“Teeth do loosen in skeletal remains, it’s not uncommon for them to just fall out,” Gavin suggested. “Is it possible that if there were broken roots, they might have come out on their own?”

Val paused. For the front teeth where there’s a single root, she might have agreed about this possibility, especially if this skull was being tossed around a landfill, but for back ones, with multiple roots, it was unlikely. She had to admit that she wasn’t one hundred percent sure.

“I guess it’s possible. But if it didn’t happen this way, someone purposely removed the broken roots,” she said.

“Any idea why?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and tried hard to come up with answers. “They could have been used for an X-ray comparison, to get an ID.”

She knew dental ID was an excellent way to identify someone. It was accurate, quick and inexpensive. With only the roots though, there wouldn’t be much to go on. It would be a questionable ID. DNA would be indisputable. “The pulpal tissue, that’s the nerve inside the tooth and roots, is a good source for DNA. Dr. Blythe is using DNA for the identifications. Right?”

“Yes.” Gavin sat upright. “Is there any way to tell for sure if the roots were purposely removed?”

“The easiest way is to look at the victim’s teeth and see if those are all intact. Were any of them broken?” she asked, trying to remember what she saw lying on Francine Donohue’s pillow. Those teeth were covered in blood with bits of bone still attached, making it hard to tell what kind of shape they were in. She would need to inspect them more carefully to determine if any were fractured.

“I’ll have to look at Julia’s report. I can’t remember if she noted that any of the teeth were broken or not.”

“I thought Blythe was doing this case, not Julia,” Val said, surprised.

“He is. He’s in charge. Julia’s assisting.”

Both looked up from the conversation as the waitress came to the table with dishes. Dinner was here. Val’s stomach growled. The grilled cheese sandwich she had eaten at lunchtime from the hospital cafeteria had long since dissipated. She took a few quick bites of her fish fry, and then asked another question, strategically. “I’m assuming this is a pretty big case?”

“Yes.” Gavin set down his burger and wiped his mouth.

She trod carefully, hoping that maybe he would share some details with her. “You have to imagine that I would be interested in this because of the dental aspect. Is there anything more that you can tell me? Any way that I can help?”

He stared at her. Val waited to hear a no from him.