remains first, if that is possible. I would like to get a first

impression uncolored by the theories or conclusions of others.”

Sound thinking, thought Akiro. Perhaps the man might be

useful, after all, though he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Certainly. We’ll have to go down to the police pathology lab. If you

would follow me?”

If he expected a shocked reaction from the sorcerer, Akiro was

disappointed. He hadn’t really known what to expect, but when the

body of the first victim—or what was left of it—was pulled out,

Kanno merely frowned slightly and bent over it, studying it

carefully. He examined it intently for several minutes, then

wordlessly proceeded to the next one.

It was a marked contrast to the manner in which Yohaku had

examined the bodies. Even though he had already seen the

photographs, which were nothing if not graphic, the mage had

reacted with shock and pain at the sight of the actual corpses. And

he had been visibly shaken by the strength of the thauma-turgic

trace emanations that he had detected, even though they were no

longer fresh and had already started fading. Kanno exhibited no

emotion whatsoever as he went from one body to the next, saying

nothing, his features betraying no emotion except for a slight frown

of concentration. When he was through, he straightened up and

nodded to the pathology attendant, who pushed the tray holding the

remains of the last victim back into its compartment.

“I would like to see the autopsy reports, ” he said, “but I have a

feeling that they will not tell me anything I do not already know.

What about the victims’ clothing?”

Akiro nodded to the attendant and they were brought. There

wasn’t much left of the clothing they had worn, either. They were

torn and soaked in blood. Kanno had them spread out on a lab

table, then he stood over them, his hands outstretched, palms down

over the table. He closed his eyes. Akiro watched, fascinated, as the

sorcerer moved his hands over each individual item of clothing, his

head moving from one to the other, as if he were seeing them,

though his eyes were tightly shut. Then, at the last item of

clothing, he hesitated.