Death on Lindisfarne

by Fay Sampson

  “You can identify the body?… Oh, by the way, this is Doctor Forbes.” He waved at the portly man, who was now kneeling beside Rachel’s body. “He’ll deal with the medical formalities. We need him to pronounce her dead.”

  “Yes,” said Lucy, marvelling at her expressionless voice. “Rachel Ince. I’ve known her for three years. I brought her to Holy Island.” Just for a moment, her voice caught on the words. “I’m running a study holiday here.”

  “Who discovered the body?”

  “I did.” Peter shambled forward.

  Lucy felt a pang of guilt that she had not given enough thought to Peter’s grief. She did not think there had been anything sexual between him and Rachel, but he had been a firm and loyal friend to her through the roller-coaster of her struggles with drugs and lack of self-esteem.

  “And it was here?”

  “No.” Peter waved a large hand towards the advancing sea. “Further down the beach. At the edge of the waves. Like the tide was bringing her in. We carried her up above the high-water line. I know you’re supposed to leave a body where it is, but we didn’t have a choice.”

  “We?”

  “Aidan was with me. We were out looking for her.”

  The constable had his notebook out. “Why was that?”

  “She’d been missing since this morning. We were worried about her.”

  The doctor was still kneeling over the body. “Hard to say the time of death. A couple of hours or more ago, I’d guess.” He looked up at the group from St Colman’s House. “There’s some bruising on her arms. I’d say that’s at least a day old. And a tear in her ear. Looks like an earring’s been pulled through it.”

  DC Chappell raised his eyebrows at Lucy. “Can you explain that?”

  It was Aidan who answered for her. “I think I can. As we were coming across the Pilgrims’ Way yesterday – ‘we’ being me and my daughter – we saw a couple on the shore ahead of us. They seemed to be – I don’t know – embracing, or fighting. In some sort of hold. I’ve got a shot of them on my camera, if you want to see it. And afterwards, when we reached the dry sand, Melangell found an earring. She gave it back to Rachel this morning. It was definitely hers.”

  “And the other guy? I take it we’re talking about a man.”

  “Too far away. It was certainly large enough to make me think it was a man. But I can’t swear it wasn’t a big woman.”

  The figure of Elspeth in her hefty tweeds passed across Lucy’s mind. She shook it away. “I think I can guess who it was. Another of our group, Sue, came to me yesterday afternoon. She was in some agitation. Her friend – boss – James was missing. She wanted to know if I knew where he was.”

  “And did you?”

  “No, but I’ve reason to believe he may have taken Rachel off for a talk. Or seen her on her own and joined her.”

  “For a talk. And what sort of talk would that be? Would it involve some sort of getting close? A clinch? Or a struggle?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t there. James is an evangelist. He feels a mission to convert sinners. He thought Rachel was one.”

  “I thought you were the Reverend.”

  “I am… but I don’t work quite the way James does. Not so… in your face.”

  “I think we might need to talk to Mr James …?”

  “Denholme.”

  “Where will I find him?”

  “Probably in Berwick Hospital. If the ambulance car’s got here.”

  She saw Detective Constable Chappell do a double take. His eyes shot to the listening coastguards.

  “Sounds like you’ve had a busy afternoon.”

  “Head injury,” said John. “A fair bit of bleeding, by the sound it, and he passed out. The ambulance car was on its way, so we left it to the paramedics.”

  DC Chappell began taking photographs of Rachel’s body. Doctor Forbes was on his feet again.

  “What do you think?” he said to Chappell. “Do we need to leave her here for your scene of crime people to see, given this is not where the body was found, and the find site’s underwater now?”

  “Above my pay grade,” Len Chappell answered. “I’ll radio through and see what they say. I guess, under the circumstances, the body has to be the scene of crime.”

  Crime? Lucy’s professional training told her he had to think like this. But she resented the enthusiasm she read in his eyes.

  The coastguard Dan stood looking out to sea. He cupped his hands against the wind to light a cigarette. The breeze snatched a trail of smoke away. The helicopter blades had clattered to a halt. The beach was still.

  Lucy made an effort to pull herself out of the stupor that was threatening to paralyse her.

  “Somebody should tell her family.”

  “How old was she?” DC Chappell suddenly turned his attention back to her, notebook ready again.

  “Eighteen. She wasn’t close to her mother. She’d been in care. But Karen needs to know.”

  “You know her?”

  Lucy sighed. “Slightly. Before Rachel came of age, I tried to get her to help. But she’s in need of help herself. Not much of a mother, I’m afraid. And Rachel’s father went off years back.”

  “Do you have a phone number? Address?”

  “Not here, I’m afraid. But I can tell you the social worker who could put you in touch with her. Karen may know how to contact Rachel’s father.”

  Len Chappell took the details down.

  “And this James? The man with the hole in his head. Just how did that happen?”

  “No one knows. He just came staggering back dripping blood.”

  “About the time your Rachel was washed up dead?”

  “It seems so.”

  She saw that glint in the constable’s eye. Not an accidental drowning. Not a suicide, as Lucy so often feared. She saw his professional hope that he might have landed himself a more interesting criminal case.

  He looked at her thoughtfully. Then he snapped the notebook shut.

  “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful, Reverend.” To Aidan: “I’d like to see that photograph, if you’ve still got it.”

  “My camera’s back at the house.”

  “I’ll need to come back with you and take statements from everyone.”

  The young detective walked across to talk to the coastguards.

  “You guys know the currents round here better than anyone. How do you think the body got here? Did she die here? Was she washed along from somewhere else?”

  “That’s what’s been bothering us…”

  They moved away as John and Dan pointed along the shore to the east, where the rocks of Snipe Point stood out as dark sentinels against the increasing twilight.

  The beach fell silent. Doctor Forbes was standing beside Rachel’s body waiting for a decision. Lucy, Peter and Aidan stood numbed.

  Beside her, Aidan reached out and put a light hand on Lucy’s shoulder.

  “I think we’ve done all we can. They know where to find us.”

  Lucy looked up and saw DC Chappell talking into his radio. He came towards them.

  “We’re finished here. Permission to move the body to the mortuary. You can go now. I’ll catch up with you. You’re not thinking of leaving the island, are you?”

  “We’re here for the week.”

  Lucy had a sudden awareness of the days stretching ahead of her. What should she do with that time now?

  The air ambulance crew were lifting Rachel’s inert form into a body bag.

  Aidan touched Lucy’s arm again. “Come on. Let’s get you back.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I FORGOT,” AIDAN SAID. “We haven’t got a car. David dropped us here and drove on down the road.”

  But when they climbed the dunes, there were two cars at the roadside: a silver Vauxhall that must be DC Chappell’s and the Cavendishes’ red CR-V.

  They watched the helicopter lift off. The coastguard Land Rover rolled towards them, with its crew of four.

  David w
as standing beside his vehicle. “I take it you found her, then? Is she all right?”

  “She’s dead,” Peter told him abruptly.

  “No! I’m so sorry! Terrible business.” He looked flustered, not knowing what to do. He turned to Lucy. “Can I give you a lift back?”

  “Thanks. Can you take Peter and Aidan too?”

  “Anything to help.”

  Aidan turned to DC Chappell. “If you come back to the village now, the water will be over the causeway.”

  “Occupational hazard for Holy Island. Luckily there’s not much crime here. I’ve got mates on the island. John will give me a bed if I’m stuck.” He waved to the big coastguard as the Land Rover swung past them onto the road. “I need to take your statements. My bosses will expect me to have done my homework when they get here.”

  Aidan glared at him, with a glance at the back of Lucy’s fair head. “You’re treating it as a suspicious death?”

  “That’s not for me to decide. But the coastguards aren’t too happy. Would you say she was a suicide risk?”

  Peter’s voice burst unexpectedly beside them. “Rachel was always on the edge of suicide.”

  The constable’s face lit up. He turned from Aidan to the student who was about to clamber into David’s car.

  “You and Rachel go back… how long?”

  “We went to school together,” came Peter’s muffled voice. “When she was there.”

  Aidan let the burden of the investigation pass from him. He heard snatches of their conversation. Peter, he noticed, seemed reluctant to give away any more about Rachel than he had to. Aidan remembered how the student had always been at her shoulder, as if silently protecting her. Was he protecting her still?

  Fragments of the picture fell into place: Rachel at odds with her teachers; the growing absences.

  “If she’d had a different mother, it wouldn’t have happened!” Peter let out an uncharacteristic burst of emotion.

  “What wouldn’t?”

  But the student lapsed back into generalities. “Moving around. Care homes. Fostering. Like she felt nobody cared about her.”

  “Was she ever in trouble with the police?”

  Aidan knew the inevitability of the answer.

  “A bit. Nothing serious,” Peter muttered.

  “Any associates we need to know about? That would be back in… Where did you say? Devon?”

  Peter suddenly burst out, with a vehemence that made the others turn round: “You’re wasting your time. She had a rotten life. And she couldn’t take it any more. End of story. There’s nothing suspicious about her death. Not even surprising. If anyone’s to blame, it’s all of us.”

  The listeners fell silent.

  Yes, Aidan thought. There had been that first brief meeting, when her eyes had sparkled. But after that, from the little he had seen of Rachel behind that curtain of dark hair, she had looked deeply unhappy.

  DC Chappell said uncomfortably, “I’ll need to get all this down for you to sign.”

  Aidan climbed after Peter into David’s car. They followed the Land Rover along the road, with the detective’s car behind them.

  Aidan was surprised at the weariness that came over him as they swung into the car park of St Colman’s. The coastguard driver raised his hand in farewell and drove off into the lamplit village. Aidan, Peter, Lucy and David clambered out of the 4x4. DC Chappell drew up beside them.

  The four of them walked up to the house that would always be empty now of one of its guests. Their search had ended in a result, but it felt like failure.

  “I’ll need to take statements from everyone who knew her,” DC Chappell said.

  Lucy nodded.

  As they entered the hall, Aidan was assaulted by a slender figure that hurled itself from the lounge to wrap skinny arms around him and hug him tight.

  “Whoa, there! I take it you’re glad to see me back.”

  Melangell nodded vigorously and buried her face against his chest.

  Elspeth was hoisting herself out of an armchair. Valerie was sitting upright, expectant. More guardedly, Frances Cavendish was on her feet, her mouth downturned in sympathy.

  Mrs Batley appeared behind the new arrivals, her face tense and avid for news.

  “Have they taken her away? That poor girl! And what with that gentleman coming in with blood all over his face. I’ve never had a thing like this happen to any of my folk at St Colman’s. Never!”

  “I’m sorry.” Aidan watched Lucy turn a weary face to their landlady. “This must be upsetting for you. But it can’t be helped.”

  Mrs Batley’s face softened. “I’m not the one you should be sorry for. You look worn out.”

  Lucy turned with a visible effort to the police officer. “This is Detective Constable Chappell. He’ll be wanting to ask us all some questions.”

  “I’m sure I can’t tell him anything. I hardly saw the girl. She was missing more than she was here.”

  “Is there anywhere I could talk to these folk?” Len Chappell asked her. “One on one?”

  “Well, there’s the television room. Only I made it more of a chapel for Lucy.” She pointed to a door the other side of the entrance. Then she turned back to Lucy. “It’s seven o’clock. Do I serve supper? And where’s Miss English got to?”

  Aidan stiffened suddenly and scanned the lounge. Only then did he realize that there was still no sign of Sue.

  Melangell wriggled out of Aidan’s arms. “I’ll go upstairs and see if she’s in her room, shall I?”

  She bolted away before he could answer.

  DC Chappell was looking at his watch, aware of Mrs Batley’s disapproving eye on him.

  “I won’t keep them very long. I just need a statement from everybody, saying anything they can help us with about the deceased.”

  He looked round the group, considering. “Reverend, perhaps I ought to begin with you.”

  Lucy was startled out of her private thoughts. “What? Oh, yes. If you like.”

  She started to move with him towards the chapel room when there were more footsteps on the stairs. Melangell came into sight, bright-eyed with self-importance. Behind her, with heavy steps, came Sue. Her broad face was blotched with tears.

  “Sue!” Lucy started forward. “Are you all right? Where have you been?”

  “Out.” Sue seemed to realize suddenly that everyone was looking at her. She saw for the first time the sober looks on their faces, the stranger in the hall. Melangell must not have told her. Her hand flew to her mouth. “What’s happened?” A frightened look round. “Where’s James?”

  Lucy said carefully, “We don’t know what happened. That’s what we’d like to find out. James came back about five o’clock. He’s had a nasty bang on the head. We don’t know whether he fell or whether something hit him. He looked as though he might have concussion, so we sent him across to the hospital to get checked out. We wanted to tell you, but nobody knew where you were.”

  Sue shifted uncomfortably. A closed look came down over her face. “I needed some time out. I went off and found some rocks on the beach. There was a little cove. I guessed the rain would keep people away.”

  “Did you see anyone else there? Rachel?”

  “If you don’t mind, Rev, I think that’s my line of enquiry,” DC Chappell objected.

  Once more, Aidan saw Lucy start. She’s dropped into police mode, he thought. Where Rachel’s concerned, this is her enquiry as much as his. He sensed a battle within her.

  Then she bowed her head in weary acknowledgement.

  “Right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tread on your toes. It’s just that they’re my group. I feel responsible.”

  “Only natural.”

  The young detective was looking from Lucy to Sue, evidently unsure whether to go through with his plan of taking Lucy’s statement first, or whether Sue might have new information. He reached his decision.

  “Right, Reverend. If I could start with you.”

  The door of the television r
oom closed behind them.

  Sue was looking at the rest of them in alarm. “Did any of you see him? Was he badly hurt? What did he say?”

  Aidan took charge of the situation. “We were all here. We were getting ready to go and look for Rachel when James came in looking the worse for wear – bleeding from his head wound. Groggy, but able to walk. It wasn’t until we got him into a chair that he passed out.”

  “Then we put him to bed in his room,” Melangell said eagerly. “I put some towels on the pillow because of the blood. And then the ambulance car came and took him away.”

  Sue looked at them blankly. “Why is that man here? Is he the police?”

  An awkward silence fell over the group. Elspeth cleared her throat noisily. “Sorry. Has nobody got around to telling you? Rachel drowned.”

  The shock held them still, even those of them who had known it before. A little part of Aidan’s mind was telling him, We think she drowned. There’ll have to be a post-mortem.

  Sue shook her head slowly, as if she could not take all this in.

  “Did James…? Did she…?”

  Aidan said firmly, “Last time I saw James he was on the slope below the castle. When he came back, he seemed to think he came round in the castle garden. We found Rachel’s body on the North Shore. That’s miles away.”

  He thought, but did not say, that the coves to which Sue had been heading lay considerably nearer the North Shore.

  Chapter Sixteen

  IT WAS A SUBDUED MEAL. Mrs Batley put smoked mackerel and salad in front of them. Aidan could have done with the comforting warmth of soup. Sue crumbled bread between her fingers and ate little.

  “Why don’t you ring the hospital?” Valerie suggested. “They may have news about him.”

  Would she do it? Aidan wondered. The words of their quarrel were echoing in his mind. Sue jealous about Rachel; about all James’s female followers.

  Mrs Batley was serving the second course when Lucy returned from the interview room. She nodded to Sue. “He’ll see you next.”

  “Oh, good! It’s toad in the hole,” Melangell cried.

  “I’m glad somebody’s got an appetite,” Mrs Batley retorted.