Up until now, Charles had remained quiet. He locked his gaze with Snowden and said, “The tenants are separate and probably kidnapped for their money. As I understand it, those who left had robust portfolios and probably large insurance policies. It’s all about money. It’s one way of looking at it, and the only one that makes any kind of sense, at least to me. The big question is, who called the shots on that one and who collected the payouts, if there were any. I think that the gang angle, and Cosmo’s getting shot, are exactly what you stated—an initiation exercise to get accepted into the Lobos. Unfortunately for them, they botched the job. If I am right, shooting Cosmo was about prestige and no money changed hands. Since I could be wrong, I’m open to any and all theories.”

An eerie silence settled around the table, but no one said anything.

“This might be a good time to . . . um show you the pictures Phil took. If you’ll give me just a minute. I can bring them up on the TV. Ted, bring it here to the table, then we’ll all be able to see what goes on the dark web. Be warned, it is not pretty.”

Jack felt his stomach start to rumble. He looked over at Abner’s ashen face and said, “Hey, Ab, you mind taking Cyrus for a walk?”

Cyrus was at the door before Abner could get out of his chair.

The silence was total as Snowden fiddled and diddled with his phone and the memory stick and with situating the TV. Jack coughed, just to hear some sound.

“Just a few seconds. Phil didn’t keep the camera on any one shot for more than a second, so what you’re going to see is what he saw and was able to capture. Okay, gentlemen and one lady, here we go.”

The TV came to life with images so ugly no one was able to utter a word until Maggie gripped the edge of the table and said, “What is that?”

Avery Snowden looked across the table at Charles and said, “That, my dear, is the head of Ellie Harper, who lived at one time at 202 Lilac Lane. She disappeared on April 17. I believe you said you were in her apartment, that her friend and neighbor took you there.”

Maggie bolted from the table and ran to the lavatory, where she slammed the door shut.

“I think the rest of the pictures tell their own story. The bodies were cut up. Legs in one pile, arms in another, feet in a box, torsos on the top. Heads all by themselves.” Avery turned off the TV and ejected the memory stick.

“Do we know who . . . who is responsible for what we just saw?” Charles asked.