14
Oh, oh, oh, you guys already got started. Sweet!”
Mandy looked up just in time to see a petite woman with red-and-blue-streaked brown hair jog across the meadow, a duffel bag nearly as big as she was slung over one shoulder.
She careened to a halt in front of Mandy, hopping slightly on one foot, then dropping her gear to the ground with a definitive thunk.
“Where’ya at?” The woman eyed ADME Schwartz, then Mandy with bright-eyed enthusiasm.
“Debs Mahone,” she said by way of introduction.
“From the FAIR lab. State calls the ME’s office about bones, the ME’s office calls me.
And ta-da, let the fun begin. Though I rarely get to visit the site in person, making this super cool!
So, skeleton’s at the bottom of the well? ”
Debs was already dancing around the sunken opening. “Hi down there. I’m the bio anthropologist. Or bio archaeologist if you prefer. Your name?”
“Uh, Caleb Hunter. Shereford Town Fire Department.”
“Nice to meet you, Caleb. How’s it going so far?”
“Umm…well…I kinda don’t know where to stand.”
Debs dropped to her knees, peering into the depths.
“Okay, first things first. We need better lighting.” Debs pivoted back to her enormous black duffel, worked the zipper, then started tossing various items on the ground. “All right. Here we go.”
She straightened, holding what appeared to be two lightweight LED lanterns outfitted with metal dowels.
She twisted a dial on each to full glow, then stabbed a finger at one of the uniformed officers, which happened to be Mandy’s deputy, thank God.
“You. Start lowering these down to our good man Caleb. Who cares how things look up here. It’s down there that matters, especially for the photos. ”
The deputy gave Mandy a slightly panicked glance. She nodded her approval, and he scrambled into motion. Meanwhile, Debs was already moving on to her next victim.
“And you. My vehicle is the silver RAV4, UNH sticker on the window. In the back you’ll find a stack of blue plastic utility bins. Grab a couple. Packing materials already inside.”
It was the fire chief’s turn to silently second, then one of his people went sprinting off.
Mandy had to hand it to the petite scientist. In a matter of minutes, she’d sparked the crowd of first responders from idle gawking to frantic engagement.
A few more frenzied moments, then the two lanterns descended into the pit to join poor Caleb. Immediately Mandy could see the issue.
Given the relatively narrow width of the well and broad scattering of skeletal remains, there was virtually no place Caleb could touch down that wouldn’t crunch a bone fragment underneath.
“Oh,” she exhaled.
“Yep, problem with these shafts,” Debs agreed cheerfully. “But it’s okay. This is what we’re gonna do. So, Caleb, my friend.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Ma’am? Do I look like my mother? Debs’ll do. You might as well get used to it, because by the end of the day, we’re gonna be besties for life. Can weave each other matching friendship bracelets and everything. Got it?”
“Um…affirmative.”
“Okay, you have two lanterns within your grasp.”
“Affirmative.” Caleb sounded more confident this time.
“Excellent. Your immediate job is to position them where they will cast the best light to illuminate the scene. I recommend around shoulder height. You can wedge the rods between the stones for optimal positioning. Understand, your next task will be to photograph ad nauseam. I mean up close and personal, then spanning back, then homing in, then doing it all again, probably about a dozen more times than you ever thought possible. You do any kind of photography, Caleb?”
“Hiking trails, my dog, that sort of thing.”
“Perfect. I suggest you start with a general overview of the scene, then zoom in for close-ups of individual items. Pick a logical starting point—”
“The skull?”
“Awesome. There’s no such thing as too many photos, Caleb. Understand me? When in doubt, snap and snap some more. But pay attention to focus. A hundred blurry photos don’t do me any good. And then, as my students can tell you, I get a little cranky. You don’t want me to be cranky, do you, Caleb?”
“No, ma— Affirmative.”
A few chuckles from the assorted crowd. Mandy noticed the state detective and the ADME were already stepping back, clearly preparing for the long haul.
Which made Betty that much more obvious as the retired postmistress cozied up shamelessly to the well’s edge, while Mason, president of the historical society and self-appointed town mayor, jostled her elbow.
“Are they with you?” Debs asked Mandy in a not-so-subtle voice.
“Depends. How much are they pissing you off?”
“Contaminate my scene, feel my wrath. Which is way more impressive than my crankiness, I assure you.”
Betty stepped back slightly. Mason, on the other hand, chin jutting out: “We just want the crockery. The removal of which, I might add, would free up a logical landing point for Caleb.”
Mandy rolled her eyes, though it was kind of fun to watch the imperious senior citizen torment someone else for a change.
Mason’s family had once run the grand inn occupying the center of town.
The resort had burned down fifty years ago, but that still didn’t stop the tall, impeccably clad historian from treating the town as his personal fiefdom.
“The crockery?” Debs stared back down into the abyss. “The round item in the middle…Got it.”
“Sealed with wax,” Theo provided.
Debs regarded him questioningly. “I take it you already descended into my crime scene? Viewed things up close and personal?”
“On the spectrum of your crankiness to wrath, where would that place me?” Theo asked carefully. “For the record, I am the homeowner.”
“All right, Mr. Homeowner—”
“Theo Collins.”
“Whatever. Approximate date of this well?”
Theo looked so nonplussed Mandy had to repress a smile. A few titters erupted from the gathered crowd.
“Ahh, don’t know. I don’t recall it being on the most recent site map.
Which, given its state of overgrowth, might make sense.
” He explained the sealed wooden cover, layer of sod and plant growth on top, his new dog being the one that actually made the find.
By the end, Debs appeared as mystified as the rest of them.
“So, this structure was completely overgrown even thirty years ago?”
“Oh, I think it disappeared way before that. If you take a look at the old boards, which are solid hemlock, hammered into place with cut nails…”
“As in eighteenth-century nails?”
“Exactly. Come see.”
Debs hesitated just long enough to toss a few final instructions at Caleb: “Photos, right? Take lots and lots of photos. Then, when I return, we’ll discuss excavation. Trust me, you’re going to love it. Though, in this case…might be on the slimy side. But still. Good fun! Just you wait!”
Then she was trotting off behind Theo to the pile of discarded boards.
The ADME, Schwartz, sidled up to Mandy. “Wait for it,” she muttered. “Three, two…”
“Holy shit!”
“Exactly,” Mandy and Schwartz agreed.
If there’s one thing Mandy already knew about police work, it’s that nothing happens quickly. Debs finished marveling over the wooden cover debris. Contextual data always good to have, she declared.
Then Caleb sent the camera topside for Debs to inspect his photography skills. “Told you we’d be besties,” she cooed.
And now, the main event.
Mandy would confess she was as curious as the next person. Over the years, she’d encountered her fair share of carnage, from MVAs to hunting accidents. But excavating an entire skeleton from a historic well was definitely a new and unusual experience.
True to Mason’s prediction, starting with the sealed crockery did make the most sense, as it would enable Caleb to work in the middle of the debris field. Mason preened smugly while Betty practically clapped her hands in glee.
In comparison, Debs had become all business. She’d already ordered the first bin lowered down. Inside was a layer of padding materials, several pairs of fresh gloves, and a few small hand tools.
She started Caleb with the basics. “Gloves. You’ll notice half a dozen. Feel free to request even more. It’s very important—I can’t stress this enough!—extremely important that you not contaminate the bones.”
“Affirmative.”
“Don’t pluck from above. Use the trowel to delicately loosen surrounding dirt. Then lift each bone fragment from underneath, gently placing it in a bin. Once the bottom is covered, top with padding, start the next layer. Do not rush. Be precise. We got all the time in the world.”
“Okay. But just remember, I’m gonna need a couple of free hours to weave that friendship bracelet later today.”
“A sense of humor, I love it. All right. This so-called crockery. Tell me how you’d like to proceed.”
Faint rasping sounds, Caleb making some preliminary inspections with the trowel. “Okay, I can get it out of the muck. It’s uh…heavy. Like seriously heavy.”
“Don’t be fooled,” Mason called down. “I can assure you it’s still quite fragile. Glazing helps, but all the centuries of being exposed to moisture with freeze and thaw cycles takes its toll.”
“Hey, I was gonna say that,” Debs protested.
“You know colonial pottery?”
“No, but when it comes to bones, same rules apply.”
The infamous crockery made it to the surface.
After all this time, Mandy was expecting something along the lines of what you’d see on Antiques Roadshow.
Instead, it appeared to be more slimy river rock, or maybe given its larger size, slimy river boulder.
Didn’t smell too great, either, which made her feel for Caleb all over again.
Debs did the honor of lifting the item from the blue plastic bin.
“Lovely,” Debs crooned. “More contextual data. But first you must wait.”
Then she was all about bins going down and bones coming up.
As Caleb had announced, he started with the skull, along with a host of smaller bones. Maybe some ribs and vertebrae? Honestly, Mandy wasn’t that good.