“Maybe.

Prince stooped and raised the body slightly to peer beneath. “Entrance wound. She was shot from behind.

“Bullet spun her around.

“Yeah. She stood up. “Guy pulls the gun, what, going for the cash? She looked in a few of the half-open drawers. “Aha. She pulled out a rectangular aluminum box and opened the lid to show him. It was divided into sections for bills and change, and it was empty.

“She turns to run... behind the counter? he added doubtfully.

“For a weapon? Prince said. She reached beneath the counter. “There are clips here, Id say for a rifle.

“But no rifle?

“No.

“He probably took that, too.

“So, she turns to go for the rifle, he shoots, she spins around, falls. He takes the cash and the rifle and leaves.

“From the look of the wound, Ill bet the slug ricocheted off a bone, he said. “It could be anywhere. Bullets frequently had minds of their own once they impacted their target and Liam placed no dependence on their being able to find this one. Which didnt mean they wouldnt look.

A series of large V-shaped shelves took up the corner from floor to ceiling, the top half divided into square, open-ended boxes, some with mail in them, some not. The bottom half was divided into drawers, and the two were bisected by a narrow counter, also V-shaped.

“She hit her head on the way down, Prince said, pointing at a dark brown smudge on the edge of the counter.

“Twice, Liam said, looking at another smudge on the second drawer down. They checked and found blood matted in Opals hair.

Envelopes, letter size, business size, nine-by-thirteen manilas and priority mail, were scattered across the floor, the shelves they had fallen from teetering dangerously at the edge of the desk they sat on. At least she went down fighting, they both thought.

Liam prodded Opals arm. “Rigors coming on. He looked at his watch. “Its going on seven oclock. He looked up. “What would you say the temperature was in this room?

“Fifty-five, maybe.

“Outside?

“Temperature at Newenham airport was fifty-four when we left.

“But this is farther north, and higher up. The walls are pretty thick, not many windows. Probably didnt get above sixty-five all day in here.

“Sounds about right.

“So, she died ten, maybe twelve hours ago, you think?

Prince shrugged. “M.E. will tell us more.

“Yeah, but I want to know how much of a head start the son of a bitch has on us, and were going to miss the last jet to Anchorage by the time we get the body back to Newenham, which means itll be two, three days before the M.E. has a time of death.

“Not smelling much yet.

“No. Which could mean she hasnt been here that long, or that it never warms up in here. He looked back down at the body. “Robbery, you think?

Prince spotted a group of pictures sitting on a table, and went over to look. The dead woman was in several, surrounded by what looked like husband and children, and more than one with the house they were standing in in the background. “Could be. This is probably her home, too. We dont know whats missing. She pushed back her cap to scratch above her ear, resettled the cap. “If this were Anchorage, Id say someone was making a hit on peoples Social Security checks. But way out here... well, I dont see some thug hiking five hundred miles through the Bush to coldcock some old woman for her hundred-and-fifty-dollar Social Security check.