By the time the coroner arrived, O’Neill had already completed the area search. “Shame about the rain. I’ll get Fred to look downstream just in case anything got thrown in the river. Like his wallet.”

“Yeah, if God wants to throw you a bone this week,” Holliday said. “Don’t figure on the wallet. Keys, though. Funny, taking his keys.”

“What have you got here, Ben?” Doc Ritter said, using Holliday’s real name. “Been a long time since I’ve been called out on a murder.”

“Well, you tell me. Careful of the clothes, though-I’m still hoping to get some prints.”

“After the rain?”

“Well, I can hope. We sure don’t have much else. John Doe with his head smashed in and his pants down.”

The coroner looked at him.

“Yeah, I know. Sounds like that case down in Albuquerque. I guess the papers will be all over us, but let’s try to keep them out of it until I can talk to the boys down there. We could use a head start.”

“You’ve got the whole police force out on the Alameda in broad daylight and you’re trying to keep this quiet? You’ve got yourself some news here, Ben, is what you’ve got.”

“I don’t know what I’ve got, except a corpse. Take a look at his teeth for me, will you? He’s got a plate but not like one I’ve seen around here before. Maybe he’s from back east.”

“Who is he?”

“No idea. Clothes don’t tell me anything. Civilian, but he could be on leave. Maybe a tourist.”

“Yeah, welcome to Santa Fe, where the Old World meets the New. Not too many in April, though, usually.”

“Not since the war, that’s for sure. I’ll check the hotels, though, just in case. It’ll give them something to do.”

“Maybe he’s from the Hill.”

Holliday sighed. “Don’t say it.”

“But he may be.”

Holliday nodded. “Then we’ll have the whole fucking army breathing down our necks.”

“Better call post security anyhow. Maybe they’ve got somebody missing.”