Whispers of the Dead Read Online Free PDF

heart, he also recognized the
benefits of new technology. He'd kept his old mercury thermometer,
an elegant piece of engineering with its hand-blown glass and tooled
steel, but alongside it was a new digital model. Taking it out, I
switched it on and watched the numbers on its display quickly start
to climb.
'How much longer will your people be?' Tom asked Gardner,
glancing at the white-clad figures working in the room.
'A while yet. Too hot for them to stay long in here. I've had an
agent pass out already.'
Tom was bending over the body, careful to avoid the dried blood
on the floor. He adjusted his glasses to see better. 'Have we got a
temperature yet, David?'
I checked the digital readout. I'd already started to sweat. 'Forty
three point five degrees.'
'So now can we turn off the goddamn fire?' one of the forensic
team asked. He was a big man, with a barrel-like stomach that
strained the front of his overalls. What was visible of his face under
the surgical mask was red and sweating.
I glanced at Tom for confirmation. He gave a nod.
'Might as well open the windows too. Let's get some air in here.'
'Thank the sweet Lord for that,' the big man breathed as he went
to unplug the fire. As its bars dimmed, he opened the windows as far
as they would go. There were sighs and mutterings of relief as fresh
air swept into the cabin.
I went to where Tom was staring down at the body with a look of
abstract concentration.
Gardner hadn't been exaggerating; there was no question that this
was a homicide. The victim's limbs had been pulled down on either
side of the table and fastened to the wooden legs with parcel tape.
The skin was drum-tight and the colour of old leather, although that
was no indication of ethnicity. Pale skin darkens after death, while
dark skin will often lighten, blurring colour and ancestry. What was
more significant were the gaping slits that were evident. It's natural
for the skin to split apart as the body decomposes and becomes
bloated by gases. But there was nothing natural about this. Dried
blood caked the table around the body and blackened the rug below
it. That had to have come from an open wound, or possibly more
than one, which suggested that at least some of the damage to the
epidermis had been inflicted while the victim was still alive. It might
also explain the numbers of blowfly larvae, as the flies would have
laid their eggs in any opening they could find.
Even so, I couldn't recall ever seeing so many maggots in a single
body before. Up close, the ammoniac stink was overpowering. They
had colonized the eyes, nose, mouth and genitals, obliterating whatever
sex the victim had been.
I found my eyes drawn to the way they seethed in the gaping slit
in the stomach, causing the skin around it to move as though it were
alive. My hand involuntarily went to the scar on my own.
'David? You OK?'Tom asked quietly.
I tore my gaze away. 'Fine,' I said, and began taking the specimen
jars from the bag.
I could feel his eyes on me. But he let it pass, turning instead to
Gardner. 'What do we know?'
'Not much.' Gardner's voice was muffled by his mask. 'Whoever
did this was pretty methodical. No footprints in the blood, so the
killer knew enough to mind where he put his feet. Cabin was rented
out last Thursday to someone calling himself Terry Loomis. No
description. Reservation and credit card payment were made by
phone. Man's voice, local accent, and the guy asked for the key to be
left under the mat by the cabin door. Said he'd be arriving late.'
'Convenient,'Tom said.
'Very. Don't seem too worried about paperwork here so long as
they get paid. The cabin rental ended this morning, so when the key
wasn't returned the manager came up to take a look and make sure
nothing was missing. Place like this, you can see why he'd be
worried,' he added, glancing round the threadbare cabin.
But Tom wasn't paying any attention. 'The cabin was only rented
from last