Thursday 18th December

St. Luke's Place, Greenwich Village

Goren stood back to admire his handiwork for a few minutes. It had been worth taking a few of the hours owed to him to get the dining room completed. The help of his college buddy Lewis had only cost them a couple of dinners and a few beers, but that left two lengths of wallpaper incomplete. And he wasn't sure it might not be quicker without Lewis.

He might be able to smooth out the dents in a car panel to perfection and do a fantastic customised paint job but when it came to decorating, his status was strictly "amateur". Goren had just got the things cleared away and the floor almost waxed, when the phone rang.

"Hi Bobby. It's Mike"

"I'm still owed almost two more hours"

"And you'll get them. Just thought you might enjoy a trip upstate with me"

"Does this involve a chain saw and fir trees by any chance?" he asked suspiciously. "Only it's one of the many things Caro has organised"

Logan laughed.

"No. Just there has been a body found in Orange County the locals think we might be interested in. My partner has a leave day and yours is with Jack"

"Yeah of course…his chemo…why us?"

He could hear Logan sigh.

"Has all the hallmarks of the Lessiters Bobby"

"What!" he barked. "You mean those two sons of…"

"Guess we'll find out. Half-an- hour? And bring something suitable for rough terrain. It's in Harriman State Park"

"Okay"

It gave him just about time to finish clearing away, grab a shower and shave and almost be out in the street when Logan's Mercury drew up to the kerb.

Lake Kanawauke, Harriman Park, Orange County, New York State

At almost fifty thousand acres and only thirty miles north of the city, the park was famous for having over thirty lakes. Some of them nature's creation and some of them, like Kanawauke created by man. Traditionally it was the location of a number of Scout Camps and Logan had been to it before, during his youth.

Unlikely as it seemed, Mike appeared to have had quite a long and illustrious career in the various parts of the Scouting movement. Though some might say he was a classic example of how all the lessons and values of early life do not always carry over fully to adulthood.

And it was not the badges Logan got for knot tying or tracking that they discussed as they drove north and then into a camp area like most this time of year, normally closed off. The victim had been provisionally identified as Aaron Copsey based the vehicle he was found in. Discovered by a Park Ranger, doing a regular but less frequent patrol this time of year and halfway down the bank of the lake.

It was wet and muddy and the gumboots both had ready were necessary. A tow truck and those other grim harbingers of death had churned up the ground in the clearing. A coroner's truck, a CSI four wheel and numerous examples belonging to the local Sheriff's department and the Park Service.

Aaron Copsey came from Brooklyn. He was a single, retired, African American who according to the neighbours was a regular "snowbird". One of those seniors, who for much of each winter, headed towards the warm Southern States like Florida, Texas or Arizona. In his case, in a small RV and with no close family he had not been reported missing, though the neighbours did think it odd not to have received a post card since he left the first weekend of November.

Deputy Dougan explained how one of the Rangers was doing a regular check on the campsites and clearings yesterday afternoon. Although gates to prevent their use blocked them off, there were occasional illicit and unauthorised campers. She spotted the roof of the RV and checked there was no one inside or trapped, since it looked to have rolled down the bank.

Nor when she called the cops, was the RV reported stolen and an initial search as darkness fell turned up nothing and nobody might have been with it. They even wondered if it had been deliberately abandoned even though it was not especially old, in good condition and licensed.

"When was the last time this site was used?" asking Goren glancing around at the trees which lined the clearing.

"For two nights beginning Friday 31st October" replied Dougan. "This site is mainly used by Scouts and one group from New Jersey had it for their last camp of the year. Some sort of Halloween Party and the RV was not here when they left and the barrier swung over and locked for winter"

They walked to the cream coloured vehicle, which the truck had hauled up the bank. The front end was muddy from the edge of the lake.

"We almost sent it off to the pound" he shrugged. "But my partner could smell something strange and so we began to check around. Found them in the stove"

"Cats" muttered Goren looking at the decaying bodies of two in plastic bags.

"He's allergic" nodded Mike crouching for a better look. "Do we know if Copsey owned cats?"

"According to your guys have been talking to the neighbours. They fit…um…the description of Copsey's pets and he took them with him each time he went away"

"And that got you even more curious?"

"Yes Detective Logan"

At the door the Deputy signalled out a couple of CSI technicians who each left carrying a bucket laden with soil.

"Shit!" said Mike softly.

He and Goren stood looking at the storage space under the seat/pull out bed of the camper van. In the cavity was the half exposed body of an elderly black man. The rest of the space was filled with dirt.

Goren reached out a gloved hand and lifted the nearest one to him. The tips of the fingers had broken nails and were torn and bloody.

"He was buried alive in there" he said quietly.

"Uhuh" said Dougan. "When we lifted the seat cushion we could see the top hinged to use as storage was nailed down. So apart from there being little room for leverage, there is no way he could have kicked or pushed his way out"

"Suffocation?" asked Logan

"Doc still isn't sure. The dirt would have moved over the head with the RV pointing down the bank but we think he could have cleared that and had some air"

Goren moved to the end of the bunk "Most of these…yeah I though so…"

"What?" asked Logan as three of them barely had room to move around without bumping into each one another.

"These compartments have vents in the ends. To allow circulation of air around blankets and pillows"

"I'm forgetting you spent weeks in one of these not so long ago Bobby"

"There were some in the lid" said Dougan "But that pretty much broke up levering it up with all those nails"

"The poor guy may have died of a heart attack or possibly dehydration. You die from lack of water faster than you actually starve to death"

"However it was Bobby, it's slow and nasty" muttered Mike. "So why did our Shakespeare killer memo alert you Deputy?"

"I had seen it but it was Vicky the Park Ranger explained it when she saw the body and the cats. Was a Lit Major before she decided she wanted a life in the country"

"This? The cats? It's Titus Andronicus" said Goren.

"He's our resident know all" muttered Mike.

Dougan shrugged "That's the play Vicky said as well"

At that moment, Logan's cell began to ring and he stepped outside to take the call. As Goren followed with the Deputy he could tell by Mike's reaction, their colleagues in Brooklyn had confirmed a link to the Lessiter's.

"I think I know which of those bastards did this Bobby"

Logan snapped the phone closed and kicked a small stone violently in the direction of the water of the lake.

To be continued…