“And compound and comparison microscopes?”

An affirmative nod though not as assertive as Rhyme would have liked. “But …” Looking at Bell for a moment then returning obediently to Rhyme’s face. “… Aunt Lucy just asked me to stop by. I didn’t know she meant I was supposed to help you on a case…. I’m not really sure … I mean, I have classes—”

“Ben, you have to help us,” Rhyme said curtly.

The sheriff explained, “Garrett Hanlon.”

Ben let the name settle in his massive head somewhere. “Oh, that kid in Blackwater Landing.”

The sheriff explained about the kidnappings and Ed Schaeffer’s wasp attack.

“Gosh, I’m sorry about Ed,” Ben said. “I met him once at Aunt Lucy’s house and—”

“So we need you,” Rhyme said, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

“We don’t have a clue where he’s gone with Lydia,” the sheriff continued. “And we hardly have any time left to save those women. And, well, as you can see—Mr. Rhyme, he needs somebody to help him.”

“Well …” A glance toward, but not at, Rhyme. “It’s just I have this test coming up. I’m in school and all. Like I said.”

Rhyme said patiently, “We don’t really have any options here, Ben. Garrett’s got three hours on us and he could kill either of his victims at any time—if he hasn’t already.”

The zoologist looked around the dusty room for a reprieve and found none. “Guess I can stick around for a little while, sir.”

“Thank you,” Rhyme said. He inhaled into the controller and swung around to the table on which the instruments rested. He stopped and surveyed them. He looked over at Ben. “Now, if you could just change my catheter we’ll get to work.”

The big man looked stricken. Whispered, “You want me to …”

“It’s a joke,” Thom said.

But Ben didn’t smile. He just nodded uneasily and with the grace of a bison walked over to the chromatograph and began studying the control panel.

Sachs jogged into the impromptu lab in the County Building, Jesse Corn keeping up the speedy pace beside her.

Moving more leisurely, Lucy Kerr joined them a moment later. She said hello to her nephew Ben and introduced the huge man to Sachs and Jesse. Sachs held up one cluster of bags. “This is the evidence from Garrett’s room,” she said, then held up more bags. “This is from Blackwater Landing—the primary scene.”

Rhyme looked at the bags but did so with some discouragement. Not only was there very little physical evidence but Rhyme was troubled again by what had occurred to him earlier: he had to analyze the clues without any firsthand knowledge of the surrounding area.

Fish out of water…

He had a thought.

“Ben, how long’ve you lived here?” the criminalist asked.

“All my life, sir.”

“Good. What’s this general area of the state called?”