Carved in Bone

hired and up to speed, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see me for a while. On the other hand, probably won’t be long before some unidentified, varmint-chewed, vermin-infested body turns up in some backwoods hollow or chop-shop junkyard. We are talking Cooke County, after all.”
    “Well, I reckon I could find my way back to your neck of the woods if duty calls,” I said. “And you know where to find me. Either under the stadium or out here communing with the dead.”
    He grinned and nodded. We shook hands again, and he climbed back into the Cherokee and backed out the gate.
    I checked my watch and realized I should be going, too. I was expected at Jeff’s house for dinner in a couple of hours, and it wouldn’t do to show up reeking of corpses. Besides, after I got cleaned up, I’d need to swing by the Hilton to pick up Jess Carter, who was back in town to do another autopsy. “My God, is this a date ?” Jeff had asked when I asked if I could bring her along.
    “I don’t know,” I said. “She might still be happily lesbian.”
    He laughed. “That could make a difference, Dad. You might want to find out at some point.”
    “I intend to, son,” I said. “Should be interesting.” He concurred.
    As I swung the gates shut and snapped the locks onto their chains, I looked up at the barren branches ringing the facility. Above them, a narrow ray of sunshine threaded a gap in the clouds. The light caught and backlit the wing of a buzzard. The bird was gliding effortlessly, patiently above the Body Farm, riding the wind, the scent, and his own mysterious yearnings.
    He might not fully comprehend why he was drawn to delve into the messy details of death. But delve he did—with grace and gusto.
    I couldn’t help but admire that.

Reprinted from Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual (Fourth Edition), by William M. Bass. © Missouri Archaeological Society, Inc., 1995.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    Some novels are pure fiction; others are fiction that is built on a foundation of facts. This book is of the latter type. Although the story is fictional, the science is factual, and some of the places and events described here contain a sizable kernel of reality. Many of the real-world forensic cases my graduate students and I have examined during the past thirty-five years have occurred in East Tennessee, where this story is based. It would be impossible (or at least foolish) to write a story that was not shaped and colored by those experiences.
    So many people contribute to a story like this, it’s impossible to acknowledge everyone by name. First and foremost, this book could not have been written without Jon Jefferson, a fine collaborator and eager student of forensic anthropology. I also want to thank my hundreds of graduate students, the many local and state law enforcement officers I’ve worked with, the members of the media who have produced accurate accounts of our investigations, and the thousands of loyal readers who are interested in my work and my stories. We hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it.
—WMB III
    Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it’s much easier to write, I now realize. Thanks to the many people who have helped me navigate the new territory of fiction. Arthur Bohanan—the real-life Art—gave us gracious and good-humored permission to borrow his name, his reputation, and a few of his accomplishments, in return for nothing more than a promise to call attention to the urgent need for more research on finding ways to detect children’s fingerprints. Thanks, Art—that’s a promise we’re privileged to keep. Dr. Jim Corbin, of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture—a pioneering scientist in the fight against ginseng poaching—answered numerous questions about ’sang; lest his reputation suffer, I’ll hasten to absolve him of all blame for the fictional liberties I’ve taken on the subject of cultivation. For helicopter and air ambulance research—on the ground and in the air—I’m indebted to the flight crews of Smoky Mountain Helicopters and the University of Tennessee Medical Center’s LifeStar air ambulance program. Thanks also to Dr. Sandra Elkins of the Regional Forensic Center; to Dr. Ed Uthman, via his website and emails; and to Lynn Faust, John, and Rick.
    Many members of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies were kind enough to answer myriad questions. Among them: KPD firearms examiner Patty Resig;