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Chapter 29

The Morgue in Security Headquarters was enormous. The width of the room spanned a city block and rose three stories high. A population of millions demanded such a size. While crime was low, death still occurred and all citizens passed through the same place for autopsies.

Maxwell stood behind a large pane of glass and stared into the huge space. Robots that were boxes with arms and a lens zipped past - all painted various colours. Some inserted bodies into storage lockers while others removed them and placed their cargo on long white tables that dotted the floor.

Beside him stood a small, squat man with glasses – Arthur Mead, Morgue Curator. Beside Arthur stood Lapearle. His young face wore a nervous expression.

Arthur pointed at a light green robot. It was in front of a locker door twenty feet in the air. "That one's grabbing Sobel's body." He touched a gold bracelet on his left wrist and a control screen appeared on the glass in front of him. It displayed the layout of the autopsy tables and a keypad.

He tapped a sequence on the keypad. This made one of the tables move closer to the window. The light green robot descended with a floating gurney that contained a black bag. Another robot – this one red – joined to help remove Richard's body and set it on the table face down.

A second screen appeared beside the first. This one displayed a close up image of the corpse.

"Zoom in on the back of the neck," said Maxwell.

Mead did this by drawing a circle around the area with his finger. It zoomed in. Maxwell and Lapearle leaned closer to get a better look.

"Tighter on the Hotwire Port," said Lapearle.

A tap on the glass brought the image even closer. Richard's Hotwire Port filled the screen. Right beside it was a bulge the size of a small pimple.

"Just a little more," said Maxwell. "I want to see if the contacts are charred."

The image grew again but remained in sharp focus. Sure enough, the small contact points that should have been gold were black.

"Holy shit," Lapearle whispered.

"We've got work to do," said Maxwell. He turned from the window and started down the hallway. Lapearle followed. "Thanks for the help Arthur," he called over his shoulder.

"Any time, Chief," Arthur replied. He touched his bracelet and the screen disappeared. In the other room the robots began to gather Richard's body.

"Everything just went from strange to stranger," Maxwell muttered as they rounded a corner.

"Doesn't look like revenge or aggression on either end now."

"It looks calculated."

"You know what that could mean."

Maxwell held up a hand. "Don't go jumping to conclusions."

"All the signs are there," said Lapearle.

"Sure," said Maxwell. They arrived at a set of doors. "But using a term like Serial Killer isn't something you do without concrete proof. That's a recipe for disaster - especially when there hasn't been a case involving one in over thirty years."

He pushed one of the doors open and stepped into a lobby that contained a bustling crowd. Bodies moved in every direction throughout the huge space.

"What do we do now?"

"Split the Task Force. One part continues with the investigation into Sobel's whereabouts, the other deals with the potential bigger picture. I want you heading up the new section, Benson will cover the old. Keep things quiet and keep me updated."

"Absolutely," said Lapearle.

Both men navigated their way to the building's exit and stepped outside, unaware of how much stranger the investigation was about to get.