heart sank. ‘Why the police?’
‘Someone’s cut off his head.’
6
‘Someone’s cut off his head! I don’t believe it. How . . . was it an accident . . .?’
Edward looked at her pityingly. ‘I don’t see how it could be an accident.’ Grabbing his coat and a torch he said, ‘I’ll go with Heron. You stay here, V. I won’t be long.’
‘Of course I won’t stay here. What do you take me for? Colonel, how did he lose his head?’
‘You’ll soon see,’ Heron replied grimly, beginning to recover himself. ‘I went to find my sword, you remember? I wanted to take Velvet, my retriever, out too. I don’t bother with a lead and when he disappeared I didn’t worry. I thought he had just gone off into the bushes to do his business. When he didn’t return, I whistled – I was just on the edge of the green – and he appeared with something in his mouth. I had a torch with me and when I shone it on Velvet I just couldn’t believe what he had in his mouth.’
‘What was it?’ Verity asked, feeling slightly sick. It was a relief to be out in the fresh night air.
‘It was a human head. Velvet had it by the hair. Of course, I made him drop it immediately and that’s when I saw it was Gates. I grabbed hold of Velvet’s collar and tried to see where he had found it. I couldn’t see anything at first. Then I spotted something dark in the middle of the green. When I got nearer, I saw it was a body – or rather a torso. Then I saw the sword and then, I’m afraid, I was sick.’
‘Did you see anyone – alive, I mean?’ Edward asked.
‘No, the green was deserted. The head must have rolled away from the rest of the body and Velvet retrieved it.’ Heron was panting now, partly because they were walking fast and partly, Edward thought, from the shock. Heron coughed from deep in his chest and Edward thought he was going to be sick again but he managed to pull himself together. ‘It was disgusting. I never saw anything like it, not even in India.’
‘The rest of the body . . . was it lying on the ground?’
‘No, you’ll see in a moment. It’s kneeling against a block. I think it’s the one the children used in the pageant. You know, when Charles I was executed. His legs have been tied at the ankle and his hands roped together behind his back. Look! Over there!’
They had reached the green and walked gingerly towards the dark shadow in the middle where the stage had been. They stared at the torso in fascinated horror.
‘Where’s the head?’
Heron pointed to the edge of the green. ‘He’s been beheaded with my sword just like in the tableau. It’s horrible. I’ll never get the image out of my mind.’
Edward saw that he was shaking. ‘After you were sick – what did you do?’ he asked.
‘I panicked. I ran to PC Watt’s cottage and banged on his door. He didn’t believe me at first when I told him what I had found but I made him come with me to the green. As soon as he saw I was telling the truth, he went back to ring headquarters. He told me to stay on guard but then I thought of you, Lord Edward. I remembered that you had investigated murders . . . I hope you didn’t mind my breaking in on you like that.’
In the light of the torch, he looked white and haggard.
‘No, of course not, but you probably shouldn’t have left your post. Ah, Constable,’ Edward continued as he saw a figure approaching them across the green, ‘my name is Corinth and we’ve recently moved into the village. Colonel Heron came to get me. I was just telling him that he ought to have stayed by the body as you’d instructed, but no harm done, I hope. You have telephoned Lewes?’
‘Yes, my lord,’ Watt responded, clearly well aware to whom he was talking. ‘Will you stand guard here? I must make sure no one disturbs the head until the Inspector arrives.’
‘Verity, take the Colonel back to his house, will you? There’s no point in him staying here. Make sure he has a tot of brandy. You too, V.
‘Someone’s cut off his head.’
6
‘Someone’s cut off his head! I don’t believe it. How . . . was it an accident . . .?’
Edward looked at her pityingly. ‘I don’t see how it could be an accident.’ Grabbing his coat and a torch he said, ‘I’ll go with Heron. You stay here, V. I won’t be long.’
‘Of course I won’t stay here. What do you take me for? Colonel, how did he lose his head?’
‘You’ll soon see,’ Heron replied grimly, beginning to recover himself. ‘I went to find my sword, you remember? I wanted to take Velvet, my retriever, out too. I don’t bother with a lead and when he disappeared I didn’t worry. I thought he had just gone off into the bushes to do his business. When he didn’t return, I whistled – I was just on the edge of the green – and he appeared with something in his mouth. I had a torch with me and when I shone it on Velvet I just couldn’t believe what he had in his mouth.’
‘What was it?’ Verity asked, feeling slightly sick. It was a relief to be out in the fresh night air.
‘It was a human head. Velvet had it by the hair. Of course, I made him drop it immediately and that’s when I saw it was Gates. I grabbed hold of Velvet’s collar and tried to see where he had found it. I couldn’t see anything at first. Then I spotted something dark in the middle of the green. When I got nearer, I saw it was a body – or rather a torso. Then I saw the sword and then, I’m afraid, I was sick.’
‘Did you see anyone – alive, I mean?’ Edward asked.
‘No, the green was deserted. The head must have rolled away from the rest of the body and Velvet retrieved it.’ Heron was panting now, partly because they were walking fast and partly, Edward thought, from the shock. Heron coughed from deep in his chest and Edward thought he was going to be sick again but he managed to pull himself together. ‘It was disgusting. I never saw anything like it, not even in India.’
‘The rest of the body . . . was it lying on the ground?’
‘No, you’ll see in a moment. It’s kneeling against a block. I think it’s the one the children used in the pageant. You know, when Charles I was executed. His legs have been tied at the ankle and his hands roped together behind his back. Look! Over there!’
They had reached the green and walked gingerly towards the dark shadow in the middle where the stage had been. They stared at the torso in fascinated horror.
‘Where’s the head?’
Heron pointed to the edge of the green. ‘He’s been beheaded with my sword just like in the tableau. It’s horrible. I’ll never get the image out of my mind.’
Edward saw that he was shaking. ‘After you were sick – what did you do?’ he asked.
‘I panicked. I ran to PC Watt’s cottage and banged on his door. He didn’t believe me at first when I told him what I had found but I made him come with me to the green. As soon as he saw I was telling the truth, he went back to ring headquarters. He told me to stay on guard but then I thought of you, Lord Edward. I remembered that you had investigated murders . . . I hope you didn’t mind my breaking in on you like that.’
In the light of the torch, he looked white and haggard.
‘No, of course not, but you probably shouldn’t have left your post. Ah, Constable,’ Edward continued as he saw a figure approaching them across the green, ‘my name is Corinth and we’ve recently moved into the village. Colonel Heron came to get me. I was just telling him that he ought to have stayed by the body as you’d instructed, but no harm done, I hope. You have telephoned Lewes?’
‘Yes, my lord,’ Watt responded, clearly well aware to whom he was talking. ‘Will you stand guard here? I must make sure no one disturbs the head until the Inspector arrives.’
‘Verity, take the Colonel back to his house, will you? There’s no point in him staying here. Make sure he has a tot of brandy. You too, V.
Similar Books
