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‘Closing you down?’ says Nelson. ‘What do you mean?’
It’s David Brown who answers. He’s not one of Nelson’s favourite people (it’s not a long list) but Nelson can understand why he’s feeling aggrieved. Nelson feels the same whenever his boss, Superintendent Jo Archer, mentions retirement.
‘It’s a disgrace,’ says David Brown. ‘They’re closing one of the most prestigious departments in the university.’
‘Who’s closing you?’ says Nelson. ‘I thought you lot had jobs for life.’
‘The academic board,’ says Ruth. ‘Some of us have tenure– which I imagine is what you mean by “jobs for life”– but that just means that they have to offer us posts elsewhere. They’re closing us down because, apparently, we’re too expensive.’
‘It’s political,’ says an intense-looking young woman. ‘This government doesn’t understand anything that isn’t about profit and loss. Anything that isn’tuseful, in their terms. They don’t understand learning for its own sake.’
Well, neither does Nelson, exactly, but over the years he has definitely come to appreciate Ruth’s knowledge and expertise.
‘But you’re famous,’ he says to Ruth. ‘You’ve been on TV.’
‘That’s what I keep telling her,’ says David. ‘She’s the most high-profile lecturer at UNN. She’s the jewel in the university’s crown.’
Steady on, Nelson wants to tell him. He’s not keen on the proprietorial note in Brown’s voice when he talks about Ruth.
‘And you’re a police consultant,’ Nelson says to Ruth. ‘That’s useful, if you like.’
Ruth gives him a reluctant smile. ‘Gee, thanks, Nelson. But the problem is, not enough people want to study archaeology. As Fiona says,’ she nods at the intense-looking young woman, ‘it’s all about money and an archaeology degree doesn’t exactly lead to a high-earning career. When archaeologists advise on new builds, they’re usually the lowest paid person on site.’
‘That reminds me,’ says Nelson. ‘I want to talk to you about a building site.’
‘OK,’ says Ruth. She turns to her team. ‘Let’s leave it for today. We’ve got the weekend to prepare our fight back.’
‘We can’t afford to take that long,’ says David. ‘I’ll start the Twitter campaign tonight. We won’t let them kill archaeology.’
Isn’t archaeology already dead? thinks Nelson. But he doesn’t say this aloud. He doesn’t want to break the suddenly more optimistic mood.
When the last of the team has left, Nelson sits down opposite Ruth. This is a different office– far bigger and grander– but it reminds him of the first time he met Ruth, when he came to the university to ask for her opinion on some buried bones. He feels a fresh surge of respect for her. David Brown is right. It would be a disgrace if all this specialist knowledge were lost to the world.
‘Tough day?’ he says.
‘I’ve had better. Sorry to leave the site but I really needed to get back here.’
‘That’s OK. Tony says you’re going to apply for a licence to excavate.’
‘Yes. I’ll do it later. It’s an awful thing, isn’t it? A bricked-up skeleton. Like something from a horror story.’
‘It’s certainly a suspicious death in my book.’
‘I’d better go,’ says Ruth. ‘I need to pick Kate up from Cathbad’s.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ says Nelson. ‘I’d love to see Katie. And we can have a chat.’
He can tell by Ruth’s face that this is what she has been dreading.
Chapter 3
Kate is now at secondary school, a large comprehensive just outside King’s Lynn. The logistics have proved complicated because Ruth’s cottage on the edge of the Saltmarsh isn’t on any public transport route. Ruth drives Kate to school in the morning but she finishes at three thirty, two hours before Ruth, and considers herself too old for a childminder. In the end, it was Cathbad who came up with a solution. Kate would take the bus to Wells and spend a few hours with Cathbad and his family until Ruth came to collect her. Typically, Cathbad refused to be paid (‘money poisons everything’) which leaves Ruth in the uncomfortable position of being grateful all the time. But the arrangement has worked well so far. Kate loves spending time with Cathbad’s children, Michael and Miranda. Michael, who is due to join her at the school later this year, hangs on her every word about Form 7EJ. Miranda, three years younger, is in awe of this new Kate with her blue blazer and tartan skirt (rolled over at the waist to shorten it). Cathbad dispenses healthy snacks and sometimes even helps Kate with her science homework.
Ruth spent many sleepless nights worrying about the transition from tiny, cosy primary school to Lynn High, with its endless corridors and baffling one-way systems. The previous summer had been blighted by these fears. Covid was still rife, although cases fell in July and August, and Ruth couldn’t face a holiday. Shona and Phil departed for Rome and sent hundreds of envy-making pictures in which it seemed that they had the Italian capital all to themselves. Ruth visited her father in London, the first time she’d seen him since the pandemic started, but she and Kate sat in the garden and didn’t risk going into the house. Still, home wasn’t a bad place to be. The weather was miraculously sunny, and Ruth and Kate spent a lot of time on the beach or taking Cathbad’s dog, Thing, for long walks. The only drawback was the hundreds of visitors who flooded to Norfolk, baulked of foreign travel, scattering litter and crowding out all the cafés. Nelson had been in Blackpool, visiting his mother, and Ruth was grateful for the breathing space. It was only at night that the dread returned. How would Kate cope without her best friend Tasha, destined for a private school in Holt? How would Covid affect Kate’s schooling? Would she have to wear a mask all the time? What if Ruth got sick? What if Kate got sick? And, a familiar favourite for the early hours, what was going to happen with Nelson?
But, in the event, Kate has settled in well at Lynn High. She has made friends and seems to be enjoying the new environment. Ruth often wonders where Kate gets her sociability. Ruth has a small circle of close friends but still finds large gatherings difficult. Nelson frequently says that he has no time for friendships, although he’s close to his family and colleagues. But Kate has an enviable ability to like and be liked. Ruth also approves of Kate’s new best friend, a tall, slightly eccentric girl called Isla who plays the saxophone. Isla lives in Wells too so she and her sax can accompany Kate on the bus.
Ruth has found things rather more difficult. She remembers, last November, crying when, driving to work, she heard on the radio that a drugs company, Pfizer, had developed a vaccine against Covid, believed to be ninety per cent effective. But it was hard to stay cheerful through the second and third lockdowns, especially during the bitter months of January and February 2021, when cases surged and it seemed that Covid would be here for ever. Even though Ruth has now had two doses of the miracle vaccine, she still doesn’t feel as invincible as she had hoped. The country is opening up but there’s a dark cloud called ‘the Delta variant’ on the horizon. When will it end? thinks Ruth, parking outside Cathbad and Judy’s cottage. Surely it’s time for some good news?
