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“Run the pictures again,” she said.

Dan did.

“How often did they take these?”

“Every fifteen minutes,” Dan said. “Just like your instructions specify.”

Amos and Margaret exchanged a glance.

“What is it?” Clarence asked.

“This guy decomposed more rapidly than anyone we’ve encountered,” Amos said. “Twice as fast as before, maybe even faster.”

Clarence grimaced. “How about the others? We have names and addresses of everyone who was here at the time or came after?”

Dan nodded. “The troopers got everyone’s ID, license plates, registrations, the works.”

“Clarence,” Margaret said, “we need to have Murray get agents to every one of those people and run the swab test.”

“Yes ma’am.” Clarence moved to the third computer chair and grabbed the phone.

“But Margo,” Amos said, “it’s not contagious.”

“Not from host to host,” Margaret said. “But the McMillians were infected later, remember? Whatever the vector is, it might be persistent, lying on clothes or hair. And looking at these pictures, the disease has mutated, at least to some extent—as far as we know, now it could be contagious.”

Amos nodded. “Better safe than sorry, I suppose.”

“Everyone followed precise biohazard procedures,” Dan said. “We treated it like it was a strain of ebola that could do a stutter-step, fake you out, then jump in your pants if you weren’t careful. Mister Jewell’s remains are in the Trailer B body locker. Each piece of clothing is in a separate biohazard container, in case you want them.”

Otto put the phone on his shoulder and looked back at Amos. “Twenty bucks says Doctor Dan put each sock in a separate bag.”

“You’re on,” Amos said.

Dan smiled. “I even labeled the sock bags left and right. Sorry, Doctor Braun.”

“Call me Amos, you incredibly diligent and overwhelmingly a.n.a.l-retentive young man.” Amos pulled the folded twenty from his pants pocket and handed it over to Otto without looking away from the screen.

The young doctor impressed Margaret. “For someone who has no idea what’s really going on, you did a h.e.l.l of a job, Dan,” she said. “Looks like we’re ready to rock. Let me see pictures of the girl’s remains.”

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