Chapter 1: The Case of the Curious Corpse
Dr. Beverly Nichols, a forensic anthropologist, is called to investigate the mysterious death of a body found in a shallow grave. The body has been dismembered, and the cause of death is unknown. Using her expertise, Nichols examines the remains and determines that the victim was a 25-year-old male who had been strangled.
Example: Nichols examines the victim's collarbone and finds a faint indentation consistent with a manual strangulation.
Chapter 2: The Girl in the Lake
Nichols is summoned to a lake where a young woman's body has been discovered. The woman has drowned, but the circumstances surrounding her death are unclear. Nichols dives into the lake and discovers a heavy weight tied to the woman's ankle, suggesting she was murdered.
Example: Nichols notices the victim's hair is stained green, indicating that she drowned in a chlorinated pool before her body was dumped in the lake.
Chapter 3: The Skeleton in the Closet
Nichols is hired by a wealthy family to examine the skeleton of their recently deceased grandmother. The family suspects that the grandmother was murdered by her husband. Nichols discovers that the skeleton has several broken bones, consistent with a fall from a height. However, further examination reveals that the bones were fractured after death, suggesting that the grandmother was alive when she fell.
Example: Nichols examines the victim's skull and finds a small puncture wound on the back of the head, indicating that she was struck with a blunt object before she fell.
Chapter 4: The Mummy's Curse
Nichols is called to investigate the death of an archaeologist who died after opening an ancient Egyptian tomb. The archaeologist's body is covered in strange hieroglyphs, and Nichols suspects that he was poisoned with an unknown substance.
Example: Nichols conducts a toxicology test on the victim's tissue and discovers the presence of a rare poison that was commonly used in ancient Egypt.
Chapter 5: The Final Solution
Nichols is hired to investigate the deaths of several concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust. She uncovers a systematic pattern of murder and torture, and her testimony helps to convict the perpetrators.
Example: Nichols examines the remains of an inmate who died from starvation and discovers that the victim had ingested human feces, a desperate attempt to prolong his life.
