“I bet that’d be the one, the only Jo Dunaway.”

“You’d win that bet.”

“So annoying,” he said. “I wanted to be your first guest.”

“You can be our second,” she said, trying not to sound too needy.

“She stopped by to say hi on her way down.”

“She said. Said you looked like you were doing good.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I was thinking of driving down next weekend. Or, no, the weekend after that, I’ve got a big ass test coming up the Monday after next weekend.” He hesitated. “Okay if I bring someone with me?”

Liam saw Wy come to attention. “A guest would be fine,” she said, elaborately casual. “Anybody we know?” He mumbled something. “I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s a friend,” he said at better volume, and this time she could clearly hear the embarrassment.

“What’s her name?” Liam’s eyes widened and he made a jerk-off motion with his hand. She pretended she didn’t see.

“I didn’t say she was a girl.”

“You just did.”

He grumbled. “You think you’re so smart.”

“What’s her name and where is she from?”

“Anna Barnes. She’s from Cordova. She’s studying for an A&P certificate, too.”

“Well, tell Anna we’d be happy to have her come visit,” Wy said, trying not to purr. “Will you require one room or two?”

“Mom!”

“Hey, just being a good hostess.” She dropped the teasing note. “Can’t wait to see you, kid. I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll text when we leave.”

“Okay.” She clicked off and beamed at Liam. “He’s coming and he’s bringing a girl with him.”

“I heard. I’m glad the guest bedrooms are on the other side of the house.”

“Liam!”

They taxied up to the tie-down in Blewestown twenty minutes later. Liam’s phone rang as he got out (Britney Spears and “I’m a Slave 4 U”). It was Hans Brilleaux, the medical examiner, in Anchorage. He was just glad it wasn’t Barton. “Hey, Brillo,” he said.

“WHAT KIND OF CRAZY FUCKING ASSHOLE DOES THIS, CAMPBELL?”

Liam yanked the phone away from his ear. “Jesus, Brillo. Dial it down, wouldya? I’ve only got two eardrums and Barton’s already taken out one.”

There was a heavy exhale. When Brillo spoke again he had dialed it down but Liam could hear the hard edge of rage as plain as if Brillo was in his face like the wire-haired terrier he was, teeth bared and sharp enough to draw blood. “I want to know what kind of sick, sorry, sadist does this kind of thing. And then I want you to shoot them.”

“What kind of thing? Is this about Erik Berglund?”

A silence, where Liam got the impression that Brillo was working at containing his anger and not succeeding very well. “No,” he said very precisely. “It is not about Erik Berglund. It’s about the skeleton you dropped on me along with Erik Berglund.

“All of his long bones are broken in multiple places, humerus, ulna, radius, femur, tib/fib. The feet were broken at the joints. The spine half a dozen times. And the skull… Jesus, Liam. It’s like someone tried to pulverize it.”