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‘She’ll be back,’ says David. ‘That marriage will last for ever. You deserve someone who loves you wholeheartedly. Someone who admires you as a person and an archaeologist.’
It sounds like the beginning of a speech but, nevertheless, the words are good to hear. Has Nelson ever said that he admires her as an archaeologist? David leans towards her.
Ruth has no idea what would have happened if, at the very same moment, Flint hadn’t emitted one of his spine-chilling screams and Kate called from the top of the stairs that the Wi-Fi wasn’t working.
The funeral is over and the mourners are walking towards the graveyard. Nelson and Judy watch from a discreet distance. It’s unusual these days to have a burial in a country churchyard. Usually there’s a grim trip to the crematorium or an out-of-town cemetery, the suburbs of the dead. Nelson’s father had been cremated; Tim, Nelson’s officer killed in the line of duty, had been interred following a private ceremony. Maybe Emily’s parents chose this plot years ago, when she first went missing. Nelson forces himself to stop this depressing train of remembrance.
Emily’s parents are following the coffin. Gordon is staring straight ahead; Naomi’s eyes are hidden by sunglasses. Is this giving them any peace, thinks Nelson, any of the much-vaunted closure? Behind them is a woman so like Emily that she must be her sister, Sophie. She is holding on to her husband’s arm and looks ready to collapse. Not much closure there.
Nelson scans the crowd, all of whom are now making their way between the tombstones. There are Tom and Amber, looking like models from a feature entitled Mourning à la Mode. With them is a tall man Nelson doesn’t recognise. Emad Hussein? He spots Mark Oldbury only because he’s brought his dog with him, a sleek greyhound who is the most elegant being present.
Tanya and Bradley bring up the rear. Nelson is not surprised to see Cloughie with them. It’s his patch, after all. Clough is wearing dark glasses too and no doubt imagines himself to be acting out one of the more lugubrious scenes fromThe Godfather. Still, Cloughie’s presence might prove useful later.
There’s no dissembling with a burial, no tactful drawing of the curtain. The undertaker’s men lower the coffin into the ground. The wreaths and flowers lie on the grass, cellophane rustling in the breeze. Seagulls call high above. Nelson watches as Gordon and Naomi throw soil into the grave. Nelson imagines, rather than hears, the rattle on the coffin lid. Sophie shakes her head, obviously too distressed. The vicar speaks, his robes flying out behind him, creating an unexpectedly heroic silhouette.
The words, too, are blown by the wind.
‘I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. . .’
It’s a nice thought, thinks Nelson, but you wouldn’t bet on it. Even so, he knows that he wants these verses spoken at his own funeral. A wordless woodland burial is not for him.
The dreadful ritual is over and the mourners are walking to their cars. There’s a general sense of relief, of hats taken off and cigarettes lit. Amber shakes out her tawny hair and laughs at something Tom says. Mark’s dog is running free through the stone crosses and weeping angels.
Nelson and Judy approach.
‘Amber Westbourne, I’m arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Emily Pickering. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. . .’
Nelson does not finish the caution. Amber falls to the ground and lies motionless amongst the gravestones.
Chapter 36
‘I killed her,’ says Amber. ‘She was kissing Leo and I just saw red.’
When Amber fainted at his feet, Nelson had been afraid that this would mean a trip to the hospital and another delay to the much-delayed justice. But Amber soon sat up and rubbed her eyes.
‘I’ll come with you,’ she said to Nelson.
‘So will I,’ said Tom.
Amber’s husband had been bemused at first but now sounded grimly determined. Nelson had been afraid of this. He didn’t think that Amber would confess with Tom present. Besides, he’s a lawyer. They both are. To be on the safe side, he arrested Thomas Westbourne too. With Clough’s help, the team escorted the couple into separate police cars. The mourners stood watching. Oldbury’s dog barked and was quieted by its owner. Nelson heard someone crying. He thought it might be Sophie, Emily’s sister.
At the station, Amber waived her right to a solicitor. Interviewed by Tanya and Bradley, she looks pale but composed. Nelson, Judy and Clough watch on the screen. Just like old times, Nelson can’t help thinking. ‘You’re too nostalgic,’ Michelle used to tell him when he got sentimental about the girls’ old toys. Except that Michelle is now feeling the pull of the past.
‘When did this happen?’ asks Tanya.
‘Sunday night,’ says Amber. ‘I woke up and Emily wasn’t in the tent. I was worried about her. Or maybe I was suspicious. I can’t be sure now. Sometimes I go over the events in my head and I’m the hero, saving Emily from some random attacker. Or from the horned figure in the woods. But that’s not what happened.’
‘What did happen?’ says Tanya. She’s playing it by the book, but Nelson can hear the slight impatience in her voice. Take it slowly, he tells her silently. PEACE. Planning, engagement, account, clarification, evaluation.
‘I got up to look for her,’ says Amber. ‘I didn’t have to go far. Emily and Leo were by the campfire. It was low by then but still glowing. They were kissing. I just. . . it’s a blank really. . . but I was so angry. I picked up a rock, a flint, and hit Emily on the head with it.’
‘What happened then?’ asks Tanya.
‘She went down so quickly.’ Amber shudders. ‘I never expected that. It was just one blow. Honestly.’
Tanya stays silent. Well done, thinks Nelson.
‘Leo said she was dead,’ says Amber. ‘He knew what to do. I was in such a state. I wanted to call an ambulance, but Leo said no. He said that Emily was dead and there was nothing we could do about it. “She’s a sacrifice,” he said. “A sacrifice to the ancestors.”’
