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Chapter 19

Maxwell leaned against a shelf and surveyed the surroundings. Bodies moved in every direction. All of the Superstore was being covered. Bernie Mills body matched the other deaths tied to Richard Sobel – no sign of a struggle, not a mark anywhere. It was like he stopped functioning and fell flat on his face in the cereal aisle.

What caused some commotion was a surveillance image - Richard walking into Bernie's office with him an hour before he died. That was enough to bring several Squads to the crime scene.

For many it was a big deal to be involved in such a high profile case. Everyone was working hard to make a good impression. Maxwell noticed this and it offered some small satisfaction. There was a lot of pressure from Commander Gorman to get the problem solved quickly.

What made things difficult was evidence. None of the forensic teams could find any. All tests were inconclusive – which suggested Bernie had died of natural causes. This was wrong. But that needed to be proven. And time was passing – with every moment Sobel's trail was getting a bit colder.

Hours passed with no success. An on-site autopsy revealed nothing. Further effort began to seem futile. Until an Officer named Jimmy Lapearle made an unexpected discovery.

Maxwell saw him approach – a short, husky young man with olive skin and dark hair. He paid him little attention – something he did with most people. It kept time wasters and ass kissers away.

As Lapearle drew closer it appeared the assumption of him being a nuisance was premature – there was excitement in his eyes. Not something common among those who just wanted to shake hands.

"Sir?" Lapearle asked after giving the necessary salute. "I might have something."

"That so?" said Maxwell.

"It's the victims Hotwire Port."

"Oh?"

"I was helping the Coroner and almost missed it. Really a fluke I noticed at all," said Lapearle. Maxwell saw Benson in the crowd and motioned him to come closer.

"What was that?" Maxwell asked when Benson arrived.

"Well, the victim had very short hair so it was easy to spot the mark."

Benson pointed at two Officers and then to an Ambulance Pod a few feet away. He made a slashing motion across his throat to signal them to stop the driver from leaving with the body.

"How old is the victim?" Maxwell asked.

Benson looked down at the Tablet in his hands and tapped the screen a few times. An image of Bernie Mills appeared along with a list of statistics. "Seventy-five."

"Which puts him before the age of birth installed Hotwires."

"Yes."

"What does the mark look like?"

"A bump right beside the implant. Thought it might be an ingrown hair. Then I noticed blood beside it, as if the skin around the Hotwire had ruptured."

"Who do you work under?"

"Sgt. Hammond, sir."

"And it's your opinion the Hotwire is damaged?"

"Yes."

"How?"

The question made Lapearle pause. He fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. It was a nervous gesture. "Electrical charge."

"I'll be interested to hear what the second autopsy at the Morgue finds." Maxwell began to walk toward the ambulance. "If you're right I'm going to have you transferred to my division."