Dying Fall

people seem to offer her condolences about Dan. She isn’t qualified to accept them; she hasn’t seen him for nearly twenty years. All she can do is say that she’s sorry too.
    ‘I wanted to ask you,’ says Ruth, ‘about the day when Dan excavated the skeleton at Ribchester. You were there, weren’t you?’
    ‘Yes,’ says Susan, frowning slightly. ‘It was a very exciting find.’
    ‘I know,’ says Ruth. She hasn’t yet told Susan about the switched bones, though she knows she will have to. Now she says, ‘The bones were taken straight to the forensics lab, weren’t they?’
    ‘Yes,’ says Susan, sounding rather defensive. ‘I was satisfied that there was no need for an autopsy. The bones were sealed inside the tomb and we could date that pretty accurately. Mid to late fifth century.’
    ‘But was it standard for the bones to go to a specialist laboratory? Why not the university?’
    Susan straightens the pens on her desk. ‘Clayton Henry felt they’d be safer at the laboratory. I don’t know if you know, Doctor Galloway, but there has been some unrest at Pendle recently. Far-right groups who might feel a particular interest in this find.’
    ‘Because of the possible connection with King Arthur?’
    Susan inclines her head. ‘That’s correct.’
    ‘How would they have known?’
    ‘Word gets out. You know what universities are like.’
    Ruth does know. When she got pregnant, her students knew before her parents did.
    ‘Did you see the bones when Dan was excavating?’ asks Ruth.
    Susan looks surprised. ‘Yes. He did the actual excavation but we were all observing.’
    ‘All?’
    ‘Me, Professor Henry, his wife, some students, a few volunteers. Why do you ask?’
    Ruth doesn’t answer straight away. Instead she asks, ‘Was Dan satisfied that there was just one skeleton in the tomb?’
    Now Susan looks definitely intrigued. ‘Yes. We all saw it. The body was laid out in a supine position, arms across the chest, palms in pronation.’
    ‘Anything else?’
    ‘Dan thought the skeleton was definitely male, full grown, adult teeth erupted. Cause of death unclear, no obvious signs of trauma or disease. He guessed the age at about fifty, perhaps older. Of course we won’t know until the test results come back.’
    ‘Did you see Dan take any samples of tooth and bone for testing?’
    ‘Yes. He did it at the site.’
    ‘Where did he take them?’
    ‘Back to the university, I presume. Doctor Galloway, what is all this about?’
    As briefly as possible, Ruth explains her discovery at CNN Forensics. Susan Chow looks completely stunned.
    ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘I’m sure there were at least two different bodies. I’ve sent samples for C14 testing and isotope analysis. Then I’ll know whether they’re from the same period or not.’
    ‘I can’t believe it.’
    ‘Professor Chow,’ says Ruth, rocking the pushchair with her foot. Kate has started to make ominous growling noises. ‘Who drove the bones to the lab?’
    Susan frowns. ‘I think it was one of the students.’
    ‘Guy Delaware?’
    ‘Yes, I think so.’
    ‘Do you know Guy at all?’
    ‘Only by sight. He was one of Dan’s students.’
    ‘Guy says that he was fully involved in the excavation. “A joint project,” he said.’
    Susan smiles, rather sadly, as if she is remembering something.
    ‘Guy might have been involved but it was Dan’s project through and through. He was obsessed with it. As soon as he suspected who might be buried in the tomb, he was a man possessed.’
    Despite herself, Ruth feels rather glad. She ought to be pleased that Guy wants to carry on Dan’s work but she finds herself feeling oddly possessive about the project – and about Dan.
    She leans forward, addressing Susan over Kate’s angrily bobbing head. ‘Do you know if Dan saw the bones again after Guy delivered them to the lab?’
    ‘I can’t tell you that, I’m afraid. We were all waiting for the results to come back before going any further.’
    ‘Do you know which lab Dan used for the analysis?’
    ‘I’m afraid I don’t. I left all that to Dan. He was very experienced.’ But he’s also dead, thinks Ruth, and all hiswork has vanished. Along with the bones that might belong to King Arthur himself.
    ‘Did anyone take photographs of the excavation?’ she asks.
    ‘Dan took some on his phone. And I took some for the county records.’
    ‘Could I see them?’
    ‘Yes. I’ll get copies made.’ Susan Chow still sounds troubled.