“So there was never an investigation into the circumstances of her death?”

“A cursory assessment, I’d say. Dr. Wilkinson was of the old school: high-handed and a bit of an autocrat. He was in charge, he made the judgment call, and he brooked no argument. I was putting my job at risk even to raise the few questions I did.”

“It sounds like your options were limited.”

“One could say that.” After a moment’s hesitation, he went on. “Are you familiar with the term ‘burking’?”

“Burking? I don’t think so.”

“Nor was I until I ran across a series of murders that occurred in Edinburgh, Scotland, back in the 1800s. I’m a history buff, especially where medical matters are concerned. I was in the midst of combing through old newspapers when I chanced on the case of William Burke and William Hare, who killed some sixteen unlucky souls in order to supply cadavers to an anatomist named Dr. Robert Knox. Burke’s method was what caught my attention. He and Hare would focus on intoxicated individuals and then suffocate them by covering their mouths and pinching their noses closed. The technique left little to no evidence of foul play.”

“Mr. Munce, I can’t believe you’re telling me this. I just had a phone conversation with Ned Lowe’s second wife, and she talked about a choking maneuver he used during sex.”

“Ah. That would be known as ‘asphyxiophilia’ when it’s incorporated into sex with a partner. He must have been proficient at it.”

I could feel myself blink as I struggled to assimilate the information. “Why haven’t I ever heard of burking?”

“You’ll find references once you start looking for them. I didn’t become aware of the case until many years after Lenore’s death or I’d have raised the issue myself.”

“What happened to the pair?”

“Hare was granted immunity from prosecution and testified against Burke, who was convicted and hanged on January 28, 1829. A short time later, Hare disappeared. To my knowledge he was never heard of again. There were the usual rumors, of course, but no sign of the man himself.”

“Unbelievable,” I said.

“But true nonetheless. I wish I could offer you more. It’s bothered me for years, but yours is the first question ever raised about that girl.”

Which was not quite the case. There had been another question raised in the matter, and that was Pete’s.

I thanked him for the information, and he graciously suggested that if I had additional questions, I should feel free to call. He gave me his number in Burning Oaks.

35

After I hung up, I sat for a moment, trying to understand what effect his considered opinion might have. Munce’s views reinforced my suspicion that Ned Lowe hastened Lenore’s death without providing tangible support. I believed I was on the right track, but what good is belief without corroborating evidence?

I still hadn’t met Ned’s current wife, so maybe it was time I talked to Celeste. I couldn’t understand how any woman would be attracted to him, but people tell me I’m way too picky, so perhaps I’m the wrong one to ask. Not that anyone had asked me.