" 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 fire this son of a bitch." "He's always got an excuse." "Come on, we'll be home before you know it, hmm?" "Yeah." "Excuse me." "Excuse me, I think you'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 of nowhere." "Where the hell you going?" "I said Fifth Avenue." "We're not tourists here, man." "Hey, where are you going?" "Let us out." "Stop the car." " Stop this car, man!" " Stop the car!" "Shit." " Oh, my God." " Son of a 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 some juice?" " How about two fingers of vodka?" "Isn't it a little early for vodka?" "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 are you?" "I'm better than your heart-pacing gear." "Every time I'm here, it's skewed further out of spec." "You need a new unit." "I really need a new body." "I'm afraid I can't help you with that." " I'll bring you a new unit tomorrow." " Okay." " This one'll be stable till then." " Thank you, Richard." " Take it easy." " I'll take it anyway I can get it." " How's he doing this morning?" " He asked for vodka 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 of all 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 fine." "Bed mode." " Got vodka in there?" " No." "You ain't getting any either." "All right, I'll let you 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 finger, two shoulders and a brain." "That's all I have, Barry." "These dysreflexia seizures are occurring more frequently." "Build-up of fluid 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 final transition on my own terms." "I'll get it done with or without you." "Oh, yeah, I suppose you would." "So?" " Okay." " Okay what?" "Okay, I'll assist you... in your final 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 do you get back?" "Sunday." "Okay." "Sunday." " I'll see you then." " Get out before you change your mind." "Don't bother to get up." "I'll show myself out." "Yeah, I'll race you to the door." "You are... a very good friend." "Amelia." " Hey." " Hey." "Morning." "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "I just couldn't sleep." " What time is it?" " It's early." "I'm gonna be late for work." "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 of this relationship." "What are we doing here?" "I think we make a great couple." "You know where I stand on this." "You know what I want." "Steve, we've been through this." "I care about you." "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 of a rabbi downtown." " We're gonna miss you here." " Three-post-eleven here." " Frightened child at Amtrak site." " I'm a block away." "I'll take it." "Some kid found something over at the tracks." " Finish eating." "I'll check it out." " See you, kid." "Three-post-eleven, anything further on that ten-ten?" "Nothing yet." "Wait, I think I see him." "Are you the one who called the police?" "Wait there, okay?" " Are you out of your mind?" " Shut off the engine, all right?" "There's been a homicide." "I can't let you through." " My name is Amelia." "What's yours?" " Chris." "Chris, hey." "I got a job foryou." "Here's some money." "I need you to buy me one of those 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 of here." "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 of the ground with his wife's wedding band on his finger... which was skinned to the bone." "She's still missing." "Excuse me while you catch up, okay?" "Don't go too far, Thelma." "These nice gentlemen are leaving in 30 seconds." "Sounds like you got yourself 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 if he had." " Check your batteries." "It's definitely a ransom." "Excuse me, Mr. Rhyme, Kenneth Solomon." "I've read all your books-- Scene of the Crime... at least a dozen times." "It's great to actually meet you." " Where do you find these guys?" " They wanna work with the best." "I guess now you're gonna ask me to discuss the crime scene with you, huh?" "In fact, we got a bunch of physical evidence... that doesn't exactly make sense." "Some seriously weird stuff." "It's in the report." "You okay?" " You okay?" " Out!" "Now!" " Anything we can do?" " Asses outta here now!" "We're gonna get you 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, stay with 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 if your powers of resuscitation were less adept." "Not on my shift, all right." "If you have a problem with that, you just fire my ass." "You know I provide generously for you in my will." "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 of paper?" "What's the number on it?" " Torn book page with 119 on it." " 119, 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 of inner-city kids... are having their first drug experiences at the fifth grade level." "Now, here are some of the drugs they'll most likely be offered." "Marijuana." "Wouldn't you like to get your hands on that briefcase?" "Barbiturates, amphetamines." "Cocaine." "Rock cocaine." " What is this about?" " Do you know who Lincoln Rhyme is?" " Textbook guy?" " Yeah." " What does that have to do with me?" " You'll find out." "Come on in." "They're right in there." "A patrol cop took these pictures?" "Yeah, first 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 of it?" " I'm not a book critic, sir." " But you found it useful?" " Yeah, I guess so." "Guess so?" "Sure, you did." "You stopped that train." "Photos you took." "I'd say you 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 of paper... with a book page with 119 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't you agree, Officer?" "Paulie, I'm convinced that this crime scene was staged." " Perp's trying to tell us something." " What the fuck you saying?" "Book page 11." "11/9 " " That's today date." " Newspaper, 4:00 p.m. What time is it?" " 12:15." "She's alive." " And he's gonna kill her at 4:00." " P.m." "We have your interest yet, Officer?" " I want you to work the case with us." " It's not my area." "Are you being modest... or are you a little uneasy about doing some real police work?" " Excuse me?" " What department you 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 gonna jeopardize" "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 if I refuse?" " You'd put your career at risk." "You think, because of your condition, you can push people around?" "I'm sorry." "That is truly pathetic." " Truly?" " Yeah, damn right." "Well, forgive me, truly... if I insist on having someone with your brains and a fresh pair of eyes." "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 are you 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 what you felt." "What you feel... in the deepest recesses of your senses." "You are in love with the sound of your own voice, aren't you?" "It's your voice I yearn to hear." "Pull up a chair." "I won't bite you." "The rifling on the .38 slug they dug out of the victim... is consistent with a Webley, a very old, turn-of-the-century handgun." "Thank you, Kenny." "On the big board, please." " What do you 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 do you know about asbestos?" " It kills hard-working Americans daily." " Very good." " You computer literate?" " A little." " Where's my Thelma?" " Guess." "Thelma, meet Amelia." "Amelia, Thelma." "Amelia hates my books and computers, but she's got an A-plus nose for evidence... so I want you to give her a crash course in how to access D.E.P. files." "Check if there'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 from Jersey driving." "We don't know he's from Jersey." "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 do you 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." " How you doing, Howard?" " Fine, thank you." " How's it going?" " Middle of the middle, as you can see." "Hey, Linc, look what I found on the threading of that iron bolt." "Look, I was hoping to grab a minute with you." " If you 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 support you need." "I'm putting the full resources of my department here at your disposal." "And I appreciate it, Howie, thank you." "But the thing is, Linc..." "I've formalized department standard procedure since you were in charge..." "Eddie, could you put whatyou got up on my screen, please?" "so I'd appreciate it if you 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 of the century, it looks like." "This perp likes old." " I'll be in my office if you need me." " Yeah, okay." "Good." "Old paper." "Old gun." "Buried his victim in a vintage Civil War railroad bed." "Sand." "Eddie, what do you got on the sand?" "Doesn't really look like sand." " I'm not sure." " Can you individuate it?" " If I had E.D.X., I could do anything." " We don't have that, Eddie." "Look who forgot their chill pill this morning." "Excuse me." "Come on, I'm all over this thing now." "We're talking pearly looking." "Some kind of shellfish or something." "Oysters shells, maybe?" "Could be." "Definitely." "If I had to bet on it, I'd say it was." "Sure." "I got it." "The oldest asbestos sites are coming up now." "In 1913, when the Woolworth Building was being built... workmen found the body of this rich industrialist, Talbot Soames." "He'd been kidnapped the year 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 landfill 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 your van?" " It's downstairs." " We're gonna need it." "Throw your 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 four years ago, he was working the body of a 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 himself off." "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, if you 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 half the 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, if possible." "Yeah, find 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 1928." "The six-inch iron bolt was used mainly for steam pipe assemblies." "Forty-five, you got 11 minutes left." "Where the hell are you?" "We just hit the financial district." "There's a steam junction with big asbestos-coated pipes." "That's where our victim'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 that junction every day at 4:00." "Shit, what's this asshole up to?" "I don'tknow, but it's gonna happen in about ten minutes and 30 seconds." "All right, Linc, we're here." "We're going down there." "Yeah, I'm here." "It's their job to try and save Mrs. Rubin's life." "It's your job to get ready and work the crime scene if necessary." "There's some things you're gonna need, so lookin the back of the truck." "You'll see an aluminum suitcase and a radio headset." " See it?" " Yeah, I see 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." "What is it?" "Someone's in there!" "I can hear her crying." "Everyone, quiet now." "Mrs. Rubin?" "She's in there." "Mrs. Rubin!" "We're on our way 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 whole place is scalded in 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." " I don't want E.S.U. guys... rushing in there, trampling the evidence before we get a chance to run the scene." " What do you want?" " I want Donaghy to go in first." "Come on, Linc, she's not trained for this." "We can get our asses in a sling." "My ass has been in a sling for four years." "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 want you to get your ass out." " Amelia, you ready?" " Yeah." "You listen to me." "I'm with you every step of the way." "Go on." "Good luck." " I'm in." " Tell me what you see." "Everything's been boiled to hell." "Oh, God." "What is it?" "It's an awful smell." "That means you're close." " I can't believe I'm doing this." " You're fine." "Just fine." "You're doing great." "Just remember the academy." "When you walk, move in a straight line." "We don't want to disturb any footprints he might've left." "Yes, assuming he's gone." "There's no footprints." "There's nothing yet." "Oh, God." "What?" "Talk tome." "I can see her." "The steam pipe was opened, and she's tied down right in front of it." "Okay." "There's nothing you can do about that now." "Can't do anything but help her by working the crime scene." "That's your job." "Open your suitcase, get your camera." "I can't do this." "You can do it." "Yes, you can." "Yesterday you stopped a train." "You can do anything you want when you put your mind to it." "Don't work me, Rhyme." " Just tell me what to do next." " Very slowly, walk the grid... one foot in front of the other." "I want you to look around you now." "Remember... crime scenes are three-dimensional-- floors, walls and ceilings." "Yeah, I'm here." "There's something strange." "Things he left for us?" "Yes." " In a cluster again?" " There's a small piece of wood... and it looks like some hair." "I'm gonna walk you 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." "One more thing." "We gotta process the body." "What?" "I'm no medical examiner." "I can't do that." "I'm not asking you to do an autopsy." "I just want you to-- Just describe the restraints." "They're strange-looking handcuffs." "They look more like old shackles or something." "And there's a chain across her waist." "And her feet are... bound with a rope." "Hands above her head?" "Yeah." "There's also a large piece of flesh missing from her right forearm." "It's right down to the bone, like it was surgically removed." "This is what I want you to do." "We're gonna need those handcuffs." "It's probably our best chance for good prints." "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 for prints." "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, fuck you!" "If he 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 are you doing?" " You okay?" " Am I okay?" "What are you doing?" "Rhyme has been trying to call you for hours." "Your phone's down." "He was concerned." "My phone's fine." "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 evidence you collected indicates there's another vic in play." "And he's laying that at my feet?" "Don't shoot the messenger." " You just 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." "For whatever it's worth..." "I thought what you did today was pretty damn terrific." "Hey, you guys." "I'm outta here." "I'm gonna grab a cab." "I got a paper to finish." " I'm just gonna hang." " I'll be there in a minute." "Taxi!" "That bone's definitely not human." " And the hair?" " Not human either." " Well, what is it?" " Working fast as I can." "Glad to see you could join us." "I got Cheney on the line." "He wants you to brief him." "Tell him I'll call him back." "Two things:" "First, you did a hell of a job 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 that your version of an apology?" "An apology?" "Is that why you came over here?" " You really are a piece of work." " Well, aren't we a pair?" "I think you're terrific." "You got a hell of an arrest record too." "High marks from all your bosses, definite gold shield potential." "Why you want to throw it all away to chase youth offenders?" "Oh, I don't feel I have any need to explain that to you." "Come on, Amelia." "Cop to cop." "Cop to cop, let's just leave it at "personal reasons."" "Okay." "Doesn't have anything to do with your father, does it?" "Man, you just keep charging at walls, don't you?" "Stubbornness is something we both share." "They say we come into this world with a genetically preordained destiny." "I don't believe it." "For example, neither of my 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 what you make it." "Whatever happened to your father doesn't mean it's gonna happen to you." "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 driver was bludgeoning him with a flashlight." "No description of the driver." "Okay, everybody." "This could be our next victim." "Yeah, Tony." "Paulie here." "It looks like we got another victim." "Did you get a deadline off that evidence yet?" "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 of that old paper... imbedded in the bone." "Take a look." "What's going on here?" "Just do what you 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:" "They were 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 'bout you, Amelia?" " More than a few." "It's consistent with underground, that's for sure." "What's he trying to say to us?" "Definitely communicating in our language... leaving clues-- forensic clues at that." "Maybe it's a cop." "Maybe." "Maybe he's trying to share the responsibility of these murders with us." "If we don't figure out the clues in time, the blood's on our hands." "We don't find the victim in time, we're as responsible for the murders as he is." "What you got on the dirt you scraped from the wood, Eddie?" "I don't have it 100% 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." "Thank you, Richard." "Nitrogen rich, explosive carbons- where do you find 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 of the century, cows, farms... pastures, rats" "Dead cows." "Where do you find- In stockyards." "Slaughterhouses, that's what we want to look for." "Stockyards and slaughterhouses from the turn of the 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 of cardboard." "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 River viaduct." "Solomon, put the box down, and mark them on the viewer as she calls them out." "Your blood pressure's gonna blow a gasket if you don't slow down." "My body has a mind of its own." "It doesn't listen to me." "All right?" "What else, Amelia?" "Yeah, there's another on the Hudson up at 155th." "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't you knock it off, Lincoln?" "I don't need to knock it off!" "What was the first one that you mentioned?" "Lexington and the Harlem Riverviaduct." " And when did it close?" " 1910." "Okay, what about Houston- Yeah." " Houston and Greenwich." "When is that?" " 1898." "And the Hudson and 155th was closed in 1906." "1906, 1898" "All right, let's- 1898." "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, are you there?" " Yeah, ready." " We're here." "Okay." "Amelia?" " Yeah." " Same drill." "I want you in 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 think all three of us ought to get in there together." "Not yet, Paulie." "Just hold back." "Going down some stairs." "Cement walls." "Wood crates... large columns." "Smells like manure down here." "Ortiz sure 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. on air." "Switch to channel22 for E.S.U." "Fuck Rhyme." "Maybe this one's still alive." "Perp didn't leave a deadline." "What does that mean?" "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." "Other cops." "I think I hear something." "I hate this shit." "I see something." "Something's there." "I think I found him." "I can't- I can't tell if he's alive." "Oh, Jesus." "He's covered in rats." "They're all over him." " We're going in." " No, you're not!" "Go, go!" "Central, we have shots fired." "Shots fired." "Oh, God." "You were right." "We never had a shot." "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." "The blood attracted the rats." "Goddamn son of a bitch." "You okay?" "I'm fine." "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 the grid." "Okay." "You know what to do." "I found it." "Another cluster." "It's a piece of old paper, just like the other two." "And a match box." "Somebody get that black suitcase and bring it over here, please." "Pull out the brown envelope." "Sounds like you're starting to enjoy this work." "Damn." "The press is here." "Right there." "Lincoln Rhyme is no longer working this case." "I'm taking over." "Understood?" "You can do what you want, Captain, but you ought to check with Murphy first." "Fuck Murphy, and fuck Rhyme." "This has been cleared downtown." "We got a dead kidin there on our hands." "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, thank you." "You can take it with a chain of custody voucher, sir." "Are you out of your mind?" "Let's go." "You're coming with us." "What, are you arresting me?" "You just get in the car, and keep your mouth shut to the press." "You're not gonna find any prints." "The guy's too good for that." "Well, it looks like we have a nice clean friction print here." "Unless, of course, 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 hear you, but that's Cheney's problem now." "That's what scares me." "Do me a favor, will you?" "Check if there's been any homicides in the last 12 months... involving surgically-removed flesh exposing bone." "No problem." "I'll see you soon." " Hope so, Eddie." " Hey, Thelma... don't you let him run no circles around you now." "Stay right, Eddie." "Oh, that print- we just got a positive I.D. on it." "Guy has three extremely violent 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 now the fourth victim of a killing spree that has prompted NYPD brass... to launch a special task force to track the killer." "This morning's raid in Queens follows leads found at an earlier murder site." "Detectives at the scene" "I was hoping you'd show up." " He's been worried about you." " Yeah, sure." "Viewers will know Rhyme from his book, Scene of the Crime... a chronicle of old New York's most grisly murders... that topped the best-seller list earlier this year." "Didn't expect to see you again." "Poor Cheney, huh?" "Grabbed the ball with both hands, scored one for the other team." " I can't really comment at this time." " Yeah." "Well, I tried to warn him that the perp was too smart to leave a print." "How you doing with that stuff?" "Not too good." "Two pieces of the puzzle but I don't know what it means." "Maybe this'll help." "Cheney will have your badge for that." "He wouldn't give me a chain of custody 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 do you got there?" "Third piece of the puzzle." "There's something really strange about it though, so you gotta smell it." "Sure." " Are you" " Oh, shit." "Sorry." "Oh, it's okay." "Take your time." "You have to put it closer to my nose." "What do you think it is?" "Kerosene?" "Possibly." "Okay, this just 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 off our unsolved homicides... which took place in the last 12 months." "Flesh has been surgically removed from each of the victims' extremities." "I miss you." "Love, Eddie. "" "I'm gonna spare myself the pleasure, if you 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." "Stay with me." "Stay with me." "Breathe!" "Hang on, now." "Hang on." "Just let me check you." "Diastolic's over 125." "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?" "If he does, he won't be happy." "What are you talking about?" "He's already finalized arrangements to self-terminate." "He's got a doctor friend to help with his "final transition," as he calls it." "But suicide?" "I mean" "It's the seizures." "Any one of them could put him into a vegetative state." "That's what he fears more than anything." " Who is it?" " Captain Cheney." "What can I help you 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 hope you know that obstructing justice 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 get you in trouble one day." "And it may bite your ass if you 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 conductor was gonna be so angry." "And I kept on searching everywhere." "And finally, it was right on my lap." "Grandma can't wait to see you." " 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 about your plans for your "final 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 have your reasons for checking out." "I just" "I would have expected more from someone like you." "Well, I might surprise you and... live forever." "Nothing you could do would surprise me, Rhyme." "Well, look who's still in the land of the living." "For the moment." "Cheney was here, huffing and puffing." "Promised to return with a warrant." "Sorry I missed him." "If that's him, tell him I'm..." " Say no more." " skiing." "Hello?" "Oh, hey, Paulie." "Hang on." "Linc, I don't know if this is anything more than a coincidence... but a taxi inspecto rwas killed today by a cabbie who was off the meter." "Thing about this taxi- a witness, a male- wouldn't give his name- saw the taxi speeding away with an old man and a little girl inside." "Probably the doer that called." "Jesus, he's got a kid." "And an old man." " Thank you, Paulie." " Okay." "We better take a closer look at that third piece of the puzzle." "Close." "Three murders, three evidence clusters... three pieces of paper." "View scan." "Come on, Thelma." "You're the queen of puzzles." "What do you see?" "I'm looking." "What if we 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 of the books- gothic stories... crime stories." "The killer is pointing us to an old book." "Can I help you?" "I called before about turn-of-the-century crime books." "Around the corner." "Help yourself." "Thanks." "Aviation two to central." "We're taking a fly-by at the Brooklyn Bridge." "Report appears unfounded at this time." "Will proceed to check East River shoreline and advise." "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, the lab says the odor we smelled... on the third piece of the puzzle is probably diesel fuel." "Now, there's an old boat refueling station... at the Staten Island Ferry pier." "Check the pilings under the pier." "Found them!" "Over here!" "Here!" "Central, I can see someone with a light... signaling us from the old Staten Island Ferry pier." "There appears tobe two bodies in the water next to the pilings." "Be advised subject signaling is most likely NYPD officer at the site." "Over here!" "Here!" "Under the pilings!" "Come over to the ladder." "Central, be advised aideds are out of the water... and E.M.S. is working on them at this time." " On standby." " Clear the airway." "Rhyme, are you there?" "Yeah." "It looks like we're too late." "Naw, forget it." "He's dead." "Bring the chopper in." "The old man is gone." "They're still working on the girl, but it doesn't look good." "We need a level one task force mobilization now!" " Try again." "I know she's still there." " Come on, kid." "Come on, try." "You can do it." "Come on." "Breathe." " There you go!" " She's breathing." "I think she's gonna be okay." "She's breathing, Lincoln." "Can you hear me?" " I think she's gonna make it." " Yeah." "Good." "We got her by the clues that he left for us." "See what you can find around the fuel tanks." "All right." "Lincoln, I found it." "It's a map of some kind, some chunk of a clean bone... and a piece of a medal or a badge or something." "There's some initials engraved." "Looks like... a "P" and a "B," or a" "It's a "D." It's definitely 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 of the stations." "You know, when I was scanning those asbestos sites..." "I came across a lot of stations 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 right next to the pier." " Shit." "Cheney's here." "You talking to Rhyme on that thing?" "Give me the radio." "Listen, Linc." "This is Cheney, man." "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Stealing evidence is a god damn felony." "You know that." "To my understanding, there's no chain of evidence voucher." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, I got some news for you." "You are not a cop anymore." "You understand that?" "What you are is a fucking meddling cripple." "Now, I'm gonna place your little gofer here under arrest." "You don't mind that, do ya?" "Lock her up." "Where'd she go?" "I'm inside the Navy Street tunnel." "There's gray dust everywhere." "It's all over my shoes." "There's footprints- one set of footprints." "Amelia?" "Hello, Lincoln, hello." "Amelia?" "Hello?" "The mobile unit you've called is not responding... or is outside the coverage area." "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 are you doing here?" "Is that Amelia?" "Bed mode." "Thelma, is that you?" "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't you?" "You wrote an expert opinion." "I've written thousands of opinions, 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 of tampering with evidence... in some homicide cases, right?" " Nothing was tampered with." " Six innocent people went to jail." " One hung himself." " No, no." "No." "They went to jail because they were guilty." "They were scum." " But he doctored the serology reports." " No." "Nothing was doctored." "He planted blood evidence at the crime scenes." "My work was impeccable." "Where we going with this..." "Marcus?" "Your report destroyed my life." "You know my report was not a legal finding." "You never gave me the opportunity to defend myself." " I never even met you." " I was sent to prison for six years." "I spent two more years trying to get to you." "Do you know what happens to a cop in jail?" "Do you?" "Every day- every single day- over and over, I was brutalized." "I became a human toilet... because of your expert opinion." "Well, you will never point the finger of blame at anyone ever again." "You were never as good as they said you were, Mr. Rhyme." "I played you." "I tested you." "I gave you 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 of chess, Mr. Rhyme." "Some people win, some people lose." "I win, Mr. Rhyme." "I win, you lose." "What kind of vegetable 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 hear you." "Did you say zucchini?" "You wanna play?" "Shall we cut out your tongue, Mr. Rhyme?" "How 'bout your eye?" "Your eye- we'll just pop it right out of there." "No." "Let's leave that for now." "You can watch me." "You can watch me while I gut you 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, how you 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, if you're gonna be cruisin', you might as well be amusing'." " There you go." " Thank you, Eddie." "It's nice." " Come on in." " Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "You're looking real good, Mr. Rhyme." "Mr. Rhyme?" "It's Lincoln to you." "Loosen your shorts." "Oh, my goodness." "Oh, my goodness." "Merry Christmas." "What are you doing here?" " Merry Christmas, Uncle Lincoln." " Oh, give me a kiss!" "Merry Christmas, Kimmy." "How are you?" "How you doing, Tony?" "I didn't know you were gonna make this trip." "Wouldn't be a surprise if you 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." "How you doing?" "Merry Christmas, Lincoln." "Merry Christmas."