THREE

"And the coroner says he's sure they were dead?" questioned Artie when Myka had filled him in.

"He said he spoke to the attending physicians," said Myka. "They were all certified as dead. But he claims to have found evidence of biological activity after they were dead."

"Don't hair and fingernails continue to grow after we die?" questioned Pete.

"No," replied Artie. "That's an old wive's tale. As the body begins to dry out the skin around the hair follicles and nails begins to recede giving the impression that they're still growing. But they don't actually grow."

"So, what?" questioned Myka. "Are we looking for 2 artifacts? One that can kill without leaving a mark and another that can reanimate a dead body?"

"I don't know," said Artie. "It's possible. You two check with Detective Robbins and see what he has to say. I'll do some more checking here and see what I can find out. There are a number of artifacts that can reanimate a dead body but as far as I know they've all been accounted for."

"Let us know what you find out, mon capitan," said Pete in a mock French accent.

"Did you find out where Precinct 9 is?" Myka asked as she closed her Farnsworth.

"Sure did. I'll drive."

Detective Robbins turned out to be in his mid-30s and looked nothing like a police detective. He had long hair and was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. His badge hung around his neck on a chain and he had several days' growth of beard.

"My partner and I were working undercover when he died," said Robbins. "The captain decided to pull me out after they found his body. He was afraid my cover had been blown."

"What was your partner doing just before he died?" Myka asked.

"Like I said, we were working undercover. We were infiltrating the Garibaldi Family. Trying to see if we could get anything on them to arrest them. Jack – he was my partner – Jack was working with one of Garibaldi's loan sharks. The last time I talked to him he said he was getting enough evidence to put Garibaldi away for 20 years. Then we find his body in an alley. He turned out to be the second victim of whatever it is that's killing those men."

"Did he have any kind of medical condition?" Pete asked. "Anything that might account for his death?"

"Nothing. He was in the peak of health. You have to be doing undercover work. And as far as I know, the men he was working with had no idea he was a cop. I don't see how they could have made him. And the coroner said he couldn't find any cause of death."

"What can you tell us about this Garibaldi?" Myka asked.

"Biggest crime family in the city. Into everything from prostitution to numbers to protection. We've been trying to nail him for years but he keeps himself pretty insulated. Makes sure that nothing can ever be traced back to him. That's what Jack and I were working on. But you know, there is something odd."

"Odd?" Myka asked. "Odd how?"

"Word on the street is that one of Garibaldi's bagmen got hit a while back. Made off with nearly a quarter of a million dollars of Garibaldi's ill gotten gain. My informants tell me that Garibaldi has put out a reward of 50Gs for anyone who can identify the culprit. So far there haven't been any takers."

"When did that happen?" Pete asked.

"About 3 weeks ago. Just before we found Jack's body."

"You think there's a connection?" Myka asked.

"Can't say for sure. That was my first inclination. But Jack wasn't working as a bagman. Besides, he was working with 3 other of Garibaldi's men the night he died. It doesn't make any sense to kill just Jack and not the others. I'm thinking someone in Garibaldi's organization made Jack and that's what got him killed."

"Thanks for the help," said Pete. "If we learn anything, we'll let you know."

"I'd appreciate it," said Robbins. "I'd like to find out if Jack's death was a homicide or not and who it was that did it."

"Well, that was a big goose egg," said Myka as they walked out of the police station. "He didn't know much more than the coroner did."

"Maybe this will tell us something," said Pete, as he opened a newspaper.

"Where did you get that?"

"It was lying on one of the benches in the police station. Obviously someone abandoned it so I figured it might give us a lead."

"You stole a newspaper out of the police station? Pete, you can't just walk off with something just because it's lying around. Especially out of a police station."

"What's the big deal? People abandon newspapers all the time. There was no one near it so I figure it's fair game."

"Unbelievable. You could have gotten us arrested." Myka looked around half expecting some of the local cops to come storming out of the station at any minute to arrest them for petty larceny.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," said Pete, looking through the paper. "Besides, I found something. In fact, I found two somethings. Here's a story about the 4 unexplained deaths. And on the opposite page is a story on the 3 bodies that the coroner told us about. It doesn't say anything about one of the deaths being an undercover cop."

"Of course it doesn't you moron. They probably haven't released that information to protect the cops partner and family."

"I know that," said Pete looking suspiciously at Myka. "Hey, it says here that the three bodies were initially delivered to the same mortuary and that they just disappeared from there."

"Same mortuary? Then there's probably something at that mortuary that's causing them to get up and walk away. Some artifact that's reanimating them. The question is, what is it? We really have no idea what we're looking for."

"Not to mention we still don't have a lead on what killed those other four. According to the bylines the same reporter wrote both stories. We should talk to him. See what he knows that's not in his stories."

"Okay, you go see the reporter and find out what he knows about either case. I'll go to the mortuary and see what they can tell me about the bodies just suddenly getting up and walking away."

"Then we can meet at that restaurant down the street we saw on our way over here. I'm starved."

"How can you think of food at a time like this?"

"Hey, I'm hungry. Besides, we gotta eat."

"Fine. I'll meet you there in an hour. Then we can call Artie and see if he's found out anything new."

"Great," said Pete, looking around. "Now, if I remember correctly, the newspaper is about two blocks thataway. I'll see you in an hour."

Myka took the newspaper and found the name and address for the mortuary. Then she headed for the car.

"Not much I can tell you other than what was in the story," said the reporter as Pete interviewed him. "Wasn't much to go on. All of the men were found in their beds and the coroner can't seem to determine a cause of death. All but Jack Morgan. He was found lying in an alley. But they all seemed to have died the same way. Only, there's no indication what that way was."

"Yeah, that's what the coroner told my partner and me," said Pete. "You don't have anything that wasn't in the story?"

"Well, there is one thing. My editor didn't want to print it because he said it's just speculation. Mostly rumors and such. But according to my sources, all three of the criminals were robbed just before they turned up dead. I can't find anyone that will go on the record about it, but it all happened the same way. They're counting the money from whatever source they get it when a lone guy suddenly walks in with a gun. He forces them to put the money in a bag, then the guy just takes off. He's never seen again, neither is the money."

"Is it the same guy?"

"Nope, different guy each time. Now here's the weird part. From the descriptions I got, the three guys are the same three guys in the morgue. The ones the coroner says were still alive after they were pronounced dead."

"You sure about that?"

"Well, I didn't take anyone down to identify the bodies, if that's what you mean. But someone I talked to said that when one of the guys robbed his boss, another one of the men there put three slugs in the guys' chest. It didn't even phase him. It's like he was immune or something. After that, none of them wanted to mess with the guy. My editor said he wasn't going to print anything like that. Didn't want the paper getting a reputation like those rags at the supermarket."

"Well, you gotta admit, it sounds crazy," said Pete, trying to act nonchalant. "A guy takes three slugs in the chest and walks away. Sounds like your witness was on something."

"Yeah, well here's something else. At each of the robberies the assailant took a hostage. The next morning they find the hostage dead in an alley or in the park or something. The same 4 that are in the morgue that the coroner can't find a cause of death for. So these two cases are connected. My editor is just a bit skiddish about connecting them in the paper. Says I need something a bit more concrete before he'll print that."

"You're saying that the 4 bodies that the coroner can't find a cause of death for were each taken from one of the robberies? Taken by the assailants that the coroner says got up and walked away after a doctor had pronounced them dead?"

"That's what I'm saying. Only I don't have any corroboration. The only 'witnesses' are mob-related men. Not exactly the most reliable sources most of the time. But my gut tells me there's something going on here. I just haven't been able to figure out what."

"Could be your witnesses are just covering for their bosses," said Pete. "It's possible they had the men killed and are just trying to divert your attention with this elaborate story."

"Maybe. But the descriptions from the witnesses was all pretty much the same. And like I said, they all match the same bodies the coroner has in the morgue right now. What interest does the Secret Service have in all this? You think this might be some kind of new weapon the terrorists have come up or something?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Just following up a lead on another case. It's probably nothing. That's how it usually is. Following up a bunch of leads that don't go anywhere."

"Yeah, I don't think so," said the reporter suspiciously. "I think there's more to this than you're telling me. Come on, level with me. Something weird is going on here. And I think you know something about it."

"Nope, don't know nothing. Like I said, just following up a lead that probably won't go anywhere. Besides, you know of any way to kill someone without leaving any evidence of what happened?"

"No, not really," said the reporter, still suspicious. "But that doesn't mean there isn't one. Look, a story like this can make my career. I could make you famous. If this is some new kind of weapon the public has a right to know about it."

"Yeah, there's no weapon," lied Pete. "Just some unexplained deaths. I gotta go. Thanks for the info."

Pete left the reporters' office and headed for the restaurant down the street.