The Pretty Person In The Pumpkin Patch
AN: Yes it's the next installment in Murder Series! I know its been a while but I had an overload of school work and exams and a lot of procrastination. Hopefully I'll manage to update regularly, and I've been thinking on writing my own book/film script/TV series. I would try to do a graphic novel but I can't draw for the life of me.
Disclaimer: It's not mine, m'kay?
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Ch.1 Growing Pains
"I thought there would be pumpkins in a pumpkin patch," Special Agent Geoff Murdock of the FBI stated as he trudged along the soft soil of Phillips Pharms Pumpkin Patch.
"It's not pumpkin season yet…it's spring," his partner, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bridgette Dodson replied with a furrowed brow as she moved along, her kit in hand. Following close to her was pudgy Peyton O'Riley, crime scene investigator.
They reached the taped off sector of the barren patch where the crime technicians were already crowding around. Among them, was Perry Phillips, owner of the patch, who seemed to have tried to make a fashion style where farm meets business suits successfully…and failed.
"I'm telling you no way in a hundred years would I think that they'll be bodies shooting up here, prize winning pumpkins sure, but definitely no dead bodies."
"And just who are you?"
Perry pulled the straps of his overalls (which were underneath a black suit) and let go, making a snap sound. "Perry Phillips, I own Phillips Pharms Inc. Like the name? Instead of farm we have pharm?" He smiled, hoping people would laugh at his idea of sheer brilliance. Bridgette merely blinked once, although Geoff was much more enthusiastic.
"Oh, I get it! Like how you say fat, but with a ph? Cool…"
"See, he gets it. I like the way you think."
"Um…dead body, possible murder in need of solving?" suggested Peyton bluntly.
"Ah, yes well normally there isn't as much activity here as there would be in the fall, but there's still a lot of year round tending needed, since, as all the reviewers and critics say, we are the best in organic, eco-friendly produce. Not a hint of pesticides and all this soil here! Entirely composed of compost!"
"So that explains the smell" said Geoff, not quite the King of Subtlety.
"You think this is bad, try coming here in the summer! He slapped his knee and laughed. "Anyways some of the employees were walking around checking things when they said that they heard something crack under their feet so they checked it out." He showed them to the taped off sector of the field, where small fragments of bones were already exposed.
"They're so small," breathed Geoff as he surveyed the area.
Bridgette kneeled down with one knee on the ground, undeterred by the slight smell, "Looks like a child, female, about early preteens I would put it. The compost and wildlife out here may have increased the rate of decomp; Peyton, get some samples will you?"
"An innocent little girl," Peyton shook his head as he collected samples of the soil, "I'm telling you this job can really punch ya in the heart."
"I don't think there's much we can do here; better have them ship the bones to the Jeffersonian." Bridgette stood and looked out into the distance, nothing but dirt under the blazing sun.
Perry Phillips inched towards the group, pulling on his overall bands "Say, this wouldn't affect my public relations and sales would it? Because if people get wind of the fact that a body's been found at my patch…"
"Well as much as your business takes priority over our murder case" Geoff started sarcastically, 'I can assure you that this federal case will be handled discreetly for the time being."
Perry Phillips merely sighed in relief.
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Geoff looked at the scientists who were huddled and hunched over the corpse on the exam table, "So, do we have a COD yet?"
Bridgette grimaced, "Not yet, the damage to the body postmortem is making this difficult. I'll have to wait until they stripped the flesh."
Peyton stood on the side, patiently holding a tray, "Once you guys are done with the preliminary examination, I'll like the victim's clothes, the dirt and bugs may give me an indication of when she was dumped."
Sarah O'Riley, Peyton's sister and foil in nearly everyway, sauntered up the platform, "I took some hair samples to see if we could get some DNA. Found something really strange."
"Strange as in out of the ordinary, or strange as in I-don't-want-to-know-about-it-gross, cause I've found that it means the same thing with you."
Sarah ignored Geoff's comment and continued, "The roots of the hair are raven coloured, the blonde is from oxidized thiols apparent in the hair shaft."
Everyone did a double take. Peyton finally spoke what everyone was thinking, "She bleached her hair? What nine year old does that?"
Maurecia Lee walked towards the group, having just heard the conversation, "Well, that explains why my sketch of a little raven-haired pretty didn't turn up any matches." She showed the group her realistic and slightly depressing drawing of a nine year old girl. "I think I'll go correct the description in the computer and run it against the FBI missing person database again." Maurecia climbed down the platform towards her office, with Sarah following to see if any DNA results have come back yet.
Bridgette nodded, "Right, Peyton, I think you can grab the clothes now, I'll just be having a closer look at the exposed bones."
"Gotcha Dr. B."
Geoff, who looked around and realized that he's the only one not doing anything, spoke, "Right, I think I'll go…phone the guys at the Bureaus see if they can find any records of suspicious activities around the pumpkin patch." Bridgette and Peyton barely acknowledged him, and thus Geoff merely turned around and walked away.
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"DNA results not back yet?" Maurecia Lee's eyes were still focused on her screen, but had correctly known the visitor as Sarah. Geoff was busy sitting in one of her office chairs trying to figure out what the painting on her wall was supposed to be of. As of right now he was torn between an army of moving trees or a cat of some sort.
"No, you know how long these things can take. How's the picture of our Jane Doe doing?"
Maurecia punched her keyboard, and on her giant screen showcased a 3D computer model of the girl, "I've added in the blonde hair and I've been using some of the tissue markers Bridgette gave me, but still…"
Peyton, completely forgetting to knock, barged in, "I've found traces of fragrances, colouring powder and other chemicals found in make-up on the check and eye issue, most likely mascara and blush."
"I guess I'll give little Jane Doe here a makeover," she continued to type, and the image on the screen gradually changed. Peyton, Sarah and Geoff huddled over the computer, obviously not doing much work and not knowing the meaning of a personal bubble.
Finally even Bridgette appeared, quietly entering with a tray with the jaw in it. Noticing the others mesmerized by Maurecia's computer skills she placed the tray on a nearby rolling cart, loudly, to get their attention.
Bridgette huffed, '"False teeth."
"Is that like a code word or something Bridge?" Geoff said, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
His partner shook her head, "I was trying to have a look at the teeth and later give them to odontology, but look," she pushed against one of the teeth and it easily popped out, revealing a smaller tooth, "False teeth replaced her missing baby teeth and what's more her other teeth were veneered."
The group took a moment to pause; "Okay, this is just getting weirder and weirder," Geoff admitted.
"I hate working with kids, given what my job is," Sarah stated.
Maurecia meanwhile was typing in the new information, and finally ended with a model of a girl who looked a bit too old for her age with an up-do hairstyle. A few more clicks and clacks from the keyboard and the screen showed the picture being compared to rapidly changing scans of children file photos from a missing person database.
"I got something!" Maurecia exclaimed rather proudly when the computer finally stopped.
"Oh my God…"
Geoff looked at the gaping mouth of Peyton O'Riley, "what?"
"That's Bianca Mills-Lambton!"
"Who?" Now it was Bridgette's turn to ask.
"That young beauty queen pageant winner who disappeared about two months ago in the middle of the regional finals of the Little Miss Canada Competition," supplied Sarah.
Bridgette squinted at the screen, reading the information, "Only nine years old…the only child of divorced parents, multimillionaire Richard Lambton and socialite…oh God," she took a few small steps away from the computer, "No wonder part of her last name sounded familiar…"
"What is it?" Geoff tried to read the part where Bridgette trailed off, "Holy…is she?"
Bridgette silently nodded, "It's the same person."
Everyone looked at each other, grimacing, none quite sure of what to say.
On the screen, the last part of the sentence was "The only child of divorced parents-multimillionaire Richard Lambton and socialite Heather Mills."
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Bet you guys didn't say that one coming did you? And if you did, good job, you must either be really smart or just plain psychic!
As I have a bulk of this already typed out I will be making weekly updates to this thing every Wednesday…hopefully. At the most give or take one or two days. See you guys next Wednesday and review please!