“Know what I do for a living? I study the insects that are attracted to decomposing human flesh. They find bodies the same way that dog of yours does—only they do it by instinct, and you have to teach the dog. I’d love to see how you do that.”

She hesitated. “Is that the only way I can get rid of you?”

“It’s all that comes to mind.”

“Will you stay out of my way?”

“Don’t I always?”

She shook her head in resignation. “Grab a puppy and come on.”

They set the last of the puppies in the grassy clearing. Alena opened a sealed bag and took out a six-inch length of PVC pipe with holes drilled in the sides and a cap on either end.

“What’s that?” Nick asked.

“Death.”

“Excuse me?”

“This is a scent vial; it contains the scent of decomposing human flesh.”

Nick held out his hand. “May I?”

She handed him the vial. “Don’t touch the sides—you’ll contaminate the scent.”

Nick held the vial by one end and carefully sniffed. “Yep, that’s the real thing all right.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It’s not?”

“Where would I get the real thing? This is called Pseudo Corpse Scent—there’s a company in St. Louis called Sigma-Aldrich that manufactures the stuff. They make three kinds of death scent: putrefying remains, post-putrefying remains, and submerged remains. Every kind of victim gives off a different scent, and you have to train the dog to find the specific kind of victim you’re looking for. There’s actually a fourth scent too—they make one called ‘distressed body.’”

“What’s ‘distressed body’?”

“It’s a living person who’s under intense stress. The stress changes their blood chemistry and their skin gives off an odor that a dog can detect. ‘Distressed body’ simulates that odor; Sigma-Aldrich just came up with it a few years ago.”

“So your dog can find the living too?”

“Sometimes—but only if the victim is just less than dead.”

“Actually, insects are the same way. The line between life and death is so fine that sometimes they have trouble telling the difference. Blowflies won’t land on a living, moving, breathing human being, but they will if you’re wounded and unconscious. It’s like they figure, why not? You’re just less than dead—might as well get started.”

“How do insects find the dead?”

“Different species are attracted to a body at different stages of decomposition. As the body dries out it emits different chemical indicators, and each one attracts a different kind of insect. They pick up the scent through the air, just like your dog does—only they have smell and taste receptors all over their bodies.”

He bent down and began to look through Alena’s equipment box.

“Hey—keep your nose out of my stuff.”