Dead Man's Song (Pine Deep 2)

So what was the solution, then? If he brought it to his medical colleagues, how would they react? Weinstock tried to put himself in the frame of mind of someone else, a doctor like Bob Colbert who was great with a scalpel but had little imagination. Would Bob believe, even after all the evidence?

“No,” he said alo

ud, and he knew that was true because too much of the evidence was speculation, and almost all of it could have been faked. Even the video. If they can make horror movies with special effects, then some clever kids at the film department at Pinelands could cook this up, and in Pine Deep elaborate Halloween pranks were run of the mill. Same with the tissue samples. Some jackass orderly or a nurse with a twisted sense of humor could have taken skin samples from a corpse in one of the anatomy classes and put it under the fingernails of Nels Cowan. It would be sick, but it wouldn’t be difficult.

The wounds on the officers’ throats could either be explained away as bites by a dog or other animal who happened onto the murder scene before the cops secured it. The fact that the skin bruising showed that some of the bites had been inflicted while the officers were still alive meant something, but could still be explained by animal attack. A dog or bear drawn by the scent of blood, biting the officers while they lay dying—it was a stretch, sure, but it was a hell of a lot more plausible than what Weinstock was thinking, and he knew that’s where Bob Colbert would go. As would any medical professional, and Weinstock knew that if he made the case and was not believed then his reputation, his career, and his job would be shot to hell, along with any chance he had of ever convincing anyone of the truth.

If it was the truth, and the more he played devil’s advocate with it, trying to see it from the outside, the shakier his own assumptions were becoming. “If you assume…” he murmured. So, where did that leave him? If every bit of the evidence, separately, could be disproved or cast into doubt, then what did he really have to make his case?

“Crow will be here Saturday morning,” he said aloud. “He knows this stuff…he’ll know what to do. ”

(4)

“You’re here early,” she said.

Crow smiled down at her from the porch. He leaned against one of the whitewashed wooden porch columns, arms folded, posture casual and relaxed, and mouth smiling as Val trudged toward him from where her father’s Bronco was parked in the big circular driveway. “I left Mike in charge of the shop and thought I’d surprise you,” he said simply.

“A nice surprise,” she said as she came up onto the porch. She took a handful of his plaid shirt and pulled him toward her, and he came willingly enough. Their lips met softly, but with heat. After a long and delicious moment, she murmured, “Maybe Connie or Mark can fix us all some supper. ”

“Nope,” he said. “They’re not home. I convinced them to go to the movies. ”

“To the movies?”

“Uh huh. A nice, quiet Bruce Willis picture just opened at the Webster. ” He shrugged. “Hey, the guy’s trying romantic comedy. No guns. No murder, not a drop of blood. Just him and Michelle Pfeiffer. Placid. ”

“They actually agreed to go? Alone? That must have taken some convincing. ”

“You stand in the presence of a master of the art, my dear, but truth to tell I bribed Harry O’Donnell and his wife to go with them. You know Harry…he’s with Mark in the Rotary. I had coffee with him today and told him that I needed a couple of chaperones to make sure Mark and Connie actually have a good time together. Harry was actually happy to do it once I guilted him into it by explaining that it was good therapy for Mark and Connie. ”

“Ah. So we have a couple hours to ourselves?”

“I made them swear that they wouldn’t come home until at least eleven. ”

“Must be a long movie. ”

“I made dinner reservations for the four of them, too. ”

“Really? Where?”

“The Vineyard Room at the Dark Hollow Inn. ”

“So, instead of taking your own gal out for dinner and a movie—”

“Ah, my duckie, you fail to grasp the subtlety of my scheme. With them out of the way, it leaves this big, old, comfy house to ourselves. ”

“So?”

“So, it’s a chilly night, baby, and inside there is a warm fire and some other goodies, all laid out for my lady fair. ”

Her smiled seemed a little forced. “Look, Crow…if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking…I don’t think it’s such a good idea. ”

“And why not? We already know it’s not too soon. ”

She wasn’t smiling. “It’s more than that. ”

Crow kissed her forehead. “I know what it is, baby. You think I don’t feel the weight of all this stuff pressing down on me, too? I know what you’re feeling, and I know that living with Mark and Connie is wearing you thin. ”

Val leaned against him, kissed his chest and then rested her head against his shoulder. “I know…it’s just that…”