Cry of the Hunter - Jack Higgins [63]
He nodded and stood up wearily. Anne Murray was washing her arms under the tap. When she turned to dry them he saw that her face was set and white, ‘Are you all right?’ he said.
She nodded and said in a controlled voice. ‘Perfectly. I’ll help Hannah sew him up in a blanket while you dig the grave.’ She moved across to the table and started to straighten the limbs. Fallon looked at her in amazement and then went slowly outside.
They dug the grave at the back of the farm just where the little glen began to lift back into the hills. Charlie was still sobbing intermittently and Fallon ignored him and dug mechanically. His mind was frozen by the shock of Murphy’s death. He realized how very much the boy had come to mean to him during the past few days. He dug his spade viciously into the soil and wished bitterly that he had refused to allow the boy to become involved in the beginning.
When the hole was deep enough they went back to the house for the body. It was lying on the table, a shapeless bundle in a blanket, and Charlie brought in a plank. They placed the body on the plank and he and Fallon carried it up the slope behind the farmhouse and the two women followed. They lowered the body down into the hole and gently laid it on the bottom. Fallon coughed and said, ‘Does anybody know anything to say?’
There was a silence and then Hannah Costello said in a hard voice, ‘There’s only one thing to say – Here lies a fine young boy whose life was wasted – his only memorial, the stupidity of men.’ She turned to her son and said, ‘Charlie, fill the hole in,’ and then she took Anne Murray by the arm and gently led her away.
Fallon stood for a long time looking down at the grave and then he lifted his eyes up to the stars. It was utterly still and somewhere, miles away in the distance, a dog barked. He felt more alone than he had ever been in his life and he shivered and turned and went down to the farm.
They left shortly before six. Fallon went into the kitchen to settle-up with Hannah, but when she saw his wallet she held up a hand. ‘Not this time,’ she said. ‘I’m not that much of a vulture.’
He hesitated and then put the wallet away. ‘I’m sorry, Hannah,’ he said. ‘I seem to get everybody involved in trouble. I must be tainted.’
She snorted and wiped her hands on her apron. ‘You’re full of self pity, that’s your trouble. If you want to pay me you can do it easily enough. Get that girl to a railway station and then leave her alone.’ She gazed steadily into his eyes. ‘You aren’t any use to her, Martin. You’ve nothing to offer. Give her a chance.’
For a moment he stared fixedly at her and then he smiled. ‘I will,’ he said. ‘I promise you I will.’
As he turned to the door, that terrible pain blossomed in his body again, filling him with fire. He reeled and clutched at the wall and Hannah rushed forward and supported him. ‘What is it?’ she demanded. His face was twisted in agony and she said in a whisper, ‘Why, you’re ill – really ill.’
He leaned on her for a moment and the pain passed. ‘I’ll be all right.’ He managed a smile. ‘It’s this wound of mine, but it’s nothing.’ He gripped her arm firmly and added, ‘Don’t tell Anne anything about it. It’s going to be tough enough to get rid of her without her thinking I’m ill.’
Hannah nodded slowly and they went out to the car. Anne Murray was sitting huddled in the passenger seat and Fallon slid behind the wheel and pressed the starter. The engine picked up strongly and Hannah shouted, ‘God bless you!’ He released the handbrake and they moved away.
It was a fine morning with a clear sky and the sun was beginning to lift above the horizon. He drove in silence for half an hour and then the girl spoke. ‘Where are we going?’
He took out his cigarettes. There was one left and he put it in his mouth and tossed the empty packet out of the window. ‘We’re going to Stramore,’ he said. ‘You’re going to catch that train.’
She turned towards him and said calmly, ‘I’m not catching any train. I’m sticking with you.’
‘That’s out of the question now,’ he said. ‘Surely you can see that.’
She shook