Tainted Blood - By Arnaldur Indridason Page 0,67

it could have happened, I wouldn't rule that out. You say the girl was given an autopsy against her mother's will. It's hardly the first instance of that. Today, the relatives are asked immediately after a death if an autopsy can be performed. I think I can say that their wishes are honoured apart from absolutely exceptional cases. That would have applied in this case. Child mortality is the most terrible of all things to deal with. There's no way to describe the tragedy that strikes people who lose a child and the question of an autopsy can be uncomfortable in such cases."

Hanna paused.

"We have some of this on record on our computers," she continued, "and the rest is in the archive stored in this building. They keep fairly detailed records. The hospitals' largest collection of organs is on Barónsstígur. You realise that little medical teaching takes place here on campus. It's done in the hospitals. That's where the knowledge comes from."

"The pathologist didn't want to show me the organ bank," Erlendur said. "He wanted me to talk to you first. Does the university have any say in the matter?"

"Come on," Hanna said, without answering his question. "Let's see what's in the computers."

She stood up and Erlendur followed her. She used a key to unlock a spacious room and entered a password in a security device on the wall by the door. She went over to a desk and switched on a computer while Erlendur took a look around. There were no windows in the room and rows of filing cabinets stood against the walls. Hanna asked for Audur's name and date of death and entered it in the computer.

"It's not here," she said thoughtfully, glaring at the monitor. "Computer records only go back to 1984. We're digitising all the data from the time the medical faculty was established, but we haven't got any further than that with our records yet."

"So it's the filing cabinets then," Erlendur said.

"I really don't have the time for all this," Hanna said, looking at the clock. "I'm supposed to be in the lecture theatre again."

She went over to Erlendur and took a quick look around, walked between the cabinets and read their labels. She pulled out a drawer here and there and browsed through the documents, but quickly closed them again. Erlendur had no idea what the files contained.

"Have you got medical records in here?" he asked.

Hanna groaned. "Don't tell me you're here for the data privacy committee," she said and slammed yet another drawer shut.

"Only asked," Erlendur said.

Hanna took out a report and read from it.

"Here's something about bio-samples," she said. "1968. There are several names here. Nothing you're interested in." She put the report back in the cabinet, shoved the drawer closed and pulled out another one. "Here are some more," she said. "Wait a minute. Here's the girl's name, Audur, and her mother's name. Here it is."

Hanna read quickly through the report.

"One organ removed," she said, as if to herself. "Taken at Keflavík hospital. Permission of next of kin . . . nothing there. There's nothing here about the organ being destroyed."

Hanna closed the file. "It's not around any more."

"May I see that?" Erlendur asked, not attempting to conceal his eagerness.

"You won't learn anything from it," Hanna said, put the file back in the drawer and closed it. "I've told you what you need to know."

"What does it say? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Hanna said, "and now I have to get back to my teaching."

"Then I'll get a warrant and come back later today and that report had better be where it belongs," Erlendur said and walked in the direction of the door.

"Do you promise that the information from here won't go any further?" she said when Erlendur had opened the door and was about to leave.

"I've told you that. This is private information, for me."

"Take a look at it then," Hanna said, reopened the cabinet and handed him the file.

Erlendur closed the door, took the file and immersed himself in it. Hanna took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one while she waited for Erlendur to finish reading. She ignored the NO SMOKING sign and soon the room was filled with smoke.

"Who's Eydal?"

"One of our most accomplished medical scientists."

"What was it here that you didn't want me to see? Can't I talk to this man?"

Hanna didn't reply.

"What's going on?" Erlendur said.

Hanna sighed. "I understand he keeps a few organs himself," she said eventually.

"The man collects organs?" Erlendur said.

"He keeps