t of the air conditioning and the security of the enclosed cabin。 Only after clearing the shipping channel an hour later did he look away from the water。 A soft drink chased two Tylenol down his throat。 That was the only drug he‘d allowed himself for the last three days。 He leaned back in the captain‘s chair and opened the envelope Sam had left him； while the autopilot drove the boat south。
Only the photos had been left out。 He‘d seen one of them； and that one had been enough。 A handwritten cover note … every page in the envelope was a photocopy； not an original … showed that the professor of pathology had gotten the copies from his friend； the state medical examiner； and could Sam please be careful how he handled this。 Kelly couldn‘t read the signature。
The ‘wrongful death‘ and ‘homicide‘ blocks on the cover sheet were both checked。 The cause of death； the report said； was manual strangulation； with a deep； narrow set of ligature marks about the victim‘s neck。 The severity and depth of the ligature marks suggested that brain death had occurred from oxygen deprivation even before the crushed larynx terminated airflow to the lungs。 Striations on the skin suggested that the instrument used was probably a shoestring； and from bruises that appeared to e from the knuckles of a large…handed man about the throat； that the killer had faced the supine victim while performing the act。 Beyond that； the report went on for five single…spaced pages； the victim had been subjected to violent and extensive traumatic insult prior to death； all of which was cataloged at length in dry medical prose。 A separate form noted that she had been raped； further that the genital area showed definite signs of bruising and other abuse。 An unusually large quantity of semen was still evident in her vagina upon her discovery and autopsy； indicating that the killer had not been alone in raping the victim。 （‘Blood types 0＋； 0… and AB…； per attached serology report。‘） Extensive cuts and bruises about the hands and forearms were termed ‘defensive…classical。‘ Pam had fought for her life。 Her jaw had been broken； along with three other bones； one of them a pound fracture of the left ulna。 Kelly had to set the report down； staring at the horizon before reading on。 His hands didn‘t shake； and he didn‘t utter a word； but he needed to look away from the cold medical terminology。
‘As you can see from the photos； Sam；‘ the handwritten page at the back said； ‘this was something from a couple of really sick folks。 It was deliberate torture。 It must have taken hours to do all this。 One thing the report leaves out。 Check Photo #6。 Her hair was bed or brushed out； probably； almost certainly postmortem。 The pathologist who handled the case missed it somehow。 He‘s a youngster。 （Alan was out of town when she came in； or I‘m sure he would have handled it himself。） It seems a little odd； but it‘s clear from the photo。 Funny how you can miss the obvious things。 It was probably his first case like this； and probably he was too focused on listing the major insults to notice something so minor。 I gather you knew the girl。 I‘m sorry； my friend。 Brent；‘ the page was signed； more legibly than the cover sheet。 Kelly slid the package back into the envelope。
He opened a drawer in the console and removed a box of 。45 ACP ammunition； loading the two magazines for his automatic； which went back into the drawer。 There were few things more useless than an unloaded pistol。 Next he went into the galley and found the largest can on the shelves。 Sitting back down at the control station； he held the can in his left hand； and continued what he‘d been doing for almost a week； working the can like a dumbbell； up and down； in and out； weling the pain； savoring it while his eyes swept the surface of the water。
‘Never again； Johnnie…boy；‘ he said aloud in a conversational tone。 ‘We‘re not going to make any more mistakes。 Not ever。‘
The C…141 landed at Pope Air Force Base； adjacent to Fort Bragg； North Carolina； soon after lunch； ending a routine flight that had originated over eight thousand miles away。 The four…engine jet transport touched down rather hard。 The crew was tired despite their rest stops along the way； and their passengers required no particular care。 On flights such as this； there was rarely any live cargo。 Troops returning from the theater of operations rode ‘Freedom Birds；‘ almost invariably chartered mercial airliners whose stewardesses passed out smiles and free booze for the duration of the lengthy return trip to the real world。 No such amenities were required on the flights into Pope。 The flight crew ate USAF…standard box lunches； and for the most part flew without the usual banter of young airmen。
The roll…out slowed the aircraft； which turned at the end of the runway onto a taxiway； while the crew stretched at their seats。 The pilot； a captain； knew the routine by heart； but there was a brightly painted jeep in case he forgot； and he followed it to the receiving center。 He and his crew had long since stopped dwelling on the nature of their mission。 It was a job； a necessary one； and that was that； they all thought as they left the aircraft for their mandated crew…rest period； which meant； after a short debrief and notification of whatever shortings the aircraft had exhibited in the past thirty hours； heading off to the O…Club for drinks； followed by showers and sleep in the Q。 None of them looked back at the aircraft。 They‘d see it again soon enough。
The routine nature of the mission was a contradiction。 In most previous wars； Americans had lain close to where they fell； as testified to by American cemeteries in France and elsewhere。 Not so for Vietnam。 It was as though people understood that no American wanted to remain there； living or dead； and every recovered body came home； and having passed through one processing facility outside Saigon； each body would now be processed again prior to transshipment to whatever hometown had sent the mainly young men off to die in a distant place。 The families would have had time by now to decide where burial would take place； and instructions for those arrangements waited for each body identified by name on the aircraft‘s manifest。
Awaiting the bodies in the receiving center were civilian morticians。 That was one occupational specialty that the military did not carry in its multiplicity of training regimens。 A uniformed officer was always present to verify identification； for that was a responsibility of the service； to make sure that the right body went off to the right family； even though the caskets that left this place were in almost all cases sealed。 The physical insult of bat death； plus the ravages of often late recovery in a tropical climate； were not things families wanted or needed to see on the bodies of their loved ones。 As a result； positive identification of remains wasn‘t really something that anyone could check； and for that very reason； it was something the military took as seriously as it could。
It was a large room where many bodies could be processed at once； though the room was not as busy as it had been in the past。 The men who worked here were not above grim jokes； and some even watched weather reports from that part of the world to predict what the next week‘s work load would be like。 The smell alone was enough to keep the casual observer away； and one rarely saw a senior officer here； much less a civilian Defense Department official； for whose equilibrium the sights here might be a little too much to bear。 But one bees accustomed to smells； and that of the preserving agents was much preferred over the other odors associated with death。 One such body； that of Specialist Fourth Class Duane Kendall； bore numerous wounds to the torso。 He‘d made it as far as a field hospital； the mortician saw。 Some of the scarring was clearly the desperate work of a bat surgeon … incisions that would have earned the wrath of a chief of service in a civilian hospital were far less graphic than the marks made by fragments from an explosive booby…trap device。 The surgeon had spent maybe twenty minutes trying to save this one； the mortician thought； wondering why he had failed … probably the liver； he decided from the location and size of the incisions。 You can‘t live without one of those； no matter how good the doctor was。 Of more interest to the man was a white tag located between the right arm and the chest which confirmed an apparently random mark on the card on the outside of the container in which the body had arrived。
‘Good ID；‘ the mortician said to the Captain who was making his rounds with a clipboard and a sergeant。 The officer checked the required data against his own records and moved on with a nod； leaving the mortician to his work。
There was the usual number of tasks to be performed； and the mortician went about them with neither haste nor indolence； lifting his head to make sure the Captain was at the other end of the room。 Then he pulled a thread from the stitches made by another mortician at the other end of the pipeline。 The stitches came pletely undone almost instantly； allowing him to reach into the body cavity and remove four clear…plastic envelopes of white powder； which he quickly put