‘ I can’t.’
‘ Why not?’
‘ Because I had nothing to do with Julie Summers’ murder.’
Steven shook his head in exasperation but he still felt disconcerted when he saw that the man clearly believed what he was saying. ‘For God’s sake man,’ he protested, ‘the prosecution came up with a perfect DNA match for you.’
‘ So they did,’ said Little sarcastically.
‘ So what are you suggesting? That they made the whole lot up?’
Little’s slight shrug seemed to suggest an affirmative.
‘ How? Why?’
Little shrugged again.
‘ I’m sorry, I don’t believe you,’ said Steven.
Little did not show any reaction. He said simply, ‘Neither did my wife, the police, the prosecuting counsel, the judge and the jury,’ replied Little. ‘It really doesn’t matter any more. It’ll soon be over.’
Steven felt uneasy. Although he felt that continuing denial must be Little’s way of dealing with the burden of guilt, the fact that the evidence against him — however good — had come from Lee’s lab was still a worry. He got up from the table and Little did the same.
The Prison officers came back into the room on hearing the sound of the chairs moving back and Steven watched as Little was led away.
As he left the room, Little turned and said, ‘I really didn’t kill her.’
‘ Like fuck you didn’t,’ growled the officer escorting him.
‘ Some of them are like that,’ said the man with the harelip. ‘They go to their grave insisting they were innocent.’
‘ If I want Mickey Mouse psychiatry, I’ll let you know,’ snapped Steven, almost immediately regretting it. He was on edge.
‘ Get what you wanted?’ asked Cummings.
‘ Not exactly. Did you know David Little has full-blown AIDS?’ replied Steven.
‘ Christ, you’re kidding!’ exclaimed Cummings.
Steven’s accusing look removed any doubt.
‘ Jesus Christ, that’s all I need,’ complained Cummings as he picked up the phone and punched in four numbers. ‘Is the Doctor still there? Gone? Shit.’ Cummings slammed down the receiver and looked at Steven. ‘You’re sure about this?’ he asked.
‘ He’s got Kaposi’s sarcoma on his face and neck. It’s usually a sure sign.’
‘ How on earth would he get…?’
‘ Male rape,’ interrupted Steven.
‘ Christ,’ murmured Cummings. After a moment he thought he saw an objection and said, ‘But he’s been on rule 43 for years.’
‘ AIDS can take several years to develop,’ said Steven.
‘ Of course,’ conceded Cummings. ‘I wasn’t thinking straight. Look, I’ll get on to the doctor at home and tell him to get his bloody finger out and organise some treatment for Little. Best I can do.’
‘ He may refuse. He wants to die.’
‘ I’ll have to see what the rule book says.’
‘ I want to take a buccal swab from Little,’ said Steven.
Cummings seemed shocked. ‘What for?’
‘ I want to check his DNA profile.’
Cummings stared at him as if he couldn’t believe his ears then he said, ‘That’s all we need, a rumour starting that Little is innocent. You do know what you’re doing?’ he asked.
Steven remained impassive.
Cummings made a steeple with his hands and covered his mouth and nose for a few moments before seeming to conclude that any argument would be pointless. He simple asked, ‘What do you need?’
‘ Just a cotton swab and a sterile tube.’
Harelip was detailed to take Steven first to the sickbay to pick up supplies and then to David Little’s cell.
‘ I thought we’d said our good byes,’ said Little who was sitting reading a copy of the science magazine, Nature.
‘ I’d like to take a buccal smear from you,’ said Steven.
‘ What for?’
‘ DNA fingerprinting.’
‘ Is this some kind of sick joke?’
‘ I want to compare it with samples taken at the crime scene of Julie Summers’ murder. A second opinion if you like. Something your lawyer should have done.’
‘ He believed I was guilty from the outset. That was obvious.’
‘ So what was your defence?’ asked Steven.
‘ My lawyer said he was willing to enter a plea of insanity but that there was no point in arguing about technicalities: the evidence against me was so overwhelming.’
‘ Who was your lawyer?’
‘ Paul Verdi of Seymour, Nicholson and Verdi.’
‘ What did you say to that?’
‘ I said it was all some awful mistake. There must have been some mix-up in the lab but no one would listen, not even Charlotte. I’ll never forget the look on her face when…’
‘ About that swab?’ said Steven, wanting the conversation to end.
‘ There’s no point,’ said Little.
Steven looked at him. ‘Scared of what I’ll come up with?’ he asked. ‘Think you might have to face up to your guilt after all?’
Little didn’t reply. Instead he opened his mouth and allowed Steven to rub the cotton-tipped swab around the inside of his right cheek.
‘ Tell me one thing,’ said Steven as he carefully placed the swab inside a sterile tube, making sure that the tip did not touch anything else. ‘How did you get the scratch you had on your arm when you were arrested?’
‘ Our cat, Romeo, did it.’
TEN
Ronald Lee’s murder made it into all the papers next morning. The story was generally presented as a highland tragedy, a mindless killing followed by the death of the victim’s wife, suggesting a devoted couple who clearly couldn’t live without each other. Two of the nationals however did note that Lee had been the forensic pathologist involved in the murder investigation of Julie Summers. One of them also recalled that he had taken early retirement in the aftermath of the case.
‘ Lothian and Borders Police have been on to the Home Office again,’ said John Macmillan when Steven called Sci-Med. ‘Suffice to say they’re hopping mad about your latest exploit.’
‘ And what would that be?’ asked Steven.
‘ They say you’ve visited David Little in prison and taken a sample from him for DNA analysis. They’re complaining that you’re giving everyone the impression that there was something wrong with the original one.’
‘ Well, that certainly got around fast,’ said Steven. ‘That’s actually why I’m calling. I do want the DNA fingerprinting done again if only for my own peace of mind. I’d also like it to be done locally rather than send the samples to London so I need a name, someone independent of the police and forensic services up here.’
‘ You don’t really think that Little could be innocent, do you?’ said Macmillan.
‘ I don’t know what to think right now,’ said Steven.
‘ But the DNA evidence against him was…’
