A Room Full of Bones: A Ruth Galloway Investigation

them. The hooves come closer. Then the door is unlocked and Len Harris stands in front of them, gun in hand. Next to him is Caroline, holding a large black horse by the halter. The horse arches his neck and paws the ground, reminding Judy of Nelson.
    ‘We’ve brought The Necromancer to keep you company,’ says Harris. ‘So sad. Two policemen, sorry police
people
, trampled to death by a wild horse. And, believe me, he is wild.’
    Judy believes him. Close up, The Necromancer looks huge and very frightening. His eyes roll and he stamps his great hooves. In a few seconds they will be trapped in a tiny space with him. Clough looks terrified, all his swagger gone. He flattens himself against the side of the compartment. Harris sends the horse forward with a slap on his rump. Caroline drops the halter and the massive animal is inches away from Judy. She can see his red nostrils and rolling, hysterical eye. She smells his woody animal smell, the scent she remembers from her own pony and which, oddly enough, still has the power to comfort her.
    ‘Have fun!’ shouts Harris. The walker starts to move forward. Judy falls to the floor. The great horse looms over her.

CHAPTER 29
     
    The stairs are suddenly just there, white stairs leading up from the black beach. And he’s climbing them, Cathbad just in front, purple cloak flapping. And even in this dream state or whatever the hell state he’s in, he knows that stairs have got to be a good sign. Going up has to be good. It’s not like the tunnel. Every fibre of his being told him that the tunnel was a bad idea. But stairs –
white
stairs – that’s got to mean progress, surely? And then, without warning, a great wave breaks over him. He staggers, losing his footing and then he’s drowning in the black water and there’s no one to save him.
    Michelle thought the frenzied activity was bad but this sudden silence is worse. ‘What’s going on?’ she shouts, but no one answers her.
    Judy struggles to her feet. Beside her Clough is panicking, battering at the wooden sides of the horse walker. The Necromancer turns on him, teeth bared, ears back.
    ‘Clough!’ shouts Judy. ‘For God’s sake, stay still. You’ll scare the horse.’
    ‘
I’m
scaring
him
?’ But Clough stops flailing about. He edges next to Judy, breathing hard. The Necromancer twists his head, snake-like, and tries to bite him.
    ‘Jesus Christ!’
    ‘Stay still.’
    Judy tries to call on all her old horse whispering skills. ‘It’s OK horse,’ she says. ‘It’s OK.’ The Necromancer puts one ear forward but he still looks furious. The walker lurches forward. The horse kicks out angrily and they hear wood splintering.
    ‘It’s OK,’ says Judy but with less conviction. The Necromancer is trying to turn in the small space, getting angrier and angrier. Judy and Clough find themselves pressed into the apex of the triangle. A hoof flashes out, catching Clough’s leg. He yells and falls to the floor. The Necromancer kicks again and Judy only just pulls Clough out of his reach. But the horse is turning, getting closer. All they can see in the darkness is the white stripe on his face and the whites of his rolling eyes. Judy thinks of the other horses that she saw writhing in agony. Has The Necromancer been drugged? He is certainly more vicious than any horse ought to be. Now, fatally, he turns his back on them, preparing to kick out with those powerful quarters. Judy and Clough huddle together, trying to protect their faces. It’s all they can do.
    They are both flung forward as the walker stops. The Necromancer staggers too, momentarily distracted. Thenthe door is opened and a voice is saying, with much more authority than Judy could manage, ‘It’s OK, boy. It’s OK.’ Instantly the horse’s ears go forward and he drops his head. Judy, cowering in the corner, is only aware of the sudden space and silence as the horse is led away. She straightens up. Randolph Smith stands by the open door, stroking The Necromancer’s nose.
    ‘Are you all right?’ he asks.
    ‘Never better,’ answers Clough, who is limping badly. They stagger out of the walker into the cold night air where the wind is still blowing through the trees. Randolph’s black hair and The Necromancer’s mane both stream out behind them.
    ‘Did Harris shut you in there?’ asks Randolph.
    ‘Harris and Caroline,’ says Judy. ‘They’re in it together.’
    ‘Caroline’s here,’ says Randolph. Judy is suddenly aware