CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

It turned out that Chris Drake had driven the three hundred miles to Kirkby Abbey from his home in Southend. He planned to stay over and had reserved a room at The King’s Head.

‘I didn’t know how long I would have to be here,’ he said, after he’d stopped crying and had regained his composure. ‘So, I’m booked in for two nights to start.’

‘Okay, Would you mind going along to the village hall to make a statement about the last conversation you had with your mother?’ James asked.

‘Of course,’ Drake said.

‘Great. The team will sort out the arrangements for you to formally identify her body and update you on the situation regarding her house and belongings,’ he said.

It was agreed that Drake would come back and talk to Father Silver tomorrow about funeral arrangements. James then asked DC Abbott to take him to the hall in the patrol car.

‘And stay there until you hear from me,’ he told her. ‘I need to have a few words with Father Silver before I leave here. Then I’ll either walk to the hall or ask you to meet me somewhere.’

As soon as Abbott and Drake had left the office, Father Silver closed the door behind them and said, ‘I wasn’t aware that Lorna and Giles Keegan had been seeing each other. How long had it been going on?’

‘Days rather than weeks,’ James said. ‘He seemed genuinely upset when I spoke to him.’

‘Does he know about Lorna’s confession?’

‘I don’t believe so. But he was aware that she appeared to suffer from bouts of depression.’ He went on to describe how Keegan had spotted Lorna sitting next to the stream while crying.

Father Silver shook his head. ‘It’s just one shock after another. I still can’t imagine that Lorna would drive away from the scene of a terrible accident and not report it.’

‘People do such things all the time, Father.’

‘I know that, Detective Walker. Nevertheless, I’m hoping that you won’t have to make public what she did back then, for the sake of her son and those in the village who looked up to her.’

‘I’ll do my best to keep a lid on it,’ James said.

He then warned the priest that he might soon be approached by Gordon Carver.

‘He’s been made aware of the Christmas card that was left here at the church and the photo of Lorna that was placed on Nadia Patel’s grave,’ he said.

Father Silver was clearly puzzled. ‘I’m surprised you told a reporter about the cards.’

James shrugged. ‘I didn’t have a choice. The same Twelve Days of Christmas card we received was posted through his door last night. Inside was a message claiming that the police were withholding information. He was all set to publish it, but I persuaded him to hold off by giving him the full story and stressing how dangerous and disruptive it would be if it got out.’