‘Anything else you can tell us?’ Gina hoped there would be something.
He scratched his ear over the top of his hood. ‘The bell that was hanging off a branch. There was no clapper in it. That’s all I have for now.’
‘Thank you.’ Gina stepped back towards the tent flap. ‘And, yes, keep me updated with anything. In the meantime, we need to identify this man so if you discover any ID on him at all, call me straight away, please.’
Jacob waved to Jennifer and followed Gina out of the tent, stepping carefully on the plates. The rain had steadied to a fine smattering and was more like a damp mist. In the distance she heard the church bells chiming and that told her it was nine in the evening.
‘Where are the girls who found the coffin?’ Gina stepped over a puddle, determined not to fill her trainers with water all over again.
‘With PC Kapoor. She took them to the station when the rain began to bucket down and then the parents were called. Hopefully they’ll still be there.’
‘We need to get back. I’d like us to speak to them before they go home. Are DCs Wyre and O’Connor in yet?’ Paula Wyre and Harry O’Connor would definitely be needed – she couldn’t see them all getting home until the early hours, if they were lucky.
‘They were on their way last time I checked. They should be there now. I can talk to O’Connor about the CCTV too.’
Gina shuddered as she hurried back to the cordon.
PC Smith smiled. ‘Was it a prank, guv?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not. Some poor man is lying dead in that casket.’ Gina tried to hide the jitter that was running from her neck to her spine. For a moment, she imagined the victim panicking, struggling for breath as he clawed away at the roof of the coffin. Had he screamed for help? Had he pulled the string at the end of the bell that contained no clapper, giving him a tiny bit of hope? Someone had set this up, knowing the distress it would cause, followed by an agonising death. That someone was dangerous and she wanted them banged up before they did this to anyone else.
Chapter Seven
Cherie dumped the overstuffed carrier bags on the table just a moment before the cucumber threatened to completely poke through a hole in the bag.
‘Where have you been? Me and the kids were worried sick.’ Christian rolled his eyes and his black brows rose as he waited for an answer. His dark cheeks were speckled with a few freckles.
Again, he was questioning her. Where have you been? What were you doing? Years ago, she’d thought he was sweet, now it was nothing more than annoying. He looked like a sad puppy who couldn’t bear to be on his own for more than five minutes. She began to pull the food from the bags; first the carrots, then the chicken. Slapping the cucumber down, she huffed as she heard the kids running around above them. Now wasn’t the time to start an argument. Bella and Oliver had already seen them shouting too many times.
‘I popped to see Mum. She called to say she needed help to move a bit of furniture around the living room so I went round. I just stopped for a cup of tea, that’s all. We got talking. You know how lonely she’s been since losing Dad.’ It had been four years now and her mother had a better social life than she did.
‘I get that. You could have called or even answered your phone. The kids are just getting ready for bed and I thought you’d have at least wanted to be here to say goodnight. I kept them down for as long as possible but it’s late now.’ He checked his watch. ‘I mean, look. You’ve missed the whole evening. We thought you’d only be about half an hour when you went shopping at six. It’s now gone nine.’ He paused and scrunched his eyes.
She wanted him to give her a break, leave her alone. This time of year wasn’t her favourite and he knew that.
‘What’s that on your leggings?’
She glanced down and spotted the mud splats up her clothes. She knew it had been wet but she hadn’t realised she’d got that dirty. ‘I slipped on the path, on the way to Mum’s. You know how slimy it is. It really needs a clean. Maybe we can head over at the weekend, take the jet washer.’
He shrugged his shoulders and began stroking his bristly stubble. ‘Sometimes I wonder if you still love me.’ He looked down and shook his head.
Not now. Why couldn’t he see that she needed to unpack the shopping and check on their children? She didn’t have time to go through all this again.
‘Are you seeing someone?’
She shook her head. ‘Not this again.’
‘What am I meant to think? You tell me.’
‘You really think I’m having an affair? I work all the hours I can. Mum needs me and I keep this house together. I don’t have time to have an affair. Look at me; I’m wearing leggings and an old jumper. Don’t you think if I was having an affair, I’d have come home for a shower, maybe done something with my hair or even put some make-up on?’
She could almost see the thoughts whirring around his head. He turned to the kitchen sink and looked out onto their drive. ‘Sometimes, just sometimes, I don’t bloody well know what to think. I called your mum.’
She swallowed and felt a tremble at her knees. She should have answered his calls. Now he knew she wasn’t where she said she’d been. ‘I was in the car. I needed time to think, time to myself. Sometimes everything is so… so loud and I can’t hear myself think.’
‘Why didn’t you say that? You lied to me and, what’s worse is, you found it easy to do. Can you see how it all looks to me?’ He ran his fingers through his thick black hair, the hair she’d once enjoyed stroking as they lay in bed.
She placed a hand on his back and he flinched, shaking her off. ‘I’m not feeling too good and I’m sorry.’ She reached into her bag, pulled out her tablets and threw the blister pack on the draining board.
‘What’s this?’ He picked it up and began scrutinising the packet.
‘That’s why I was on my own. I didn’t want to tell you.’ She paused and began biting her bottom lip.
He turned around and placed his firm hands on her shoulders. ‘What’s going on, Cherie? You can talk to me.’
A thud came from above and Cherie wiped the tears that had spilled from her eye. She hadn’t told anyone about the tablets, and she hadn’t wanted to. ‘I just keep getting these moments where I can’t breathe, like when I’m in the shops or sometimes when I’m working. I need to get out or I feel as though I might die.’ He dropped one of his hands and squeezed her shoulder a little. ‘Tonight, I sat in the car staring at the fields from a layby. I needed to think.’ Some of that was true. She gazed up into his eyes.
‘You should have said something. I can do more. I could have gone shopping or if you need time alone, you can always go up to bed or take a walk while I occupy the kids. You love lying in the bath, maybe you could try that. You love reading, maybe you should do that more. But don’t shut me out.’
She gripped him in a tight embrace until the ceiling lampshade began to shake.
‘Come on.’ He kissed her on the nose and stroked her damp brown hair. ‘The kids are coming down and you need to dry off before you catch a chill.’