CHAPTER 3: A FEW BONES
By afternoon, some twenty people were engaged in various activities, widening the area of the dig and carefully removing bones and skeletons for transfer to Sydney. Until the age of the bones could be ascertained, whether it was a recent crime or not, could not be established. By night, no further remains could be located and it was assumed that what they had was it. David My field and Jason spent another night at the Blue Lagoon and came back next morning. More police arrived and they extended the area further, but apart from lots of old timber and bits of metal, it appeared yesterday's count was all that the sand would reveal.
A new theory was emerging that if the bones were many years old, these could be a original, perhaps a battle site. My field let it go because none of the skull she had seen had that characteristic outline for aboriginals. The wide nose cavity and high cheek bones were absent. Whether Asian or European, would only be found back in Sydney. Once before he had made a snap statement at a crime scene only to be proved wrong. Now he let the facts speak. Back in Sydney, Jason started laying out the bones as close as he could to individual skeletons.
They had tried to keep each lot of bones intact when removing a find from the sand. There wasn't a lot of space in the laboratory, but a meeting room had been co-opted and with another table, five remains were laid up here. David My field was in early the next morning and nodded approval at his assistant. The reference books confirmed that these were not aboriginal nor Asian, but definitely European. Also seven of them were male, the other only consisted of a head and the top part of it's spine, so sex could not be determined immediately. Probably male.
The media were having a field day with as many stories as grains of sand. Missing Person files were being rescrutinised and the serial killer theory became the hot favourite. Belangalo State Forest and it's dark past, surfaced from the media vaults and every one wanted results, whatever they were. The normal testing of the bones to determine their age was inconclusive. If anything, it seemed to indicate the bottom end of the scale, that is fifty years at least, maybe even a hundred. The causes of death were a little more obvious. Heavy blunt instrument and some sort of thick blade, maybe a bayonet. The detectives talked to locals including aboriginals, but no one knew any thing about missing people or the site.
The Sydney Maritime Museum was asked about shipwrecks in the area, as far back as they had records. Any stories of massacres of survivors by local natives, was eagerly sort, but nothing matched. All that was left was to send down some university types to start a dig and sieve operation and hope something turned up. My field had little else to go on. The skeletons all had one thing in common, their size. Most were around the 5' to 5'2" height. As Australian shad now surpassed this mark, it lead to suppose they were European and at least
100 years old. It was now up to longer pathology tests to see what the bones contained. The next day the results were not encouraging. The limited testing facilities in this area had found little.
"Jason, my lad, any brain waves?"
"Well they had a lot of salt and iodine in them. Mean anything?" My field rolled his eyes.
"Yes. It means they've been buried in a sand dune for a hundred years, next to the ocean." Jason gave a sheepish grin.
"Of course. Just testing you."
"Well your testing has cost you a malt blend, nay, pure malt, after work and then you can clean up this museum of bones and...." He stopped talking and looked into space. Jason felt it wise to keep his lip buttoned.
"Museum. There's a try. No my lad, leave all as it is today. I think we just might pass all this lot on," then with a grin, he turned away.
Jean Silvers smiled that smile of a contented and happy woman. It probably had something to do with the bare chest of the person lying next to her and upon which she had her head. Life was good. Another year's funding from the Faculty to continue her archaeology post graduate work. A soul mate in Ray who shared her zeal and passion for work, although his was in other directions, and somewhere decent, for a change, to live. Actually it was Ray's place originally, but after six months of going together, he just said one night that if she wanted to stay permanently, she could. No strings. She needed sometime to think about this development.
After all it was like, well like a commitment. And there was her life in archaeology. Admittedly this was people but old people and old animals and she needed also to have a life with living people. She rang his door bell at nine one night and with nothing but a tooth brushing her hand, asked if the offer still stood. That was four months ago. He stirred and she knew it was time to get up and go to work. The hot shower refreshed her skin and then a vague outline outside the screen door. She smiled but she needed to get an early start today.
"Phone call. Don't rush, he's gone." Jean turned off the water and opened the door.
"Who was it?" Ray smiled.
"It will come to me. You could help me to remember." But she was out and towelling herself.
"Some of us have to work for a living, unlike the History Department. It amazes me how you people can get any money each year to do what ever you do."
"Talent my dear. Said his name was My field and to ring him when you got in." 'Now what would the police forensic poo bah want me for? Interesting.' At the university, she checked her programme for the day and asked her assistant about research data that had been promised from Birmingham University two weeks ago. Then she fished out David My field's telephone number and gave him a ring. It was an interesting 15 minutes. She had naturally heard about the skeletons found on the south coast but like most, it was an item to take in then move on.
"Ange," she yelled. A head popped around the corner of the partition that separated her cluttered desk from the rest of the small research area.
"You rang?"
“No, I yelled actually. There's some bones coming by courier from Sydney. A whole skeleton in fact. New South Wales Police want our help. Should be he relate today, We need to do some testing including a CD and may be a profile. Organize a String
Analysis as well." Ange raised her eyebrows.
"I hope they are paying."
"They are. On another direction, what have we got on that fire placed from Mungo?"
"On your desk, somewhere, if you didn't stop covering it with more junk." The phone rang and ignoring the laconic remarks from her off sider, Jean picked it up.
"Hello. Bones are us."
"Great advertisement." It was Ray's voice. "You alone?"
"No, there's this weirdo on the phone. I'm about to be verbally molested." She saw Ange stick her tongue out at her then walk away.
"This could go on forever, but I'm actually working. A seminar on Greek cultural diversity in the 2nd century BC awaits me."
"Fascinating I'm sure. Any thing else while I have ten seconds?"
"Yes. Billy and Doreen want us over for dinner Saturday night. Yes? No? Hope it's yes 'cause they have a pool."
"I know they have a pool and yes. Now go away, I have work to do."
"Love you," and he was gone. She mused for a minute and thought, 'yes life was good.'