“Any indication of cause of death?” asked Noelle.
“I can tell you what isn’t the cause of death,” said the doctor. “It wasn’t a head injury, and there are no indications of damage to the bones from a bullet or knife—that doesn’t eliminate those. They could have been in soft tissue. The hyoid is missing, so I can’t evaluate if he was strangled. All three sets of remains have many missing small bones. Again, animals at work.” She picked up the small skull and narrowed her brows as she studied it. “I know you want to determine if this is Malcolm Wolff, so I requested the dental films from his original file with the sheriff’s department. My forensic odontologist picked them up and immediately began her examination.” She looked from Evan to Noelle. “I haven’t ruled out that this is Rowan’s brother, but maybe Dr. Harper can. She’s down the hall on your right.”
Evan glanced at the other two sets of skeletal remains. They deserved equal attention. But if he could quickly eliminate the possibility that this was Rowan’s brother, he could focus better.
He and Noelle headed down the hall, glancing into open offices until they found a petite woman frowning at a computer screen. There were dental X-rays on the screen, so Evan figured they were in the right place. “Are you Dr. Harper?”
The woman turned toward them and stood, her hand outstretched. “Yes, I am. You must be the detectives on this case? Victoria said you’d stop by today.”
She had a wide smile and warm brown eyes. She seemed too young to be a forensic odontologist, but Evan wisely kept his mouth shut. He made introductions. “You’re working on the dental comparison for the young male that was found the other day?”
“Yes. Please call me Lacey.” Dr. Harper cast a longing glance at Noelle’s shoes. “I love your shoes.”
Evan studied the burgundy heels. They looked like torture to him.
“Thank you,” said Noelle.
After a last look at the shoes, Dr. Harper picked up two tiny pieces of plastic off her desk. “These are the X-rays that Malcolm Wolff’s dentist sent twenty-five years ago, when Deschutes County was investigating his disappearance.” She glared at the films. “They’re shitty copies. They’re too dark.”
“Why would they send poor films?” asked Noelle.
“I suspect an office staff member made the copies. Many don’t know how to recognize a quality film. Anyway, I scanned them and did my best to lighten them.”
“They seem too small,” said Evan, thinking of dental films he’d seen in the past.
The forensic odontologist nodded. “They are standard child-size bitewing films. Smaller than used for adults.”
“I thought everyone used digital films,” said Noelle.
“Definitely not every office twenty-five years ago,” said Dr. Harper. “And some dental offices still don’t today.”
“So what did you find?” asked Evan, impatient for answers.
The dentist sighed. “I can’t confirm it’s Malcolm Wolff. There isn’t enough here to make a positive identification. These films were taken when he was five—two years before he was kidnapped—and show nothing out of the ordinary I can use as a marker for a comparison. I can see baby molars and part of his first adult molars. No fillings. No cavities. No distinctly shaped teeth.” She returned to the computer and clicked her mouse. “On the screen are the digital films I took today of the skull.”
“You took a lot,” said Evan.
“I wanted to be thorough. This many are not taken on a regular basis in a private practice. Especially on a child.”
There were at least a dozen films on the screen.
“The films I took today show a child with a mixed dentition,” said Dr. Harper. “He’s lost many of the baby teeth, and several of the adult ones are erupting into his mouth.”
“So you can’t compare the films, because the old ones show mostly baby teeth,” said Evan.
“Correct. Granted, I can see part of the first adult molars in the original films, but I can’t say without a doubt that they are the same first molars in the films I took today.”
Dr. Harper touched her mouse, and a wide film of the skull’s entire jaw appeared. “If I had been given the films I took today, I’d estimate this child to be closer to age twelve because of the eruption schedule. I know Victoria has said between eight and twelve, and I’ll defer to her experience. She has a lot more information to work with from the child’s skeleton.”
“Is she wrong to include the younger ages in her estimate?” asked Noelle.
“No. I’ve seen early dental eruptions happen in young kids.” She shrugged. “It happens. I’m never surprised when I see it, but I will acknowledge that it’s much less common. The reverse is true too.”
I can’t confirm to Rowan that this is her brother.
Disappointment rocked Evan.
Dr. Harper looked from one detective to the other and slightly tilted her head. “Victoria made my examination a priority. She called me in Portland and told me to come ASAP. She’s spent more time with that small skeleton than the other two. I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s put everything she has into it.”
“There is a chance that this is a friend’s younger brother who has been missing for over two decades,” Evan said quietly. “Now we still don’t know.”
The dentist nodded in sympathy. “That’s the worst. Not knowing. I guarantee Victoria has left no stone unturned in her examination of those bones. If something there could physically connect to that missing child, she would have found it.”
“Thank you for your report, Doctor.” Evan shook her hand, appreciating the sympathy in her gaze. The detectives left the office and headed back to where Dr. Peres was examining the skeletons.
“I’m sorry, Evan,” said Noelle.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Because I know how important this identification was to you.”
“They’re all important.”
“But this could be Rowan’s brother. You’re close to her.”
I am?
Evan frowned as they walked down the hallway.
I am.
It’d crept up on him. He’d sought her out, wanting to know her thoughts and see how she was coping. He was drawn to her. Yesterday he’d taken her hand in sympathy, feeling her waves of sorrow, wanting to offer her comfort and hope.
Then he hadn’t wanted to let go.
He’d wanted to find Malcolm for her today and end her years of wondering and questions. But he’d failed. And he felt that keenly in his gut. He acknowledged that he desired to give her what she wanted most in the world. Today would not be the day he did it.
Someday. Soon.
He knew the healing power of finding a lost loved one. His sister’s return to his life had restored pieces of his soul he hadn’t realized were missing. But he’d been lucky. His sister was alive. Malcolm wasn’t. When Evan found the boy, Rowan would grieve. But then she would heal.
He wanted to be there for both stages.
She feels it too.
The previous morning there’d been a look of awareness in her eyes that he hadn’t understood until this very second. A connection. An attraction. It wasn’t one-sided.
Not now. It’s inappropriate.
But why not be there to support her through a difficult time? If something grew between them during this hard experience, it could indicate a durability that was rare in relationships.
“You’re not denying it.”
Evan pulled out of his thoughts and glanced at Noelle. Her lips lifted on one side in a half smile, her eyes glittering with confidence.
“Everyone can see the subtle sparks that fly between you two.”
“Everyone?” he blurted. “There’s nothing . . . I mean . . . there wasn’t, well, I didn’t know . . . it’s new,” he finished lamely. “Doesn’t feel appropriate,” he muttered.
“I get that. You’re the investigator and it’s her family member. But she’s no frail woman falling for the alpha law enforcement detective. And you’re not reacting to some inner caveman wanting to save a damsel in distress. You’re both competent, independent adults. There’s nothing improper with how you feel.”