"This was a real pisser."

"Do you know how it started?" I asked.

He pointed to a propane tank near my feet. "So far we've counted twelve of those suckers. Either someone knew exactly what he was doing, or he real y fucked up the family barbecue." His face reddened slightly. "Sorry."

"Arson?"

Chief Grenier shrugged both shoulders and raised his eyebrows. "Not my cal ." He snapped his chin strap and gripped the sides of the ladder.

"Al we're doing is moving debris to be sure the fire's completely cold. This kitchen was ful of junk. That's what provided the fuel to burn right through the floor. We'l take extra care around the bones.

I'l give a whistle when it's safe."

"Don't spray any water on the remains," I said.

He gave a hand salute and disappeared down the ladder.

It took thirty minutes before I was al owed into the basement. During that time I went to the crime scene truck to col ect my equipment and arrange for a photographer. I located Pierre Gilbert and asked to have a screen and spotlight set up below.

The basement was one large open space, dark and damp and colder than Yel owknife in January. At the far end' loomed a furnace, its pipes rising, black and gnarled, like the limbs of a giant dead oak. It reminded me of another cel ar I'd visited not long ago. That one had hidden a serial kil er.

The wal s were cinder block. Most of the large debris had been cleared and heaped against them, exposing a dirt floor. In places the fire had turned it reddish brown. In others it was black and rock hard like ceramic tile fired in an oven. Everything was covered by a thin membrane of frost.

Chief Grenier took me to a spot on the right edge of the floor col apse. He said that no victims had been found elsewhere. I hoped he was right. The thought of sifting the entire basement almost made me weep. Wishing me good luck, he left to rejoin his men.

Little of the kitchen sun made it this far back, so I took a high powered flashlight from my kit and shone it around me. One look caused adrenaline to report for duty. This was not what I'd expected.

The remains were strewn over an area at least ten feet in length. They were largely skeletonized, and showed varying degrees of heat exposure.

In one cluster I could see a head surrounded by fragments of differing shapes and sizes. Some were black and shiny, like the skul . Others were chalky white and looked ready to crumble. Which is exactly what they would do if not handled properly. Calcined bone is featherlight and extremely fragile. Yes.

This would be a difficult recovery.

Five feet south of the skul an assortment of vertebrae, ribs, and long bones lay in rough anatomical position. Also white and ful y calcined.