The clear liquid the masked man had been so careful to concoct must’ve been nitric acid. Was that the ‘burn, baby, burn’ clue?
Jeanna interjected, “I’ve called an ambulance.”
“I don’t need an ambulance,” Levi protested through clenched teeth, then winced. “Ow, ow.”
Broyles retrieved a two-pound bag of baking soda from the fridge and began pouring it over Levi’s drenched hand. After a few moments, he asked, “Feeling any better?”
Levi gripped his hand firmly, then uttered, “It’s not worsening.”
“Good.” Broyles gave Levi a hearty pat on the shoulder. “Keep it under running water until the paramedic arrives.”
“Quick thinking, Broyles. Well done,” Ezra commended. “How do we contain the caustic substance? And is there a risk of explosion? If I remember correctly, nitric acid and glycerin combine to form nitroglycerin, right?”
Broyles chuckled. “Not without sulfuric acid. And truthfully, if it were nitro, it would’ve blown up when Levi dropped it on the hard floor.” My eyes widened at the revelation. “Yep, kaboom. Enough to wipe us all out.”
I winced. “Glad to have dodged that.”
“Butyl rubber gloves or some other tool should be safe for handling it,” Broyles instructed Ezra. “And we can transport it in a glass dish.”
“I’ll leave the specifics to you,” Ezra deferred.
The soap’s composition lingered in my mind, one ingredient away from one of the most volatile explosives. Nitroglycerin required minimal provocation to detonate. You didn’t need to be a demolition expert to grasp the gravity of the situation or its potential lethality.
Had the Scented Stalker, as Levi dubbed him, attempted to produce nitroglycerin and failed? The attention-seeking lunatic spoke of illuminating the sky like the Fourth of July. If he had indeed created such a large quantity, it would’ve been catastrophic for us all.
“Nora, you mentioned he made an error,” Ezra interjected. “What did you witness?”
“It was him,” I recounted, “dressed entirely in blue this time, sporting blue rubber gloves and a Captain America mask. He was mimicking Jennifer Coolidge and said, ‘Light up the sky like the fourth of July. I’m coming in hot, dog, and the race is on. Wow, wow. Try an’ stop me. I’m unstoppable. Stop, drop, and roll, hero, or let it burn, baby, burn.’ All while making the soap.”
“Isn’t ‘stop, drop, and roll’ from ‘Legally Blonde’?” Pippa, who had been unusually quiet, chimed in.
“It’s bend and snap,” Broyles corrected, looking sheepish. “I have a friend who’s a fan of the ‘Legally Blonde’ movies.”
Reese entered. “Any potential evidence in the alley has been collected and sent to the station.” She surveyed the room, puzzled. “What did I miss?”
“Apparently, Jennifer Coolidge tried to blow us all up,” Pippa said, simplifying the events while exaggerating them.
“Not Jennifer Coolidge.” Reese’s brow furrowed, forming a deep crease. “I adored her in ‘Legally Blonde.’”
Jeanna and I exchanged knowing glances. A smirk played at the corner of her mouth.
Ezra cleared his throat, redirecting the conversation. “Where did he go wrong, Nora?”
“There was a chiming, more like a clang, in the background, like an old clock striking two,” I recalled. “I don’t think he expected me to hear it, because when the clock chimed, he muttered, ‘Well, shee-it,’ sounding like a man. Muffled, but definitely male.”
“Would you recognize it if you heard it again?” Ezra inquired.
“He had a mask on, so I’m uncertain. I didn’t recognize it during the vision.”
“It’s not much,” Broyles acknowledged.
“But it’s a lead,” I insisted. “At least now we know our suspect is male.”
“White and over forty,” I added.
Ezra met my gaze. “How did you determine that?”
“Ari deduced it,” I explained. “She said anyone born after nineteen ninety wouldn’t have used EZ Reader as a clue. They’d have used God from ‘Bruce Almighty’.”
