Cold Blood by Jane Heafield (great books to read txt) 📕

‘And that was it, really. We went back out, out to where Councillor Turner was waiting. We drove away. I was going to call in the law, but Turner said he’d call another meeting first.’

GINGHAM: ‘Thank you, Mr Crabtree. So, as you all know, Councillor Turner called us here in order to work out what to do next.’

TURNER: ‘It’s obvious. If we let the world know what happened here, it kills our village. The disappearance of Sally Jenkins almost ruined us. This certainly will. Local business owners will shift out, just like last time. Genuine tourism will dry up and we’ll cater only to journalists and the morbid.’

MABLEDON: ‘What do you suggest?’

VACARI: ‘I think we all know what he’s suggesting.’

MABLEDON: ‘Yes, but for real? How would we hide this? There’s four bodies.’

NESS: ‘You can’t be serious. Hide this? How on earth could we do that? These people have friends, family, and they’ll be missed. People will come looking for them. Including the police, when they’re reported missing.’

MABLEDON: ‘That’s right. They would have told people they were coming here.’

LOCKATON: ‘But did they? I mean, do their friends and family know anything for sure? The film crew tried to sneak about. Maybe this was a secret mission. Secret from everybody.’

NESS: ‘Preposterous. This wasn’t a witness protection programme or a clandestine military mission. They would have told people.’

TURNER: ‘But it doesn’t matter, don’t you see? Most of our village didn’t even know they were here, until they visited the Lion last night. And we all thought they’d left, didn’t we? Only Crabtree knew otherwise, because they stayed in his ranch.’

GINGHAM: ‘So we pretend they moved on? Is that what you mean?’

TURNER: ‘Exactly. The film crew said it themselves. Their slang term, what was it? When they were done, they’d “Alt F4 this joint”. Exit, in other words. So we pretend they did that. They exited. If any of their friends or family ask, we tell them they simply left our village and we don’t know where they went.’

VACARI: ‘And if the police ask?’

TURNER: ‘The same. Is it any different for any other tourist we’ve ever had? Pearl, the Italian woman in your shop the other day, the one who knocked over a shelf. Do you know where she went when she left? No. And that’s all you could tell the police if they turned up and said she’d gone missing.’

LOCKATON: ‘I agree that would work. The film crew left, and that’s all we know. And I can live with that to save our world.’

MABLEDON: ‘Live with that? Simple lies are, well, simple. But there’s another problem, isn’t there? Something I alone seem to be considering. We have four bodies sitting out there. What about them?’

NESS: ‘Are you serious? Really? You’re talking about getting rid of four bodies, aren’t you? We can’t do that. We couldn’t keep that secret.’

GINGHAM: ‘They say two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead. Well, as long as nobody outside this room speaks of it, not even to our Proxies, that secret would die with us.’

NESS: (inaudible)

TURNER: ‘Oh, we can if we want to save this village. If this murder becomes world knowledge, the police will invade our world. And this time they’re not looking for a young girl who could have run away. This is a major crime that will go into the books. The police will delve into everything, everyone’s background. Dr Ness, I know there are aspects of your life you don’t want going outside this room, never mind across the globe.’

MABLEDON: ‘Please, ladies and gentlemen, whether we do this or not, we still have four bodies sitting out there.’

TURNER: ‘Arnold, just hold your tongue a moment. Dr Ness isn’t convinced yet and we need a unanimous vote.’

NESS: ‘And I can’t vote on that.’

TURNER: ‘The good doctor here is missing a point. We all know that Sally Jenkins ran away, but nobody else does, do they? The proof is in the fact that a film crew came here, that the police still stick their noses in our business every half year or so, asking the same old questions. To the naïve wider world, Sally was kidnapped and killed, but nobody is a hundred per cent certain. So what do you think will happen to that theory when the world learns of a quadruple murder in our village?’

GINGHAM: ‘He’s right. The world will firmly believe Sally was killed here. The pressure will be intense. The police will come back with a vengeance. We’ll have a hundred film crews here. Everybody important will move away. I don’t want that. Heck, I vote yes. We get rid of the bodies.’

TURNER: ‘Not so fast, Sandra. We need the doctor to vote with logic, not because he’s the odd one out. Jason, think about this. When the police come back and start to open up our lives, some dark secrets might be exposed. They’re hunting the killer of a child, so what do you think they’ll make of a man once rumoured to have–’

NESS: ‘Okay, okay, just stop. If we did this, how would we get rid of the bodies?’

TURNER: ‘We use Mr Crabtree’s tractor to dig a hole. On his land. He’s renovating and there’s turned earth and deep holes and soil mounds everywhere. It’s the perfect place, and a year from now those bodies will be under tons of metal and concrete. Mr Crabtree has already agreed, because he knows this will work. He’ll be sworn to secrecy, as will my son, who will help. I think those two men alone can do the job. Tonight.’

NESS: ‘Already agreed? Did you have this worked out before we even convened this meeting?’

TURNER: ‘Of course. I knew it was the right thing to do the moment I saw those bodies. But you are my friends and I wanted your blessing.’

NESS. ‘Jesus Christ. Look, I want it noted that I objected to this. But I agree, okay? I agree to do it,