The Cameraman's Tale [Renfrew 2] by Chris Quinton

Author:Chris Quinton [Quinton, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Psychopomp. The word hung around in Mark's head and niggled at him. He didn't give in to it until he was back in his shared office, and the morning coffee break came around. Not that he doubted Jack's knowledge of all things Classical Greek, but there had to be more to it than that. There was.

Google came up trumps. Psychopomps were indeed guides to lead the newly dead to the afterlife, and they showed up in cultures right around the world. Nor were they confined to the human form.

For half an hour Mark followed link after link, fascinated by the stories and images. Apart from the fact that he dealt with the ghosts of the long-dead, Jack was right. This was what he did. Mark made a mental note to tell his grandmother. She'd be tickled pink by the fancy title. But he could not let it distract him. Even though Janet was at peace, there were still various lines of research to be completed for the episode itself.

Heather threw herself into it with renewed vigour, and working on the theory that family stories had a way of being passed down, she began to work on a genealogy chart for Edgar's American descendants. Mark investigated Arthur, and the Whitefriars estate that became Darleigh, in case other ghostly phenomena had been recorded. Religious foundations were usually good for a nun or a monk.

Jack took on the research into Arthur Mattison and the Allheal Spa, using the university's archives.

At six-thirty in the evening, a week to the day after their visit to Neston, he breezed into the Staple Hill flat carrying two large pizzas and an A4 envelope.

"Goldstream needs to pay me a researcher's fee," he announced. "Printouts for your files. I have found your missing link and it's a gem." He leaned down and placed a wet smacking kiss on Mark's cheek, then in a fake American accent, added, "Hi, honey, I'm home," and dropped the envelope on the keyboard in front of him.

"Yeah? Well done, you." Mark reached up and pulled him down for a proper kiss. "If it's that good, you can add it to the You Owe Me One list. So far, I don't have much, but Heather's traced Edgar's descendants to Charleston, South Carolina. She's sent them a letter and is now keeping her fingers crossed. What did you find?"

"Arthur was injured in a hunting accident. His horse came down at a fence and rolled on him, broke his legs and probably his pelvis, though the notes weren't too clear on that. The hospital treated him for compound fractures of both tibias and fibulas. He developed an infection, and they later took off his legs above the knees. He eventually died from further infections, probably gangrene, despite the amputations. Or maybe because of."

"Ouch. Not a pleasant way to go."

"Now this is the jackpot. According to the hospital's records, the fall happened near the hunting lodge, close to the road. That sounds very much like where Janet died, though I haven't found anything to confirm it.

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