miss when I go.’ He sat behind his desk and typed at his keyboard, peering at his monitor as he reached for reading glasses and put them on. ‘Jennifer sent her report through last night and discussed it with me this morning. Before we talk about it, though, I wanted to congratulate you again on the Decker case. It was a difficult job, and I hope you appreciate what you achieved. Did you hear any more about it?’
    ‘Beyond what was on the news, no,’ said Jonah. ‘They didn’t give many details, but they said a man had been caught. I presumed it was Roach. Since then, nothing.’
    ‘I got word from a friend. They’ll be making some of it public in a few days, but I thought you should hear it all. Roach was a weight junkie, had been for years. Steroid abuse. Whatever he’d been taking, it led to psychotic episodes. They got it under control, but then his wife left him and took their young son with her. He challenged for custody. Alice Decker had been part of the assessment panel that Roach blamed for losing his case, as if he ever stood a chance. Her opinion had been damning. Then Roach fell back into his old ways. He snapped, and went looking for some payback. Twenty minutes after you got the name, police were at his home.’
    ‘They found him there?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘He went after the others on the assessment panel?’
    ‘No. Decker was his first and only target from the panel. She was also the only woman, which I suspect is no coincidence. No. They found him at his ex-wife’s.’
    Jonah’s face fell. This could be bad. ‘Shit.’
    Sam saw the look in Jonah’s eye. ‘Don’t worry, she’s fine. She wasn’t there, wouldn’t have been for another hour. But Roach was waiting inside the house when the police arrived. He’d broken in around back. When they arrested him he had a collection of pills that would kill an elephant. It wasn’t a friendly visit.’
    Jonah was quiet.
    ‘Be proud, Jonah. Decker was rated a ten per cent chance. Even for you, that’s impressive.’
    Jonah nodded, but it was half-hearted. It had been a good result, sure, but he expected no less from himself. He was one of the best revivers in the country, at least as far as the difficult cases went. Overall, others performed