Page 4 of Things We Do for Love and Science
Chapter Two
“You want help doingwhat?” Liam folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve been caretaker here for over thirty-five years, and I’ve never heard anything so outlandish.” He’d been feeding the horses when Gabriel found him and was now leaning against the closed stable door.
“Ahhm...” Gabriel cupped the nape of his neck and examined his shoes. “Do you remember my father’s project, you know with Edwin, the university, human genetics...”
“That’s why the girl was here the other day? They want stuff from you? Now? Have they no sense of decency?”
Gabriel looked up. “She didn’t know,” he said, his voice louder than he intended. Calmer, he added, “Her boss sent her; she was expecting to meet Dad.”
“Some kind of boss, that.” Liam frowned.
“Yes, he sounds awful, but I want to honor Dad’s wishes. It was important to him, this project. They’re planning to analyze Edwin’s genes to find the reason for his longevity.”
“Good food, lots of leisure, plenty of cash, not being sent to fight in a war?” Liam unfolded his arms and pushed away from the door.
“There’s that, but maybe, there’s a little more to it. In the eighteenth century, nobody, not even the aristocracy, lived to be a hundred.” Gabriel shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“So, they want his bones?”
“Only some of his teeth, I understand.”
Liam raised his eyebrows. “And you and I have to open the ancient casket and desecrate your ancestor’s remains?”
“Yes, for science.” Gabriel glanced at the older man. “If you’re willing to help me.”
“Would I let you do that by yourself?”
“Thanks, thanks so much, Liam.” He put a hand on his shoulder.
“Let’s get this done. I’ll pop into the flat to get my toolbox. Back in a jiffy.”
They entered the Renwood family vault. Gabriel’s breath turned shallow to cope with the stale and musty air. He paused, his eyes adjusting to the dark. A mere two months ago, he had interred his father’s ashes in this very building, never once expecting to be back so soon. Without meaning to, his father had left the two hardest tasks to him, saving Renwood Hall and supporting this science project.
“A shame you can’t properly air the place,” Liam grumbled.
In silence, they descended the stone steps to the crypt beneath the private chapel and entered the gloomy chamber. Built at the same time as the Hall, it was large enough to accommodate the remains of God-only-knew how many Renwoods.
Liam switched on the light, and five bare lightbulbs illuminated the barrel-vaulted ceiling. Gabriel rushed past the urns of his parents who had broken with tradition and opted for cremation while the other Renwoods rested in their wooden caskets on marble plinths.
With long strides, he headed for the far corner of the rectangular room. “Let’s see where you’re at, Edwin.” He shivered.
Should he have accepted the help from Delia’s team? Somehow, he’d been uncomfortable with the idea of having a bunch of scientists poke around his ancestors’ bones. It was a ghoulish undertaking at the best of times, but he was determined to see this through for Dad’s sake. Thank God for Liam’s help.
Gabriel stopped in front of a large walnut coffin and crouched to read the inscription. The brass plaque was covered with a layer of greenish oxide, but the letters were discernible:Lord Edwin Kirwan, third Earl of Renwood.
Gabriel beckoned to Liam. “I found him.”
“Right.”
“The lid is screwed on, and the hinges of the fastenings seem well-preserved.” Gabriel dropped Liam’s tool bag to the ground and opened it. The caretaker joined him, pointing a flashlight at the fastening.
“Can you see enough?” Liam asked.
“Yes, thanks.” Gabriel knelt beside the coffin and applied the spanner to the first nut. It didn’t budge. He tried again but only succeeded in breaking the bolt in half. The nut clattered to the sandstone floor. “That’s one done.”
