Jack let out a heavy sigh. “Now if they had just put the body up on something, got it off of the ground, that would have given a whole lot more oomph to the burn process. It would have gotten some oxygen underneath it. If you’re going to use fire, you really should learn some mechanics of how it all works. Face down in a trunk of a car is fairly amateurish.”

Val had to admit she was impressed with his knowledge. And Dr. Blythe would be impressed with her report. She needed to write down everything Jack said before she forgot the details, and had to get him out of the room so she could do so. “Well, Jack, this visit has been interesting, but I really must get back to work.”

“As you wish.” He stripped off his gloves, washed his hands and walked towards the door. “By the way, charred teeth break easily because they’re so fragile. It would almost be expected if anyone tried to X-ray them.”

Val shot him a look, but said nothing about his remark. He didn’t seem to be going any further on this issue, and at this point, neither would she. Instead, she decided to ask another question, one she wanted the answer to. “You said face down in a car is amateurish, what did you mean by that?”

“There’s just no way to hide the fact that a crime was committed. It’s obvious. The dead person is in the trunk of a car. Really, I can think off the top of my head several effective ways to get rid of a body that would be considerably better. Plus, one ought to be mindful when using fire, the hydrocarbons that tend to be used in these circumstances are so easy to detect with lab tests. It all just screams set-up,” Jack said.

Val stood silent for a moment, thinking.

“Oh, I’m sorry if you don’t understand. People that set fires like to use gasoline,” he said, smiling smugly. “Gasoline is a hydrocarbon.”

“I know what a hydrocarbon is, Mr. Styles!” Val shot back at him. “Since you seem to know it all what do you suggest then?”

“Something that burns clean and then disappears. A strong vodka would do the trick.” He smiled broader and then stared at her. “It tackles many problems. Perhaps I can interest you in one.”

Jack’s invitation still lingered in the air. No response came from Val as Gwen burst into the decomposition room and shouted, “They found another skull!” Her eyes opened wide as she focused on Jack.

“Holy crap.” Then Val held her tongue. Not saying more out loud. What in the hell is going on? Did they find Julia’s skull?