I’d almost told Marshall something was wrong. But that would have been pointless, worrying him until I found out what was making the skin of my neck crawl.

I’d only switched on the central panel of lights, so the sides of the big room were still dark. Bobo had begun turning on lights and opening doors in the rear of the building. So I was by myself when I noticed the man lying on the bench in the far left corner.

I didn’t for one minute think he was asleep, not with the barbell across his neck. His arms were dangling awkwardly, his legs spraddled. There was a stain. There were lots of stains.

I was scrabbling at the switch plate behind me, trying not to take my eyes off that still figure, when Bobo came from the hall that led to Marshall’s office, the tanning beds, and the karate and aerobics room.

“Hey, Lily, you like Natural Morning Zap Tea? I didn’t see Del, but I found this bag in Marshall’s office…”

My fingers located the light switch for the left side of the room, and as Bobo looked to see what I was staring at, I flicked it up.

“Aw, shit,” said Bobo. We both stared at what was lying on the bench. We could see it all too clearly now.

Bobo scuttled sideways until he was behind me, looking over the top of my head. He put his hands on my shoulders, more to keep me firmly between him and It than to comfort me. “Aw… shit,” he said again, gulping ominously. Just at that moment, Bobo came down hard on the “boy” side of eighteen.

I had already encountered two nauseated males and it wasn’t even seven o’clock.

“I’ve got to go check,” I said. “If you’re going to throw up, go outside.”

“Check what? He’s dead as a doornail,” said Bobo, his big hands anchoring me firmly on his side of the service counter.

“Who is it, you reckon? Del?” Possibly I was stalling.