Viridian Tears (32 page)

She opened another browser tab for the third bequest, made when Eddie moved to Laverstone from London. She’d commented on it only yesterday: The Gaunt's telecommunications mast at the back of Winston’s garage. The photographs of it were less distinct than the first two bequests she’d looked at, since they’d been taken by a reporter when it had been erected. She couldn’t see a Witchfinder’s Eye on it, but mainly because the mast was a silhouette against the sky behind. A new search for images of the Gaunt's Mast revealed no further detail. Those she came across were invariable portrait shots of people with the tower in the background, though one photograph was of a Marsh Warbler with the mast a distinct vertical in the background. She followed the photograph to its host page and narrowed the spot to an area east of the canal below the bluff of the Laver Hills.

She took her phone to the wall opposite the shop door, where an one-to-twenty-five scale map of Laverstone highlighted the points of pagan interest in Laverstone; the remaining stones of the original circle, the Bronze Age barrows, the site of the Stone Age hill fort, the abbey ruins and so on. She found The Gaunt's and Winston’s garage and, since the map was framed under glass, drew a circle on it with a dry marker pen. The marshland east of the canal and west of the hill was marked on her map as simply
Laver Wetlands
but tracing the road to the north gave her the more modern name: The
New Eden
cemetery. That was odd. She couldn’t remember seeing the radio mast from Eden’s cemetery and she’d been deliberately looking at landmarks when sighting the position of the circle monolith.

She marked the positions of the Dew Point obelisk and the town hall, respectively south and west of the cemetery. With The Gaunt's to the north, what was the betting that Eddie’s fourth bequest was to the east?

She checked the webpage for it. There would be no Witchfinder’s Eye on this one, or if there were, it would not be of Eddie’s construction. The symbol was clear enough, however, a twenty-five thousand, tax-deductible donation to the restoration of St. Pity’s steeple.

Meinwen drew a line between St. Pity’s and the town hall, and another between the Gaunt's mast and Dew Point. The two lines crossed in the cemetery, not twenty yards from her proposed monolith, on ground belonging to Burbridge Estates.

What was the betting it was the exact spot Eddie had wanted to be buried? Burial meant digging, and digging down meant digging up.

Meinwen stood back.

She was quite sure she’d just solved the riddle of the missing Burbridge millions.

Chapter 37

Meinwen rang Eden. “Are you back at the cemetery yet?”

“On my way, yes. Why?”

“I need to come over and dig up one of your plots.”

“You can’t. Not without an exhumation order.”

“What if there’s no body inside?”

“Hmm.” Meinwen could hear the hum of traffic in the background. “Are you certain of that? Without a shadow of a doubt?”

“Yes. I think you will be too, when you see the plot.”

“Will I? Which plot is it?”

“I can’t be certain until I get there and check some landmarks.”

“I’d be happier if there was a police presence. I can’t afford to get on the wrong side of the law. Not in my business. I don’t want to run foul of the Disposal of Physical Remains Act. Or the Desecration Act, for that matter.”

“Fine. I’m sure I can get DI White to come down. It’s his murder case, after all.”

“Wait. Murder case? I thought you said there wouldn’t be a body?”

“It’s not the body I’m expecting to find. It’s the motive.”

“Now you’ve lost me all together.”

Meinwen chuckled. “Don’t worry. I just need your permission to do a little digging.”

“Very well. I’ll ask Malcolm to stand by with the digger.”

“No.” Meinwen almost shouted it into the phone, she was so terrified Eden would close the connection. “Don’t mention it to Malcolm. I think he may have been one of Eddie Burbridge’s heavies.”

“Really? That’s interesting. Very well. It’s a good job I can operate it then.”

Meinwen made another call and arranged for a lift to the cemetery, then a third to DI White to ask him for his presence in a purely supervisory capacity, assuring him that while she was certain there wouldn’t be a body she could promise him something of interest to his case. She put the phone down hoping she was right.

By the time Michelle pipped to say she was outside, Meinwen had collected her compass, binoculars, laser-sighting tool and theodolite and used the map inside a copy of
The View from Here
to mark the four points she’d worked out. She locked up the shop and left by the back door, dumping all the gear into the back seat of Michelle’s car. She paused, half inside before she realized Michelle already had a passenger.

“Oh, hello.” She shot a look at Michelle but the younger woman was concentrating on the road and particularly the approach of a traffic warden. “It’s Mr. Browning, isn’t it? We met earlier. I didn’t realize you were buying for Michelle.”

“Buying?” Michelle half turned, looking from Meinwen to Graham. “Buying what? You didn’t tell me.”

“It was meant to be a surprise. I didn’t get the chance to give it you since you were already half way out the door when I got back.”

“Sorry, did I let it slip?” Meinwen settled into the seat and slipped the seatbelt on. She rearranged her equipment so that it wasn’t poking her in the ribs. “It was a thoughtful gift, though I might have given different advice had I realized who the recipient might be.”

Michelle executed a three-point turn in the narrow street and the traffic warden abruptly changed direction and headed the other way. “Where are we going?”

“The cemetery, didn’t I say?” Meinwen tried to see out of the front window, Travelling in the back of a car always made her feel sick. “The new one by the canal, though, not St. Pity’s municipal.” She touched Michelle on the shoulder. “Would you just pull up by that pillar box? I have to post this before the end of the day.” She held up a padded envelope. “Online postage payments, you see. It has to go out within twenty-four hours.”

Michelle pulled up and waited while Meinwen got out and pushed the envelope through the slot. When the witch was settled again, she resumed the journey. “What’s all this about? You said it was urgent.”

“I think I may have located your client’s missing money. It doesn’t mean you’ll be free of the blackmail but it should ease the pressure. If you don’t have the money you can’t be extorted.”

“Amen to that.”

“You told her about the blackmail?” Graham looked at Michelle. His profile against the brighter windscreen pricked at Meinwen’s memory, though she couldn’t place just what.

“I had to tell someone. What else was I supposed to do? Mam always used to say a trouble shared was a trouble halved and the fear of it was burning a hole though my chest. It’s safe with Meinwen anyway. Telling her is like telling a priest in the confessional.”

“Er…not exactly.” Meinwen leaned forward. “I don’t have immunity from judicial proceedings. If I was asked in court I’d have to say.”

“But you wouldn’t volunteer it, would you? You’re like the old wise woman of the village.”

“Not all that old, thanks.” Meinwen huffed and sat back again, racking her brain for where she’d seen Graham’s profile before.

The rest of the journey was made in silence until they arrived at New Eden. Michelle parked in the visitors’ section, relieved there wasn’t a funeral in progress. DI White was already there and got out of his car as they pulled up.

“Ms. Jones? What’s all this about? I do have a murder enquiry to get on with, you know.”

“Inspector.” Meinwen struggled with her equipment until Graham assisted by taking the theodolite and its tripod. “How good of you to come.” She lowered her voice as she took his hand. “Here’s the spare key to my shop you asked for. Don’t ask questions, I’ll tell you later.” She stepped back, her voice returning to normal pitch for the benefit of Eden, who had come out when they arrived. “I think I’ve found Eddie Burbridge’s missing money.”

“Really? Let’s hope you’re right and it isn’t a body we’re digging up.” She brandished a screwdriver. “Come on, then. I’ve got the digger keys.”

“Right.” Meinwen followed the path into the cemetery, Michelle, Graham and Inspector White trailing behind while Eden fetched the backhoe and drove it down the cinder track as far as she could. She kept her eyes fixed on the jutting plateau of Dew Point. She couldn’t see the obelisk unaided but she didn’t need the binoculars just yet.

“Do you actually know where you’re going?” White extended his stride to catch up with her. “What are you looking for?”

Meinwen kept walking toward the canal. “Can you see the town hall yet?”

White frowned. “Where am I looking? Yes. There it is.” He pointed to the west.

“Okay. Wait there a moment.” She took out her laser sight and switched it on. The red beam was hardly visible, leading her to pull a notebook from her bag, which she gave it to Graham. “Inspector? Will you put this on your shoulder with the beam facing backward? Thank you. Now keep following me down the hill but stay facing the town hall. Graham? Use the notebook to track the path of the laser and tell me when it points to the spire of St. Pity’s.”

“What about me?” Michelle looked west until she spotted the spire.

“I need you to keep your eye on Dew Point. Can you see it?” She pointed until Michelle nodded. Keep heading toward it until Graham says stop.”

“This is exciting.” Michelle’s grin was infectious and Meinwen found herself smiling with her. “What now?”

“I have to find the Gaunt's Mast.”

“It’s behind those trees.” White pointed to a copse of poplars. “I’ve had complaints from residents about the reception on this side of them.”

“Of course! That’s why I didn’t see it before.” She waved at Eden as she arrived in the backhoe and turned it off. “Burbridge made four bequests when he came to Laverstone, and all four can be seen from one spot in the cemetery. We just have to locate it.”

It took them another ten minutes before Meinwen was satisfied they were in the right place. “Well?” she asked Eden. “Is this the spot?”

“The spot for what?” Eden looked down. “What am I supposed to know about it?”

“Isn’t this the very plot Eddie Burbridge reserved when you opened the cemetery?”

“I’d have to check the records.” Eden frowned, looking toward the buildings and back at the ground. “Maybe. I couldn’t really say.”

“We’ll soon find out.” White marked out an X on the grass with the side of his shoe. “Let’s have a dig, shall we?”

“We should have brought a spade with us.” Eden climbed into the cab. “A backhoe is good for the heavy work but I don’t have the finesse with it that Malcolm does.”

Meinwen looked up. “Where is Malcolm, by the way?”

“I gave him the rest of the day off.”

Any further conversation was doomed by the roar of the diesel engine.

Chapter 38

“Stop!”

Meinwen waved both hands at Eden, who lifted the hoe from the hole and backed up six feet. The inspector lowered himself gingerly into the hole and used the spade he’d fetched from the cryotorium tool locker to scrape off the last couple of inches of clay. He dug away at the soil until he’d revealed all for edges of an unexpected tomb.

Beneath was revealed a concrete slab roughly six feet by four. White uncovered a ring in the centre and used his penknife to work it free.

Graham squatted at the top of the hole, careful not to get to close to the edge lest it crumble and sent him into the awaiting grave. “Isn’t that an illegal hidden weapon?”

“No sir it is not.” He held up the knife for display. “This is a folding knife with a non-locking blade with a maximum cutting edge of three inches. Perfectly legal for anyone to carry under Section one thirty-nine of the Criminal Justice Act, nineteen eighty-eight.” He folded it and put it back in his pocket. I also happen to be an authorised firearms officer but you won’t get a show and tell on that one.” He stood and with his legs on either edge of concrete attempted to pull at the ring. He huffed with the effort and gave up after two or three minutes. “It’s stuck solid.”