Page 47 of Silent Scream
Kim moved to the end of the pit as more technicians approached, carrying clear plastic boxes. She no longer had any idea which people belonged to which team and she was now pleased that Dawson would be remaining at the site and not her.
If she had to deal with the obstructive doctor much longer she might be responsible for a second burial.
‘Made a new friend over there?’ Bryant asked.
‘Oh yeah, a barrel of laughs, that one.’
‘Typical scientist type?’
‘Yeah, and I told him as much.’
‘Oh right, I bet he loved you for that.’
‘It was pretty difficult to tell.’
Bryant chuckled. ‘Hardly qualified to judge other people’s emotional responses are you, Guv?’
‘Bryant, go f—’
‘No, no, no,’ Doctor Bate shouted stepping into the pit. His voice was loud and commanding. Everyone stopped what they were doing.
He knelt down in the pit beside the man who had been working on the skull. Cerys entered the pit and crouched beside the doctor.
No one spoke as the two of them conferred quietly. Eventually the doctor turned and looked directly at her.
‘Detective, I have something for you after all.’
Kim moved closer, her breath caught in her chest. She jumped into the pit beside him. ‘Go on.’
‘See these bones here?’
She nodded.
‘The back bone leads into the neck where there are seven bones that form the cervical vertebrae. This top one is C1; the atlas, the next is C2; the axis.’
His finger continued down the length of the neck pointing out the other C bones from three to seven. Kim saw a clean break between three and four. Instinctively her right hand moved to the back of her own neck. She wondered how the hell he had seen that from up there.
‘Spell it out for me, Doc.’
‘I can tell you that beyond a shadow of a doubt, this poor soul was decapitated.’
Twenty-Six
Kim exited the pit. ‘Come on, Bryant. We need to get started.’
She glanced at the Toyota pickup that by the process of elimination had to belong to Doctor Daniel Bate. It was dented above the rear wheel arch and covered in mud.
‘Jesus Christ, what's that?’ Kim exclaimed, jumping backwards.
‘Erm ... It's called a dog, Guv.’
Kim peered closer at the furry face that had popped up in the rear passenger side window.
Kim frowned. ‘Bryant, is it just me or ...’
‘No, Guv, it appears to have only one eye.’
‘Detective, stop scaring my dog,’ Daniel Bate said, closing the gap between them. ‘I assure you, she knows nothing.’
