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

Milly had already climbed over the crash barrier and was waiting. Ellie climbed after her. Intermittent snow drifted down. Ahead of them a narrow footpath ran along the hillside, past the edge of the Harpers’ land, towards the silent trees.

2.

2.

Pinched between the hillside on the right and drystone walls and wire fences on the left, the path, rocky and uneven at the best of times, was slippery with ice and impacted snow.

The body lay at a point where the hillside bulged and became a gentler slope, which a brave soul might be able to climb up to the hill road. The slope extended down beyond the path, over about thirty yards of woodland, before flattening out at the edge of the drystone wall encircling the Harpers’ fields.

Ellie saw a wide deep furrow, not quite hidden by last night’s snow, scoured through the drifts on the path and down the slope to the trees. “Watch your step here,” she told Milly, and picked her way down the incline, following the slide mark.

While the body was clearly visible from the road, once among the trees Ellie could barely make out the fields or the farmhouse beyond. Chances were the Harpers hadn’t ventured outside all day, but even if they had, they could have stood at the very edge of their property without seeing the dead man. Ironic, really, as Ellie was fairly certain who this was.

“Wonder if they’ve even noticed he’s missing?” she said aloud.

Milly frowned, then followed her gaze. “Think it’s one of them?”

“Pretty sure it’s Tony Harper.”

“Shit. He was all right.”

“Comparatively. When sober.”

Milly chose not to get onto the topic of the Harpers, or Ellie’s long and not entirely pleasant history with them. She crouched by the body and tugged experimentally at the booted feet; the legs were stiff as wood. “He’s well into rigor mortis.”

“So, time of death?”

“Guesswork at this stage, Ell. You know that.”

“I’m not gonna hold you to it.”

“Rigor sets in two to six hours after death – it’s usually complete within twelve, and this fella’s stiff as. So – tentatively –” she glanced at her watch “– I’d say he died around two a.m. today at the latest. Although that’s not factoring the cold in. Could have been here longer, but there’s no sign of animal predation.”

“Plus,” Ellie looked at the furrow in the snow, “if it’d been before last night there’d be no trace of this. Or him, probably – he’d have been buried and those kids would never have seen him.”

“Probably should have been,” said Milly. “But any snow covering him would have been knocked off when he fell.”

“Come again?”