Page 46 of Silent Scream

‘So,’ Keats said. ‘We have the three key people to get to the bottom of this crime. The person who will uncover the clues, the person that will explain the clues and the person who will pull it all together and give us a murderer.’

Kim ignored him and stood beside Doctor Bate.

‘Is there anything you can tell us on first inspection?’

He rubbed his chin. ‘Yes, I can definitely confirm that there are bones in that pit.’

Kim sighed. ‘Well, I can see that myself, Doctor Bate.’

‘I understand that you want immediate answers but I have yet to touch the bones and will not presume anything until I have.’

‘Relative of yours?’ she asked Keats.

Keats laughed. ‘I knew you two would hit it off.’

She turned back to the doctor. ‘Surely you can offer something?’

‘Okay, I can tell you that this poor soul has been down here for at least five years. The body of a typical adult will decompose fully in the space of ten to twelve years; non-adults decay in half the time.

‘The first stage of decomposition is autolysis, which is the destruction of the body tissues by enzymes released after death. The second stage is putrefaction, where the soft tissues decay because of the presence of micro-organisms. Eventually the soft tissues become liquid and gas.’

‘Get invited to many parties, Doc?’ Kim asked.

He laughed out loud. ‘My apologies, Detective. I recently returned from the Body Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee where bodies are disposed of in different ways to establish ...’

‘Sex?’ she asked.

‘Not before you’ve bought me dinner, Detective.’

‘Not even a bit funny. Any ideas?’

He shook his head.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t tell me. You haven’t had the chance to examine the body at the lab.’

‘It might not make any difference, I’m afraid. If we’re dealing with a juvenile the changes to the bones that distinguish the sexes won't have taken place.

‘If our victim is sixteen to eighteen then we may have a chance, based on the adaptation of the pelvis, but any younger than that and few scientists will attempt to sex a non-adult by bone.’

‘That indicates there are other ways?’

‘There are techniques for using dental DNA to identify the X and Y chromosome, but it is both expensive and time-consuming. It’s much easier to age a non-adult than sex it. For that we have bone growth and development, dental development and the degree of closure of the joints in the skull. You’ll have an approximate age later today.’

‘Best guess?’ she pushed.

Bate turned to look at her. His eyes were intense and challenging. ‘Date, time and place you will arrest the murderer?’

Kim was unfazed. ‘It will be Professor Plum in the library on Thursday the eighteenth at eleven o’clock. And although you didn’t ask, he’ll be holding the candlestick.’

‘I’m a scientist, I don’t guess.’

‘But surely you can deduce something from ...’

‘Keats,’ he called, over her head. ‘Please rescue me from this interrogation before I admit to the Lindbergh kidnapping.'

Kim found the rich Scottish tone at odds with the Black Country accents floating around the dig site. If she closed her eyes he almost sounded like Sean Connery. Almost.

‘I knew you two would get along famously.' Keats offered with a smirk. 'Daniel, the boxes have just arrived.’