Swamp Bones Read Online Free PDF Page B

slicing and weighing. The look on her face said she was not happy about it.
    While Elvis took the torso off for X-ray, I told Barconi the little I knew. The hammock. The gator. The belly ring. The possible ID. The directive from her boss, the chief medical examiner, that the remains come to the epicenter of the morgue bureau.
    Barconi listened without comment, then, when Elvis returned, she peered at the contents of the tub. Her tight expression tightened even further. Relaxed slightly when I assured her I could work unassisted.
    After gloving and masking, I transferred the remains to the autopsy table.
    Yellen stood in a corner, expression impassive, thumbs hooked in his pockets. Impressive. Many cops can’t stomach the autopsy room. Especially if the vic is a decomp.
    So I began.
    Using a scalpel, I gently teased tissue from the exposed innominate, one of three bones that compose the pelvic girdle, and the only one present. It was soon evident that the iliac crest, a crescent-shaped sliver of bone topping the hip blade portion, was not fully fused. I made a note and moved on.
    As I worked, I’d periodically glance at Yellen. He didn’t pester me with questions. Just observed, silent but attentive. I was actually starting to like the guy.
    At some point Elvis returned again. I heard the sound of X-rays popping onto wall-mounted illuminators but didn’t stop to look.
    Thirty minutes of careful cutting and tugging revealed the pubic symphysis, the point at which the right half of the pelvis joins with left front and center in the lower abdomen. I found amagnifying lens and leaned close.
    The small oval face had deep furrows running horizontally across its surface. This, along with the condition of the oval’s border, confirmed the age estimate I’d jotted down based on the iliac crest.
    The shape of the oval, along with that of the pubic element and the portion of sciatic notch that remained intact, confirmed my preliminary statement with regard to gender.
    I sat back and lowered my mask. Rolled my shoulders to loosen tight muscles. Then turned to Yellen.
    “The victim is female, aged eighteen to twenty-four. Small stature. Probably in good health at the time of her death.” Before being dismembered and scavenged by a gator.
    “Nothin’ that says it couldn’t be James.”
    “Agreed. But nothing that says conclusively it is.”
    “So what
are
you saying?”
    “The remains are consistent with the biological profile of Kiley James.”
    “And the foot?”
    “Features I observed on the torso are consistent with those I observed on the foot. For a positive ID, both sets of remains should be submitted for DNA sequencing.”
    While Yellen scribbled in a small notebook, I walked to the light boxes and worked my way down the X-rays Elvis had taken. Saw the partial pelvis glowing white inside the gray mass of tissue. Some lumbar vertebrae. The bottommost ribs.
    At the last in the series, I stopped in my tracks. Using a finger, I counted, not touching the film.
    “Hmm.”
    Yellen’s head snapped up. “What?”
    “Most people have twenty-four ribs. The first seven pairs are called true ribs because they attach to the sternum via cartilage. The next three are known as false ribs because they share a common cartilaginous connection to the sternum. The eleventh and twelfth pairs are called floating ribs because they don’t attach to anything in front.”
    I glanced at Yellen to see if he was following. He was.
    “Some individuals lack a pair of floating ribs, others have a couple extra. It’s an uncommon anomaly, but not rare.”
    “Does missing a set cause problems?”
    “No. Twenty-two ribs are sufficient to protect the organs. The condition is a harmless variation. Nothing you’d notice in a person walking around.”
    He waited.
    “This victim is lacking a pair of floating ribs,” I said. “If Kiley James has antemortem X-rays on file somewhere, they could help to confirm identity.”
    “I’m gettin’ medical