慙et抯 go back that way,?says Tanya. 慖t must be in the right general direction.?
They must make a strange procession, thinks Ruth, as Tanya leads them back into the enclosed garden. Tanya with her phone held out in front of her, Janet with her stick, Eileen shivering in her hooded sweatshirt, Ruth in her TV-watching attire of jumper and loose trousers. It抯 much colder now and she wishes she抎 brought her anorak.
慦here抯 this doorway??Tanya points her phone torch at the wall.
慔ere.?Ruth turns on her own torch app. 慦here the bricks are different.?
As they go nearer, they hear the sound again, louder this time and definitely human.
慞olice!?shouts Tanya. 慦ho抯 there??
Her words echo around the stone square. There, there, there . . .
And a faint voice answers them.
慔elp.?
慦hat are you doing here??says Nelson. The waves crash against the shore but the fairground music is still playing.
慖 might ask you the same thing,?says Cathbad in his usual maddening manner.
慣his is my dream,?says Nelson, rather annoyed.
慖 think you抣l find it抯 mine,?says Cathbad. He hums gently as he gazes out towards the horizon.
慦hat the hell am I doing in your dream??says Nelson.
慖 think you抳e come to save me,?says Cathbad.
Tanya kneels on the uneven ground by the wall.
慦ho抯 there??she calls.
慚e,?comes a voice. Just as she did earlier, Ruth thinks that it sounds somehow familiar.
慉re you locked in??says Janet.
慪es.?There抯 something unintelligible then, 慤nderground . . . he locked me in.?
慦e抣l get help,?says Tanya. She stands up and speaks into her phone, calling for back-up using impressive-sounding code words.
慔allo??Ruth presses her face to the wall. 慖t抯 Ruth.?
There抯 no answer.
慠uth,?says Tanya. 慪ou go around to the house and wait for back-up. Nelson might already be there. Tell them where to find us. Janet and I will wait here. See if we can find a way in.?
慔ere抯 the key to the shop,?says Janet. 慉re you sure you don抰 mind??
慛ot at all,?says Ruth. Frankly, Tanya had her at 慛elson? Ruth sprints back through the alleyway. Eileen starts to follow but Tanya calls her back, presumably wanting to question the girl further.
Ruth lets herself into the shop and switches on all the lights. She抯 had enough of the darkness. She prowls around, sending carousels of fridge magnets spinning. She knocks over a pile of calendars showing the Beauties of Norfolk. She imagines Nelson striding in, shouting 慗esus wept?at the scenic images of his adopted county. When she hears footsteps, she almost shouts out, but she stays silent, hidden behind a life-size replica of Seahenge.
Between the papier-m鈉h?timbers she sees the door opening and an elderly man entering the shop, blinking in the glare of the lights.
Tanya leaves Janet and Eileen trying to find a way into the hidden room and walks towards the alleyway. She抣l speak to the back-up officers herself. If Nelson isn抰 already there. Where is the boss? He left the office at five thirty. Normally, they抎 all assume he was with Ruth but Ruth is here, in Tombland. And Joe McMahon is missing too which is why Tanya wants Eileen to stay close, where she can see her.
Tanya jumps when her phone buzzes. 慗udy?says the screen.
慗udy! How抯 Cathbad??
慔e抯 dying,?says Judy in an odd, tight voice. 態ut that抯 not why I抦 ringing. I think I know who killed Avril Flowers. I抦 sending you a picture of him.?