Chapter 22: The Blank Centers

At twelve minutes past midnight, Su Yue arranged for a killer to enter through the rear window. "You have prepared a lawful invitation," Mo said. Hollis checked the magazine in his sidearm. "Please never use that phrase in a report." The condemned association hall had two doors, seven boarded windows, and a coal chute beneath the old kitchen. Tactical officers covered all but the window whose dust had been disturbed. Ruiz had mounted a camera above it, angled to record the sill and the black device if the attacker carried one. In the cellar, Mara Keene lay beside the capped well. Her monitor counted an uneven rhythm. Desai knelt near her feet with a small gray machine whose screen showed blood moving inside the body, while Mo held the ninth crossing open at Mara's neck. The lock had pulled twice since sunset while its maker tested it. Su stood at…