Sure enough, when Reyes led Brennan out to view the skeleton she was able to see the damage immediately. There was an indent in the skull that suggested that the victim had been hit with a heavy, blunt object and the wrist was broken in such a way that it was almost definitely inflicted by another human.
Other such marks were scattered over the rest of the skeleton and after slipping on some protective gear and studying them for a couple of minutes, Brennan was certain that it was indeed a homicide. She commented on her findings as she worked, glancing up only when she was finished.
"This was definitely a murder," she confirmed, sliding off her latex gloves and placing them on the tabletop. She paused for another moment to recollect her thoughts. "How far away from the other victim did you say he was found?"
Reyes shrugged. "About half a mile, I'd say. Maybe a little less. Why do you ask?" He looked confused. "Didn't the other victim die of natural causes?" Brennan opened her mouth to respond, but he interrupted before she had a chance. "You don't think that the deaths are connected somehow, do you?"
Finally, he went quiet and Brennan was able to answer. "There were no signs of trauma on his remains that I could see, but that doesn't have to mean that he died naturally. I'll get Zach to clean the bones in case I missed something, but I doubt that it will show anything more than I've already seen. He – "
"So what do you think caused it then?" Reyes interrupted again. He scratched his head dumbly and looked at her expectantly.
"As I was about to say, I have some theories, but I want to look into them further before I reveal anything," she replied, avoiding a direct answer. "I'll call you when I find out more."
Reyes shrugged. "Yeah, okay," he said offhandedly. He scrambled in his pocket for something, pulling out a small business card. "Here's my number. Just give me a ring when you're ready."
Brennan accepted the card, nodding. "Sure." She watched as the officer left, turning back to wink at her just before he moved out of sight and then let out a big sigh. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.
Not only did she have a victim that appeared to have died naturally against all of the evidence, she now had another who had definitely been murdered. And brutally, at that. Were their deaths connected somehow? Did they know each other? What were they doing in the forest in the first place?
There were too many questions. Leaving the skeletons to lie in peace in the lab, Brennan headed to her office and slumped into her chair wearily. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander over the facts.
Victim one. Male. Name unknown. Aged approximately 16 to 17 years old. No sign of trauma to quantify murder. Evidence says otherwise.
Victim two. Male. Also unidentified. Aged approximately 16 or 17 years old. Signs of extreme trauma. Definitely a murder.
There was nothing to give concrete evidence that the victims' deaths were related, but everything in Brennan yelled that she was missing something. What was the connection? And if there was, were the two boys that had been brought in the only victims?