A Grave Death 2
Anderson interrupted the sonorous voice of the vicar who was reciting, ‘We have entrusted our brother Kevin to God’s mercy, and we now commit his body to the ground.’
‘Stop!’ Anderson put out his arms. One against the Vicar’s chest and the other, palm out towards the undertakers.
‘What in God’s name do you think you’re doing?’ Paul glared at him. Anderson saw the venom in his friend’s eyes and was glad that he wasn’t one of Dean Engineering’s employees, as he wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of the man in a work situation. But that wouldn’t happen here. Here, Anderson was confident in his role as Detective Inspector and further confident that there was something seriously wrong with the freshly dug grave.
‘There’s something in there,’ Anderson said.
The mourners collectively leaned forward to look.
‘I don’t see anything,’ said the Vicar. ‘Really, this is highly irregular.’
‘What is highly irregular is a finger poking out of Kevin’s grave.’ Anderson clamped his mouth shut. Aghast that he’d said that statement out loud. He’d meant to be more circumspect. His words turned the mourners to stone for a moment, before all hell broke loose.
‘A finger?’
‘What?’
‘What is he talking about?’
‘I’ve never heard anything like it!’
‘And I thought this was a respectable family!’
‘I fear he’s right, sir,’ one of the undertakers said to the Vicar. ‘I believe it is a finger.’
Hearing the validation of Anderson’s outrageous suggestion, more gasps and moans ran through the crowd.
‘Oh, my God,’ someone shouted.
‘Let me see!’ cried another, pushing people out of the way, as he tried to get a better view.
‘This can’t be happening.’ Paul staggered from the shock of the outrageous suggestion and Anderson put out a hand to grab him, afraid his friend was on the point of collapse and who could blame him. ‘What do we do?’ Paul asked, grabbing at Anderson, who managed to steady his friend as his knees buckled.
Anderson turned to the vicar, whose mouth was opening and closing, as if still carrying on with the funeral service but with the volume turned off. He was as white as his robe and holding onto his bible with clenched fingers. He was also swaying dangerously close to the edge of the grave.
‘Is there somewhere everyone can wait?’ Anderson asked, grabbing the man’s elbow to steady him and also in an effort to gain his attention. ‘I need to call the police and they’ll want to talk to everyone here. Also, we need to secure the scene until they arrive.’
‘The scene? What are you talking about? Police?’
‘If I’m right, there is a dead body in the grave that’s not supposed to be there,’ Anderson hissed, afraid of stirring up the crowd even further. ‘We could well be standing in the middle of a crime scene. Now is there somewhere you and the mourners can go?’
At last the Vicar responded to Anderson’s urging. ‘Yes, yes, of course,’ he said. ‘We can go back into the chapel in the grounds. We’re the only group today, so we won’t be holding anyone else up.’
‘Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen,’ Anderson raised his voice and his head to look at the crowd. ‘Please go with Father Geoff and Mr Dean, where you can wait for the police.’
Mumblings rippled through the mourners, as they stumbled backwards, but with a few gentle words and hands on arms, the undertakers managed to move everyone away from the grave and usher them back towards the church, their respectful poker faces not slipping, even for an instant. It was as though they had seen all this before, although Anderson found that hard to believe. This was a new one on him, despite being a seasoned detective and running a Hampshire Major Crimes Team.
Pulling his mobile out of his pocket, Anderson rang Aldershot police station.
‘You’ve got a what?’
Anderson could hear Crane’s scepticism, finely-tuned to the nuances in his colleague and friend’s voice. ‘A finger poking out of a freshly dug grave.’
‘And is this finger attached to anything? Like a body?’
‘How the hell would I know? I didn’t exactly jump in and start digging like a dog smelling a bone, now did I?’
Crane chuckled. ‘With you, Derek, nothing would surprise me. Now, as Ciaran and I walk down to my car to come and join the party, tell me everything you know.’
‘I’m attending the funeral of Kevin Dean at Redan Road Cemetery in Aldershot.’
‘Kevin Dean of Dean Engineering?’
‘Yes. Anyway, I’m here with the family; his brother Paul, son Reece and niece Maggie. The other mourners are friends of the family and members of the management team at the factory. We were nearly at the bit where they lower the coffin into the grave, when I saw a flash of white. It bothered me, so I moved around to take a closer look and it seems to be a finger, with a coat of red polish on the nail. I need for you to organise uniforms to attend as well and secure the scene, oh and you better call Major Martin.’
‘Ciaran’s already on it.’ Anderson could hear the beeping of the locks on Crane’s car. ‘Is there anyone missing? From the funeral party, I mean.’
‘Oh, fuck,’ said Anderson. ‘Where’s Jill?’
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By Wendy Cartmell
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Wendy Cartmell
Death Call Page 15