Uniformed officers held the public and press at bay. In the bath of red and blue lights, paramedics carried cases to their waiting trucks while medical examiners pulled gurneys from theirs.
Karrin stood on a stone path that led away from the main entrance. Two cops stood guard at the main gates to keep everyone out of the Conservatory. As inside the building, the landscaping around it was a pleasant walk in a garden.
Under a willow tree fifty yards off the pavement, four mummified bodies dressed in suburban clothes clean as if they came off the rack rested beneath the green, hanging branches. Judging by the clothing, two couples rested in the mulch and leaves. Their blackened, skeletal faces stared up into the branches.
"Dresden." Despite the hard edge in her voice, Karrin sounded relieved. She unfolded her arms. "Thanks for coming. The ME says their body temperature, what he can take from their dried livers, is 94.1. That makes their time of death less than three hours."