He attempted a shrug, but his hands were grenades of tension gripping the handle of the shovel.

‘So?’ he muttered.

‘So, poor Harris,’ Connie replied. ‘That’s a lot for a baby to grow up with in his past. He lost his mom and his twin brother. The only person left for him was his grandmother, who must have been devastated by her own grief. It would be too much for most people. Harris did nothing wrong, and there he was left without a mother, maybe feeling like it was all down to him. Harris needed an awful lot of love to get through that, and I don’t believe he got it.’

‘Okay,’ he mumbled.

‘Your turn,’ she said before the conversation could continue. ‘I want a secret in return, like we agreed. I need you to show me where Elspeth and Meggy are.’

‘No,’ he said.

‘Yes, fair’s fair. It’s not as if I can do anything to change your decision. You’ve already proved how powerful you are. Look what you did to Baarda.’ Connie glanced across at his prone body, hoping for the smallest sign of life, but Baarda was unmoving in the mud. ‘I just want to see them so I can understand everything better. You deserve that.’

‘You’re tricking me,’ he said, but he met her eyes.

‘I’m a psychologist. If you want to think of this as me being selfish then you can. Yes, I’m here to learn. Yes, this is my job. I’m curious about you. I’m also aware that you’re the one holding the shovel, so tricking you is likely to prove futile at this stage, right?’

He jerked his head left and right. Connie was reminded of a bird, beady eyes, sharp beak, ready to swoop down and crack the shell of an unsuspecting snail.

‘Then you’ll tell me something else?’ he asked.

‘Absolutely,’ she promised.

He turned and led her towards the treeline at the far edge of the cemetery, past an old brick building that looked long since deserted and more than a little haunted.

‘It’s the old watch house,’ he told her.

‘In a cemetery?’

‘To guard against bodysnatchers,’ he grinned. ‘A long time ago. You don’t need to be scared now.’

The irony of the statement made Connie shiver.

He led on into a deep corner of the plot and to his car, parked where the trees had provided shelter to cover it. She did her best to stop herself from shaking. Baarda needed emergency help, she was likely about to see two more dead bodies, and what would Fergus do with her when he got bored of their conversation? Letting her peacefully go on her way seemed unlikely.

‘Here.’ He pointed with the shovel at a recently dug grave.