Page 24 of The Fragile Ones
Katie thought she heard McGaven suck in a breath. He asked, “Would you put the time of death close to the time they were reported missing?”
“Yes, being outdoors, with cooler temperatures mostly, and protected by the crevice they had landed in, I would estimate their time of death within days of their abduction.”
Katie couldn’t tear her eyes away from Tessa’s body and the obvious question that Dr. Dean hadn’t answered yet. “And the tattoo on her scalp?”
“I had to ask one of my colleagues because it’s not like traditional tattoos I’m used to seeing. The numbers 372 were actually stamped, like a brand.”
“You mean like something that would be used to brand cattle?” she asked.
“It’s actually exactly like a brand for cattle,” he said. “It was confirmed by my colleague who grew up on a cattle ranch and is familiar with branding.” He moved the small bit of blonde curly hair remaining with his hand to reveal the numbers more clearly.
“Can you tell how old it is?”
“It’s difficult to tell, but it’s been there a long time by the way it’s stretched its imprint with the growth. My estimation, and it’s only a guess, was that it was branded before she was two years old.”
“Okay,” she said, her mind reeling as the case became more complex and sinister by the minute.
Dr. Dean waited good-naturedly for Katie and McGaven to make their notes before he moved to the other exam table. Katie hesitated over leaving poor Tessa so exposed, but realized Dr. Dean wanted to compare the two victims, so she turned her attention to the girl’s older sister, Megan, who was more severely decomposed.
Katie moved her body a bit so McGaven didn’t have to take the entire view as Dr. Dean unveiled Megan’s body. “This is Megan Mayfield. She died from a blunt force trauma to the head, quite severe. It would have caused death instantaneously.”
“Is there any indication what caused the injury: the impact of the fall or an attack beforehand?” said Katie.
“It’s almost impossible to tell as there are so many skull fragments missing, probably due to the impact of the canyon. It’s impossible to match any type of weapon to her injuries.”
“A bat, hammer, or any type of heavy tool could have caused it?” she pressed.
“Just about any object that could crush bone.”
“Anything else?” Katie asked, really wanting to leave the morgue to gather her thoughts and get some space from the horror of what these girls went through in their final hours.
“Unfortunately, with Megan Mayfield there’s nothing else to report. You’ll have to see what John comes up with from the forensics.”
“Okay then…”
“Detective Scott, Deputy McGaven, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call. I’ll try to do everything I can to help. Expect my full report in a couple of hours.” He smiled and it seemed clear that he understood how difficult and upsetting this case would be for them.
“Thank you, Dr. Dean,” Katie said.
“It’s always a pleasure working with you both.”
Katie and McGaven hurried out of the room. Katie’s legs felt strangely rubbery as she stopped dead when she turned a corner and spotted a body on one of the exam tables. It was covered in something sticky, with the skin blackened and slipping in places. She knew from experience that this meant the body must have been retrieved from water after a long period of time. She had seen this kind of exposure before when she was a beat cop in Sacramento. It made her wonder how the girls remained fused together—since it wasn't entirely clear at this point.
Her mind full of horrors she had experienced from the army and from her previous investigations, she hurried after McGaven to get started on the case.
Chapter Eleven
Tuesday 0730 hours
“I didn’t think you were going to be here this early,” said McGaven as he entered their small office. He shed his jacket and took his seat, ready to get to work again.
“Yesterday was a long day and it’s put us slightly behind,” she said, not looking up from the computer screen.
“Katie.”
She didn’t respond right away, knowing where this was going and hoping her silence might put McGaven off.
“Katie?” McGaven said again. He moved closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder so that she would stop typing. “Katie, you okay?”
