Murder Club - Mark Pearson [63]
Inside their kitchen Patricia Hunt’s hand trembled as she poured some tea into a cup. DC Sally Cartwright noticed the bandage on her hand and wrist and went across to help.
‘Why don’t you let me do that?’
The older woman smiled gratefully. ‘Thank you, dear.’
‘Have you hurt your hand?’
‘She scalded it yesterday,’ said her husband, then blew his nose into a large white handkerchief. ‘Refuses to see her doctor.’
‘You should,’ said Jack Delaney. ‘I hear she is a very nice woman.’
‘You know Dr Walker?’ asked Patricia.
‘I should do. She’s having my child.’
‘Oh. Well, congratulations!’
‘Thank you.’
‘The detective is a very lucky man,’ said Sally Cartwright and handed him a cup of tea.
‘We need to talk to you, Reverend Hunt, about St Luke’s,’ said Delaney.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have much to do with the church any more, Detective. Not for some years.’
‘You do know the church has been sold to a property developer?’
Geoffrey hesitated and blinked.
‘Yes, we do know that. Don’t we, dear?’ said his wife.
‘Yes, sorry. Of course we did. My memory. Not what it was.’
‘That’s okay, Reverend.’
‘But I don’t understand. What has that to do with us?’
‘A body was discovered in the grounds.’
‘Well there has been a cemetery in the grounds since the church was built.’
‘It wasn’t in the cemetery part.’
‘Oh?’
‘I still don’t see what this has to do with us, Detective,’ said Patricia Hunt.
‘We don’t know who the man is. Trying to get a lead on him. We’re just making enquiries really.’ Delaney smiled reassuringly.
‘We heard about it on the radio,’ said Patricia. ‘We would of course have phoned if we thought we could help in any way.’
‘As far as our forensic pathologist can tell, the body has been there for some twenty years. About the time the church was under your care, Reverend.’
Geoffrey Hunt took a hit on his inhaler, his breathing wet and ragged. ‘I retired twenty years ago. Have you spoken to my successor?’
‘Not as yet. He is in Africa on missionary work at present. We’ve left him a message.’
‘He may …’ The older man struggled to get the words out. ‘He may be able to help. Maybe he knows something …’ He trailed off, wheezing.
‘Are you all right, dear?’ Patricia crossed to his side and held him as Geoffrey’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed in his chair. ‘Help me,’ she shouted to Delaney, who rushed over to catch her husband.
Sally pulled out her mobile and punched in the number nine three times.
‘I need an ambulance quickly,’ she said.
Bible Steve stood in the gents’ bathroom, horrified at the sight of the man looking back at him from the mirror. His whole body was trembling, and tears had formed in the corner of his eyes. He turned both taps on and looked down at his shaking hands as he put them under the jets of water. The water turned pink for a moment, then clear as he rubbed harder as if to scour the skin from them.
He splashed water onto his face and through his hair. Making fists of his hands and rubbing the corner of his eyes. He opened his eyes again and leaned in closer to the mirror.
‘Who are you?’ he whispered. ‘Who the fuck are you?’
He held his hands under the water again and then cried out as it burned his hand.
Dave Matthews came running into the room, closely followed by Laura Chilvers. ‘What’s happened?’ he asked.
‘It’s hot,’ said Bible Steve.
‘Here,’ said Laura, taking his hand, running the cold water and putting his hand under it. After a while, she dried off his hand with a paper towel and looked at it. ‘You’ll be okay, I’ll get the nurse to put some cream on it.’
‘What happened to me?’ said Bible Steve.
‘You scalded your hand, Steve,’ replied Dave Matthews.
‘That’s not my name. I’m not called Steve. And I don’t mean the water.’
‘You need to get back into bed.’ Laura took his arm and led him out of the room into the ward corridor.
Bible Steve walked docilely along, no fight in him. ‘How did I get so old?’ he asked.
Laura shrugged sympathetically. ‘Can you remember