Written in Bone Read Online Free PDF

where individuals had been found incinerated in a room otherwise untouched by fire, often with hands or lower legs partially intact amongst the ashes. A whole range of theories had been put forward to explain it, from demonic possession to microwaves. But the popular consensus was that, whatever its cause, it had to be something inexplicable to known science.
    I didn’t believe it for a moment.
    Fraser was scowling at Duncan. ‘What the hell do you know about it?’
    Duncan gave me a sheepish glance. ‘I’ve seen photographs. There was one woman who was burned up, just like this. All that was left was one of her legs, with the shoe still on. They call her the cinder woman.’
    ‘Her name was Mary Reeser,’ I told him. ‘She was an elderly widow in Florida back in the 1950s. There was almost nothing left of her except for one leg from the shin down, and the foot still had a slipper on it. The armchair she was sitting on was destroyed, and a nearby table and lamp, but nothing else in the room was damaged. Is that the one?’
    Duncan looked taken aback. ‘Aye. And I’ve read about others.’
    ‘They crop up now and again,’ I agreed. ‘But people don’t just burst into flames for no reason. And whatever happened to this woman, there was nothing supernatural or paranormal about it.’
    Brody had been watching us during the exchange, listening without joining in. Now he spoke up.
    ‘How do you know it’s a woman?’
    Retired or not, Brody didn’t miss much. ‘Because of the skeleton.’ I shone the torch on to what was left of the pelvis, obscured by ash but still visible. ‘Even from what’s left, the hipbone’s obviously too wide for a man’s. And the head of the humerus – that’s the ball where the upper armbone fits into the shoulder – is too small. Whoever this was, she was big-boned but definitely female.’
    ‘Like I said, I can’t see it being anyone local,’ he said. ‘I’m sure we’d have noticed if anyone had gone missing. Any idea how long the body might have been here?’
    It was a good question. While some things can be gleaned from even the most badly burned remains, an accurate time since death isn’t usually one of them. For that you need to trace the extent of decomposition in muscle proteins, amino and volatile fatty acids, all of which are normally destroyed by fire. But the freakish condition of this body meant there was enough soft tissue to run tests that weren’t possible for most fire deaths. That would have to wait till I was back in a lab, but in the meantime I could make an educated guess.
    ‘The cold weather will have slowed the rate of decay,’ I told him. ‘But the feet and hand have started to decompose, so death can’t have been too recent. Assuming the body’s been here all the time and not moved from somewhere else—and given the way the flagstones underneath it are scorched I’d say that’s likely—I’d guess we’re looking at around four or five weeks.’
    ‘The contractors had all finished work long before then,’ Brody mused. ‘Can’t be anyone who came out with them.’
    Fraser had been listening with mounting irritation, not liking the way the former DI was taking over. ‘Aye, well, if it’s nobody local I dare say we’ll be able to find out who it is from the ferry’s passenger list. There can’t have been many visitors at this time of year.’
    Brody smiled. ‘Did it strike you as the sort of service that keeps records? Besides, there are a dozen or so other boats that shuttle between Runa and Stornoway. No one keeps track of who comes and goes.’
    He turned to me, dismissing the police sergeant. ‘So what now? I assume you’ll tell Wallace to send out a SOC team?’
    Fraser butted in angrily before I could answer. ‘We’re not doing anything until Dr Hunter’s finished what he came to do. For all we know this was probably just some wino who got drunk and fell asleep too close to the campfire.’
    Brody’s expression was