He dragged the body into the adjoining bathroom and placed it in the tub. He then returned to the stove. With tongs he took from his coat pocket, he affixed the now red-hot object to a small wooden handle, and carried it into the bathroom, where he branded the body.
He then took a large knife from his pants pocket. With it, he opened an incision from just above her navel to her crotch.
He turned on the water tap, rinsed the knife and cooled the branding instrument, and returned the items to one coat pocket, stuffing the folded clerical vest in the other.
From beginning to end, he had not removed his gloves.
He surveyed the apartment. All seemed as he wished.
He pulled his coat collar up around his neck and exited.
Once again, he checked the staircase and hallway, then the street. Once again, all seemed deserted. With a sense of resigned satisfaction, he left the scene.
Deadline for a Critic Page 34