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Chapter 71: Better Than My Grandfather's Craftsmanship
The forensic scientist stepped forward and carefully accepted the ulna and radius bones, while Theodore took possession of the knotted rope.
Bernie remained standing in the muddy river with his arms outstretched, but nobody was paying him any attention.
He shook his head in resignation, climbed up the bank with assistance from a patrol officer, stripped down to his underwear, and climbed into the patrol car.
During the return journey, Theodore extracted the rope and examined it repeatedly under the vehicle's interior light.
The rope didn't resemble any industrial product; it appeared to be handmade, woven from natural materials. The fibres were already rotting and looked quite old.
Bernie glanced over and offered his assessment to Theodore: it had most likely been washed downstream from a hunting trap somewhere in the nearby mountains.
Theodore looked at him with interest.
"This is a slipknot snare, a knot commonly used by experienced hunters," Bernie explained.
"Some old-timers prefer using local materials, weaving ropes from mountain vines. They believe wild animals have keen senses of smell, and such natural ropes are less likely to be detected by their prey."
After providing this explanation, he asked Theodore for his preliminary opinion on the case.
Theodore examined the knot once more and shook his head slowly.
He still couldn't determine with certainty whether this constituted a homicide investigation.
Given the complexity of the river's watershed, it was impossible to establish whether the rope and bones originated from the same source or had simply become tangled together during the flood.
He would need to wait for the new forensic laboratory supervisor to complete the autopsy report before making any definitive assessment.
Returning to the police station, Theodore reported the scene conditions to Wenner, who expressed agreement with his cautious approach.
Wenner then inquired about their impressions of the new forensic laboratory supervisor.
Bernie answered truthfully that the new supervisor hadn't visited the scene at all.
Theodore offered no opinion about the new supervisor. He simply stated, "If Samuel had been there, we would already know the cause of death by now."
Wenner frowned and asked directly, "Are you expressing dissatisfaction with the new appointment?"
He proceeded to introduce the new forensic laboratory supervisor, a medical professor from Felton University, who held numerous professional credentials that his office wall couldn't accommodate.
Theodore remained indifferent to academic titles. If he desired, he could easily accumulate credentials lengthy enough to fill several pages.
Wenner appeared somewhat helpless and requested they attempt to adapt to the new arrangement.
Not until the afternoon of the following day, after colleagues assisting the Patrol Department had all returned to regular duties, did the forensic laboratory's report finally arrive, conspicuously late.
The report was extraordinarily thick, packed separately into two bulging file folders.
The front section contained numerous photographs, hand-drawn sketches, and comparative analyses. The middle was dense with professional medical terminology, with only the final two pages containing actual conclusions.
The larger skull displayed a vertical forehead, smooth brow ridge, completely fused sutures, moderately worn molars, and no dental cavities. Estimated to belong to an adult female, aged 30-50 years.
The smaller skull showed a circular fracture around the foramen magnum at the occipital bone's base, with the mandible missing entirely. Sutures remained unfused, permanent teeth had not erupted, and the lower jaw was absent. Estimated age 6-12 years, gender undetermined.
Both skulls exhibited dense parallel knife marks along the zygomatic arches and supraorbital margins. The larger skull showed a carefully chiselled notch at the nasal bone's root.
The bone surfaces felt rough to the touch, displayed yellowing consistent with age, and the estimated time of death was 5-6 years prior.
These represented two quite standard autopsy reports by professional forensic standards.
The report was delivered directly to Wenner's desk. After reviewing it thoroughly, his expression grew serious, but he didn't immediately summon team members to announce the start of the investigation.
The autopsy report clearly indicated this case was five or six years old, essentially a cold case.
Another consideration was that Felton's oppressive summer was finally ending, cooler weather was approaching, and the population was regaining their energy and activity levels.
Peak homicide season was about to arrive.
The Homicide Team possessed limited resources and energy. Experienced detectives had already begun filing away old cases and entering a state of rest and preparation for the anticipated increase in workload.
Was it appropriate to commit precious resources to an aged case?
Wenner extracted two chocolate candies and placed them in his mouth, then took two more, followed by another pair, before finally reaching his decision.
He summoned Theodore and Bernie to his office and handed over the complete autopsy report.
Bernie initially attempted to read the opening pages, discovered they were completely incomprehensible, and simply flipped to the conclusion section.
Theodore methodically read every page.
This autopsy report was remarkably comprehensive, giving him the sensation of reviewing university lecture notes during his academic years.
After completing both reports, Theodore requested the ulna and radius analysis from Wenner, but was informed it hadn't been submitted yet.
When Wenner asked for his preliminary assessment, Theodore indicated he preferred to review the forearm bone analysis before offering any conclusions.
Wenner pushed both reports across his desk. "This case is now your primary responsibility."
...
Leaving Wenner's office, the partners proceeded directly to the forensic laboratory.
Theodore wanted to examine the ulna and radius bones that weren't included in the written report.
They encountered the new laboratory supervisor during their visit.
He was a middle-aged man wearing a classic grey three-piece suit and wire-rimmed spectacles.
He introduced himself as Gary Mitchell, a university professor, and was currently creating detailed sketches for the forearm bone analysis.
Upon inquiry, Theodore received a verbal preliminary conclusion:
These two bones were relatively well-preserved, with an estimated time of death ranging from 5-8 years prior.
Theodore asked whether the forearm bones belonged to the same individual as the larger skull. Gary cautiously responded with "cannot rule out this possibility."
He then inquired about potential relationships between the large and small skulls. Gary again employed his standard "cannot rule out this possibility" response.
Theodore studied Gary with growing frustration. Gary adjusted his spectacles and met his gaze directly.
The atmosphere grew distinctly uncomfortable.
"What exactly can you be certain about?" Bernie broke the tense silence.
Gary pointed to his written report.
"Do you believe they represent a mother-child relationship?" Bernie pressed.
Gary cautiously shook his head. "Cannot rule out this possibility."
Bernie grasped Theodore's arm, turned around, and departed immediately.
He found himself missing that old, limping Samuel tremendously.
Leaving the forensic laboratory, Bernie asked Theodore about their next investigative steps.
Theodore extracted the hand-drawn sketches depicting the zygomatic bone, eye socket, and nasal bone root from the report, pointed to the marked incisions, and inquired,
"Why would the perpetrator treat victims in this manner?"
Bernie examined the drawings, visualised the implications, and suggested, "Torture?"
Theodore nodded and elaborated, "Or collecting trophies."
"Collecting trophies?"
Theodore located the complete skull drawings and explained, "Some killers enjoy collecting victims' personal belongings or body parts as commemorative trophies."
"They can examine these trophies and psychologically relive the pleasure derived from their crimes."
Bernie attempted to imagine such behavior but found the concept utterly incomprehensible.
He began regarding Theodore with an increasingly complex expression.
Now he was ninety per cent convinced Theodore wasn't entirely normal. Otherwise, what ordinary person would conceive such thoughts?
Perhaps this was the psychological cost of communicating with supernatural entities?
Bernie pondered this privately, uncertain how to address the matter with Theodore.
Theodore remained unaware of Bernie's internal speculation. He continued, "Certain unusual religious rituals also produce similar markings."
Bernie recalled Theodore's previous mention of voodoo practices. "Similar to inscribing a target's name on a curse doll?"
Theodore responded vaguely and fell silent.
Bernie took the report and began examining the internal illustrations more carefully. He hadn't properly studied the detailed drawings previously.
As he reviewed them, his movement ceased entirely.
He located the drawings of the eye sockets and zygomatic bones and directed Theodore's attention to them.
"These should be knife marks from specimen preparation."
Pointing to the enlarged parallel incision marks in the illustration, he explained,
"This represents a method for removing facial soft tissue; it's used when creating skull specimens. I observed my grandfather employing this technique during my childhood."
He gestured toward his own eye socket area. "He possessed a massive longhorn bull skull specimen, and the scratches around the eye socket were identical to these markings."
"Judging by the technique quality, this work appears superior to my grandfather's craftsmanship. These knife marks are evenly distributed, arranged with precision and natural flow. This should be the work of a master specimen preparator."
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