Dirk asked them, “Do you want us to dig up any of the other graves?”

“No,” Savich said. “Not yet.”

Dirk nodded and waved to the huge hole in the ground. “She moved something out of here. All we’ve got is a big hole recently filled in with dirt.”

“Any blood? Any clothes?”

“No, nothing, but don’t give up yet. If there were bodies thrown in that hole, we might still find something. Damnedest thing. To look around, this seems a peaceful-hidden-valley sort of place, an old-fashioned little American town where you expect to find some rustic charm, not missing bodies.

“Lori is taking soil samples, looking for traces of blood and human remains, which I don’t think she’ll find. She’ll also be checking to see if the soil comes from here or somewhere else. If the soil is clean, you can bet it was brought in.”

“When they moved the bodies,” Sherlock said, “I doubt they took them far. Who’d want to take the chance, too great a risk of discovery. On the other hand, this valley is pretty large.”

“Not much risk if the grave robbers are the sheriff and his deputies,” Savich said. “They could have wrapped the bodies in a tarp and hauled them anywhere in the valley in the flat bed of the sheriff’s truck.”

“There’s no sign of any recent digging anywhere else in the cemetery, so we’re going to start checking the flower beds and anywhere else there’s disturbed ground with GPR, ground penetration radar. I’ve called for a couple of cadaver dogs to complement the GPR, but if we don’t find the bodies pretty close by, the cost builds up real fast.”

Savich said, “I know. Do what you can, Dirk.” He turned to Sherlock. “Well, things don’t always go like you want them to.”

44

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY HOSPITAL

NEAR TITUSVILLE, VIRGINIA

Late Wednesday afternoon

The nurse, skinny as a windowpane, with salt-and-pepper hair and a no-nonsense stride, was pushing against Blessed’s hospital room door before Ox could roar to his feet and shout at her, “Hold on there. I haven’t seen you before.” He grabbed her skinny arm. “Who are you? What do you want?”

She stared up at him with a face scrubbed clean of makeup. He swore for an instant that he saw a five-o’clock shadow on her jaw—no, couldn’t be. He shook his head as she said patiently, “I’m Nurse Eleanor Lapley. I work here. I just came on duty. Who are you?”

“I’m with the sheriff’s department, here to guard the maniac strapped down to the bed inside. Do you know about him?”

“Of course. First thing when I came in, they showed me that film about him. Kind of hard to believe. Seems to me it might have been faked, don’t you think?”

“Nothing was faked.”

“If not, then he’s quite something, isn’t he?” There was admiration in her deep voice. Not good.

Ox said, “I’ll go in with you. What do you need to do?”

“Check his vitals, see that he’s not in pain, the usual.”

Ox nodded and pushed the door open.

It was the last thing he remembered.

WHEN OX WOKE UP he was lying on his back, strapped down to Blessed Backman’s hospital bed, his eyes covered, his wrists strapped to the bed railings. He opened his mouth and yelled.

An orderly burst through the door, stood stock-still, and stared down at him.

“Whoever you are, get this blindfold off me and the straps.”

“I can’t, sir. I saw that film; I saw what you do to a person. I’m not even coming close.”

Ox managed to still his panic. He forced calm and reason into his voice. “Listen to me. Blessed Backman is in his mid-fifties, a skinny little guy. I’m not. Somehow he got me. That nurse—”

“What nurse?”

“Nurse Eleanor Lapley, she said her name was.”

“Okay, there isn’t a nurse Eleanor Lapley, not unless she started thirty minutes ago and nobody told me.”

“For God’s sake, look at me. Do I look like Blessed Backman?”

“Well, no, sir, but—”

“Get me loose, now! Blessed Backman’s escaped. We’ve got to get him back.”

“But—”

“You idiot! I’m thirty-three years old and I weigh two hundred pounds! Look at me!”

The orderly freed him.

Ox looked up at Savich’s video camera. Where was Dr. Hicks? He pushed past the orderly and looked into the next room. Dr. Hicks was unconscious but alive, the video equipment mangled.