A Room Full of Bones: A Ruth Galloway Investigation

‘Didn’t think it was my business. I’m not a nosy parker.’
    Clough drives back to the station elated at having found a possible clue but full of contempt for Stanley and the public in general.
    ‘Didn’t think it was his business. Old nutter. Too busy going on about dog shit.’
    ‘I’d like a dog,’ says Rocky. ‘A Labrador. Labradors are clever.’
    ‘Cleverer than you, certainly,’ says Clough.
    Nelson and Judy are also driving back to the station.
    ‘Bloody Cathbad.’ Nelson is still steaming. ‘Every bloody thing that happens in this county, he’s involved somewhere. I’m beginning to think he can bi-whatsit like that Augustine fellow. Be in two places at once. Remember when he turned up in the snow that time? At Ruth’s place.’
    ‘Yes,’ says Judy.
    Nelson turns to look at her, causing the car to swervesharply. ‘Are you OK, Johnson? You seem to have taken a vow of silence today.’
    It is very rare for Nelson to ask his staff how they are. Judy realises that he is trying to be kind. ‘I’m fine,’ she says. To distract herself, and him, she looks down at the list of names given to her by Cathbad.
    ‘Jesus, boss. You should see the people Cathbad says he was having lunch with on Saturday. Akema Beaver, Derel Assinewai, Bob Woonunga. Are these people for real?’
    ‘All Cathbad’s mates have weird names. What are their addresses?’
    ‘All local— Bloody hell!’
    ‘What?’ The car swerves again.
    ‘Bob Woonunga’s address. No 1, New Road. He lives next door to Ruth.’
    Back at the university, Ruth goes to the canteen for a restorative cup of coffee. The first person she sees is Irish Ted. Ted is a member of the Field Archaeology Team and Ruth has come across him many times before. He’s almost a friend, although Ruth doesn’t feel she knows him very well. He once told her that his name wasn’t even really Ted.
    Now, though, he greets her enthusiastically. ‘Ruth! Long time no see. Come to join me?’
    Though it’s only eleven o’clock, Ted is tucking into a huge slice of pizza, washed down by a can of lager.
    ‘I can’t stay long. I’ve got a lecture at twelve.’
    ‘Why bother? Most of the students can’t speak English anyhow.’
    It’s true that these days most of Ruth’s students come from overseas. She teaches postgraduates and the university needs the money. But in fact their English is usually perfect.
    ‘They speak better English than me,’ she says. ‘How are you, Ted?’
    ‘Fine. Can’t complain.’ He grins, showing two gold teeth. ‘I hear you’re involved with the cursed coffin.’
    ‘What? Oh, Bishop Augustine. Did you find him then?’
    Most of the Field Team’s work is on building sites. Contractors are obliged to call in the archaeologists if they are working on a historic site. However, there is pressure on the team not to find anything so valuable that building work is delayed. Big business tends to outrank historical research.
    ‘Yeah,’ says Ted. ‘It was on the new Asda site. We knew there’d been a church there once, one of the early ones. But we didn’t expect to find chummy there, all sealed up in his coffin. Gave us quite a turn.’
    ‘Did you know who it was?’
    ‘Well, there’s a pretty big clue on the coffin itself.’ The word ‘Augustin’ and a bishop’s staff are carved into the coffin. ‘And we’d heard the legend.’
    ‘What legend?’ asks Ruth, despite herself.
    ‘Old Augustine put a curse on anyone who opened his coffin. It’s all in the records up at the cathedral. If anyone despoiled his body, a great serpent was going to come and devour them.’
    ‘A great serpent?’ A memory stirs in Ruth’s brain.
    ‘Yes. Satan himself, presumably. Augustine was knownfor being able to cast out devils. His statue in the cathedral shows him with his foot on a snake. Maybe the devil was about to have his revenge.’
    He grins and swallows the rest of his pizza in one easy bite.

CHAPTER 11
     
    The setting for the second opening of the coffin is very different from the first. Instead of canapés and wine boxes, a sterile room in the university’s science block. Instead of the press and assorted dignitaries, a small group of people in disposable coveralls: Phil, Ruth, Chris Stephenson, Lord Smith and – to Ruth’s surprise and discomfort – Nelson. She is also surprised that Cathbad hasn’t managed to con his way in; he works in the science department after all. But Cathbad is still not answering his