BooksBarbecue
Back The Hollows
Chapters (77)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. PART I
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. PART II
  15. 9.
  16. 10.
  17. 11.
  18. 12.
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. 31.
  38. 32.
  39. 33.
  40. 34.
  41. 35.
  42. 36.
  43. PART III
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. 40.
  48. 41.
  49. 42.
  50. 43.
  51. 44.
  52. 45.
  53. 46.
  54. 47.
  55. 48.
  56. 49.
  57. 50.
  58. 51.
  59. 52.
  60. 53.
  61. 54.
  62. 55.
  63. 56.
  64. 57.
  65. 58.
  66. 59.
  67. 60.
  68. 61.
  69. 62.
  70. 63.
  71. 64.
  72. 65.
  73. PART IV
  74. 66.
  75. 67.
  76. 68.
  77. Acknowledgements

“Maybe. It corresponds to the Hebrew character gimel, which in turn is related to the term gemul. Gemul means ‘justified reward’, which, depending on the context, can mean ‘punishment’. Like when someone gets their comeuppance, people say they got their just reward? I suggest, given this context, that’s the meaning that’s supposed to apply.”

“So it’s revenge? For what? What could the Famuyiwas and the Becks have done?”

“Revenge, or justice – to whoever did it, I mean. As for why – well, that’s your end, not mine. Maybe because both the families weren’t local, originally? Moved to Barsall from elsewhere?”

“Yeah, but years ago. Like about half the village now.” But that was hardly comforting, with dusk coming on up. You’ll all see. They’ll come for you tonight.

“You and me included,” said Madeleine. “Cheery thought, eh?”

“What about the other one?”

“This?” The vicar tapped the one from Tony Harper’s crime scene. “That’s called hē. It’s got two meanings: ‘window’ and ‘jubilation’.”

“So, first they’re celebrating, and now they’re taking revenge?”

“Maybe celebrating the fact that they were about to take revenge? Or could? The whole ‘window’ thing, maybe? Like a window of opportunity? I dunno.”

“What about Hebrew? You were saying about the other one –”

“Yeah, Hebrew’s not much help to us with this one. Hē corresponds to the Hebrew letter hei. Hei can be a preposition, like ‘the’, ‘that’, or ‘who’, or if it’s used as a prefix, means the statement’s a question. And if it’s a suffix, it means ‘towards’. Having fun yet?” Madeleine chewed her lip. “Only other thing I can think of is that Hei’s sometimes used in a religious sense, as an abbreviation for Hashem.”

“Meaning…?”

“Literally, ‘the Name’. It’s used in Judaism as a way of writing ‘God’ without actually saying it.”

“So it basically either means God, a window, or ‘yee-haa!’?”

Madeleine raised her glass. “Welcome to my world.”

Ellie swiped back through the pictures on the phone. “It’s their bloody world I’m worried about, whoever they are.”

And then the pub door flew open, and a voice called Ellie’s name.

23.

23.

“Ellie Cheetham. Good to see you’re working hard.”

Thelma Graham hadn’t bothered to shut the pub door behind her; one of the drinkers got up, scowling at her safely turned back, and closed it.

“I’m consulting the Reverend Lowe about something,” said Ellie, already annoyed at her need to justify herself.

Thelma looked pointedly at Ellie’s whisky. “So I see.”

There were a number of things Ellie could have said, but they’d have reduced the conversation to a slanging match or worse. “What can I do for you, Thelma?”