After clearing the perimeter, Hank stood alone just outside the alleyway and finished suiting up to do his job. He’d had Houston overnight him his gear, but it hadn’t arrived yet. Even before he touched the pipe he knew the bomb wasn’t live. The bomber was playing a game, but the standard protocol was, every bomb, every call-in was treated as a live bomb.

Fully armed, Hank walked slowly toward the bomb. A pipe and a fuse taped to one end. He could see the other end was open. He took a long breath. Part of him would always be the cowboy waiting for the eighth second to come.

Hank gave the OK to Ketch and Pecos as he tugged off his headgear and studied the surroundings. Then he turned to the deputy. “There has to be a reason he put it here. It’s a place he could step in and leave it unseen, but the chances of it being seen by someone walking by are high, so the bomber wanted us to find it. Maybe he thought we’d find it first and not take the hospital bomb seriously. Or maybe he thought we’d panic.”

Neither Pecos or Ketch had an answer, and the crowd was growing, moving closer as if hoping to hear what Hank was saying.

Hank tried another angle. “Who lives upstairs?”

“The pharmacist said Dr. Benjamin Monroe does, but he is not up there,” Pecos answered.

“How does he know?”

Pecos nodded and pulled out his notepad. “The pharmacist said Dr. Monroe’s Jeep would be parked where we’re standing if he was home. Plus, he called Dr. Monroe a few minutes after his employee spotted the bomb and the professor said he’d gone out to his farm last night and hadn’t made it back home yet.”

Pecos straightened. “I asked everyone who works here questions. No one saw anyone go close to the stairs. The bomb could have been placed on the step sometime last night. One of the girls who works at the soda fountain stepped between the buildings to smoke and saw it about 12:10. She said she would have noticed if it had been there on her five o’clock break yesterday.” Pecos looked up from his notes. “She usually sits on the steps.”

“I want to speak to the professor when he shows up.” Hank felt frustrated.

A low voice from the growing crowd answered. “I’m standing right here.”

Hank watched a thin man with graying hair step out of the crowd. He offered his hand, then noticed Hank still had on his gloves.

“Can you spread any light on this situation, Professor?”

“I’m Benjamin Monroe and, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to make a few observations. The man who placed the pipe on my step was short. Under five-five, I’d say, and right-handed.”