“You aren’t leaving the museum, or leaving Edinburgh now, are you? At least not until you’re finished with everything?”
“For now, I’m here. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” he said as the smile faded a bit. He loved his work at the museum. He enjoyed Edinburgh. He and I had a real kinship that we both enjoyed.
“Oh, I hope you stick close by,” I said.
“Me too. Let’s not worry about tomorrow, all right? Talk to me. What happened and why do you need me?”
It’s not easy to begin a conversation about a murder, even if the person you’re telling didn’t know anyone involved, and even if the person is a friend you can talk to about pretty much anything. To top it off, Joshua was one of the most empathetic people I’d ever met, so I treaded lightly as I relayed the tragic details I was willing to share. He hadn’t seen the newspaper yet, said he was just about to read it. I didn’t get into the rumored affairs, but just mentioned that the women I was with at the pub thought Dr. Eban was strange, and that though I might have thought him strange, he wasn’t off-putting to me at all.
“He’s brilliant,” Joshua said, his heart heavy over the demise of Mallory, a woman he didn’t know. “Odd, but brilliant.”
“I’m trying to understand how he’s odd.”
Joshua bit at his bottom lip a moment. “Creepy. No, not creepy, eerie. Black cape, vampire eerie, but real-life stuff. He comports himself with that kind of an attitude. Does that make sense?”
I nodded. “I heard he’s intrigued by and uses Burke and Hare in his teachings.”
“I’ve heard that too. He also has an eye for the pretty women, or, again, so I’ve heard. He’s a flirt.”
“More than a flirt maybe? Do you think he’s ever been … I don’t know, forceful toward the women he found attractive?”
Joshua shrugged. “Anything is possible, but that’s not the rumor.” He thought a moment. “His wife is something else.”
Fierce? I thought, but only thought. I wanted his impressions without my interference. “How?”
“She’s even more brilliant than him. I think she’s been a part of many new drug discoveries that have hit the international market. She’s had more articles published than anyone else at the medical school, maybe more than everyone else combined. I think she was even in on a design for a better ultrasound machine. I’d have to do some research to find the details, but I’m happy to look into it.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Do you know Mrs. Eban, I mean Dr. Carson, personally?”
Joshua laughed. “I’ve breathed the same air as she has. It has been an honor to hear her speak the few times I’ve made it to one of her lectures. I adore her, but I’m not in her league.”
“You’re in everyone’s league, Joshua.”
“Dr. Carson’s … not to be messed with. It is a huge mistake to contradict her, or question her in a way that makes her look mistaken about something. I’ve heard she can reduce students, other professors, and administrators to ash when they’ve sent a difficult attitude her direction. She’s … gosh, ‘fierce’ might be the word.”
I held back a nod. “But you like her?”
“What’s not to like?” he said sincerely.
“Have you ever talked to Dr. Eban?” I asked.
“No, he’s almost as talented as his wife, but only almost. I’ve never seen him speak, but only because of conflicting schedules. I’d be interested.”
“Do you know about the skull room on the medical school campus?”
“Of course. I’ve seen it.”
Though the article in the Scotsman hadn’t mentioned the skull by the body, I’d already decided to tell Joshua that part of the mystery, though I still wished I hadn’t said anything to Sophie and Rena.
“There was a skull by the body. From the skull room. The inspector confirmed that’s where it was from by a mark on its inside.”
“And Dr. Eban is the professor in charge of the room. He’s the keeper of the keys, so to speak.”
“He is? Well, that makes him look guilty, huh?”
Joshua thought a moment. “Actually, I think it’s too obvious. I think the killer must have planted it.”
I nodded.
“What do you know about death masks?” I asked.
“Everything. What do you want to know?”
“They’re made of plaster?”
“Sometimes wax. And there are two different definitions. Casts of a face after death; something to keep. However, there’s also the death mask left atop the face after death, like the ancient Egyptians.”
“I’m talking about in Scotland, the ones kept by the living. Is there a way to date the plaster, or the wax? Know when it was created?”
“Possibly. It would depend on exposure, et cetera. Why?”
“Would the skull room have any of those? Would Dr. Eban have access to any?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the skull room has them, but I don’t remember seeing any in there. I’m sure we’d all be surprised by Dr. Eban’s collections. He has a display case right outside his classroom. He probably has the gory stuff hidden. At least that’s what he’s been asked to do.”
“What kind of stuff does he keep in the display case?”
“Gosh, so many different things. Medical instruments, books, historical clothing. He had a brain in there a couple of years ago; that’s what he was asked to remove. Even for a medical school hallway, it was a bit much for any chance public viewing.”
“Things like old scalpels?”
“Sure.” He looked at me.
I hadn’t told him about the warehouse, but he’d asked a time or two. I didn’t want to say so much that I had to lie to him about its existence once again, but I did wonder.
“Old scalpels would be pretty valuable, I bet,” I said.
“Some. Why are you asking about old scalpels?”
I shrugged. “Just curious. I’d like to see the skull room. Would that be possible?”
“I’ll see what I can to do this week. Have you heard of Sir William Turner?”
“I feel like I have, but I can’t place
