p&c.brimstone-第4部分

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and　Braskie　almost　had　to　jog　to　keep　up。　
　The　chief　detective　from　East　Hampton　rose。　He　was　a　guy　D'Agosta　had　never　seen　before；　small　and　dark；　with　large　black　eyes　and　long　lashes。　
　〃Detective　Tony　Innocente；〃　said　Braskie。　〃Special　Agent　Pendergast；　FBI。〃　
　Innocente　rose；　held　out　his　hand。　
　The　domestic　sat　at　the　table；　a　short；　stolid…looking　woman。　For　someone　who　had　just　discovered　a　stiff；　she　looked　pretty　posed；　except　for　a　certain　unsettled　gleam　in　the　eyes。　
　Pendergast　bowed　to　her；　held　out　his　hand。　〃Agent　Pendergast。〃　
　〃Agnes　Torres；〃　she　said。　
　〃May　I？〃　Pendergast　looked　inquisitively　at　Innocente。　
　〃Be　my　guest。　Videotape's　rolling；　FYI。〃　
　〃Mrs。　Torres…〃　
　〃Miss。〃　
　〃Thank　you。　Miss　Torres；　do　you　believe　in　God？〃　
　Innocente　exchanged　a　glance　with　the　other　detectives。　There　was　an　awkward　silence。　
　〃Yes；〃　she　said。　
　〃You　are　a　devout　Catholic？〃　
　〃Yes；　I　am。〃　
　〃Do　you　believe　in　the　devil？〃　
　Another　long　pause。　
　〃Yes；　I　do。〃　
　〃And　you　have　drawn　your　own　conclusions　from　what　you　saw　upstairs　in　the　house；　have　you　not？〃　
　〃Yes；　I　have；〃　said　the　woman；　so　matter…of…factly　it　sent　an　odd　shudder　through　D'Agosta。　
　〃Do　you　really　think　the　lady's　beliefs　are　relevant？〃　Braskie　interjected。　
　Pendergast　turned　his　pale　eyes　on　the　man。　〃What　we　believe；　Lieutenant；　shapes　what　we　see。〃　He　turned　back　to　her。　〃Thank　you；　Miss　Torres。〃　
　They　continued　to　the　side　door　of　the　house。　A　policeman　opened　it　for　them；　nodding　at　the　lieutenant。　They　gathered　in　the　foyer；　where　Braskie　paused。　
　〃We're　still　trying　to　get　a　handle　on　ingress　and　egress；〃　he　said。　〃The　gate　was　locked　and　the　grounds　were　alarmed。　Circuit　breakers　and　motion　sensors；　activated　by　keypad。　We're　checking　out　who　had　the　codes。　The　doors　and　windows　to　the　house　were　also　locked　and　alarmed。　There　are　motion　detectors　throughout　the　house　as　well　as　infrared　sensors　and　lasers。　We've　tested　the　alarm　system　and　it's　working　perfectly。　As　you　can　see；　Mr。　Grove　had　a　rather　valuable　collection　of　art；　but　nothing　seems　to　be　missing。〃　
　Pendergast　cast　an　admiring　glance　toward　one　of　the　nearby　paintings。　To　D'Agosta；　it　looked　like　a　cross　between　a　pig；　a　pair　of　dice；　and　a　naked　woman。　
　〃Mr。　Grove　had　a　party　last　night。　It　was　a　small　party；　five　in　all。〃　
　〃Do　you　have　the　guest　list？〃　
　Braskie　turned　to　D'Agosta。　〃Get　the　list　from　Innocente。〃　
　Pendergast　stayed　D'Agosta　with　a　hand。　〃I　should　prefer　that　the　sergeant　stay　here　and　listen；　Lieutenant；　if　you　could　spare　another　officer。〃　
　Braskie　paused　long　enough　to　cast　a　suspicious　glance　at　D'Agosta；　then　gestured　to　another　cop　in　the　room。　
　〃Pray　continue。〃　
　〃By　all　accounts；　the　last　guest　was　gone　by　12：30。　They　all　pretty　much　left　together。　From　that　point　until　7：30　this　morning；　Grove　was　alone。〃　
　〃Do　you　have　a　time　of　death？〃　
　〃Not　yet。　The　M。E。　is　still　upstairs。　We　know　he　was　alive　at　3：10A。M。　because　that's　when　he　called　a　Father　Cappi。〃　
　〃Grove　called　a　priest？〃　Pendergast　seemed　surprised。　
　〃It　seems　Cappi　had　been　an　old　friend；　but　he　hadn't　seen　Grove　in　thirty；　forty　years。　They　had　some　kind　of　falling…out。　Anyway；　it　didn't　matter：　all　Grove　got　was　the　answering　machine。〃　
　〃I'll　need　a　copy　of　the　message。〃　
　〃Certainly。　Grove　was　hysterical。　He　wanted　Father　Cappi　to　e　over　right　away。〃　
　〃With　a　Bible；　cross；　and　holy　water；　by　chance？〃　Pendergast　asked。　
　〃I　see　you've　already　heard　about　the　call。〃　
　〃No；　it　was　just　a　guess。〃　
　〃Father　Cappi　arrived　at　eight　this　morning。　He　came　straight　after　getting　the　message。　But；　of　course；　by　then　it　was　too　late；　and　all　he　could　do　was　give　the　body　the　last　rites。〃　
　〃Have　the　guests　been　questioned？〃　
　〃Preliminary　statements。　That's　how　we　know　when　the　party　broke　up。　It　seems　Grove　was　not　in　good　form　last　night。　He　was　excited；　garrulous；　some　say　frightened。〃　
　〃Could　anyone　have　stayed　behind；　or　perhaps　slipped　back　inside　after　the　guests　had　left？〃　
　〃That's　a　theory　we're　working　on。　Mr。　Grove　had；　ah；　perverse　sexual　tastes。〃　
　Pendergast　raised　his　eyebrows。　〃How　so？〃　
　〃He　liked　men　and　women。〃　
　〃And　the　perverse　sexual　tastes？〃　
　〃Just　what　I　said。　Men　and　women。〃　
　〃You　mean　he　was　bisexual？　As　I　understand　it；　thirty　percent　of　all　men　have　such　tendencies。〃　
　〃Not　in　Southampton　they　don't。〃　
　D'Agosta　stifled　a　laugh　with　a　burst　of　coughing。　
　〃Excellent　work　so　far；　Lieutenant。　Shall　we　move　on　to　the　scene　of　the　crime？〃　
　Braskie　turned；　and　they　followed　him　through　the　house。　The　peculiar　smell　that　D'Agosta　had　caught　a　whiff　of　out　on　the　lawn　was　much　stronger　here。　Matches；　fireworks；　gunpowder…what　exactly　was　that？　It　mingled　with　a　smell　of　burned　wood　and　a　gamy　roast　of　some　kind。　It　reminded　D'Agosta　of　the　bear　meat　he　had　once　tried　roasting　at　his　house　outside　Invermere；　British　Columbia；　brought　to　him　by　a　friend。　His　wife　had　walked　out　in　disgust。　They'd　ended　up　ordering　pizza。　
　They　mounted　one　set　of　stairs；　threaded　a　winding　hallway；　came　to　a　second　staircase。　
　〃This　door　was　locked；〃　said　Braskie。　〃The　housekeeper　opened　it。〃　
　They　climbed　the　narrow；　creaking　staircase　to　the　attic　floor。　At　the　top　was　a　long　hall　with　doors　left　and　right。　At　the　far　end；　one　door　was　open　and　a　bright　light　shone　out。　D'Agosta　breathed　through　his　mouth。　
　〃The　door　to　that　far　room　and　its　window　were　also　locked；〃　Braskie　continued。　〃The　deceased；　it　appears；　piled　furniture　up　against　it　from　the　inside。〃　He　stepped　across　the　threshold；　Pendergast　and　D'Agosta　following。　The　stench　was　now　overpowering。　
　It　was　a　small　bedroom　tucked　beneath　the　eaves　of　the　house；　with　a　single　dormer　window　looking　out　toward　Dune　Road。　Jeremy　Grove　lay　on　the　bed　at　the　far　side　of　the　room。　He　was　fully　dressed；　although　the　clothes　had　been　slit　in　places　to　acmodate　the　M。E。's　investigations。　The　M。E。　was　standing　beside　the　bed；　back　turned；　writing　on　a　clipboard。　
　D'Agosta　dabbed　his　brow。　Maybe　it　was　the　sun　on　the　roof；　maybe　the　bright　lights　in　the　room；　but　it　was　stifling。　The　smell　of　badly　baked　meat　clung　to　him　like　greasy　perspiration。　He　waited　near　the　door　while　Pendergast　circled　the　corpse；　his　body　tensed　like　an　eagle；　examining　it　from　every　angle；　the　look　on　his　face　so　eager　it　was　unsettling。　
　The　dead　man　lay　on　the　bed；　eyes　goggled　with　blood；　his　hands　clenched。　The　flesh　was　a　strange　tallow　color；　and　its　texture　seemed　off　somehow。　But　it　was　the　expression　on　the　man's　face；　the　rictus　of　horror　and　pain；　that　forced　D'Agosta　to　look　away。　In　his　long　years　as　a　New　York　cop；　D'Agosta　had　accumulated　a　small；　unwele　library　of　images　stored　in　his　mind　that　he'd　never　forget　as　long　as　he　lived。　This　added　one　more。　
　The　M。E。　was　putting　away　his　tools；　and　two　newly　arrived　assistants　were　getting　ready　to　bag　the　body　and　load　it　onto　a　stretcher。　Another　cop　was　kneeling　on　the　floor；　cutting　out　a　piece　of　floorboard　that　had　a　mark　burned　into　it。　
　〃Doctor？〃　Pendergast　said。　The　M。E。　turned　and　D'Agosta　was　surprised　to　see　it　was　a　woman；　hair　hidden　under　her　cap；　a　young　and　very　attractive　blonde。　〃Yes？〃　
　Pendergast　swept　open　his　shield。　〃FBI。　May　I　trouble　you　with　a　few　questions？〃　
　The　woman　nodded。　
　〃Have　you　established　the　time　of　death？〃　
　〃No；　and　I　can　tell　you　that's　going　to　be　a　problem。〃　
　Pendergast　raised　his　eyebrows。　〃How　so？〃　
　〃We　knew　we　were　in　trouble　when　the　anal　probe　came　back　at　one　hundred　eight　degrees。〃　
　〃That's　what　I　was　going　to　tell　you；〃　said　Braskie。　〃The　body's　been　heated　somehow。〃　
　〃Correct；〃　said　the　doctor。　〃The　heating　took　place　most　strongly　on　the　inside。〃　
　〃The　inside？〃　Pendergast　asked。　
　D'Agosta　could　have　sworn　he'd　heard　a　note　of　disbelief　in　the　voice。　
　〃Yes。　It　was　as　if…as　if　the　body　was　cooked　from　the　inside　out。〃　
　Pendergast　looked　closely　at　the　doctor。　〃Was　there　any　evidence　of　burning；　surface　lesions；　on　the　skin？〃　
　〃No。　Externally；　the　body　is　virtually　unmarked。　Fully　dressed。　Aside　from　a　single；　rather　unusual　burn　on　the　chest；　the　skin　appears　unbroken　and　unbruised。〃　
　Pendergast　paused　a　moment。　〃How　could　that　be？　A　fever　spike？〃　
　〃No。　The　body　had　already　cooled　from　a　temperature　greater　than　one　hundred　twenty　degrees…far　too　high　to　be　biological。　At　that　temperature；　the　flesh　partially　cooks。　All　the　usual　things　you　use　to　establish　time　of　death　were　pletely　disrupted　by　this　heating　process。　The　blood's　cooked　solid　in　the　veins。　Solid。　At　those　temperatures；　the　muscle　proteins　begin　to　denature；　so　there's　no　rigor…and　the　temperature　killed　most　bacteria；　so　there's　been　no　deposition　to　speak　of。　And　without　the　usual　spontaneous　enzymatic　digestion；　there's　no　autolysis；　either。　All　I　can　say　now　is　he　died　between　3：10A。M。　；　when　he　apparently　made　a　telephone　call；　and　7：30；　when　he　was　discovered　dead。　But；　of　course；　that's　a　nonmedical　judgment。〃　
　〃That；　I　assume；　is　the　burn　you　referred　to　earlier？〃　Pendergast　pointed　at　the　man's　chest。　There；　burned　and　charred　into　the　sallow　skin　like　a　brand；　was　the　unmistakable　imprint　of　a　cross。　
　〃He　was　found　wearing　a　cross　around　his　neck；　very　expensive　by　all　appearances。　But　the　metal　had　partially　melted　and　the　wood　burned　away。　It　seemed　to　have　been　set　with　diamonds　and　rubies；　they　were　found　among　the　ashes。〃　
　Pendergast　nodded　slowly。　After　a　moment；　he　thanked　the　doctor　and　turned　his　attention　to　the　man　working　on　the　floor。　〃May　I？〃　
　The　officer　stepped　back　and　Pendergast　knelt　beside　him。　
　〃Sergeant？〃　
　D'Agosta　came　over　and　Braskie　hastened　to　follow。　
　〃What　do　you　make　of　that？〃　
　D'Agosta　looked　at　the　image　burned　into　the　floor。　The　finish　around　it　was　blistered　and　cracked；　but　there　was　no　mistaking　the　mark　of　a　huge　cloven　hoof；　deeply　branded　into　the　wood。　
　〃Looks　like　the　murderer　had　a　sense　of　humor；〃　D'Agosta　muttered。　
　〃My　dear　Vincent；　do　you　really　think　it's　a　joke？〃　
　〃Youdon't？〃　
　〃No。〃　
　D'Agosta　found　Braskie　staring　at　him。　The　〃my　dear　Vincent〃　hadn't　gone　down　well　at　all。　Meanwhile；　Pendergast　had　gotten　down　on　his　h