CDs? What significance do they have?'
'You're getting ahead of yourself. We have no idea if this guy is connected to the recent crimes.'
'But what if he is? What if the CDs were left by the killer?'
'Justification for the killing, maybe. Someone could reason that a prostitute is killing himself. Committing slow suicide. And our killer just helped him along.'
'Or it could be a death obsession.'
She looked through the glass, to the body still on the table. Two workers from a Savannah funeral home were there, signing paperwork.
'The family is going to have a memorial service,' she said. 'Then he's to be reburied.'
Gould wadded up his gown and tossed it in the bin. 'That'sjustsadashell.'
'I don't know,' Elise said. 'Years ago, it wasn't unusual for Gullahs to bury their loved ones twice.'
'A second burial? I don't get it.'
'The body decomposed so quickly in the heat that they would bury the deceased, then dig him up a year or two later at a more convenient time when all of the family and friends could gather.'
'Ah,' Gould said with exaggerated satisfaction. 'Just another quaint local custom.'
Chapter 20
'I've heard people aren't getting embalmed and are holding three-day wakes,' Gould said as he and Elise walked side by side in the direction of the Savannah Police Department conference room.
It was the day after the exhumation, and Major Hoffman had called an impromptu meeting. Elise was suspicious, because so far nothing had really changed. Except for Harrison 's unconnected death, they were still dealing with one prostitute, maybe two, and insufficient evidence. And the police department was still broke and short of officers.
They missed the elevator. Already late, Elise headed in the direction of the stairs. 'Funeral homes are complaining because of the smell and potential health risks.'
'When I die,' Gould said, jogging up the steps beside her, 'be sure to bury me with a bell.'
'Not a cell phone?' Elise asked. 'I just saw an advertisement for a company claiming to offer crystal clear service six feet under.'
'Cell phones are undependable. We need to get back to basics. I want one of those contraptions they sold back in the days when the definition of death was even murkier than it is now. We should think about going into a new business,' he told her. 'Those are going to be a hot commodity. We won't be able to make them quickly enough. What could you call them? Let's see____________________Death bells. Coffin bells. I like that. Or burial bell. How about burial bell?'
'And the slogan would be 'For whom the burial bell tolls.''
They were bantering. Gould paused at the fire door and beamed at her as if she'd suddenly given him a long- desired gift. 'Exactly.'
In the conference room, Elise recognized a couple of agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Abe Chilton, a woman from the crime lab, plus the local FBI and the press liaison. Starsky and Hutch- or rather Mason and Avery-were also present. But the majority of occupants were uniformed police officers there to be briefed on the TTX case.
Things were just about to get under way, so Elise and David grabbed two empty seats near the door.
'The way I understand it,' Major Hoffman told the crowd, 'is that TTX poisoning is like having the wrong key in a lock. It blocks the keyhole, so nothing can get through. And because TTX cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, the victim remains conscious while the peripheral nervous system shuts down.'
'That sounds like science fiction,' Detective Mason commented.
'Simplified, TTX is nothing more than poisoning that puts people in a state of suspended animation,' Major Hoffman said. 'It mimics death. Reputable doctors have been fooled into thinking a victim is dead.'
A beat officer wanted to know about the warning stages. Someone else asked what people could do to protect themselves.
'The most important thing is to be vigilant,' Major Hoffman said. 'With the recent budget cuts, we're hurting for manpower. This means we need community involvement. Savannah residents have to be our eyes and ears. If someone sees anything in the least suspicious, something that doesn't seem right, he needs to call the police. Same thing goes for police officers. When you're out on patrol, be aware. Keep your eyes open. Trust your gut, and follow up on anything that doesn't seem right.'
'Is it true that this stuff is used to make zombies?' Detective Avery asked.
'That is exactly the kind of reaction I want to discourage,' Major Hoffman said sternly. 'It's my understanding that it's one of the ingredients, along with some less toxic poisons. Something to keep in mind is that in Haiti, zombification is often used as retribution for wrongdoers. It's possible someone is doling out sentences for things he sees as crimes, possibly against himself, possibly against others.'
Major Hoffman rolled out a media cart. She popped a tape into the deck, picked up the remote, and turned on the television and VCR.
Gould borrowed Elise's pen and jotted something down on his tablet.
'I just had a visit from the mayor,' Hoffman said. 'He's extremely concerned with the TTX case and left something I want everybody to see.'
It was well known that the mayor of Savannah never commented on crime other than to say that Savannah was no worse than any other city of its size. But now that an election year was coming up, he must have decided it was time to display concern.
The tape rolled.
Poor quality. Something that had been filmed with a bad camera, in a bad public-access studio, with bad equipment.
Elise and David simultaneously let out low groans as they recognized the face on the screen.
Harvey Ostertag, of The Ostertag Show.
The Ostertag Show was filmed in Atlanta on a small budget. One camera. Horrid lighting. Crappy microphones that produced muffled voices. It was both embarrassing and mesmerizing as only awful TV could be.
'As promised,' Ostertag announced, 'here are Katie Johnson, Twila Jackson, and Mercury Hernandez, all the way from Savannah, Georgia.'
The girls moved into position. Two twirled a thick, heavy rope while the third jumped. All three chanted in unison:
Draw a circle on the floor Whisper secret words The city sleeps The mayor weeps Speak the final dirge.
Aha. No wonder the mayor had taken a sudden interest in the TTX case, Elise thought. The camera closed in on the host. 'Mysterious ditties like the one you just heard have been popping up all over Savannah,' Ostertag said. 'Some people have compared these to nursery rhymes. But others claim they bear a striking resemblance to the meter used in spells. In black magic. One theory is that by the repetitious chanting of these spells, children are unknowingly calling forth the powers of evil upon an unsuspecting city.'
Major Hoffman shut off the VCR. 'Lovely, isn't it? We're accustomed to being ridiculed by the media,' she said, 'but I think ridicule on The Ostertag Show is a new low.'
Elise pulled Gould's tablet close and read the question he'd written earlier: Are we going to watch porn?
He ripped the paper from the spiral and wadded it up, making a great deal of noise.
'Mr. Gould,' Major Hoffman said. 'Since you've played a fairly passive role in this meeting, perhaps you'd like to share some of your feelings about the case.'
Christ. He was iff third grade all over again. Is there something you'd like to share with the class, David?
A titter moved through the crowd. Several people twisted around to give David smug smiles. Starsky and Hutch were grinning with evil delight.
Oh, this place was its own vicious small town, David thought. Half the people in the room were salivating.
'Actually, I've had some profiling experience,' David said calmly.
Hutch let out a snort. Major Hoffman looked his direction; he turned the snort into a cough. 'I'd like to hear
