The following week gave Will little time to think about his forgotten special day, or Kate’s problems. Indeed, apart from a strange remoteness, she too seemed to have been caught up in the change brought about by this unexpected death. She had promised to make up for her blunder, but it was too late.

A high-ranking officer had called from Germany to inform Will of the circumstances surrounding the accident. It appeared that his sister and her husband had been returning from an evening function in a village near Heidelberg. They were temporarily attached to an air base just outside Mannheim and were on their way home. Since this was an official gathering, Sophie had stayed the night with her friend. Guy had been driving and as he never drank, alcohol was not an issue. A freshly killed deer lay not far from the crash site. Examination showed animal blood and hairs on the car’s front bumper — or what was left of it. The BMW had ploughed head on into some trees, both of its occupants killed instantly. Endeavouring to be as tactful as he could, the officer told Will that by an odd fluke — the angle of the decline and the positioning of the trees — Eva’s airbag had inflated but had broken her neck. Guy’s airbag had been punctured by a massive, jagged branch entering the car. ‘There is no suspicion of foul play at all. Frankly, it was the best we could hope for, sir, considering the kind of accident. It would have been over in seconds. They would never have known what hit them.’

Will had seen enough RTAs to accept this. The bodies were being flown back to Saskatchewan, Guy and Eva’s home, where a funeral would be held with full military honours.

‘I hope this is acceptable, sir? It is on record that they wished to be buried in the same plot. Naturally, we will fly you and your family out, sir. The date is not fixed yet. Captain Hogan’s parents are in a pretty bad state, as you can appreciate. Meantime, sir, if there is anything the RCAF can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.’