“Ted Bundy.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

“So maybe the guy’s driving around, sees an opportunity last night,” Bacardi said.

“I don’t know,” Marino said. “I need to get a better feel for the neighborhood, plan to go back out in a minute, prowling. But I can tell you already it was pretty deserted last night. That’s New York. Weekends and holidays, and people who live here get the hell out of Dodge. And after all my years of doing this, one thing I’ve learned. There’s never a formula. Maybe our guy was on good behavior and had a relapse. Maybe that guy is Oscar Bane. Maybe it’s somebody else. There’s the small problem of timing. Your two cases was five friggin’ years ago.”

“No figuring out why people do what they do. Or when. But relapse is a good word for it. I think serial killers have a compulsion just like drinking and drugging.”

The refrigerator sucked open as Marino got another Sharp’s.

“Maybe there’s a reason it’s under control for a while,” her friendly voice said in his ear. “Then stress, a breakup, you get fired, get in financial trouble, and off the wagon you go.”

“In other words, everything.”

“Yeah. Everything can do it. I’m looking at what you just sent and right off I’m wondering why the ME’s pended the case. This Dr. Lester isn’t sure it’s a homicide?”

“She and the DA don’t get along.”

“Sounds like you got a problem with the boyfriend, if there’s no homicide.”

“No shit,” Marino said. “Kind of hard to charge someone with pending. But Berger’s brought in another ME for a second opinion. Dr. Scarpetta.”

“You’re lying.” Bacardi sounded like a fan.

Marino wished he hadn’t brought up Scarpetta. Then he reasoned it wasn’t right to withhold information, and having Scarpetta involved was important. Whenever she showed up, everything changed. Besides, if Bacardi was going to turn on him, now was a good time to do it and get it over with.

He said, “She’s all over the Internet at the moment. Not in a good way. I’m only telling you because you’re going to hear about it.”

A long pause and Bacardi replied, “You’re the guy who worked with her in Charleston. It was on the news here this morning. Heard it on the radio.”

It had never occurred to Marino that Internet gossip might end up on the news, and he felt sucker-punched.

“No mention of names,” Bacardi said, and she didn’t sound as friendly. “Just that she was supposedly assaulted by a colleague while she was chief down there. An investigator she worked with for a long time. These shock jocks were talking about it, saying the expected bullshit, mostly making fun of her and getting off on imagining whatever was done to her. I was pretty disgusted.”