Wednesday aftermoon, February 16, 1999 A solitary, deep bong resounded from the antique mantel clock lovingly restored by Sergeant-Detective Emile Cinq-Mars and placed on the top shelf of his office cubicle the same day the department had installed a computer on his desk. "What coincidence?" he'd snapped at the first person daring to ask the question. "A mouse needs a clock. If I'm under orders to live with one, the rest of you can damn well live with the other. Like it or not." If a riddle was involved, his colleagues presumed that an explanation would not be forthcoming anytime soon. From the Hardcover edition. Excerpted from Ice Lake: A Novel by John Farrow All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.