Oct 25

8:12 am.

Detective Cain had been in the service for over ten years. It had not prepared him for what he seen today. He had gotten the call an hour ago. A human remain had been discovered by a hiker this morning. He had been called in when it had been discovered that the skull was not showing signs of decomposition. All the flesh had been rendered from the skull. Searches in the nearby areas had concluded that there was no sign of the rest of the body. The skull was the only piece.

What was unsual about the case was that the skull showed signs of erosion. If a human had died in this area, it would take time to erode completely. The skull showed no signs of weathering and there was no flesh clinging to it. It was as if all the skin was somehow ripped off. That was why they had called Detective Cain onto the scene.

Cain had worked in numerous murder investigations. He had seen his share of blood and gore. He tried to not let his feelings show as he surveyed the scene. The skull was found propped delicately in the nearby forest in town. It was set on top of a fallen log. Its mouth seemed to sneer as you walked closer. The placement of the skull was proof that someone had set it there. Someone had purposely put the remains where it would be discovered.

This was the work of a sick individual. There was no other clues that the forensic team could discover. The area was well hidden. Someone could easily come out here and place the skull. This led Detective Cain to infer that the killing did not occur here. The murder had occurred elsewhere and the skull had been transported here. But why?

What was the signifigance of this area? It was not underpopulated. There were several walking trails that crisscrossed through here. The perpetrator had to know that his work would get discovered. Was this for shock value? Was the murderer trying to get a response for his crime? Cain instantly switched into detective mode. The witness was thirty-four year old Mike Hanna. He had been walking his dog along the route when he had come across the macabre scene. He had instantly called 911 with his cell phone.

Detective Cain went to asses the witness. He stepped over the police tape for the third time and went to where the witness was sitting dazed on the grass. Cain had all the details that he had made to the first responder. He was hoping that the second interrogation might give forth some other detail that the witness hadn't reported in the initial report.

"Mr. Hanna, I am Detective Cain. I was hoping to ask you some more questions. " he said calmly to the white faced man.

"I already told everything to the other officers."

"Yes, but i was hoping to go through it one more time."

Mike looked at Cain but without really seeing him. Cain could tell this man would not forget what he had seen probably for the rest of his life.

"I was walking Scooter, my lab, when i came around the bend. It was just there. Seeming to sit there and jeer at me. I thought maybe it was just a prank. Maybe someone had set up a fake skull. Its almost Halloween you know. So i came closer and Scooter started to bark madly. There was no...other parts, so i touched the skull. Trying to see if it was plastic or something. It was hard and sticky. I did not want to believe that it was...a skull. But i knew that i had to call the police." he said shakily.

"Did you notice anyone on the trails as you were coming in?" Cain asked. All the information Mike had given was already given to the other officers.

"No one. This part of the trails is usually empty this time of day. I have been walking this trail for years. I never expected..."

"Was there any unusual things that you can remember?" he asked.

"No, this trail is the same it was as it has always been. Me and Scooter walk it every other day at least three times a week. How could i have known this was going to happen?" he stammered.

Cain tugged his notebook out of his pocket and checked over the details. There was nothing new to report.

"Thanks for your time, you should be able to leave shortly." Detective Cain said flipping his book shut with a snap. Mike appeared to not have heard him. He was a middle aged balding man. Citizens were not used to dealing with scenes of this magnitude. Cain had been on the force for years to know that some times the scary things don't always stay in the dark. There were millions of unsolved cases and more each year. Sometimes things happen and it leaves behind a mystery. He was hoping that this was not one of them. Whoever the victim was, they needed closure for the families. He couldn't fathom losing his own daughter. He would patrol the streets until he found her. Who was out there now wondering what happened to their loved one?

Cain slipped between patrol cars and walked over to the scene. Forensics was giving the scene a very detailed sweep. He knew that they were searching for any clue, any thread or hair, any clues as to who did this and how. He knew that it would take days for the forensic scan to come in. He would have to hope that the lead examiner would be able to give him any clues today. He needed more than just a skinless skull. He needed a gender, possible age, anything. The lead was a professional woman named Amanda. She had been working in the forensic department for over fifteen years. This woman knew here stuff.

He caught her eye and beckoned her to come over. He waited as she carefully dodged all the evidence markers. She took of her gloves and shoved them in her white coat pocket.

"What can i do for you, Cain?" she asked. They had known each other for a few years now.

"What can you tell me?" he asked.

"This is not a regular case. The skull has no signs of damage, decomposition, no fungal growth, no skin or ligaments. It is as if the skull was picked clean. This dictates that the skull was possibly scraped clean and maybe a use of acid erosion to take away all the skin. The skull looks fairly fresh so it has not been sitting out in this weather for very long. Though it could have been preserved for who knows how long. We are going to run tests on the solution used and maybe that will give us some new information. We are definitely dealing with a smart individual. There is no way to get any DNA from this bone." she said.

"Is there any information on the skull itself?" he asked slowly.

"There is a sticky residue that covers the skull and more in the eye sockets and folds of the skull. It seems as it was lightly washed in some acidic solution that took all the skin and hair off the bone. The skull looks feminine in shape if you look at the jawbone and the cheek size. I would say it was a young female. Without more to examine i can not say anything else."

"Thanks Amanda, let me know if you discover something else."

Amanda nodded and went back to her examination. Cain watched as technicians picked the skull up and put it in a clear plastic bag. More tests would be done down at the lab, until then Cain had some digging to do. He waved good bye to the surrounding officers and headed back to his cruiser. There were definitely a lot of questions on this case. He needed to see if there were any missing persons recently reported missing in the last few months. The skull would not give any details, it was after all just a bone. He needed to see what else he could dig up on this case. Amanda had said that the victim was possibly a young female. That was where he would start to look.