Tags:
Fiction,
General,
detective,
Suspense,
Medical,
Thrillers,
Mystery & Detective,
Women Sleuths,
Mystery,
Mystery Fiction,
Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,
Fiction - Mystery,
Police Procedural,
Georgia,
Fallon,
Women forensic anthropologists,
Diane (Fictitious character),
Forensic anthropologists
several sizes too big for his thin frame.
“What do you have on?” said Neva. Diane tried to suppress laughter.
Jin grinned and looked down at his pants, lifting them up by the pockets and turning them loose, letting the rolled-up cuffs fall around his running shoes.
“Well, see, when I got here, I was wearing shorts and a tee. Your guy Dick told me that I would get cold down here in the cave, and he loaned me some clothes he had in his car.”
“Make sure you don’t trip on the cuffs,” said Neva. “There’s a lot of rocks around here to fall over.”
“Jin,” said Diane. “Since you are here, you are to do everything we tell you. We’ll be carrying a lot of stuff getting out of here, and it won’t be easy.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Jin didn’t look the least contrite to Diane. He shined a flashlight around the cavern with a happy-to-be-here look on his face.
Mike climbed down the rope. More dust fell from the hole.
“Jin make it okay?” It was Dick MacGregor calling on the walkie-talkie. “He had a lot of stuff with him.”
“He’s here in fine shape,” Diane replied, using her radio. “The equipment looks pretty good too.”
“I told him I didn’t think he could drag all that stuff through that tunnel.”
“It’s all here,” said Diane. She glanced at the pile of stuff Jin brought with him and was surprised he managed to get it through the narrow tunnel.
“I gotta go wait for the deputy outside the cave,” said Dick. “He’s got some kind of paper for you to sign.”
“Thanks, Dick. I appreciate your help.”
“Sure. Always fun to go caving with you guys. You never know what we’ll run into. Went caving all my life and never had near the adventures I’ve had with you guys.”
“Glad we’ve been able to provide you with new experiences,” said Mike into his walkie-talkie, grinning at Diane. “You think the deputy has had time to get up there yet?”
“Probably waiting for me outside now. I’ll go see.”
Jin’s duffel bag carried several battery-powered lanterns that he had padded with bubble wrap. They positioned them around the chamber. The duffel also contained a body bag. Jin grabbed his crime scene kit and walked with them to the mummified remains.
“I wonder what happened. Fall through that hole, you think?” asked Jin.
“No,” said Mike. “Diane made that hole when she fell through the ceiling.”
Jin looked at the two of them, wide-eyed.
“I managed to hang on to the ledge until Mike rescued me,” said Diane.
“Jeez, Boss, you could have broken something.”
“Fortunately, I didn’t. Our guy may have been trying to descend a rope from that opening over there.” Diane pointed to the high opening in the cavern wall. “And the railroad spike the rope was anchored to came loose and sent him crashing to the cavern floor.”
“Bet he broke something,” said Jin.
“I’m sure he did,” said Diane. “Jin, you and Neva process his body. Neva, pack the evidence and take pictures. I’m going to move some of these rocks that I dislodged from that hole in the ceiling and look at the floor. Work as fast as you comfortably can.”
Jin and Neva busied themselves while Diane surveyed the rock pile. Mike had moved some of them from around the bottom of the rope to give them a place to stand. Diane didn’t know if there might be anything under the fallen rocks, but prudence dictated that she have a look.
“You want some help?” asked Mike.
“I hate to ask you to do this.”
“That’s all right. Helping with a crime scene makes my résumé look more interesting. No one has to know that all I did was move rocks.”
It was a bigger job than Diane had anticipated, but they cleared a good portion of the fallen rocks, stacking them to the side.
Diane stood tall and stretched her muscles, she looked up and scanned the ceiling. “I’m a little concerned about the ceiling,” she said.
“I saw the dust falling,” said Mike. “I believe it’s