Dead People. Ewart Hutton

me with a hand shading her brow from the setting sun.

      ‘I heard about the accident,’ she said, as I got closer.

      I touched the dressing instinctively. ‘It’s nothing serious.’

      She squinted at my face. ‘It makes you look a bit lopsided.’ She softened the judgement with a grin.

      ‘I got your message.’

      ‘You didn’t have to come all this way.’

      ‘That’s okay.’

      She nodded. She suddenly looked preoccupied. ‘I heard that you’d discovered another body. Jeff isn’t up to talking. I tried to go over, but it’s all cordoned off.’

      ‘We’re trying to keep the press out.’

      ‘Is it another skeleton?’

      ‘I can’t divulge that information, I’m afraid.’

      ‘Please, Sergeant?’ She didn’t try to play it coy. It wasn’t a plea. She was just making it plain that this was important to her.

      ‘In strictest confidence?’

      She nodded once.

      ‘We’ve found the recently interred body of a young woman.’ I didn’t bother informing her that she had arrived in two halves.

      ‘Oh my God …’ Her face drained. A tremor ran through her. ‘What’s happening …?’ She stared at me. The question was involuntary.

      ‘That’s what we’re trying to investigate.’

      ‘I’m sorry.’ She forced a smile.

      I smiled back. But I was really wondering what had caused this reaction. She had been so composed with that first corpse. So what had upset her so much about this one?

      She read my mind. ‘I’m used to skeletons. It’s the archaeologist in me. Fresh graves disturb me. We have to sleep up here at night, remember?’ This time the smile broke through to let me know that she wasn’t entirely serious. ‘Thank you. It is actually better to know.’

      ‘You’re welcome. And I’m only ever a phone call away.’

      She nodded gratefully, and then gestured behind her to the dig canopy. ‘I’d show you mine if it weren’t so crowded in there.’

      ‘Who’s here?’ I asked, nodding at the SOCO vehicle.

      ‘Your forensic anthropologist. She’s come to make sure that I haven’t been duped,’ she explained, more amused than annoyed. ‘At least mine was here first. And has an excuse for being here.’