Page 22 of The Bone Code

I swapped the innominate for a clavicle. “This is a collarbone. See how one end is rippled?” Vislosky and Klopp nodded, never raising their eyes. “A tiny cap of bone called an epiphysis fuses onto that end during the late teens or early twenties in girls, sometimes later. It’s not there.”

I switched the clavicle for a femur. “This is the thigh bone.” I pointed to a large knob at one end. “That’s the femoral head. See that line?” Again, the nods. “That tells me that the epiphysis is in the process of fusing but hasn’t finished. That fusion takes place between the ages of thirteen and seventeen for most girls.”

“She was in her mid-teens.” Vislosky got it.

“Probably,” I said.

Thumb jab at AF21-986. “And that one?”

“A little older.”

Vislosky shot me agimme a breaklook.

As Ryan pointed out, I despise being pressured.

“I dislike drawing conclusions until I’ve completed my analysis.”

“Do it anyway,” Vislosky said.

I didn’t respond.

“Nothing you say will leave this room?” Klopp said, leveling a meaningful glance at Vislosky.

“What am I, Fox News?” she snapped.

“Knowledge of descriptors will help Detective Vislosky begin her investigation,” Klopp said to me, trying to defuse the tension.

I started to object. Vislosky cut me off.

“Look, some asshole capped these two, clipped their fingers, then deep-sixed them in the Atlantic. You’re saying this one was a kid.” Indicating the bones at her elbow. “That makes me want to netsaidasshole and put his nuts in a vise. The sooner I can float profiles and search MP files, the sooner I can figure out who these two are. Which is step one in nailing the fuckwad who killed them.Comprendo?”

Offensive as her tone was, she had a point.

“As I said, your vics are both female. This one was probably fifteen to seventeen.” Indicating the near table. “That one was a few years older.”

Vislosky pulled a notebook and pen from one pocket. “Anything else?”

“Some asshole capped both of them.”

The sage eyes showed no amusement. “Race? Height? Medical history? Individual peculiarities?”

“Not at this point.”

Vislosky pocketed her pad, strode to the counter, and tossed a card on it.

“I’ll be waiting for your call.”

I watched the WNBA frame disappear through the door.

6

Thursday, October 7

Klopp lasted until six. Brian and I were there past ten.

First, I did a full skeletal inventory of the older victim. Next, I took measurements and ran them through the Fordisc 3.1 computer program that classifies adults by ancestry and sex. Then I calculated height.

Morphoscopics and metrics completed, I shot video and made casts of the bullet entrance and exit wounds. That finished, I did the same with the truncated end of each phalange. Finally, I examined every millimeter of every bone with my naked eye and under magnification.