It had been cored from his head like a bruise from an apple, and he had nothing left but the memory of its shape. And even as he acknowledged this, that memory too began to fade. “Where is my murder?” he said. Dr. Cull smiled and took him by the elbow. “We’re launching soon,” he said. “This will be the first of many explorations. We can watch it from the garden if you’d like. Afterward, I’ll fill you with murders.” Cull certainly tried. But Charlie had an appetite beyond his imagining.
