When Dustin walks onto the strange, purple beach, Celty has already been camped out there for some time. This is really too bad; if he'd seen her setting up, that probably would have given him many questions and concerns, but also would have addressed several others.
But he didn't. So as he catches sight of the figure about a hundred yards down the way languidly sunbathing on a solid black beach chair, in a solid black swimsuit, with a solid black floppy sun hat sitting on top of the base of her neck instead of a head, his first thoughts go straight to--
There's been a murder.
Collecting sand and water samples would have been terribly unexciting, anyway. Dustin abandons those projects immediately and starts scuttling his way over to Celty's position, keeping his footsteps quiet and his figure low in case the killer is still around. They must be, right? Why else would you pose a body like this unless you wanted to watch someone discover it? Dustin's brow furrows and his mouth creases into a thin line. Disgusting. Hopefully their sick sense of vanity will give him enough time to get close and gather some clues, even if they've already spotted him approaching.
First goal: ID the deceased. This part is easy, as Celty's motorcycle and distinctive helmet are still at the scene of the crime. Perhaps they were left there intentionally? Either way, Dustin feels a pang of regret. He's seen Celty riding her motorcycle through Temba before, through the broken windows of old shops that he's hidden in to stay out of her way. It's a slick ride. He'd hoped to ask her about it someday. Sure, now he could theoretically just look at it himself without having to get up the nerve to talk to her, but even Dustin can't bring himself to be excited about tuning up a dead woman's bike.
Second goal: Identify cause of death. 'Decapitation' seems like the obvious, though that could have happened post-mortem. The only way to know for sure is to check the body. If Celty lets him get that close, Dustin will roll up to the foot of her beach chair, take a quick glance over her for outward signs of trauma, then duck to her side and - visibly wincing at the thought of what he's going to find underneath - lift up the brim of her hat.
I. (i'm so sorry)
But he didn't. So as he catches sight of the figure about a hundred yards down the way languidly sunbathing on a solid black beach chair, in a solid black swimsuit, with a solid black floppy sun hat sitting on top of the base of her neck instead of a head, his first thoughts go straight to--
There's been a murder.
Collecting sand and water samples would have been terribly unexciting, anyway. Dustin abandons those projects immediately and starts scuttling his way over to Celty's position, keeping his footsteps quiet and his figure low in case the killer is still around. They must be, right? Why else would you pose a body like this unless you wanted to watch someone discover it? Dustin's brow furrows and his mouth creases into a thin line. Disgusting. Hopefully their sick sense of vanity will give him enough time to get close and gather some clues, even if they've already spotted him approaching.
First goal: ID the deceased. This part is easy, as Celty's motorcycle and distinctive helmet are still at the scene of the crime. Perhaps they were left there intentionally? Either way, Dustin feels a pang of regret. He's seen Celty riding her motorcycle through Temba before, through the broken windows of old shops that he's hidden in to stay out of her way. It's a slick ride. He'd hoped to ask her about it someday. Sure, now he could theoretically just look at it himself without having to get up the nerve to talk to her, but even Dustin can't bring himself to be excited about tuning up a dead woman's bike.
Second goal: Identify cause of death. 'Decapitation' seems like the obvious, though that could have happened post-mortem. The only way to know for sure is to check the body. If Celty lets him get that close, Dustin will roll up to the foot of her beach chair, take a quick glance over her for outward signs of trauma, then duck to her side and - visibly wincing at the thought of what he's going to find underneath - lift up the brim of her hat.