Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Three

Rhyme continued to examine the physical evidence, desperately trying to find some connection among the seemingly unrelated metal particles, plastic debris and dust collected at the crime scene, sparking the imagination and helping Sachs figure out what happened to Gott. Where to connect that deadly cable to the water line that runs from Morningside Heights to Harlem. If that's what he actually did. Stimulate the imagination...that's an awkward word, he thought. Sachs continued to search Morningside Park, looking for the cable that ran from the power line to the water main.He knew Sachs would be uneasy—there was no way to find the cable but to look closer and find where it joined the water pipe.He recalled the way Sachs had spoken, the blank eyes, yesterday when he described the metal particles from the arc-flash accident that had battered Louis Martin's body.

Dozens of uniformed officers were dispatched from the nearest police station to evacuate people from buildings near Morningside Park and the plumbing project.But can't electricity be transmitted to any corner along the cast iron water pipe?Can't it cause an arc flashover in a kitchen a mile away? Could it be in his own kitchen, the one where Tom was standing by the sink? Rhyme glanced at the clock on the computer screen.If they couldn't find that wire within sixty minutes, the answer would be revealed. Sacks called back: "Lyme, nothing. Maybe I'm mistaken. I'm also thinking that the transmission line must cross the subway tunnel somewhere. What if the murderer laid the cable and attacked the subway cars? I also have to search the subway tunnel." "

"Sachs, we're still on the phone with Algonquin, trying to narrow it down. I'll call you back," he called to Mel Cooper. "Anything?" Cooper was on the phone with a supervisor at the Algonquin Control Center.According to the order given by Antti Jason, he and his staff are trying their best to find out if there is any voltage fluctuation in a specific area of ​​the transmission line.This might be possible because sensors are installed every few hundred feet to alert the power company if there is an insulation or voltage drop on the transmission line.They might have a chance to pinpoint exactly where Gott tampered with the power lines, leading the deadly cables to the surface.

But Cooper said, "Nothing. Sorry." Rhyme closed his eyes.The headaches he'd avoided earlier were now intensifying.He wondered if the pain was coming from somewhere else.Quadriplegic people always have this concern.Without pain, you never know what your rebellious body is up to.If a tree falls in the forest, of course there will be noise, even if there is no one in the forest.However, if you can't feel pain, does pain exist? Rhyme realized that these thoughts only made him depressed.He also knows well that he often does this recently.He wasn't sure why.But he couldn't get rid of these thoughts.

What was even more queer was that, unlike yesterday when he had quarreled with Tom at this hour, he didn't want any whiskey today.He almost resented the thought of whiskey. It upset him more than the headache. He scanned the evidence charts, but his eyes skipped over the words, as if they were written in some foreign script, and although he had learned it in school, he hadn't used it in years.Then his gaze settled on the physical evidence chart again, following the gradual flow of electricity from the power plant to the people's homes.The voltage is gradually reduced. 138,000 volts...

Rhyme had Mel Cooper call Somers at Algonquin. "Special Projects." "Is that Charlie Somers?" "Exactly." "I'm Lincoln Rhyme. I work with Emilia Sachs." "Oh, yes, she mentioned you," said Somers softly. "I've heard it was Ray Gott, one of our employees. Is that true?" "It seems so. Mr. Somers—" "Hey, just call me Charlie. I feel like an honorary policeman." "Okay, Charlie. Are you following what's going on?" “The grid is showing on my laptop screen. Andy Jason — our president — asked me to monitor the grid.”

"How long until that thing is fixed, what's it called? A switchyard in a burning substation." "Two or three hours. That line is still out of control. We're going to cut that line, there's nothing we can do but turn off power to most of New York City... What can I do for you?" "Yes. I need to know more about arc flashovers. Looks like Gaut took a mains line, a transmission line grade line, ran the cable to the water main, and—" "No, no. He wouldn't do that." "Why not?" "That's the ground connection. Once the electricity touches the water pipe, it will short-circuit."

Rhyme thought about it.Another thought occurred to him, "What if he's just playing tricks and pretending to be plugged into a power line? Maybe he's actually planted a small trap somewhere else. How much voltage do you need to start an arc?" "It takes 130,000 volts for an arc flash to cause massive damage, but you can generate an arc flash with a much smaller voltage. The point is, the voltage exceeds what the cable or terminal carrying the current can handle. The arc Jumping from that cable to another cable - that is, phase-to-phase fire; or jumping to the ground, that is, phase-to-ground fire. In the case of civil current, only electric sparks will occur, and no arc flashover will occur. At most Around 200 volts. As the voltage gets closer to 400 volts, a small arc is possible. Above 600 volts, there is a high probability of arcing. But only at medium to high voltages are you seeing serious injuries arc."

"So a thousand volts would do?" "If the circumstances are right, sure." Rhyme stared at the map of Manhattan, focusing on where Sachs was at the moment.This news multiplied the number of locations from which Gott could plan an attack manyfold. "But why did you ask me about arc flash?" Somers asked. "Because," replied Rhyme absent-mindedly, "in less than an hour, Gott will kill people again." "Oh, so did Gott's letter say anything about arcs?" It occurred to Rhyme that he hadn't mentioned it, "No." "Then you're just assuming he's going to kill with an arc."

Rhyme hated the word "assumption" and all its derivatives.He was angry with himself, wondering if they had missed something important, "Go on, Charlie." "An electric arc is impressive, but also the most ineffective way to use electricity as a weapon. You can't control it well, and you never know where it ends up. Look at the events of yesterday morning. I said, Gott's target was a bus, but he didn't do what he wanted... Do you want to know how I can kill people with electricity?" Immediately Lincoln Rhyme said, "I'm all ears." Then he tilted his head close to the microphone and listened intently.