The full Cold Moon is in the sky . . .

Cooper went over the clocks with his usual precision and reported that there were no friction ridge prints and only minimal trace evidence, all of which matched samples that Sachs had collected around both scenes, meaning that none of it had been picked up in the Watchmaker’s car or residence.

“Who makes them?”

“Arnold Products. Framingham, Massachusetts.” Cooper did a Google search and read from the website. “They sell clocks, leather goods, office decorations, gifts. Upscale. The stuff’s not cheap. A dozen different models of clocks. This is the Victorian. Genuine brass mechanism, oak, modeled after a British clock sold in the eighteen hundreds. Costs fifty-four dollars wholesale. They don’t sell to the public. Have to go through the dealer.”

“Serial numbers?”

“Only on the mechanisms. Not the clocks themselves.”

“Okay,” Rhyme ordered, “make the call.”

“Me?” Pulaski asked, blinking.

“Yup. You.”

“I’m supposed to—”

“Call the manufacturer and give them the serial numbers of the mechanism.”

Pulaski nodded. “Then see if they can tell us which store it was shipped to.”

“One hundred percent,” Rhyme said.

The rookie took out his phone, got the number from Cooper and dialed.

Of course, the killer might not have been the purchaser. He could’ve stolen them from a store. He could’ve stolen them from a residence. He could’ve bought them used at a garage sale.

But “could’ve” is a word that goes with the territory of crime scene work, Rhyme reflected.

You have to start somewhere.

THE WATCHMAKER

CRIME SCENE ONE

Location:

• Repair pier in Hudson River, 22nd Street.

Victim:

• Identity unknown.

• Male.

• Possibly middle-aged or older, and may have coronary condition (presence of anticoagulants in blood).

• No other drugs, infection or disease in blood.

• Coast Guard and ESU divers checking for body and evidence in New York Harbor.

• Checking missing persons reports.

Perp:

• See below.

M.O.:

• Perp forced victim to hold on to deck, over water, cut fingers or wrists until he fell.

• Time of attack: between 6 P.M. Monday and 6 A.M. Tuesday.

Evidence:

• Blood type AB positive.

• Fingernail torn, unpolished, wide.

• Portion of chain-link fence cut with common wire cutters, untraceable.

• Clock. See below.

• Poem. See below.

• Fingernail markings on deck.

• No discernible trace, no fingerprints, no footprints, no tire tread marks.

CRIME SCENE TWO

Location:

• Alley off Cedar Street, near Broadway, behind three commercial buildings (back doors closed at 8:30 to 10 P.M.) and one government administration building (back door closed at 6 P.M.).

• Alley is a cul-de-sac. Fifteen feet wide by one hundred and four feet long, surfaced in cobblestones, body was fifteen feet from Cedar Street.

Victim:

• Theodore Adams.

• Lived in Battery Park.

• Freelance copywriter.

• No known enemies.

• No warrants, state or federal.

• Checking for a connection with buildings around alley. None found.

Perp:

• The Watchmaker.

• Male.

• No database entries for the Watchmaker.