The First Death (Columbia River, #4)(51)

“First I can admit I was wrong out in the field. This is a male.”

Evan caught his breath as he stared at the empty dark hollows where a little boy’s eyes should be.

Rowan’s brother?

“You didn’t say for certain it was female,” said Noelle. “You made it clear to us that you weren’t sure.”

“Thank you for that,” said Dr. Peres. “Frankly, I shouldn’t have speculated out loud.”

“We pressured you,” said Evan. He could tell the incorrect guess was bothering the doctor. She was a perfectionist. “But go on.”

“Male,” she repeated. “Age eight to twelve. We also found short, dark hair where the skull should have been in relation to the rest of his remains. Like I had said, somehow the skull was moved a short way. Most likely an animal.”

Evan didn’t rule out Malcolm because the age range skewed high. Malcolm was seven when kidnapped, but he could have died later.

“Any indication of cause of death?” asked Noelle.

“I can tell you what isn’t the cause of death,” said the doctor. “It wasn’t a head injury, and there are no indications of damage to the bones from a bullet or knife—that doesn’t eliminate those. They could have been in soft tissue. The hyoid is missing, so I can’t evaluate if he was strangled. All three sets of remains have many missing small bones. Again, animals at work.” She picked up the small skull and narrowed her brows as she studied it. “I know you want to determine if this is Malcolm Wolff, so I requested the dental films from his original file with the sheriff’s department. My forensic odontologist picked them up and immediately began her examination.” She looked from Evan to Noelle. “I haven’t ruled out that this is Rowan’s brother, but maybe Dr. Harper can. She’s down the hall on your right.”

Evan glanced at the other two sets of skeletal remains. They deserved equal attention. But if he could quickly eliminate the possibility that this was Rowan’s brother, he could focus better.

He and Noelle headed down the hall, glancing into open offices until they found a petite woman frowning at a computer screen. There were dental X-rays on the screen, so Evan figured they were in the right place. “Are you Dr. Harper?”

The woman turned toward them and stood, her hand outstretched. “Yes, I am. You must be the detectives on this case? Victoria said you’d stop by today.”

She had a wide smile and warm brown eyes. She seemed too young to be a forensic odontologist, but Evan wisely kept his mouth shut. He made introductions. “You’re working on the dental comparison for the young male that was found the other day?”

“Yes. Please call me Lacey.” Dr. Harper cast a longing glance at Noelle’s shoes. “I love your shoes.”

Evan studied the burgundy heels. They looked like torture to him.

“Thank you,” said Noelle.

After a last look at the shoes, Dr. Harper picked up two tiny pieces of plastic off her desk. “These are the X-rays that Malcolm Wolff’s dentist sent twenty-five years ago, when Deschutes County was investigating his disappearance.” She glared at the films. “They’re shitty copies. They’re too dark.”

“Why would they send poor films?” asked Noelle.

“I suspect an office staff member made the copies. Many don’t know how to recognize a quality film. Anyway, I scanned them and did my best to lighten them.”

“They seem too small,” said Evan, thinking of dental films he’d seen in the past.

The forensic odontologist nodded. “They are standard child-size bitewing films. Smaller than used for adults.”

“I thought everyone used digital films,” said Noelle.

“Definitely not every office twenty-five years ago,” said Dr. Harper. “And some dental offices still don’t today.”

“So what did you find?” asked Evan, impatient for answers.

The dentist sighed. “I can’t confirm it’s Malcolm Wolff. There isn’t enough here to make a positive identification. These films were taken when he was five—two years before he was kidnapped—and show nothing out of the ordinary I can use as a marker for a comparison. I can see baby molars and part of his first adult molars. No fillings. No cavities. No distinctly shaped teeth.” She returned to the computer and clicked her mouse. “On the screen are the digital films I took today of the skull.”

“You took a lot,” said Evan.

“I wanted to be thorough. This many are not taken on a regular basis in a private practice. Especially on a child.”

There were at least a dozen films on the screen.

“The films I took today show a child with a mixed dentition,” said Dr. Harper. “He’s lost many of the baby teeth, and several of the adult ones are erupting into his mouth.”

“So you can’t compare the films, because the old ones show mostly baby teeth,” said Evan.

“Correct. Granted, I can see part of the first adult molars in the original films, but I can’t say without a doubt that they are the same first molars in the films I took today.”

Dr. Harper touched her mouse, and a wide film of the skull’s entire jaw appeared. “If I had been given the films I took today, I’d estimate this child to be closer to age twelve because of the eruption schedule. I know Victoria has said between eight and twelve, and I’ll defer to her experience. She has a lot more information to work with from the child’s skeleton.”