" Paulie, how's it look?" " Snitch says the cop's body's... about 300 yards down in the abandoned tunnel." " Howie?" " Right behind you, Captain." "Keep back till I process the scene." "Watch out below!" " So where the hell is the car?" " I don't know." " That's the last time I take a red-eye." " Maybe we can take a cab." "I'm gonna fi re this son ofa bitch." "He's always got an excuse." "Come on, we'll be home beforeyou know it, hmm?" "Yeah." "Excuse me." "Excuse me, I thinkyou're going the wrong way." "Honey, honey, wake up." "We're lost, or he's taking us for a ride." "We're in the middle ofnowhere." "Where the hell you going?" "I said Fifth Avenue." "We're not tourists here, man." "Hey, where areyou going?" "Let us out." "Stop the car." " Stop this car, man!" " Stop the car!" "Shit." " Oh, my God." " Son ofa bitch." "Stop the goddamn car!" " Stop it, please." " Stop the car." "Stop this car, goddamn it!" "Stop this car!" "Good morning." "You look a little dehydrated." " How about somejuice?" " How about two fi ngers ofvodka?" "Isn't it a little early forvodka?" "Time, as you well know, is a relative consideration, Thelma." "Juice." " Vodka." " Coming!" "Join me in a drink, Richard?" "I'd love to, but a med tech with liquor on his breath, I think not." " Thanks." " So, how areyou?" "I'm better than your heart-pacing gear." "Every time I'm here, it's skewed further out ofspec." "You need a new unit." "I really need a new body." "I'm afraid I can't helpyou with that." " I'll bring you a new unit tomorrow." " Okay." " This one'll be stable till then." " Thankyou, Richard." " Take it easy." " I'll take it anyway I can get it." " How's he doing this morning?" " He asked forvodka again." " Give him any?" " No!" " Good morning, Doctor." " Hi, Richard." "Hey, would you look at this!" "Peregrine falcon." "Am I right?" "Yep." "He likes cripples." "Yeah, there was a piece about them in the Times the other day... nesting all over the city." "Something to do with architecture ofall these old buildings." "I thought he liked my company." "They're a little shy." "Don't take it personally, Barry." " Drink, Doc?" " No, thanks, Thelma, I'm fi ne." "Bed mode." " Got vodka in there?" " No." "You ain't getting any either." "All right, I'll letyou guys talk." "So, Linc, you can imagine how much sleep I've gotten the past few days... considering your request." "That's funny." "Since I made my decision, I've been sleeping like a baby." "After all you have survived, beat all the odds... you know as well as I do, there's work on nerve regeneration every day." "One fi nger, two shoulders and a brain." "That's all I have, Barry." "These dysreflexia seizures are occurring more frequently." "Build-up offluid in my spine is a degenerative condition." "We both know I'm waiting for the seizure that's gonna make me a vegetable." "I don't wanna be a vegetable, Barry." "I wanna make the fi nal transition on my own terms." "I'll get it done with orwithoutyou." "Oh, yeah, I supposeyou would." "So?" " Okay." " Okaywhat?" "Okay, I'll assistyou... in your fi nal transition." " What about today?" " Linc, preparations have to be made." "This is not a flu shot." "My business is in order." "My bags are packed." "Besides, I've got a medical conference to go to." "I've got a plane to catch." "You're lying." "When doyou get back?" "Sunday." "Okay." "Sunday." " I'll seeyou then." " Get out beforeyou changeyour mind." "Don't bother to get up." "I'll show myselfout." "Yeah, I'll raceyou to the door." "You are... a very good friend." "Amelia." " Hey." " Hey." "Morning." "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fi ne." "I just couldn't sleep." " What time is it?" " It's early." "I'm gonna be late forwork." "I gotta shower." " No, you don't." "Stay here." " I gotta go." " Hey, I'll make breakfast?" " No, thanks, I'm gonna be late." "Another slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am, huh?" "Look" "My therapist tells me..." "I might not be getting what I need out ofthis relationship." "What are we doing here?" "I thinkwe make a great couple." "You know where I stand on this." "You know what I want." "Steve, we've been through this." "I care aboutyou." "You know that." "I can't make a commitment." "Go to work then." "Go ahead." "You're gonna be late." "So, Amelia, is it true you're quitting the cops?" " No, transferring to Youth Services." " You lucky fuck." "You must have one hell ofa rabbi downtown." " We're gonna miss you here." " Three-post-eleven here." " FrightenedchildatAmtraksite." " I'm a block away." "I'll take it." "Some kid found something over at the tracks." " Finish eating." "I'll check it out." " Seeyou, kid." "Three-post-eleven, anything furtheron that ten-ten?" "Nothing yet." "Wait, I think I see him." "Areyou the one who called the police?" "Wait there, okay?" " Areyou out ofyour mind?" " Shut off the engine, all right?" "There's been a homicide." "I can't letyou through." " My name is Amelia." "What's yours?" " Chris." "Chris, hey." "I got ajob foryou." "Here's some money." "I need you to buy me one ofthose cheapo cardboard cameras... the ones you can throw away." "Okay." "Fast as you can." "Three-post-eleven to central." "Get Amtrak to send a bus over here." "Get these passengers out ofhere." "Captain Cheney, Detective Solomon." " Anything else?" " First officer on the scene is there." "I found strange stuff near the body." "I collected it before it was washed away." " I also took some pictures." " Thanks." " You the one who stopped the train?" " I thought it would disturb evidence." "So why not shut down Grand Central while you're at it, hmm, Patrolman Donahue?" " Is that right?" " Donaghy." " A rookie, I take it?" " No, sir." "Pretty dumb." "Captain, guess who the vic turns out to be." " Talk to me." " Alan fucking Rubin." "Listen, I don't want anybody in this area except for the crime unit." " Okay?" " Okay, Detective." "Knight to H-6." "Check." " You got company." "Cops." " Tell 'em I'm busy." " They said it was urgent." " Tell 'em I'm out running." "She's too polite for that, Linc." "Hey, looky who's here." " I got a serious situation." " It's going around, Paulie." "Chief Murphy sent me." "The good chief." "Hear about the couple at the airport, got in a taxi yesterday morning?" " Never made it home." " We don't watch the news anymore." "He used to read four papers a day, tape all the news shows." "Yeah, and now I just hit the rewind button." "A-3." "Things never change." "Yeah, well, that was Alan Rubin and his wife in that taxi." "Found him dead, buried, shot in the face... hand sticking out ofthe ground with his wife's wedding band on his fi nger... which was skinned to the bone." "She's still missing." "Excuse me whileyou catch up, okay?" "Don't go too far, Thelma." "These nice gentlemen are leaving in 30 seconds." "Sounds likeyou gotyourself an open-and-shut there, Paulie." " I don't think so." " Yeah?" "A man worth millions found dead... with his wife's wedding band on his mutilated hand." "What does that tell you?" "The doer is saying he's got her." "He's probably contacting the family right now making a ransom demand." " I would've been paged ifhe had." " Checkyour batteries." "It's defi nitely a ransom." "Excuse me, Mr. Rhyme, Kenneth Solomon." "I've read all your books-- Scene ofthe Crime... at least a dozen times." "It's great to actually meetyou." " Where doyou fi nd these guys?" " Theywanna workwith the best." "I guess nowyou're gonna ask me to discuss the crime scene with you, huh?" "In fact, we got a bunch ofphysical evidence... that doesn't exactly make sense." "Some seriouslyweird stuff." "It's in the report." "You okay?" " You okay?" " Out!" "Now!" " Anything we can do?" " Asses outta here now!" "We're gonna getyou some air." "Come on, breathe for me, Linc." "I said, out!" "Come on, deep breaths." "Deep breaths, come on." "Deep breaths." "I'm getting a B.P. on you." "Come on now, breathe." "Look at me." "Breathe." "Look at me." "Deep breaths." "Come on, come on." "You've got to take this oxygen." "Come on, Rhyme, staywith me." "Come on, you can do it." "Don't go out on me now." "Come on, look at me." "You okay?" "I would be okay ifyour powers ofresuscitation were less adept." "Not on my shift, all right." "Ifyou have a problem with that, youjust fi re my ass." "You know I provide generously foryou in mywill." "Keep that in mind." "Rhyme, I'm not interested in having this conversation." "Okay?" "Okay." "Crime scene report Sellitto left-- would you load those photos in the viewer for me?" "View scan." "Okay, let's take a look at what we got here." "Where it says location-- Now, what's that?" "What's it say about that newspaper?" ""Newspaper found beneath a coarse-thread hex bolt with 4:00 p.m. circled on it."" "4:00 p.m." "Zoom." "What about the little piece ofpaper?" "What's the number on it?" " Torn book page with 1 1 9 on it." " 1 1 9, 4:00 p.m." " What's today's date?" " Today's November 9." "Phone mode." "Sellitto, Paulie." "Call." "What?" "Sad fact is, a huge percentage ofinner-city kids... are having their fi rst drug experiences at the fifth grade level." "Now, here are some ofthe drugs they'll most likely be offered." "Marijuana." "Wouldn'tyou like to getyour hands on that briefcase?" "Barbiturates, amphetamines." "Cocaine." "Rock cocaine." " What is this about?" " Doyou know who Lincoln Rhyme is?" " Textbook guy?" " Yeah." " What does that have to do with me?" " You'll fi nd out." "Come on in." "They're right in there." "A patrol cop took these pictures?" "Yeah, fi rst one on the scene." "It started to rain." "Smart guy." "Also had the balls to stop an Amtrak from running over the crime scene." "Here she is now." "Officer Donahoe... meet Lincoln Rhyme." "Donaghy." "You took some terrific photographs, Officer." " You know who I am?" " I read your manual at the academy." " What'd you think ofit?" " I'm not a book critic, sir." " Butyou found it useful?" " Yeah, I guess so." "Guess so?" "Sure, you did." "You stopped that train." "Photos you took." "I'd sayyou have a natural instinct for forensics." "So what do we got, Paulie?" "We have footprints, size ten, thanks to Officer Donaghy... using a dollar bill to establish scale." "We have asbestos on the track bed where there shouldn't be any... and an iron bolt holding down a piece ofpaper... with a book page with 1 1 9 written on it." "Decaying oxidation on the bolt's head, but not on the thread... which says to me that someone removed it from somewhere else... and placed it there recently." "Wouldn'tyou agree, Officer?" "Paulie, I'm convinced that this crime scene was staged." " Perp's trying to tell us something." " What the fuckyou saying?" "Book page 1 1 9." "1 1 /9" " That's today date." " Newspaper, 4:00 p.m. What time is it?" " 1 2:1 5." "She's alive." " And he's gonna kill her at 4:00." " P.m." "We haveyour interestyet, Officer?" " I wantyou to work the case with us." " It's not my area." "Areyou being modest... or areyou a little uneasy about doing some real police work?" " Excuse me?" " What departmentyou work in, Officer?" "Youth Services Division." "I picked her up at orientation." "I see, youth services." "I waited over a year to get that transfer." "I'm not gonnajeopardize" "Jeopardize what?" "Cushy deskjob?" " Forensics is not my area." " I disagree with you." "You can't force me to take this assignment." "I can." " And ifI refuse?" " You'd putyour career at risk." "You think, because ofyour condition, you can push people around?" "I'm sorry." "That is truly pathetic." " Truly?" " Yeah, damn right." "Well, forgive me, truly... ifI insist on having someone with your brains and a fresh pair ofeyes." "There's a life at stake here, Officer." "We're gonna need some key people and tech support." " I know the guy." " Okay." "What the hell areyou smiling at?" "Pull up a chair." "Tell me everything you know about the crime scene." " You saw my report." " I read your report." "I wanna know whatyou felt." "Whatyou feel... in the deepest recesses ofyour senses." "You are in love with the sound ofyour own voice, aren'tyou?" "It's yourvoice I yearn to hear." "Pull up a chair." "I won't biteyou." "The rifling on the .38 slug they dug out ofthe victim... is consistent with a Webley, a very old, turn-of-the-century handgun." "Thankyou, Kenny." "On the big board, please." " What doyou got on that bolt?" " Three initials on the head:" "N.S.G." "And the bolt's not steel, it's iron." "Iron?" "Iron." "Making it old-- like the Webley." "Officer Donaghy, what doyou know about asbestos?" " It kills hard-working Americans daily." " Very good." " You computer literate?" " A little." " Where's myThelma?" " Guess." "Thelma, meet Amelia." "Amelia, Thelma." "Amelia hates my books and computers, but she's got an A-plus nose for evidence... so I wantyou to give her a crash course in how to access D.E.P. fi les." "Check ifthere's any large asbestos cleanups going on in the city." "A.S.A.P." " Where the hell is Eddie Ortiz?" " I'm right here!" "How's the world's crankiest criminalist doing?" "Playing beat the clock." "Everybody's worst nightmare." "You get into a cab, and there's a psycho fromJersey driving." "We don't know he's fromJersey." "Yeah, Bayonne." "It's the toxins in the water over there." " What'd you do, bring the whole lab?" " Mama always said be prepared." " Where doyou want this?" "Just put it in the corner." "How is your mother?" "She's 76, and she's schtupping some guy named Morris." "Can you believe it?" " God bless her." " It's Morris I'm worried about." "He's 79, with a tricky ticker and an active pecker." "Afternoon." "Captain Cheney." "What's your address?" "There's about a dozen cleanups scattered across the five boroughs." "Put it up on the viewer for me, will you, please?" "Narrow it down to the oldest location as soon as you can." " Howyou doing, Howard?" " Fine, thankyou." " How's it going?" " Middle ofthe middle, as you can see." "Hey, Linc, lookwhat I found on the threading ofthat iron bolt." "Look, I was hoping to grab a minute with you." " Ifyou don't mind." " Excuse me, Howard." "Sorry." "We got Officer Donaghy to thank here for photographing the crucial evidence." "Crucial evidence?" "We don't know that." "I just stopped by to make sure you had all the supportyou need." "I'm putting the full resources ofmy department here atyour disposal." "And I appreciate it, Howie, thankyou." "But the thing is, Linc..." "I've formalized department standard procedure sinceyou were in charge..." "Eddie, could you put whatyou got up on my screen, please?" "so I'd appreciate it ifyou kept me in the loop." "Absolutely." "At all times." "At all" " Eddie, what the hell is that we're looking at?" "Old paper." "Coarse grade." "I say, 80, 90 years old." "Turn ofthe century, it looks like." "This perp likes old." " I'll be in my office ifyou need me." " Yeah, okay." "Good." "Old paper." "Old gun." "Buried his victim in a vintage Civil War railroad bed." "Sand." "Eddie, what doyou got on the sand?" "Doesn't really look like sand." " I'm not sure." " Can you individuate it?" " IfI had E.D.X., I could do anything." " We don't have that, Eddie." "Lookwho forgot their chill pill this morning." "Excuse me." "Come on, I'm all over this thing now." "We're talking pearly looking." "Some kind ofshellfish or something." "Oysters shells, maybe?" "Could be." "Defi nitely." "IfI had to bet on it, I'd say it was." "Sure." "I got it." "The oldest asbestos sites are coming up now." "In 1 91 3, when the Woolworth Building was being built... workmen found the body ofthis rich industrialist, Talbot Soames." "He'd been kidnapped theyear before, shot in the head and buried... in what they thought was white sand but turned out to be oyster shells." "Crushed oyster shells" " That's what they used as landfi ll in lower Manhattan." "That's how Pearl Street got its name." "That's where Ms. Rubin is gonna be-- somewhere downtown." "She's gonna be underground." "She's gonna be in a basement... near or in the Woolworth Building." "Paulie, call Emergency Services Unit to meet us at the Woolworth Building." "Tell them to start their search." "Maybe we'll get lucky." "Okay?" "Eddie, did you bring yourvan?" " It's downstairs." " We're gonna need it." "Throwyour keys to Amelia." "Paulie, you and Solomon go with her." " Shouldn't I go too?" " You stay." "We're gonna work that bolt." " That's the missing piece." " Should we keep Cheney in the loop?" "Fuck him." "Just trust me." "Just follow those instincts you were born with." "I'll be with you... every step ofthe way." "Jesus, 25 minutes left." " How did Rhyme get to be that way?" " He was born brilliant." "It happens." "I mean the physical part." "About fouryears ago, he was working the body ofa transit cop... found shot in a subway tunnel." "Beam came down and damn near cut him in half." "Jesus." " Family?" " Married sister in Phoenix." "He never sees her." "Cut himselfoff." "Technically, he's still active duty collecting full pay." "P.B.A. insurance picks up round-the-clock care and the gadgets." "On weekends, always one or two cops there, lending a hand." " Tough deal winding up like that." " You won't hear him complain about it." "He gets too much pleasure pushing other people's buttons." "In your case, I'd be complimented." "You gotta learn to relax around a compliment... especially one from Rhyme." " You can be a little grating." " Me?" "Kiddo, ifyou were any more wound up, you'd be a Timex." "He was a human dynamo." "Writing books, lecturing all over the world... giving expert opinion in trials... working halfthe crimes scenes in the city." " You know what he did on his downtime?" " I can't imagine." "He'd collect things-- dirt, metals, plastics... hubcaps, plants, musical strings... medical tools-- anything you could think of." "Obsessive." "He'd have it all analyzed and catalogued for his database." "Jesus Christ!" "I'd like to get there in one piece, ifpossible." "Yeah, fi nd out about that." "That might be good." "What else?" "Nicholas Steven Gerard, elevator construction." " Gotta be underground." " I got a subway builder here." " Subway builder's out." " N.S.G." " Niagara Steam Generation." "Bought by Eastern Gas and Electric in 1 928." "The six-inch iron bolt was used mainly for steam pipe assemblies." "Forty-five, yougot 1 1 minutes left." "Where thehellareyou?" "Wejusthit the financialdistrict." "There's a steam junction with big asbestos-coated pipes." "That's where ourvictim's gonna be." "I bet my legs on it" " Wall and Nassau." "Has E.S.U. been notified?" "Yeah, they're on their way." "E.S.U. says that steam is released through thatjunction every day at 4:00." "Shit, what's this asshole up to?" "Idon'tknow, butit's gonnahappen in about tenminutes and30seconds." "All right, Linc, we're here." "We're going down there." "Yeah, I'm here." "It's theirjob to try and save Mrs. Rubin's life." "It's yourjob to get ready and work the crime scene ifnecessary." "There's some thingsyou're gonnaneed, solookin theback ofthe truck." "You'll see an aluminum suitcase and a radio headset." " See it?" " Yeah, Isee them." "There must be a way in." " What's the problem here?" " Fucking valves freeze up easy." "Come on, guys, shut it off." " You there?" " I'm here." " I'm inside the pipe." " One, two, three." "Go!" "I think I hear something." "I hear something." "Whatis it?" "Someone's in there!" "Icanhearhercrying." "Everyone, quiet now." "Mrs. Rubin?" "She's in there." "Mrs. Rubin!" "We're on ourway in now." "Come on, guys." "Let's go." "Let's hurry the fuck up!" "Jesus Christ." " Get a drill and a tap." "Somebody cut this thing halfway through." "Let's dig!" "Move back!" "Linc, she's gone." "The wholeplaceis scaldedin steam." "Let's go." "Move away." "Let's go." "Move away." "Nothing to see here." "E.S.U. are gonna blow a hole in the subbasement wall." "No otherway in." "I am working with Chief Murphy's authorization on this, right?" " Yeah, that's right." " Idon't wantE.S. U. guys... rushing in there, trampling the evidence before we geta chance torun thescene." " Whatdoyou want?" " I want Donaghy to go in fi rst." "Come on, Linc, she's not trained for this." "We can get our asses in a sling." "Myass has beenin asling forfouryears." "Tell Hanson and his beasts that's what I want." "Period." "All right, you got it." "Okay, let's move!" "I'm doing this under protest." "The perp could still be in there." "Rhyme's in charge, and they're his orders." "You can't handle it in there, I wantyou to getyour ass out." " Amelia, youready?" " Yeah." "You listen to me." "I'm with you every step ofthe way." "Go on." "Good luck." " I'm in." " Tell me whatyou see." "Everything's beenboiledtohell." "Oh, God." "Whatis it?" "It's an awful smell." "That means you're close." " I can't believe I'm doing this." " You're fine." "Just fi ne." "You're doing great." "Just remember the academy." "When you walk, move in a straight line." "We don't want to disturb any footprints hemight've left." "Yes, assuming he's gone." "There's no footprints." "There's nothingyet." "Oh, God." "What?" "Talk tome." "I can see her." "The steam pipe was opened, and she's tied down right in front ofit." "Okay." "There's nothing you can do about that now." "Can't do anything but help her byworking the crime scene." "That's yourjob." "Openyoursuitcase, getyour camera." "I can't do this." "You can do it." "Yes, you can." "Yesterdayyou stopped a train." "You can do anything you want when you putyour mind to it." "Don't work me, Rhyme." " Just tellme what to do next." " Very slowly, walk the grid... one footing frontofthe other." "I wantyou tolookaroundyounow." "Remember... crime scenes are three-dimensional-- floors, walls and ceilings." "Yeah, I'm here." "There's something strange." "Things heleftforus?" "Yes." " In a clusteragain?" " There's asmallpiece ofwood... anditlooks likesomehair." "I'm gonna walkyou through collecting the evidence." "You do everything exactly as I say." " Oh,Jesus." " Talk tome." " It's a bloody bone." " Where is it?" "It's in my fucking hand." "Human?" "I think so, yeah." "Photograph it... bag it." "Okay, that's it." "I'm outta here." "Onemore thing." "We gotta process the body." "What?" "I'm nomedicalexaminer." "Ican'tdo that." "I'm notaskingyou to do anautopsy." "I just wantyou to-- Just describe the restraints." "They're strange-looking handcuffs." "They look more like old shackles or something." "Andthere's a chain across her waist." "And her feet are... bound with a rope." "Hands above herhead?" "Yeah." "There's also a large piece offlesh missing from her right forearm." "It's right down to the bone, like it was surgically removed." "This is what I wantyou to do." "We're gonna need those handcuffs." "It'sprobably ourbestchance forgoodprints." "The M.E. can remove them when they get here." "The M.E. is all thumbs." "They'll mess up the prints." "Look in the suitcase." "There's a small saw." "Okay." "I wantyou to saw her hands off at the wrist line." "We gotta have those cuffs forprints." "I can't." "Cut her hands off." "We need the handcuffs." "I can't." "No." "Saw off her hands, take off the cuffs." "Listen to me." "Saw off her h-- We need those cuffs." "I can't!" " Amelia, we need" " No, fuckyou!" "Ifhe wants that woman's hands cut off, he can come down and do it himself." "Hello?" "Who is it?" "Jesus." " Take it easy." " Shit, what areyou doing?" " You okay?" " Am I okay?" "What areyou doing?" "Rhyme has been trying to call you for hours." "Your phone's down." "He was concerned." "My phone's fi ne." "I don't need his concern." "He needs you over at his place right away." "I don't work for Lincoln Rhyme." "Rhyme thinks the evidenceyou collected indicates there's anothervic in play." "And he's laying that at my feet?" "Don't shoot the messenger." " Youjust move in?" " Yeah, about a year ago." "Really?" " You were a model." " Yeah, when I was a kid." "Kid model to street cop-- there's a leap." "Forwhatever it's worth..." "I thought whatyou did today was pretty damn terrific." "Hey, you guys." "I'm outta here." "I'm gonna grab a cab." "I got a paper to fi nish." " I'm just gonna hang." " I'll be there in a minute." "Taxi!" "That bone's defi nitely not human." " And the hair?" " Not human either." " Well, what is it?" " Working fast as I can." "Glad to seeyou couldjoin us." "I got Cheney on the line." "He wants you to briefhim." "Tell him I'll call him back." "Two things:" "First, you did a hell ofajob locating the evidence." "There's no question the perp knows forensics." "Now, as for the other thing... the" "you know, the victim's hands-- well, maybe-- maybe it was too much to handle, so we'll just forget it." "Is thatyourversion ofan apology?" "An apology?" "Is that whyyou came over here?" " You really are a piece ofwork." " Well, aren't we a pair?" "I thinkyou're terrific." "You got a hell ofan arrest record too." "High marks from all your bosses, defi nite gold shield potential." "Whyyou want to throw it all away to chaseyouth offenders?" "Oh, I don't feel I have any need to explain that toyou." "Come on, Amelia." "Cop to cop." "Cop to cop, let'sjust leave it at "personal reasons."" "Okay." "Doesn't have anything to do with your father, does it?" "Man, youjust keep charging at walls, don'tyou?" "Stubbornness is something we both share." "They saywe come into this world with a genetically preordained destiny." "I don't believe it." "For example, neither ofmy parents had more than an eighth grade education." "Never read more than one book between them-- not one." "I've read thousands." " I've written a dozen." " What's your point?" "My point is that destiny is whatyou make it." "Whatever happened toyour father doesn't mean it's gonna happen toyou." "You're a great cop." "You'd make a terrific detective." "It's a gift." "Don't throw it away." "Report from the taxi commission." "An NYU student was abducted late last night." "His girlfriend saw him struggling to get out... as the taxi driverwas bludgeoning him with a flashlight." "No description ofthe driver." "Okay, everybody." "This could be our next victim." "Yeah, Tony." "Paulie here." "It looks like we got anothervictim." "Did you get a deadline off that evidenceyet?" "Notyet." "Something I was hoping you'd help me with." "Anyone for some osso buco?" "What?" "The bone we found at the Wall Street scene-- veal shank... braised and overly salted to boot." " Cow bone?" " Uh-huh." "And I also found a piece ofthat old paper... imbedded in the bone." "Take a look." "What's going on here?" "Just do whatyou need to do as quickly as possible, okay, Richard?" "It's about the hair follicles." "He says they're not human." "A rodent, probably a rat." "And get this:" "Theywere shaved off." "Oh, now we're looking for a rat that shaves." " I really like that." " I've known a few in my time." " How 'boutyou, Amelia?" " More than a few." "It's consistent with underground, that's for sure." "What's he trying to say to us?" "Defi nitely communicating in our language... leaving clues-- forensic clues at that." "Maybe it's a cop." "Maybe." "Maybe he's trying to share the responsibility ofthese murders with us." "Ifwe don't figure out the clues in time, the blood's on our hands." "We don't fi nd the victim in time, we're as responsible for the murders as he is." "Whatyou got on the dirt you scraped from the wood, Eddie?" "I don't have it 1 00% individuated, but it does appear nitrogen-rich." " All set, ready to rock and roll." " All right." " Thanks for rushing." "I appreciate it." " All right, Thelma." "Thankyou, Richard." "Nitrogen rich, explosive carbons-- where doyou fi nd those in New York?" "Bomb sites, shooting ranges." "Maybe an old fort or an armory?" "Let's not forget the shit factor, guys." "The what?" "Manure becomes a nitrate when it's aged." "That's true." "And you got cow bones, huh?" "Old cow bones, old manure." "Turn ofthe century, cows, farms... pastures, rats" "Dead cows." "Where doyou fi nd-- In stockyards." "Slaughterhouses, that's what we want to look for." "Stockyards and slaughterhouses from the turn ofthe century." " Let's start there." " Check the internet." "Okay, I want tax records, sanitation records and building code inspections... last hundred years, okay?" "Man, your blood pressure is way up." " You're pushing it too hard, Rhyme." " I understand, Thelma." "What do we got on the stockyards over there?" " We're almost there." " Okay, that one's no good." " You okay?" " No, I'm not okay." "Can't figure out this damn time line or these shards ofcardboard." "I don't know what the hell it means." "We got three defunct stockyards sites." "There's one on the east side, Lexington and the Harlem Riverviaduct." "Solomon, put the box down, and mark them on the viewer as she calls them out." "Your blood pressure's gonna blow a gasket ifyou don't slow down." "My body has a mind ofits own." "It doesn't listen to me." "All right?" "What else, Amelia?" "Yeah, there's another on the Hudson up at 1 55th." "Mark it down, Solomon." "Look, your stats are going down." "You saw him have a seizure the other day." "What else?" "There's one underground at Greenwich and Houston." " Mark it down, Solomon." " Why don'tyou knock it off, Lincoln?" "I don't need to knock it off!" "." "What was the fi rst one thatyou mentioned?" "Lexington and the Harlem Riverviaduct." " And when did it close?" " 1 91 0." "Okay, what about Houston-- Yeah." " Houston and Greenwich." "When is that?" " 1 898." "And the Hudson and 1 55th was closed in 1 906." "1 906, 1 898" "All right, let's-- 1 898." "Houston and Greenwich." "You call emergency services, Paulie." "Tell them... meet us at Houston and Greenwich, okay?" "Solomon, you get on to Hanson." "He'll need about 20 guys." "We'll take Eddie's van." " You go with them." " Come on, guys." "Let's go!" "Linc, areyou there?" " Yeah, ready." " We're here." "Okay." "Amelia?" " Yeah." " Same drill." "I wantyouin first." "Let's do it." "Watch yourself, Amelia." "Oh, man, I don't like this." "I don't like this." "Hey, Linc, I got a bad feeling about this, man." "I thinkall three ofus ought to getin there together." "Notyet, Paulie." "Just hold back." "Going down somestairs." "Cement walls." "Wood crates... large columns." "Smells likemanure down here." "Ortizsure knows his shit." "Always has." "Metal hooks... and a pen." "It's a slaughterhouse." " E.S. U. are here." " Hold them off." "Don't let them in there and contaminate the scene." "All right, hold it." "Hold up." "Hold up!" " You're not to go in." " Why?" " Rhyme's orders." " Fuck him." "Get me Cheney on the line." "Crimescene C. O. onair." "Switch to channel22 forE.S. U." "Fuck Rhyme." "Maybe this one's still alive." "Perp didn't leave a deadline." "Whatdoes thatmean?" "It means we're probably too late." "You don't know that, Rhyme." "Get off the line." "Let's move on, Amelia." "You know, there's five basic contaminants to every crime scene." "I'll skip to the worst one." "Othercops." "I think I hear something." "I hate this shit." "Iseesomething." "Something's there." "I think Ifoundhim." "Ican't-- Ican't tellifhe's alive." "Oh,Jesus." "He's covered in rats." "They're all overhim." " We're going in." " No, you're not!" "Go, go!" "Central, we have shots fired." "Shots fired." "Oh, God." "You were right." "We neverhadashot." "He cut him up pretty bad and left him for the rats." "There's also a big cut in his leg, it's right down to the bone." "Thebloodattractedtherats." "Goddamn son ofa bitch." "You okay?" "I'm fi ne." "Wanna step aside so I can walk the grid?" "Yeah." "Yeah, all right, let's back 'em up." "Let's give her some room." "Come on." "Rhyme, I'm gonna walk thegrid." "Okay." "You know what to do." "I found it." "Another cluster." "It's apiece ofoldpaper, justlike the othertwo." "Andamatchbox." "Somebody get that black suitcase and bring it over here, please." "Pull out thebrown envelope." "Sounds likeyou're starting to enjoy this work." "Damn." "The press is here." "Right there." "Lincoln Rhyme is no longerworking this case." "I'm taking over." "Understood?" "You can do whatyou want, Captain, but you ought to checkwith Murphy fi rst." "Fuck Murphy, and fuck Rhyme." "This has been cleareddowntown." "We gota deadkidin there on ourhands." "And I for one am not taking the heat for that, you understand?" "Call Ortiz." "Tell him and his crew to vacate Rhyme's place now, tonight." "Excuse me, but the victim was already dead when we arrived." "And you-- half-assed patrolman working a crime scene-- those days are over." "I'll take that evidence bag now, thankyou." "You can take it with a chain ofcustodyvoucher, sir." "Areyou out ofyour mind?" "Let's go." "You're coming with us." "What, areyouarresting me?" "Youjustgetin the car, andkeepyourmouth shut to thepress." "You're not gonna fi nd any prints." "The guy's too good for that." "Well, it looks like we have a nice clean friction print here." "Unless, ofcourse, it's yours." "No, I was wearing gloves when I collected it." "We'll know soon enough." "Put this through, highest priority." " You got it." " Thankyou." "You know, I got a feeling this perp's been in business for a long time." "Yeah, I hearyou, but that's Cheney's problem now." "That's what scares me." "Do me a favor, will you?" "Check ifthere's been any homicides in the last 1 2 months... involving surgically-removed flesh exposing bone." "No problem." "I'll seeyou soon." " Hope so, Eddie." " Hey, Thelma... don'tyou let him run no circles around you now." "Stay right, Eddie." "Oh, that print-- wejust got a positive I.D. on it." "Guy has three extremelyviolent priors." "Oh, look at that." "Taxi license, no less." "We got him." "Way to go, boys." "Somebody call the E.S.U." "Now slide out... nice and easy." "That explains your print, Captain." "He's nowthe fourth victim ofakilling spree thathaspromptedNYPD brass... tolaunch aspecialtask force to track thekiller." "This morning's raiding Queens follows leads foundatan earliermurdersite." "Detectives at thescene" "I was hoping you'd show up." " He's been worried aboutyou." " Yeah, sure." "Viewers willknowRhyme from his book, Scene ofthe Crime... a chronicle ofoldNew York's mostgrislymurders... that toppedthebest-sellerlist earlierthisyear." "Didn't expect to seeyou again." "Poor Cheney, huh?" "Grabbed the ball with both hands, scored one for the other team." " Ican'treally commentat this time." " Yeah." "Well, I tried to warn him that the perp was too smart to leave a print." "Howyou doing with that stuff?" "Not too good." "Two pieces ofthe puzzle but I don't know what it means." "Maybe this'll help." "Cheneywill haveyour badge for that." "He wouldn't give me a chain ofcustody voucher, so what could I do?" "You could bring it back to him." "The man is a living monument to ineptitude." "True." "Let's take a look." "What doyou got there?" "Third piece ofthe puzzle." "There's something really strange about it though, soyou gotta smell it." "Sure." " Areyou" " Oh, shit." "Sorry." "Oh, it's okay." "Takeyour time." "You have to put it closer to my nose." "What doyou think it is?" "Kerosene?" "Possibly." "Okay, thisjust came in from Eddie Ortiz." "Amelia, could you load these into the viewer for me, please?" "Sorry about that, Thelma." "E.C.U., view scan." ""Dear Linc, I'm enclosing photos offour unsolved homicides... which took place in the last 1 2 months." "Flesh has been surgically removed from each ofthe victims' extremities." "I miss you." "Love, Eddie."" "I'm gonna spare myselfthe pleasure, ifyou don't mind." "Okay, Thelma." "Zoom." "Same mark." "Right." "Zoom." "Zoom." "Same messages." "It's him." "The perp was trying to make contact even then." "But Cheney never put it together." "Dysreflexia seizure, a bad one." "Hang on, hang on." "Breathe, Rhyme." "Come on." "Breathe with me." "Breathe!" "The damn catheter's blocked." "Just let me get a B.P. on you." "Staywith me." "Staywith me." "Breathe!" "Hang on, now." "Hang on." "Just let me checkyou." "Diastolic's over 1 25." "I gotta get it down now." "Just give it a few seconds to work." "Come on, breathe with me." "Breathe with me, Rhyme." "Rhyme!" "Come on, now." "Hang on, Rhyme." "Hang on, man." "Is he gonna make it?" "Ifhe does, he won't be happy." "What areyou talking about?" "He's already fi nalized arrangements to self-terminate." "He's got a doctor friend to help with his "fi nal transition," as he calls it." "But suicide?" "I mean" "It's the seizures." "Any one ofthem could put him into a vegetative state." "That's what he fears more than anything." " Who is it?" " Captain Cheney." "Whatcan Ihelpyou with?" "Police business." "Open up, please." "Mr. Rhyme is asleep." "Well, wake him up." "I need to see him now." "Let me deal with this asshole Cheney." "You watch him." "Anything,just call me." "He's all right." "Look, lady." "Now, I hopeyou know that obstructingjustice is a felony offense." "Look, don't "lady" me, and I know my rights." "Now, unless you have a warrant, you can't come in here." "Oh, I'm coming in... 'cause I have reason to believe there's stolen evidence in there." "What's your full name?" "Thelma what?" "Well, what did you say your name was?" "You got a smart mouth, and it's gonna getyou in trouble one day." "And it may biteyour ass ifyou don't stop trying to aggravate my patient." "I'm gonna leave now, but I'll be back." "And when I come back, it'll be with a warrant." "And I looked everywhere, and I thought the conductorwas gonna be so angry." "And I kept on searching everywhere." "And fi nally, it was right on my lap." "Grandma can't wait to seeyou." " What'd I do?" " First off... you're carrying a fare, and your meter's not on." "And number two, your hack license is not properly displayed" "There's laws against molesting the handicapped, you know." "Yeah?" "I wasn't a pretty sight, was I?" "Thelma told me aboutyour plans foryour "fi nal transition."" "Cop to cop, that subject's not open to discussion." "Why-- would you miss me?" "Well, destiny's what we make it, right?" "Touche." "Now, you seem to haveyour reasons for checking out." "I just" "I would have expected more from someone likeyou." "Well, I might surpriseyou and... live forever." "Nothing you could do would surprise me, Rhyme." "Well, lookwho's still in the land ofthe living." "For the moment." "Cheneywas here, huffi ng and puffi ng." "Promised to return with a warrant." "Sorry I missed him." "Ifthat's him, tell him I'm..." " Say no more." " skiing." "Hello?" "Oh, hey, Paulie." "Hang on." "Linc, I don't know ifthis is anything more than a coincidence..." "Linc, I don't know ifthis is anything more than a coincidence... but a taxi inspectorwas killed today by a cabbie who was off the meter." "Thing about this taxi-- a witness, a male-- wouldn'tgive his name-- sawthe taxispeeding away with an oldmanandalittle girlinside." "Probably the doer that called." "Jesus, he's got a kid." "And an old man." " Thankyou, Paulie." " Okay." "We better take a closer look at that third piece ofthe puzzle." "Close." "Three murders, three evidence clusters... three pieces ofpaper." "View scan." "Come on, Thelma." "You're the queen ofpuzzles." "What doyou see?" "I'm looking." "What ifwe lower the little one?" "That one." "Now twist that big one around." "Now, doesn't that kinda look like a face?" "Mouth, nose, eye." "Enhance." "Fade." "That's a woman's face." "Yes, it is." "It's a logo." "And old, turn-of-the-century... publisher's logo." "You know it?" "I used to own a few ofthe books-- gothic stories... crime stories." "The killer is pointing us to an old book." "Can I helpyou?" "I called before about turn-of-the-century crime books." "Around the corner." "Helpyourself." "Thanks." "Aviation two to central." "We're taking a fly-byat the Brooklyn Bridge." "Reportappears unfounded at this time." "Willproceedto check EastRivershorelineandadvise." "I need more small boats over here to search under the pier." "By the heliport, under the pier." "Lincoln, it was the last murder in the book." "They've got to be along the shore here somewhere." "Listen, thelabsays the odor we smelled... on the third piece ofthe puzzle is probably diesel fuel." "Now, there's an old boat refueling station... at theStaten IslandFerrypier." "Check thepilings underthepier." "Found them!" "Over here!" "Here!" "Central, Icanseesomeone with alight... signaling us from the oldStaten IslandFerrypier." "There appears tobe two bodies in the waternext to thepilings." "Beadvisedsubjectsignaling is mostlikely NYPD officerat thesite." "Over here!" "Here!" "Under the pilings!" "Come over to the ladder." "Central, beadvisedaideds are outofthe water... andE.M.S. is working on them at this time." " On standby." " Clear the airway." "Rhyme, areyou there?" "Yeah." "Itlooks like we're toolate." "Naw, forget it." "He's dead." "Bring the chopper in." "The old man is gone." "They're still working on thegirl, butitdoesn'tlookgood." "We need a level one task force mobilization now!" " Try again." "I know she's still there." " Come on, kid." "Come on, try." "Youcan do it." "Come on." "Breathe." "Breathe." " Thereyou go!" " She's breathing." "I think she's gonna be okay." "She's breathing, Lincoln." "Can you hear me?" " I thinkshe's gonnamakeit." " Yeah." "Good." "We gotherby the clues thatheleftforus." "See whatyou can fi nd around the fuel tanks." "Allright." "Lincoln, I found it." "It's a map ofsome kind, some chunk ofa clean bone... andapiece ofamedal orabadge orsomething." "There's some initials engraved." "Looks like... a "P" and a "B," or a" "It's a "D." It's defi nitely a "D."" "P.D.-- sounds like a cop's badge." "You think he's gonna kill a cop?" "Could be." " Thelma?" " Maps?" "Tell me about the map." "Looks like an old subway map." "I don't recognize any ofthe stations." "You know, when I was scanning those asbestos sites..." "I came across a lot ofstations that aren't in use anymore." "Okay." "There it is-- the oldest station." "On your map, is there an old station indicated at the tip of Manhattan?" "Navy Street." " It's rightnext to thepier." " Shit." "Cheney's here." "You talking to Rhyme on that thing?" "Give me the radio." "Listen, Linc." "This is Cheney, man." "What the hell doyou thinkyou're doing?" "Stealing evidenceis agoddamn felony." "Youknowthat." "To my understanding, there's no chain ofevidence voucher." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, Igotsomenews foryou." "You are not a cop anymore." "You understand that?" "Whatyouare is a fucking meddling cripple." "Now, I'm gonna placeyour little gofer here under arrest." "Youdon'tmindthat, doya?" "Lock her up." "Where'd she go?" "I'm inside the NavyStreet tunnel." "There's gray dusteverywhere." "It's all overmyshoes." "There's footprints-- one set offootprints." "Amelia?" "Hello, Lincoln, hello." "Amelia?" "Hello?" "Themobile unityou've called is notresponding... oris outside the coveragearea." "Recall." "No dust-- He changed the numbers." "78499-- what is it?" "What does it mean?" "Help me, Rhyme." "Help me." "He's gonna kill Rhyme." "Coming." "Hey." "What areyou doing here?" "Is that Amelia?" "Bed mode." "Thelma, is thatyou?" "No, it's me, Richard." "Richard." "What's up?" "Thelma asked me to come by, check the heart-pacing machine." " Where is Thelma?" " Out in the hall." "Phone mode." "I thought it was time we had a little quiet moment together, you and I." " No interruptions." " Okay." "What's on your mind, Richard?" "I think it's time to set the record straight, Mr. Rhyme." "Syracuse-- you remember Syracuse, don'tyou?" "You wrote an expert opinion." "I've written thousands ofopinions, Richard." "Don't fucking tell me you don't remember Syracuse." "They called it an investigation." "It was a witch hunt." "There was a forensics cop up in Syracuse, New York." "Marcus Andrews." "Okay, yeah." "That was the cop that was... suspected oftampering with evidence... in some homicide cases, right?" " Nothing was tampered with." " Six innocent people went tojail." " One hung himself." " No, no." "No." "Theywent tojail because theywere guilty." "Theywere scum." " But he doctored the serology reports." " No." "Nothing was doctored." "He planted blood evidence at the crime scenes." "Myworkwas impeccable." "Where we going with this..." "Marcus?" "Your report destroyed my life." "You know my report was not a legal fi nding." "You never gave me the opportunity to defend myself." " I never even metyou." " I was sent to prison for sixyears." "I spent two moreyears trying to get toyou." "Doyou know what happens to a cop injail?" "Doyou?" "Every day-- every single day-- over and over, I was brutalized." "I became a human toilet... because ofyour expert opinion." "Well, you will never point the fi nger ofblame at anyone ever again." "You were never as good as they said you were, Mr. Rhyme." "I played you." "I tested you." "I gaveyou every clue." "You and your little helper couldn't save those people." "Their blood is on your hands." "You failed." "You failed, you fuck." "Game ofchess, Mr. Rhyme." "Some people win, some people lose." "I win, Mr. Rhyme." "I win, you lose." "What kind ofvegetable would you like to be, Mr. Rhyme?" "A carrot?" "How 'bout a zucchini?" "Zucchini?" "You wanna be a zucchini?" "I'm sorry." "I didn't hearyou." "Did you say zucchini?" "You wanna play?" "Shall we cut outyour tongue, Mr. Rhyme?" "How 'boutyour eye?" "Your eye-- we'll just pop it right out ofthere." "No." "Let's leave that for now." "You can watch me." "You can watch me while I gutyou open... right down the middle." "What?" "What?" "What?" "Can you hear me?" "Lincoln." "Oh, God." "Step aside now." "I've always loved this view." "I like it too, Doc." "It's looking better every day." " Hey, howyou guys doing?" " Santa!" " Good." " Hi!" "Ho, ho, ho, ho!" "Hey, Linc." "You got an operating license for that?" "I got a learner's permit." " How's your boyfriend, Morris?" " Oh, he's in Florida." " He play golf." "He's okay." " Playing golf!" "." " Captain Flash on wheels." " Yo, Paulie." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "Hey, Linc, ifyou're gonna be cruisin', you might as well be amusing'." " Thereyou go." " Thankyou, Eddie." "It's nice." " Come on in." " Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "You're looking real good, Mr. Rhyme." "Mr. Rhyme?" "It's Lincoln toyou." "Loosen your shorts." "Oh, my goodness." "Oh, my goodness." "Merry Christmas." "What areyou doing here?" " Merry Christmas, Uncle Lincoln." " Oh, give me a kiss!" "Merry Christmas, Kimmy." "How areyou?" "Howyou doing, Tony?" "I didn't know you were gonna make this trip." "Wouldn't be a surprise ifyou knew." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Amelia, this is my sister,Janine, her family." " Amelia." " Yeah, I know." "Hi." " You know?" " We've met." "On the phone." "Howyou doing?" "Merry Christmas, Lincoln." "Merry Christmas."