Holy Spirit, keeps them perfect. They become known as Incorruptible.’
‘Incorruptible in soul and in body?’ asked Evi.
He nodded. ‘It’s one of the signs that indicate a candidate for canonization,’ he went on. ‘I can give you countless examples. St Bernadette of Lourdes, Saint Pio, Saint Virginia Centurione, any number of popes.’
‘But from what you told me, mummification, which is basically what we’re talking about, occurs naturally.’
Harry gave a soft laugh. ‘Of course it does,’ he said. ‘I’m not trying to claim the work of the Holy Spirit in this case, far from it. It just got me thinking.’ He turned to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and there were lines on his forehead she hadn’t noticed before. ‘You see, if you’re not taking the supernatural route,’ he continued, ‘you can argue that one of the reasons why so many members of the clergy, relatively speaking, have so-called incorruptible bodies is that their remains were stored in the places most likely to produce mummification – cold, dry church crypts with airtight stone coffins. Like the one almost directly below us.’
Evi couldn’t stop herself glancing down. ‘You’ve told Rushton this?’ she asked.
‘Yep. He’s sceptical at the moment, because the crypt was thoroughly searched in the days after Megan disappeared. But he’s going to have to go down there again now. If they look carefully enough, they’ll find traces.’
‘He’s going to want you on the force,’ said Evi, trying for a smile.
Harry was still looking at her. ‘I find him uncomfortably tactile,’ he said. ‘Always touching me on the shoulder or the arm. Do you think he fancies me?’
Evi gave a little shrug. ‘Can’t think of any reason why he wouldn’t,’ she said.
‘Good answer. Are you busy tonight?’
She made herself turn her face away. ‘No,’ she said slowly. ‘But …’
‘Why is there always a but?’ said Harry.
Evi turned back. ‘I can’t stop seeing Gillian right now,’ she said. ‘The timing is all wrong. And it doesn’t take a genius to see she’s nuts about you.’
‘And that’s my fault?’ He’d taken hold of her hand, was tugging at the glove. She could feel his fingers on her wrist. She tried to pull away, he held firm.
‘Maybe not,’ she said. ‘But whether it is or isn’t your fault, it’s still your problem. Cheer up, there’s probably a guideline you can refer to. Women have been falling for the curate for centuries.’ The glove was being peeled off her fingers. She caught her breath.
‘Never the right ones,’ he said, his hand closing around hers. ‘And what do you mean, maybe not?’
‘You have a great deal of charm, Vicar. I can’t believe you save it all for me.’
‘Well, that’s where you’re wrong. You – and Detective Chief Superintendent Rushton, of course.’ His index finger had slipped inside the sleeve of her jacket. ‘You have such soft skin,’ he muttered.
‘If that child they found last night does turn out to be Hayley,’ said Evi, taking hold of his hand and pulling it firmly away from hers, ‘I can’t begin to predict how Gillian will react. I can’t stop seeing her, not even …’
She stopped. It didn’t really need saying.
‘If the child they found last night does turn out to be Hayley,’ said Harry, leaning back on the bench again, ‘I’m going to have to bury her.’
60
9 November
‘YOU WERE RIGHT, REVEREND. THEY WERE KEPT IN THE crypt. In the third tomb along from the front. We found traces of hair and blood, from both of them. Other bodily fluids as well. Even a button.’
‘God rest their souls,’ replied Harry.
‘Quite.’ Rushton’s voice down the phone was unusually subdued. ‘Of course, we searched that tomb back when we were looking for Megan and it was empty then,’ he went on. ‘So she was obviously kept somewhere, possibly even in the killer’s own house, while we were searching, then moved after all the fuss died down.’
Harry looked at the clock. Six o’clock in the evening. Was there any point calling Evi? It was four days since she’d even bothered answering the phone.
‘We also found traces of blood in the main part of the church,’ continued Rushton. ‘What do you call it, the nave?’
Harry muttered something.
‘From just underneath the gallery. The stones had been washed clean but we dug some of the mortar out from in between them,’ Rushton was saying. ‘We managed to match it to both girls.’
‘And they’ve been confirmed as Megan and Hayley?’
Rushton sighed. ‘Aye. We got the results of the DNA tests a couple of days ago. Not