When he抯 felled to the ground his last coherent thought is that the building has collapsed on him.
慍an you call me??That was Abbas抯 message. Judy goes into the hall to do so. From the sitting room, the battle music is rising to a thrilling climax.
慖 think we might be reaching a crisis point,?says Abbas.
慦hat does that mean??asks Judy, amazed that she is still able to speak. She feels oddly calm, as if her mind has left her body and is floating somewhere above her, amongst the cobwebs that Cathbad won抰 remove because he respects spiders too much.
慍athbad抯 immune system抯 in overdrive which means his body is starting to attack the healthy tissue.?
慦hat can you do about that??
慦e抮e doing what we can but his temperature抯 very high and we抮e concerned about his heart rhythm.?
慍an I see him??says Judy.
慖抦 afraid not. I抦 so sorry.?
慦hat can I do then??
慞ray,?says Abbas.
慦ho抯 there??shouts Tanya. Ruth has to admire her nerve. They are on a small landing, facing several closed doors. Light clearly shows under one of them.
慔allo??comes a quavering voice. To Ruth抯 surprise, she thinks she recognises it.
The door opens and a thin figure in a grey hood stands in front of them, holding a candle.
慚other of God,?says Janet, reverting to her Catholic upbringing.
慐ileen??says Ruth.
Eileen Gribbon, who is wearing a grey UNN sweatshirt, says, 慏r Galloway? What are you doing here??
慖 might ask you the same thing,?says Ruth, rather breathless from the stairs and the fright.
慦e抮e living here,?says Eileen. 慚e and Joe. Joe was looking round Tombland one day and he saw all these empty houses. We broke in. We抮e not doing any harm,?she adds, obviously seeing Ruth as an authority figure. 慖t抯 just that we didn抰 have anywhere to go, and I couldn抰 stand halls any more.?
慪ou should have told me,?says Janet. 慖 would have let you in. There抯 no one else here.?
慖 think there is,?says Eileen. 慖 can hear someone crying at night.?
Ruth抯 blood runs cold, especially when Janet answers calmly, 慣hat抯 just the Grey Lady. I抳e heard it too.?
慐ileen,?says Ruth, 憌here抯 Joe??
慖抦 not sure,?says Eileen. 慔e went out about an hour ago, just for some fresh air. I wish he抎 come back.?
And, echoing through the walls, comes the terrible sound of sobbing.
Nelson is, once again, floating on a dark sea. The waves are breaking, white against black and, somewhere far off, he can hear music playing. It sounds like the slot machines on Blackpool pier. Then he抯 on the beach, miles and miles of sand interspersed with strange shapes that look both ancient and threatening. There抯 someone waiting for him at the water抯 edge and, for a second, he thinks it抯 Tim. Then there抯 a swirl of cloak and he knows.
慔allo, Cathbad,?says Nelson.
Chapter 40
慣hat was no ghost,?says Tanya.
Once again, Ruth is grateful for Tanya抯 presence though she could have done with some of Judy抯 sympathy and Nelson抯 comforting bulk. Where is he?
慣hat抯 the sound I heard,?says Eileen, sounding very young and very scared.
慦here抯 it coming from??says Ruth, retreating a few steps down the stairs just to be on the safe side.
慒rom down below, I think,?says Janet. 慚aybe the cellars? The undercroft??How can she be so calm when it抯 her own ?temporary ?house that she抯 talking about?
慖 thought I heard something earlier,?says Ruth. 慦hen we were passing the bricked-up doorway. It sounded like an animal.?