Strange Tombs by Syd Moore

Author:Syd Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786074492
Publisher: Oneworld Publications

CHAPTER TWELVE

Nicholas’s announcement had, as I imagined he intended, a radical effect on all of us gathered there. We collectively started. Starla and I, sitting next to each other, both went, ‘Oh,’ and synchronised a sudden intake of breath.

Cullen visibly blanched. I thought for a moment he was going to gag.

‘Nicholas, you’d better be joking,’ Laura thundered.

The fop giggled, looking suddenly like a little imp, with red skin and mischief in his heart. ‘Not at all,’ he said with reckless bravado.

Laura’s sense of humour had evidently evaporated because she muttered, ‘Twat,’ and then pouted at him.

Colonel Mustard however had blunted his faculties somewhat and continued, oblivious to the change of mood in the snug. Or more likely he was just enjoying the stir. He hicced then held up his phone. ‘BBC news alert. Came up this morning.’

Jocelyn grabbed it off him, scrutinised the screen then nodded glumly. ‘He’s right. Posted this morning.’

At which point Devlin clapped his hands. ‘Excellent. We can all use that. Right I want you three to sum up the way you are feeling in three adverbs or adjectives.’

Laura side-eyed Nicholas. ‘Heightened. Punchy. Violent.’

Imogen cocked her head to one side. ‘Uneasy, er, wanton, physical.’

Devlin grimaced, took his gaze off her and pointed to Cullen. ‘And you, my man – three words?’

Cullen crossed his arms and muttered, ‘Very pissed off.’

Everyone laughed and tittered. Except Devlin, who sighed.

Then Jocelyn piped up. ‘A lot of people are frightened of the unknown. What they imagine is the supernatural.’

‘Good,’ said Devlin and gleamed at her.

‘Graham was,’ said Nicholas. ‘You could tell the way he reacted to your recital in the church.’ He turned to Starla. His words were laced with mocking accusation. ‘It’s almost as if you knew exactly what you were doing Ms Ocean – frightening him. And you didn’t leave it at the church either, did you? You carried on till his heart gave out.’

‘Oh Nicholas, shut up.’ This time it was Tabby who voiced what the others were thinking. ‘You can’t think Starla’s hopeless mumbling had anything to do with Graham’s death.’

Starla wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or offended.

Tabby continued to tut. ‘Such hocus pocus can’t raise the dead. Or else we’d all be at it. There’d be a “Necromancers R Us” in every soulless retail park.’

‘But what I’m saying,’ he carried on, a pronounced slur to his words. ‘Is that Starla’s “hocus pocus”, for all its worth, might not have raised the dead. But it did send Graham closer to the grave. Her incantation increased his sense of fear. And thus, like it or not, contributed to his heart attack. How do we know that Starla didn’t do that on purpose?’ He looked around the table and shrugged. ‘We don’t. None of us know anything about each other.’

‘Me?’ said Starla, now definitely outraged. ‘But why would I want to cause Graham’s death?’

Nicholas scoffed. ‘Perhaps you knew him before coming here? Maybe you flirted with him and he turned you down? Maybe you wanted revenge for that!’

‘That’s certainly a motive.

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