Tony Hill u Carol Jordan 08 - Cross and Burn

placed to help her friend. Maybe even to save him. She only hoped he’d see it like that.

40

    R achel McAndrew bore little resemblance to her sister. The dark business suit over a kingfisher-blue polo-neck jumper that she’d chosen to travel in was formal, in opposition to Bev’s more casual outfits. Where Bev was blonde and smiling, Rachel was brunette and reserved. Elinor didn’t want to rush to judgement – the woman had just lost her sister, after all – but she sensed in Rachel a more complicated and closed-off personality. Torin had insisted on meeting his aunt at the station and breaking the news himself. Elinor hadn’t tried hard to dissuade him. She reckoned he had the right to make some decisions. She’d be there to support him, and his aunt if need be.
    Rachel had leaked tears at the news, but she’d composed herself quickly. ‘I feared as much,’ she said, her Northern accent still noticeable after years in Bristol. ‘I lay awake last night, trying not to give in, but I couldn’t convince myself. She wouldn’t walk away from her responsibilities, not our Bev.’ She’d tucked her arm proprietorially through Torin’s. ‘Come on then, Torin, let’s get back to yours and see what needs to be settled.’
    Torin stood still, a stubborn cast to his jaw. ‘I don’t want to go home,’ he said. ‘Not yet. I’d rather be at Elinor’s.’
    ‘Torin, Dr Blessing’s done enough. I’m here now, I can take you off her hands.’ Rachel tried to draw him along with her, but he refused to move.
    ‘You’re both very welcome to come home with me,’ Elinor said.
    ‘That’s what I want,’ Torin said, stepping towards Elinor.
    The atmosphere on the drive was awkward. Torin crouched in the back seat in silence while Rachel alternated between dripping tears into a tissue and turning to tell him how dreadful he must be feeling. Elinor had seldom felt more uncomfortable.
    She left them in the living room while she made tea and opened a fresh packet of biscuits. It was the last one in the cupboard. Grief had done nothing to diminish Torin’s adolescent appetite. Either that or he’d taken to comfort eating like a terrier to rabbits. She carried a tray through and found them sitting on opposite sides of the room.
    Rachel dived in straight away. ‘When can I see her?’
    ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Elinor said, aware of how little detail they’d given Torin.
    ‘Someone has to identify her, surely?’
    ‘You need to talk to my partner, Paula, about the details.’
    ‘She’s one of the people in charge,’ Torin said. ‘Paula’s determined to find out who killed my mum.’
    ‘She’ll be home later,’ Elinor added.
    ‘Will she be able to tell us how soon we can make the funeral arrangements? We need to get all that settled.’ Rachel took a box of sweeteners from her handbag and dropped one into her tea. She sat back in the chair, her legs tight together at knees and ankles.
    ‘When someone dies like this, you can’t have the funeral right away,’ Elinor said, trying to find a sensitive way to explain the situation.
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘It’s a question of evidence,’ she said. ‘After someone’s arrested, they’ve got the right to have their defence team examine the body.’
    ‘But that’s terrible. That could be months. How can you do that to people?’ Her voice rose in outrage. Displacement, Elinor thought.
    ‘I think some families hold memorial services. To mark the passing of someone they love.’
    ‘That’s not what’s important,’ Torin said angrily. ‘She’s dead, that’s what matters. Not what they do to her body. It’s just dead meat now.’
    Rachel’s hand flew to her mouth, revealing perfectly manicured plum-coloured nails. ‘Don’t say that, Torin. That’s your mum we’re talking about.’
    ‘It’s not my mum. My mum’s gone. What they’ve got at the morgue, it’s nothing but a bag of flesh and bones. It doesn’t matter. This is where she is now.’ He clapped a hand to his heart, his face screwed up in his determination not to cry.
    ‘Of course she’s still in our hearts.’ Elinor passed the biscuits to Torin. ‘About your mother,’ she said to Rachel. ‘Will you phone her and break the news? Or is there a neighbour…?’
    ‘I’ll phone her later. I told her I’d speak to her this evening, once I knew what was what. So, if we can’t have a funeral, there’s no real reason why we have to stay up in Bradfield, is