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‘Where’s Jamie?’ she says.
‘He’s had to leave. His wife’s just gone into labour. He was in a bit of a panic. I said I’d wait for you.’
‘I remember him saying his wife was pregnant,’ says Ruth. ‘I hope everything’s OK.’
‘I’m sure it will be,’ says Leo. ‘Childbirth is a natural process, after all.’
Ruth distrusts anyone, especially a man, who says this. She remembers talking to Leo’s wife about childcare, all those years ago, but Leo has never mentioned any offspring.
‘I just want to take some samples,’ says Ruth. ‘Where’s the best place? Can we get into the shaft we saw before?’
‘I’m afraid it’s all locked up. There’s another shaft near here, though.’
‘Is it the deep one? The one with just a ladder?’
‘Oh no,’ says Leo. ‘This one’s quite shallow. It’s just here.’
He points and Ruth sees what looks like an open manhole cover, a few metres away. She can see a metal ladder protruding from the lip. Ruth gets her sample bag and trowel out of her bag.
‘You wait here, Kate.’
‘Oh no,’ says Kate. ‘I want to see in the mine.’
Ruth is torn. She doesn’t want Kate to go into the mine shaft but then she doesn’t much want to leave her above ground with Leo. He might well start to talk about initiation rites.
‘Just a quick look,’ she says.
‘I’ve brought some hard hats,’ says Leo. They are lying on the grass. Ruth is encouraged by this evidence of responsible behaviour. She and Kate don their headgear. Kate’s is too big and comes down over her nose.
‘Is there light down there?’ says Ruth.
‘There are torches at the bottom of the shaft. Jamie and I went down earlier.’
This is even better. Ruth approaches the ladder and turns to make the descent. Going backwards in time.
‘You go after me, Kate.’
‘I’ll keep watch here,’ says Leo.
Ruth starts her downwards climb, feeling for each step. She can feel the darkness around her as if it’s a tangible thing. Above her she can see Kate’s school shoes descending. They’ll be covered in chalk soon. Ruth will have to wash her uniform tonight.
‘Be careful, Kate,’ she says.
‘I will. Are you nearly at the bottom?’
‘I think I must be.’
As she says this, there’s a sickening clang and mother and daughter are left in the darkness. In the womb of the earth.
Chapter 30
Nelson arrives home to the sound of Bruno barking. This is unusual. These days, Nelson picks Bruno up from Maura, the dog walker, on his way back from the station. But that morning Michelle asked if the dog could stay with her. ‘It will be nice for George to spend some time with him. He’s really missed his dog.’ It would take a colder heart than Nelson’s to deny George and Bruno, both of whom were staring at him out of big brown eyes. Even though Nelson thinks of Bruno ashisdog.
But it’s not just the canine welcome that stops Nelson on the doormat. It’s the smell. Nelson is suddenly catapulted back through the years, a feeling that is both pleasurable and slightly dizzying. He’s a teenager coming home from football practice, he’s a DS in Blackpool and he can hear his children’s voices in the garden, he’s older but not much wiser, returning from a crime scene in King’s Lynn. All these memories are linked to the fact that someone inside the house is cooking shepherd’s pie.
Bruno stops barking as soon as Nelson comes through the door. The dog rushes upstairs in a frenzy of delight, trying to find Nelson a present. George appears from the sitting room, wanting his father to view his Lego tower. By the time that Nelson has done this and accepted Bruno’s gift of a sock, Michelle has materialised. She’s in jeans and a T-shirt, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She’s also carrying a can of beer and a glass.
‘I’ve made shepherd’s pie,’ she says. ‘Not the right thing for summer but I know you like it.’
