I’m digging my own grave.
27
Noelle had agreed to join Evan when he met with Dr. Peres to review her findings on the skeletal remains near the river.
The two detectives stopped at the open lab door in the medical examiner’s building where Dr. Peres had set up her investigation.
Investigations. Plural.
No other remains had been found in the area after the third skull, but Evan had requested that ground-penetrating radar be used in the area. He pitied the techs who had to get the machinery to the remote location.
“Come in,” Dr. Peres said from the far end of the large room. “I don’t bite.”
Her assistant snorted and shot a grin at her boss. “You like it when people think you do.”
“Only the idiots. I have no patience for stupid people.”
The detectives entered. The doctor had set up three tables, each with a partial skeleton laid out along with several clear bins holding more bones. Bones had been labeled in pencil with codes assigned by the forensic anthropologist. Evan immediately zeroed in on the table with the smallest remains, where Dr. Peres stood.
“What can you tell us, Doctor?” he asked.
“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.”