Terry Odell - Mapleton 02 - Deadly Bones Read Online Free

it from all angles. “This is the only one?” he asked.
    “Yes, Sir,” Solomon said. “Animal Control found a dog burying it.”
    Asel frowned. “Interesting.” He squinted, turned the bone, mumbled under his breath. As if someone had thrown a switch, his demeanor switched from asshole to scholarly. He held the bone out toward Gordon and Solomon, pointing as he spoke. “It’s been well-chewed, although I’m not sure all these teeth marks are recent. It’s the ends that tell us the most. However, despite the damage, I have no doubt that what we have is a human humerus.”
     

Chapter 3
     
    Although Gordon had been expecting it, hearing the word “human” still hit him like a jab to the gut. From the expression on Asel’s face, Gordon knew better than to question his findings. For a moment, he couldn’t speak at all.
    “How old was the victim?” Solomon’s question brought Gordon back on task. Right. Knowing as much as possible about the bone might help them find its original owner.
    “It’s impossible to pinpoint,” Asel said. “But it’s clear that the epiphyses are closed, so we’re looking at someone at least twenty-five years old.”
    “What?” Gordon said, still trying to absorb the radical change in Asel.
    Asel pointed to a spot near the ends of the bone. “Here. These are growth plates. When they close, you stop growing. That usually happens in your mid-twenties.”
    “Got it. Can you tell whether it was a male or female?” Gordon asked.
    “With DNA, yes. Which I doubt we’ll get approval for, unless we know we’re going to have something to match it to. Low priority, too costly, and it’ll take some time. The experts might be able to speculate based on the diameter of the bone’s head—if we had it. The dog destroyed most of it, but it’s a remote possibility.”
    Where had Mister Intellectual Nice Guy come from? No matter. As long as Asel was on a roll, Gordon wasn’t going to question it. “How about overall height?”
    Asel held the bone by its ends. “There’s a formula for determining height based on the length of the bone. Another job for the experts.”
    “One more question,” Solomon said. “How long has this bone been in the ground?”
    Asel pursed his lips. “Can’t say. My guess—and it’s strictly a guess—is between thirty and forty years.” His lips curved in what might have been a smile. “I apologize for my earlier… attitude. You interrupted what was supposed to be a private celebration, and my wife was none too happy about the call out. My boss seems to take perverse pleasure in sticking me with the… least desirable shifts, the no-brainer cases. Usually I feel like that doctor on Star Trek . You know, always saying, ‘He’s dead.’ Gets to be a royal pain. However, this”—he gestured with the bone—“presents an interesting puzzle. I’ll take it to the forensic anthropology lab and follow up myself.”
    “We’ll walk you out,” Gordon said. He and Solomon exchanged a Who’da thunk it? glance as Gordon retrieved his handkerchief before they led the way down the trail.
    “Without wanting to sound too much like Columbo,” Solomon said once they reached their vehicles, “I have one more question.”
    This time Asel’s smile was unmistakable. “Ask away.”
    Solomon glanced at Gordon, but quickly looked away, focusing his attention on Asel. “What kind of a priority would you give searching for the place where this bone was found? You know, in case there are more?”
    “More bones would make the possibility of identification easier,” Asel said. “And, although that job is one for the detectives, not forensics workers, once you know who the body belonged to, the more likely you are to solve the puzzle.”
    Solomon gave Gordon a look that was all too reminiscent of Artie’s eagerness to connect with that bone. “It wouldn’t hurt to look for the original scene.” At Gordon’s frown, he added, “I’m on the clock until oh six