The detective slipped a plastic bag over his hand and reached into the fountain to retrieve a bagel that was floating slowly by.


    "Is that a finger?", asked another officer as he pointed to something laying on the stone rim of the fountain.


    "Looks like it. Tell crime-scene to grab some shots of that and around the perimeter, too." He held the bagged bagel up close to his face and illuminated it with his flashlight. "I hate poppy seeds. They get stuck in your teeth. Eat one of these and you''ll be pulling them out for a week."


    "Well, I wouldn''t suggest eating that one. And Jesus, man. Practice some good oral hygiene. If you brush your teeth, the seeds aren''t a problem." With his flashlight, the second officer scanned the ground, trying to imagine the events that transpired. "So, Steve, got any theories?"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Steve glanced at his notebook and back at the smattering of broken headstones, smoking patches of grass, and then back to his notebook. "Let''s see, we''ve got a crime scene in the oldest cemetery in the city. We''ve got what appears to be the dismembered..."


    "Exploded." interjected the other officer. "Forensics say the burn marks indicate he exploded."


    "Right. EXPLODED remains of a Caucasian male. Another corpse burnt to an unidentifiable crisp. What looks like exhumed remains. Hundreds of casings from multiple calibers of weapons. Impact points in every direction that indicates it was a pray-n-spray. Tire tracks that appear to be from a truck or SUV. Apparent burn marks on a dozen headstones and crypts.  No signs or connections to known drug activity or gangs. And given the corpse...or at least the upper torso, was still wearing a gold necklace, it kind of rules out a robbery. Am I forgetting anything?"


    "The bagel."


    "Oh. And a half-eaten bagel. So, yeah. One theory."


    "Oh yeah? What''s that?"