"Someday you oughta add a chapter to your book about running crime scenes in spooky locations," she joked out of nervousness. "Okay, I'm going silent now, Rhyme. I'll call you back."

Rhyme and Cooper returned to the evidence. In the corridor on the way to intake in the Tombs Sachs had recovered the blade from the razor knife and fragments of beef bone and gray sponge-to simulate skull and brain matter-as well as samples of the fake blood: sugar syrup with red food coloring. He'd used his jacket or shirt to wipe up as much of his real blood as he could from the floor and the cuffs but Sachs had run the scene as methodically as ever and she'd recovered enough of a sample for analysis. He'd taken with him the key or lock picks he'd used to undo the cuffs. There was no other helpful evidence in the corridor scene.

The janitor's closet downstairs where he'd done his quick change yielded more-a paper bag in which he'd hidden the bloody squib and bladder and what he'd been wearing when they'd collared him at Grady's: the gray suit, the white shirt he'd used to wipe up and a pair of Oxford businessman's shoes. Cooper had found substantial trace evidence on these items: additional latex and makeup, bits of magician's adhesive wax, streaks of ink similar to those they'd found earlier, thick nylon fibers and dried smears of more fake blood.

The fibers turned out to be charcoal-gray carpet. The phony blood was paint. The databases they had access to didn't give any information about either of these materials so he sent the chemical-composition analysis and photos down to the FBI, with an urgent request for sourcing.

Then an idea occurred to Rhyme. "Kara," he called, seeing the girl sitting next to Mel Cooper, rolling a quarter over her fingers as she stared at the computer image of a fiber. "Can you help us out with one thing?"

"Sure."

"Could you go over to the Cirque Fantastique and find Kadesky? Tell him about the escape and see if there's anything else he can remember about Weir. Any illusions he particularly liked, characters or disguises he kept going back to, what sort of routines he repeated most often. . . . Anything that'll give us an idea of what he might look like."

"Maybe he's got some old clippings or pictures of Weir in costume," she suggested, slinging her black-and-white purse over her shoulder.

He told her that was a good idea and then returned to the evidence chart, which still stood as testimony to his earlier observation: the more they learned, the less they knew.

THE CONJURER.

Music School Crime Scene Perp's description: Brown hair, fake beard, no distinguishing, medium build, medium height, age: fifties. Ring and little fingers of left hand fused together. Changed costume quickly to resemble old, bald janitor.

* No apparent motive.

* Victim: Svetlana Rasnikov.

* Full-time music student.

* Checking family, friends, students, coworkers for possible leads.

* No boyfriends, no known enemies. Performed at children's birthday parties.

* Circuit board with speaker attached.

* Sent to FBI lab, NYC.

* Digital recorder, probably containing perp's voice. All data destroyed.

* Voice recorder is a "gimmick." Homemade.

* Used antique iron handcuffs to restrain victim.

* Handcuffs are Darby irons. Scotland Yard. Checking with Houdini Museum in New Orleans for leads.

* Sold to Erick Weir last month. Sent to Denver P.O. box. No other leads.

* Destroyed victim's watch at exactly 8:00 A. M.

* Cotton string holding chairs. Generic. Too many sources to trace.

* Squib for gunshot effect. Destroyed.

* Too many sources to trace.

* Fuse. Generic.

* Too many sources to trace.

* Responding officers reported flash in air. No trace material recovered.

* Was from flash cotton or flash paper.

* Too many sources to trace.

* Perp's shoes: size 10 Ecco.

* Silk fibers, dyed gray, processed to a matte finish.

* From quick-change janitor's outfit.

* Unsub is possibly wearing brown wig.

* Red pignut hickory and Parmelia conspersa lichen, both found primarily in Central Park.

* Dirt impregnated with unusual mineral oil. Sent to FBI for analysis.

* Tack-Pure oil for saddles and leather.

* Black silk, 72 x 48". Used as camouflage. Not traceable.

* Illusionists use this frequently.

* Wears caps to cover up prints.

* Magician's finger cups.

* Traces of latex, castor oil, makeup.

* Theatrical makeup.

* Traces of alginate.

* Used in molding latex appliances.

* Murder weapon: white silk-knit rope with black silk core.

* Rope is a magic trick. Color-changing. Not traceable.

* Unusual knot.

* Sent to FBI and Maritime Museum-no information.

* Knots are from Houdini routines, virtually impossible to untie.

* Used disappearing ink on sign-in register.

East Village Crime Scene * Victim Two: Tony Calvert.

* Makeup artist, theater company.

* No known enemies.

* No apparent connection with first victim.

* No apparent motive.

Cause of death: * Blunt-object trauma to head followed by postmortem dismemberment with crosscut saw.

* Perp escaped portraying woman in her 70s. Checking vicinity for discarded costume and other evidence.

* Nothing recovered.

* Watch smashed at 12:00 exactly.

* Pattern? Next victim presumably at 4:00 P. M.

* Perp hid behind mirror. Not traceable. Fingerprints sent to FBI.

* No matches.

* Used cat toy ("feke") to lure victim into alley. Toy is untraceable.

* Additional mineral oil found, same as at first scene. Awaiting FBI report.

* Tack-Pure oil for saddles and leather.

* Additional latex and makeup from finger cups.

* Additional alginate.

* Ecco shoes left behind.

* Dog hairs found in shoes, from three different breeds of dog. Manure too.

* Manure from horses, not dogs.

Hudson River and Related Crime Scenes * Victim: Cheryl Marston.

* Attorney.

* Divorced but husband not a suspect.

* No motive.

* Perp gave name as "John." Had scars on neck and chest. Deformed hand confirmed.

* Perp did quick change to unbearded businessman in chinos and dress shirt, then biker in denim Harley shirt.

* Car is in Harlem River.

* Duct tape gag. Can't be traced.

* Squibs, same as before. Can't be traced.

* Chains and snap fixtures, generic, not traceable.

* Rope, generic, not traceable.

* Additional makeup, latex and Tack-Pure.

* Gym bag, made in China, not traceable.

Containing: * Traces of date-rape drug flunitrazepam.

* Adhesive magician's wax, not traceable.

* Brass (?) shavings. Sent to FBI.

* Consistent with clockwork mechanism, possible bomb timer.

* Permanent ink, black.

* Navy-blue windbreaker found, no initials or laundry marks.

Containing: * Press pass for CTN cable network, issued to Stanley Saferstein. (He's not suspect-NCIC, VICAP search negative.) * Plastic hotel key card, American Plastic Cards, Akron, Ohio. Model APC-42, negative on prints.

* CEO is searching for sales records.

* Dets. Bedding and Saul canvassing hotels.

* Narrowed down to Chelsea Lodge, Beckman and Lanham Arms.

* Hotel is Lanham Arms.