Forensics Squad Unleashed Read Online Free PDF Page A

this how the police do it?” Stacey asks as she tears off a piece of sticky tape from the roll.
    “Basically, yes,” Lloyd answers. “Of course, the police also enter their evidence on computers. We won’t be doing that this week. So I’m curious…any of you interested in becoming forensic scientists—or police officers?”
    Nathaniel looks up from his index card. “My dad’s a cop.”
    “You didn’t answer Lloyd’s question,” I tell Nathaniel.
    “I said, ‘My dad’s a cop.’”
    “My dad is an accountant,” I say. “So is Mason’s. That doesn’t mean we want to be accountants, does it, Mason?”
    “I want to be a pastry chef,” Mason says.
    Nathaniel blows some leftover dust off his mug. “Of course I want to be a cop.” As if there could be any doubt.
    “Well, I’ve always wanted to be a forensic scientist,” I say.
    Mason’s eyes are darting back and forth between Nathaniel and me. “Tabitha knows more about forensic science than any kid I ever met,” he says. Mason’s admiring tone makes me feel slightly guilty. Mason is annoying, there’s no question about it. But I suppose I could try being a touch nicer to him.
    “Are you two best friends?” Muriel asks us.
    That makes us both laugh.
    “Kind of,” Mason says.
    “Not exact—” I catch myself before correcting him. “It’s complicated,” I say instead—besides, it’s the truth.
    “Tabitha’s best friend is this girl named Patti,” Stacey says.
    Muriel turns to Nathaniel. “So is that why you came to forensics camp? Because you want to be a cop one day like your dad?”
    Nathaniel looks over at the poster of the skulls. Something tells me he would rather be hanging out with them than with us. “To be honest, I didn’t want to go to any kind of camp. My parents needed me out of their way this week.”
    “How come?” Muriel asks.
    “Are they getting the floors done?” Nico chimes in. “We had to stay with our neighbors when we had our floors redone.”
    Nathaniel has not taken his eyes off the poster. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    Samantha looks up from collecting the wands and magnetic dust. “Whatever the reason is, we’re glad to have you here, Nathaniel.” I think she is trying to send Muriel and Nico the message that they should quit asking Nathaniel personal questions.
    But Muriel does not quit. She may not be tactful, but she has advanced interrogation skills. “Is someone sick? Or did someone die? Is that why you’d rather not talk about it?”
    Nathaniel shakes his head. “Not quite, but it’s almost as bad. Look, if you really want to know”—he finally stops looking at the poster—“my grandmother is getting married on Saturday.”
    “What’s so bad about that?” I ask. “Weddings are fun.”
    “There’s usually cake with buttercream frosting,” Mason adds. He gets a faraway look in his eyes when he mentions frosting.
    Nathaniel scowls. “My grandmother is seventy-one. That’s too old to get married. It’s embarrassing. What’s even worse is she’s marrying some guy she met at her bereavement group. She went there to mourn my grandpa—not to meet his replacement!”
    Lloyd takes the magnetic powder from Samantha and empties it into a glass container. Samantha puts the wands away in a drawer.
    Lloyd blows some magnetic powder off his fingers, then looks up at Nathaniel. “I’m sure no one could ever replace your grandpa,” he says softly.
    “You’re right about that. My grandpa is”—Nathaniel sucks in his breath—“ was really cool.”
    “Some stuff just takes getting used to,” Lloyd adds. I cannot tell whether the advice is for Nathaniel or if Lloyd is speaking from experience.
    Samantha watches Lloyd. When she clears her throat, I know it’s because she wants to get us back on track. I don’t think Samantha enjoys talking about feelings. She prefers facts. I’m like that too. “Now that we’ve put all the fingerprinting equipment away, it’s time to