His last comment and the look in his eyes triggered off the same reaction in Mary, as had his earlier gesture of rubbing his forehead. She nodded and asked, ‘So what do you do next?’
‘I need to get a sample of Anne-Marie’s tissue for DNA fingerprinting,’ he said.
‘What?’ exclaimed Mary, shocked at the suggestion and opening her eyes wide. ‘Why on Earth do you want to do that?’
Gordon told her why and volunteered the information that Anne-Marie’s body was still being held in the mortuary at Ysbyty Gwynedd. He told her that he planned to get in there somehow.
‘But security has been tightened in Pathology after what happened over in Caernarfon with Megan Griffiths,’ protested Mary.
‘I’ll find a way,’ said Gordon. ‘All I need are a few cells from her body. If I can just show that Anne-Marie could not possibly have been the natural child of John and Lucy Palmer then I think the dam will burst and the whole truth will come out. The police will have to investigate then.’
Mary looked apprehensive. ‘You’re already on the brink of losing your job: breaking into the hospital mortuary and interfering with forensic evidence could lose you your license. You could end up in jail with John Palmer instead of helping him!’
‘There must be a way,’ said Gordon, refusing to see anything other than his objective.
Mary watched him rack his brain for a few moments then she said with an air of resignation, ‘I’ll do it. I’ll get it for you.’
Gordon snapped out of his preoccupation and looked at her, almost unable to believe what he’d just heard.
‘I at least work at the hospital. I can sign myself into Pathology on some perfectly reasonable pretext and get your sample for you while I’m there.’
‘But why?’ asked an astonished Gordon.
‘I don’t know,’ confessed Mary, echoing Gordon’s earlier reply.
‘That would be absolutely wonderful,’ said Gordon.
‘But you must promise me one thing,’ said Mary. ‘If it should turn out that Anne-Marie Palmer was the natural child of the Palmers, you’ll stop all this and get your life back together again. It strikes me that Julie Rees will take you back if you mend your ways, eat a slice of humble pie and come up with a few well-chosen words. What d’you say?’
‘Agreed,’ said Gordon. ‘When d’you think you’ll do it?’
‘I’ll try when I go back on duty tonight. There’ll be fewer people around in the evening anyway. Give me your number and I’ll call you when I have the sample.’
‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am,’ said Gordon.
‘I haven’t got it yet,’ said Mary, picking up her handbag and getting out her purse. Gordon protested but Mary insisted on paying. ‘I invited you, remember,’ she said. ‘And a deal is a deal. You won’t forget that, will you?
Gordon took her meaning. ‘No,’ he assured her. ‘I won’t.’
They left the pub and found that the wind had got up. It was whipping in from the north, across the open waters of the Menai, carrying with it the suggestion of rain as they buttoned up their coats and stood talking on the pavement for a few moments.
‘Can I give you a lift back to Felinbach?’ Mary offered.
Gordon wouldn’t hear of it. ‘I’ve already kept you out of bed long enough,’ he insisted. ‘You get some rest; I’ll catch the bus.’
Mary nodded. ‘I’ll call you later,’ she said.
‘Please, don’t take any unnecessary risks,’ said Gordon. ‘This is my cross to bear, not yours.’
Mary nodded. There was an awkward moment when they didn’t seem sure how to part. In the end they did so with a smile and a handshake. Gordon watched Mary drive off, wishing he could have put his arms around her and held her tight, then he walked slowly up into the town. He thought he’d have a look for a plumber and make arrangements to have his heating fixed before catching the bus home.
The phone rang at nine p.m. and Gordon let it ring twice to disguise the fact that he’d been sitting there, waiting anxiously for the call. He picked it up nervously.
‘Tom? It’s Mary. I’ve been down to the mortuary.’
‘How d’you get on?’ asked Gordon.
‘No joy, I’m afraid.’
Disappointment hit Gordon like a sandbag. He swallowed and asked, ‘What was the problem?’
‘She’s not there.’
This wasn’t what Gordon expected to hear. ‘But she’s been there since they did the post mortem,’ he exclaimed.
‘She’s been moved.’
‘Where?’
‘To Caernarfon General. The duty technician was quite talkative, a natural gossip if truth be told. She told me that Anne-Marie Palmer had been transferred to Caernarfon at the request of one, Professor Carwyn Thomas.’
‘Thomas!’ exclaimed Gordon.
‘Exactly,’ said Mary. ‘She was quite surprised too, but apparently the police pathologist agreed to this because Anne-Marie had been one of the unit’s patients and Thomas wanted to carry out some tests of his own. Being who he is, the pathologist gave it the okay. Apparently he and Thomas are in the same golf club.’
‘It’s against the law to interfere with forensic evidence,’ said Gordon. ‘A certain police pathologist told me that,’ he added sourly.
‘That’s more or less what the technician said too,’ said Mary, ‘But apparently Professor Thomas could be trusted because of who and what he was.’
‘Carry out tests, my foot,’ said Gordon. ‘He’s going to destroy the evidence!’
‘Surely he couldn’t do that,’ said Mary. ‘Caernarfon can’t afford to have another body go missing.’
‘It’s the only reason I can think of for him wanting the body there,’ said Gordon. ‘Do you know when she was transferred?’
‘The technician said earlier today.’
‘Then there’s a chance I can still get to it,’ said Gordon. ‘I’m going up there.’
‘You’ll be taking a terrible risk,’ protested Mary.
‘Providing her body’s still there, this actually suits me better. Being on the inquiry team into Megan’s disappearance gives me the right of access to anywhere I want at Caernarfon General. That’s what Trool said, remember? Getting into the mortuary should present no problem.’
‘Don’t do anything stupid,’ said Mary.
‘I won’t,’ Gordon assured her. ‘And I’m still very grateful to you for what you tried to do this evening.’
‘Let me know how you get on.’
It was just after ten fifteen when Gordon drove into the car park at Caernarfon General. His earlier confidence about gaining access to the mortuary was beginning to waver as he considered the practicalities of actually doing it. The pathology department would be locked at that time of night so he would have to seek assistance from the staff in the hospital’s front office. They in turn would have to check that he had the proper authority so that would mean informing the powers-that-be that he was there and even then it might mean calling out the duty technician or Sepp himself to unlock the door.
Although he would be under no obligation to explain why he wanted access to the mortuary, he could hardly request that he be left alone on the premises. On the other hand, if he didn’t, he would not be able to work on Anne-Marie’s body while someone stood there watching. He was musing that nothing was ever easy when another car drew up in the car park and the driver got out. It was Carwyn Thomas.
Gordon felt his pulse rate rise as Thomas looked across the tarmac and recognised him. Gordon saw him frown and look puzzled as he locked his car door and came towards him.
‘Well, Doctor,’ said Thomas with what looked like a forced grin, ‘What brings you here at this time of night?