Doctor Gill quickly replaced Ava’s hand under the sheet and turned to Liam. ‘Mr O’Brien?’ Meena grasped his elbow. ‘Would you like a seat?’

Maintaining eye contact with Jake, the old man batted her away. ‘Don’t touch me,’ he snapped. ‘Bloody darkies,’ he whispered to Jake.

Jake looked to Meena, his eyes wide with discomfiture. He was torn between admonishing O’Brien on her behalf and taking advantage of the old man’s current state of shock. Should he censure O’Brien?

Doctor Gill turned on one heel and stalked out of the room.

Damn it. He’d hesitated too long. He’d apologise to her the minute he next saw her. For now, he needed to pursue his case.

Jake adopted his harshest voice. ‘You know who did that to your sister, don’t you?’

O’Brien looked down and shook his head.

Jake wasn’t convinced. ‘You clearly know more than you’re saying.’

O’Brien put both hands over his chest. ‘I don’t feel well.’

Jake decided to play along and see how genuine this threatened heart episode was. ‘Good thing we’re in a hospital then,’ he said mildly. ‘I’ll ask Doctor Gill to call a team for you straight away—get you hooked up to a heart monitor.’

O’Brien’s hands dropped to his side and he stood back. ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine. I … er … Mason Campbell’s here, isn’t he?’

Jake cocked his head to one side. ‘Yes.’

‘He could probably do with a visit.’

Wondering why the sight of Ava’s fingers would lead O’Brien to want to see Mason Campbell, Jake led the old man out of the morgue toward the elevators.

Unless he was a consummate actor, O’Brien had been shocked by the sight of his sister’s hand, which made it unlikely he was responsible for the state of them. But the rest of his reaction was far less grief than that of someone whose world had just been shaken.

‘You mustn’t tell anyone about what you just saw,’ Jake said as the lift doors opened.

O’Brien wasn’t paying attention to Jake anymore—he was shaking his head and talking to himself. ‘I thought she’d just gone for a wander, thought she’d done something silly. I didn’t think …’

They stepped into the elevator and Jake pressed a button to take them to the general ward. ‘Didn’t think what, Mr O’Brien?’

‘Nothing, nothing.’

‘Liam?’

‘I didn’t realise there was anything unnatural about it.’

Unnatural? That was one way to describe your sister being tortured and killed. Once again, Liam O’Brien seemed more preoccupied than grief-ridden.

Jake’s phone rang as they entered Mason Campbell’s room. He stepped away from Campbell’s bedside into the corner of the room, leaving Mason to talk with O’Brien.

‘You left?’ Meena Gill said. ‘I still need to talk to you.’