"Isn't that fraternizing with the enemy?"

I stil didn't answer. Obviously my sex life was a topic of interest to the homicide squad.

"How have you been?"

"Great. You?"

"Can't complain. If I did, no one would listen."

"Get a pet."

"Could try that. What's in the eyedropper?" he asked, pointing a leather-gloved finger at my hand.

"Vinac. It's a solution of a poly vinyl acetate resin and methanol.

The mandible is toast and I'm trying to keep it intact."

"And that wil do it?"

"As long as the bone is dry this wil penetrate and hold things together pretty wel ."

"And if it's not dry?"

"Vinac won't mix with water, so it'l just stay on the surface and turn white. The bones wil come out looking like they've been sprayed with latex."

"How long does it take to dry?"

I felt like Mr. Wizard.

"It dries quickly through evaporation of the alcohol, usual y in thirty to sixty minutes. Although being in the subarctic won't speed things up."

I checked the jaw fragments, hit one with a few more drops, then rested the pipette on the solution jar cover. Ryan came around and held out a hand. I took it and rose to my feet, wrapping my arms around my middle and tucking my hands under my pits. I could feel nothing in my fingers, and suspected my nose was the shade of Ryan's scarf. And running.

"It's colder than a witch's tit down here," he agreed, surveying the basement. He held one arm behind him at an odd angle. "How long have you been down here?"

I looked at my watch. No wonder I was hypothermic. One-fifteen.

"Over four hours."

"Cherist. You're going to need a transfusion."

It suddenly dawned. Ryan worked homicide.

"So it's arson?"

"Probably."

He pul ed a white bag from behind his back, withdrew a Styrofoam cup and a machine sandwich, and waggled them in front of me.

I lunged. He backed up.

"You'l owe me."

"It's in the mail."

Soggy bologna and lukewarm coffee. It was wonderful. We talked while I ate.

"Tel me why you think it's arson," I said as I chewed.

"Tel me what you've got here."

O.K. He was a sandwich up.

"One person. Could be young, but it's not a little kid."

"No babies?"

"No babies. Your turn."

"Looks like someone used the old tried and true. The fire burned in trails way down between the floorboards. Where there stil are floorboards, that is.

That means liquid accelerant, probably gasoline.

We found dozens of empty gas cans."

"That's it?" I finished the sandwich.

"The fire had more than one point of origin. Once it started it burned like a son of a bitch, because it set off the world's largest indoor col ection of propane tanks. Big boom every time one went. Another tank, another big boom."

"How many?"

"Fourteen."

"It started in the kitchen?"

"And the adjoining room. Whatever that was. Hard to tel now."