Chapter I

Dogs hounded before dawn set itself upon the usually quiescent neighbourhood of Nusantara Damai. It was the crowd around a well-landscaped park which stirred up the atmosphere of an otherwise calm Sunday morning. Piqued by the situation, passers-by murmured behind the yellow tape as polie and specialists methodically surveyed the crime scene.

"Unfortunately we have little to work with, the culprit has effectively disposed of most of the skeleton but parts of the skull and a few jaw fragments. We had no choice but to resort to your expertise." Dr Suria stared down at remnants of the unknown victim.

Dr Rudi was half listening. It was too early for him and he hadn't had the time to appreciate the daily coffee religiously brewed by his wife. The dogs' barks were getting on his nerves, especially the squeal from a Pomski right behind the yellow tape. He shot a stare at the toy dog which fell silent immediately but its owner was not as submissive. Furrowing her brunette brows, the voluptuous jogger returned the stare to Dr Rudi. What a way to thank the dog that surfaced this crime.

“It’s okay Dr. Suria, although it is not ideal we are still able to extract a lot of information from the skull, especially the weapon of choice in this case. I’ll have my team work on it.”

The doctor took a step back as his medical team continued examining and collecting evidence, snapping photos with their DSLRs and sealing bags air tight. Popped and lit up a cigar as he strolled beyond the quarantined zone to get some fresh morning air into his lungs, away from the claustrophobic crowd. As he walked pass the Pomski, it charged and latched its short but razor teeth on his Armani chevron wool pants, tearing off a piece of the fabric.

It was one of his favourites, tailored made in the only branch in Nusantara Damai. He hand-picked the Italian materials for the friendly old tailor. He was glad that the old man offered to have the suit personally delivered to his door-step, a doctor has no time for petty chores such as these.

“Tch…guess I’ll have to make a call to Mr. Fabrizio to get it fixed.”

The jogger immediately pulled the leash taut and dragged the animal away, immediately apologizing after.

"Feisty lil devil aren't you. Digging into bones and now into my Armani. Luckily your bark is louder than your bite."

Just as the doctor raised his hand for another puff, he felt the cold morning wind breeze through his empty fingers. The cigar was dropped onto the ground during all the commotion. 

"There goes my little piece of heaven."

"Your leg okay there?" It was Dr. Timmo De Sim, Rudi's second-in-charge.

"Yeah it's fine."

“Here’s your long black Dr Rudi.” Dr. Suria handed him a grande from a nearby Starbucks.

“Thanks doll.”

Denied of his smoking break, Rudi re-entered the site along with Timmo.

“So what have we got so far Timmy?”

“Still determining whether this skull is male or female doctor.”

Doctor Rudi takes a closer look of the rancid figure.

“The forehead still isn’t as rounded as a female’s would be. And take a look at here…” he fished a pen from his pocket and pointed at the lower border of the orbit, “this ridge has a blunt surface which is typical of a male. The mastoid process here and external occipital protuberance here is also much larger and more prominent than it would be on a gal’s. However, do send the skull for measurements; it should be thick and heavy to confirm our analysis.”

Timmo nods as he cautiously places the specimen into a ziplock bag and seals it tight.

“Anything else?” Rudi said as he squints from the rising sun. “How about the jaws?”

“The small one with a squarish chin probably goes along with this skull. There’s also a larger jaw with a square chin which I assume to be a male’s. Can’t really see the chin on the fragmented jaw but from its obtuse ramus angle it’s safe to say that it’s a female’s.”

Doctor Rudi gave a rewarding yet condescending pat on the shoulder.

“Good job. So at least a female and two males. Get ready Tim I’ll work you like a dog on this case.”