“I’ve heard enough,” Kim said. “I get the idea.”
Their food arrived. They didn’t talk until the waiter had left. Edward was the first to speak. “The problem is that the evidence could have been any one of a number of things, and there’s no way of knowing specifically unless you found a description. What about looking in the court records themselves?”
“I thought of that,” Kim said. “But I was told that none of the records of the special Court of Oyer and Terminer remain.”
“Too bad,” Edward said. “I guess that throws you back into that hopeless pile of papers in the castle.”
“Yeah,” Kim said without enthusiasm. “Plus there’s no guarantee it would be there.”
While they ate their meal the conversation shifted to more mundane issues. It wasn’t until they were finishing their dessert that Edward returned to the issue of Elizabeth’s grave.
“What was the state of preservation of Elizabeth’s body?” he asked.
“I never saw the body,” Kim said. She was shocked at such a question. “The coffin wasn’t opened. The backhoe just hit the end and jarred it a little.”
“Maybe we should open it,” Edward said. “I’d love to get a sample-if there is anything recognizable to sample. If we could find some residue of whatever alkaloid this new fungus produces, we’d have definitive proof that the devil in Salem was a fungus.”
“I can’t believe you’d even suggest such a thing,” Kim said. “The last thing I want to do is disturb Elizabeth’s body.”
“Here we go being superstitious again,” Edward said. “You understand that such a position is akin to being against autopsies.”
“This is different,” Kim said. “She’s already been buried.”
“People are exhumed all the time,” Edward said.
“I suppose you are right,” Kim said reluctantly.
“Maybe I should take a ride up there with you tomorrow,” Edward said. “We could both take a look.”
“You have to have a permit to exhume a body,” Kim said.
“The backhoe already did most of the job,” Edward said. “Let’s take a look and decide tomorrow.”
The bill came and Edward paid it. Kim thanked him and told him that the next dinner was on her. Edward said they could argue about it.
Outside the restaurant there was an awkward moment. Edward asked her over to his apartment, but Kim demurred. She reminded him that she’d felt uncomfortable that morning. Ultimately they resolved the issue, at least temporarily, by agreeing to go to Edward’s to discuss it.
Later, while sitting on Edward’s couch, Kim asked him if he remembered a student named Kinnard Monihan, who’d done research in his lab four or five years previously.
“Kinnard Monihan,” Edward said. He closed his eyes in concentration. “I have a lot of students passing through. But, yes, I remember him. As I recall he went on to the General for a surgical residency.”
“That’s the one,” Kim said. “Do you remember much about him?”
“I remember I was disappointed when I’d heard he was taking a residency,” Edward said. “He was a smart kid. I’d expected him to stay in academic research. Why do you ask?”
“We dated for a number of years,” Kim said. She was about to tell Edward about the confrontation at the compound when Edward interrupted her.
“Were you and Kinnard lovers?” Edward asked.
“I suppose you can say that,” Kim said hesitantly. She could tell instantly that Edward was upset. Both his behavior and speech changed dramatically. It took Kim a half hour of coaxing and convincing to get him to calm down and to understand that her relationship with Kinnard was over. Kim even apologized for bringing up his name.
In a deliberate attempt to change the subject, she asked Edward if he’d done anything about finding a new apartment. Edward admitted that he’d not had a chance. Kim warned him that September would be arriving quickly.
As the evening progressed, neither Kim nor Edward brought up the issue of whether Kim should spend the night. By not making a decision, they made a decision. She stayed. Later, as they were lying side by side in bed, Kim began to think about what she’d said to Kinnard about Edward moving in with her. It had been meant merely to provoke Kinnard, but now Kim began seriously to consider the idea. It had a definite appeal. The relationship with Edward was continuing to blossom. Besides, the cottage was more than ample, and it was isolated. It might even be lonely. 5