Chapter 181

Outside the dorm, Viktor watched from among the crowd of onlookers who had gathered at the arrival of the police and campus security. At least ten cruisers and three ambulances blocked the street now, their flashing rooftop lights painting the grass and the front of the building in dabs of blue and red. Yellow wooden sawhorses and crime scene tape kept the gawkers back.

A few moments ago, a crowd of young women had dashed out of the dorm. They were immediately surrounded by the earliest arriving cops and medical personnel. Viktor had moved as close to the cluster of coeds as he dared and listened in. He overheard words like “horrible,” “scary,” and his favorite, “freakin’ dead people.” He’d had to work hard to keep from smiling when he heard that one.

Near the dorm entrance, a squad of burly officers dressed in black flak jackets was preparing to enter the building. Whatever the final outcome had been inside, all the poli