The Drowned Village. Kathleen McGurl

said.

      ‘They’re standing just back, behind the screens,’ Jed said. ‘What have you found?’

      The overseer stood up and took a step back, gesturing at a dirty package on the ground. Jed moved forward for a better look and gasped. Wrapped in oilcloth was an old tin box, and spilling out of that was a fistful of jewellery, gold, rubies, diamonds, necklaces, earrings, bracelets – all jumbled together. ‘Is it real? Or paste?’

      ‘Looks real to me, but that’s to be discovered, I suppose. So, let’s ask the relatives if they have any idea about this.’ The overseer stepped out from behind the screens, holding the tarpaulin bundle. ‘Ladies, sorry to intrude, but, ahem, this was found in the grave, on top of the coffin. Does anyone recognise it? Looks too valuable to stay buried in the ground.’

      Jed watched as Janie and Maggie stepped forward to look. Both women gasped as they saw what was wrapped inside the tarpaulin. Susie hung back a little, her mouth open and her eyes wide.

      ‘No, sir, never seen that before. What’s it doing in my mother’s grave? She never had anything like that – I’d know if she had,’ Janie said, her hand over her mouth.

      Maggie glared at her, and gave her a little kick as if to shut her up. She wanted to lie and say the jewels were her grandmother’s so they could keep them, Jed realised, but it was too late – Janie had told the truth.

      ‘I seen it before,’ Susie said quietly. Then, louder, ‘I seen that bundle.’

      ‘What? What are you talking about, Susie?’ Janie said. ‘How can you have seen it?’

      ‘When Ma were put in the hole. I seen it then.’

      ‘Don’t be daft, Susie, love. You weren’t at Ma’s funeral. Old Mrs Eastbrook looked after you, as Pa didn’t think you’d cope with it all.’

      Susie was shaking her head. ‘It were later.’ She bit her lip, in a gesture that Jed knew meant she was scared she would get in trouble for what she was about to say.

      ‘Later?’ Janie frowned at her sister. ‘Ah, you’re talking rot.’ She turned back to the overseer Mr Banks and shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. Ignore her. The jewels are nothing to do with us, sadly. I hope you can find their owner.’

      ‘It were his pa,’ Susie shouted. She was pointing at Jed. ‘His pa. He put them in the hole with my ma. I seen him do it. I come out the house when I were supposed to be in bed, ’cause I wanted to say bye-bye to Ma and I knew she were in the hole. It were dark. I hid over there.’ She pointed to a large yew tree. ‘He never seen me but I seen him, and he dropped that in the hole with Ma and then spaded in the soil on top. I seen him. I seen it all.’

      ‘His pa?’ Maggie approached Susie and bent to look her in the eye. ‘Aunty Susie, do you mean Isaac Walker put the tin in the grave?’