‘What causes the adipocere to form?’ Jane asked.

‘Basically, after death, fat tissue in a corpse starts to break down. Bacterial enzymes from the intestine and the environment convert unsaturated liquid fats to saturated solid fats, which causes the development of a soft waxy, soap-like material on the body. Adipocere acts as a barrier against the usual process of decomposition and in turn preserves features of the body.’

‘But the hands look dry and shrivelled, not waxy or soapy,’ Boon observed.

‘Recent adipocere tends to be white, yellow or reddish brown. The older it is, the greyer and more solid it will become . . . as on this body. We’ll need to be careful when we remove it as dried adipocere can crumble and split.’

Jane was pleased Pullen described the condition of the body in layman’s terms, unlike Professor Martin who, she knew from experience, loved to play to the gallery during a post-mortem and use obscure medical jargon.

Pullen crouched down and looked at the rim of the coffin. ‘I think this coffin’s been opened recently.’

‘How can you tell?’ Jane asked.

‘There’s fresh indentation marks on the rim, possibly from a jemmy, plus the sealing glue has been stretched and separated . . . which would also explain why we were able to remove the lid so easily. It looks as if someone has used a crowbar to prise it open.’ Pullen pointed to the marks. ‘The state of the body suggests this coffin was previously airtight, and yet there are some beads of water on the rim and inside.’ She dabbed her finger in a droplet and showed it to Jane. ‘It could be recent rainwater.’

Jane turned to Boon. ‘Do you know anything about this?’

Boon looked offended. ‘No, I don’t! You said not to open it, so I didn’t. I also know for a fact no one went near it after you left the building site.’

‘Well, someone’s opened it since it was dug up,’ Pullen said.

‘What about the undertakers?’ Boon suggested. ‘I nipped to the hospital canteen to get a drink and a Mars Bar when we got here.’

PC Rogers shook his head. ‘No way. I watched them unload the coffin and leave, as did Jack, who then had a cup of tea with me.’

‘Dermot the builder said his mate Barry wanted to open it, so it could have been him before we even got to the building site,’ Boon recalled.

‘Good point,’ Jane said. ‘It may also explain why Barry was in a hurry to leave when we got there.’

Pullen pointed to the nun’s habit. ‘There’s some distinct marks here that look like the outline of a crucifix . . . and two faint lines that run up towards the neck, which could be from the chain.’

‘Whoever opened the coffin might have taken it, especially if it was silver,’ Boon suggested.

Jane frowned. ‘I think we need to have a word with Barry.’

‘He’s not that bright if he thought we wouldn’t notice the coffin had been opened,’ Boon added.