Tricky Twenty-Two(57)

“Fireworks,” I said.

“I know something about fireworks and these aren’t typical. Besides the usual components these are designed to hold a containment package.”

“A stink bomb?”

“Not likely. The odor would disperse too quickly.”

“What then?”

“I don’t know. I don’t see anything unusual here that he might want to put inside the shell.”

“Was there anything in his apartment?”

“Fleas,” Ranger said.

“What would he do with the fleas?”

“How crazy is this professor? Is he terrorist crazy?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve had limited contact. He’s angry. Doesn’t seem to like the school. I know from Monica Linken that he was turned down for tenure and his research was defunded.”

“When I was going through the papers I found several articles on Unit 731 and aerial dispersion of pathogens.”

“What’s Unit 731?”

“It was a unit of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. It was engaged in covert biological and chemical warfare research and development. I’m mentioning this because the articles were on Pooka’s desk, and not warehoused in a stack in a corner. I didn’t read through the articles, so I don’t know if they’re relevant, but I know that one of the Unit 731 projects involved bubonic plague and fleas. The Japanese army infected fleas with the plague and dropped them from planes on the Chinese countryside. Supposedly they killed thousands of people. Maybe hundreds of thousands.”

“Omigod. Pooka’s fleas. Do you think he’s planning on dropping plague-infected fleas at homecoming?”

“Not sure where he’d get plague, but he has a lot of fleas. Someone would have to be really sick to disseminate plague.”

I was looking at the red and silver tins. “What are these?”

“Blasting grade black powder. It’s used as a bursting charge. Pooka isn’t much of a housekeeper. He’s obviously spilled some on the floor and not cleaned it up. You don’t want to light a match around this stuff. Be careful not to step in it.”

I pulled my phone out and called Morelli.

“I found the black powder,” I said. “Meet me at the Zeta house.”





TWENTY-ONE


RANGER STAYED UNTIL Morelli arrived and then he took off, picked up by one of his patrolmen.

Morelli stood hands on hips, looking around the cellar.

“Fireworks,” he said. “The lab should have picked up on that. This is blasting powder. Gun enthusiasts use a different grade.”

“Pooka is the only one with a key to the cellar,” I told Morelli.

“How did you and Ranger get in?”

“I suspected Gobbles might be down here, so we let ourselves in. I also suspected Gobbles might be in Pooka’s apartment so we let ourselves in there, too.”

Morelli looked like he was in pain. “Do I want to know this?”

“For you to decide. I have pictures.”

“Body parts in the fridge?” he asked.

“Blood.”

“What?”

“He had a bag that looked like it contained blood in his refrigerator. And he had dead mice in his freezer. I think he was feeding it to his fleas.”

“Fleas. Why doesn’t he just get his fleas a dog like everyone else?”

“He’s raising the fleas. He’s got aquariums all over his apartment, and they’re filled with fleas.”

“You’re making this up.”

“I swear.” I gave him my phone. “Thumb through the pictures.”

“This is Pooka’s apartment?”

“Pictures don’t do it justice. You can’t smell pictures.”

“Here’s my problem,” Morelli said. “All this might prove is that the murder victims were in this cellar. I have nothing that connects it to the murder weapon.”

“Do you know about Unit 731?”

“Yes. The Japanese army had a facility where they performed horrible acts in the name of science.”

“And they dropped fleas that were contaminated with bubonic plague on the Chinese,” I said.

“Did you see any vials of bubonic plague in Pooka’s apartment?”

“No, but some of the vials weren’t labeled.”

Even as I said it I felt like an idiot. I mean, the whole thing was too bizarre and hard to believe.

“Was that a serious question?” I asked Morelli.

“I think so, but it’s so far-fetched I’m almost embarrassed I asked it.”

“The fireworks Pooka was building have a place to put a little canister of something or other,” I said. “Originally it was supposed to be a stink bomb, but the plan might have gotten changed, and maybe he was planning on exploding fleas over the campus at homecoming.”