“And unfortunately drones are everywhere. Not a day goes by when I don’t see them somewhere,” I reply, and it gives me an uneasy feeling that I spotted one earlier today. “Even when I was walking to meet you, even in this heat, there was one flying around,” I add.

“Did it seem to be following you?”

“I didn’t think that at the time. But as we’re talking about it I remember being aware of one at the Square when Bryce was holding forth through the open car window before I went inside The Coop. And then there was the drone as I was walking through the Yard afterward. But I can’t say it’s the same one, and it didn’t come close.”

“Depending on how technically sophisticated the device is, it might not need to get close if it’s being used to spy or stalk,” he says. “Did you notice how many props it had? Was there anything about it that caught your attention?”

“It looked like a big black spider against the sun. That’s the only impression I recall having because I didn’t pay attention to it. I imagined some kid hanging out in his dorm room and having fun flying the thing. I honestly gave it almost no thought.”

“Kids are high on our list for this very problem, only we’ve been expecting homemade weaponized UAVs—drones armed with explosives, with firearms, pipe bombs, poisonous chemicals, even acid. But there are worse things to fear. Especially if the objective is to terrorize,” and as he talks I remember what Marino said a little while ago:

… If you think about it, Doc, a bolt out of the blue is a tail-end Charlie …

“You’re right,” I tell Benton. “You wouldn’t want the public to know you’re asking questions like this. People would be afraid to leave their homes if they thought they might get attacked from the sky while they’re swimming or riding a bicycle. What about burns? Do we know if Briggs has them?”

“There’s a burn on the back of his neck. A round one about the size of a dime.”

“Round?”

“Yes, and it’s red and blistered,” he says as I think of the skull pendant Elisa Vandersteel was wearing.

“Do we have any idea what caused this round burn?” I ask.

“No, but it must be something he came in contact with while he was in the pool.”

“What about jewelry, anything metal he had on?”

“Nothing except the copper bracelet he always wore. The one that turned his wrist green.”

“If it has alloys mixed in with the metal, it might have been magnetized.”

“It was very weakly when the death investigator from the medical examiner’s office thought to check. Apparently electrocution was top on the list because the pool clearly had malfunctioned for one reason or another,” Benton continues telling me what the police have said.