Susan is about to answer when Kate, with a roar of rage, hurls Sun, Moon, Stars from the pushchair, knocking the causewayed enclosure to the floor once again.

*

As Kate destroys Susan Chow’s office, Sandy and Tim are actually at CNN Forensics. They are talking to Terry Durkin about the switched bones. It’s a slightly delicate situation. The police use the company a lot but Sandy disapproves of outsourcing anything and views all scientific experts with extreme suspicion. To make matters worse, Peter Greengrass, the CEO of CNN Forensics, was once a senior police forensics officer and an old enemy of Sandy’s. Now, he is offending Terry Durkin by treating him as one of his own subordinates. Tim, in between taking notes, tries to stop his boss addressing Terry as ‘Durkin’ or, worse, ‘Constable’.

‘So Constable,’ says Sandy, ‘who assigned you to this case?’

‘Mr Greengrass,’ says Terry.

‘Pete eh,’ says Sandy grimly. ‘How’s old Grassy Arse these days?’

‘He’s very well,’ says Terry. ‘He’s just received the Queen’s Commendation for his forensic work.’

‘Did he?’ says Sandy, who feels his own OBE is distinctly overdue. ‘Nice work if you can get it. So you were asked to look after these bones. Did you log them in?’

‘Yes,’ says Terry, handing over a plastic wallet. ‘The paperwork’s all here.’

Sandy doesn’t even glance down but Tim takes the wallet and looks through the papers inside. Everything seems correct. The bones were logged in by one Guy Delaware of Pendle University.

‘Who has visited the bones since they’ve been here?’ asks Sandy.

‘I don’t know,’ says Terry. ‘I’d have to check. A few people from the university have been. And Doctor Galloway the other day.’

Tim reads out from one of the photocopied sheets: ‘Bones were logged in on May 10th. Dan Golding visited several times. Guy Delaware visited on May 11th, Elaine Morgan on May 13th, Clayton Henry on May 16th.’

‘Guy Delaware,’ says Sandy. ‘He was the next-door neighbour, right? The one who called the fire brigade.’

Not for the first time, Tim makes a mental note not to underestimate his boss. Sandy has almost certainly lost the record of the 999 call but there’s nothing wrong with his memory. Guy Delaware had indeed made that call.

‘Yes,’ says Tim. ‘Elaine Morgan lived next door as well.’

‘All very cosy,’ says Sandy. He turns to Terry. ‘Why would these characters be dropping in? What were they doing?’

Terry shrugs. ‘Doing tests, taking samples for analysis, just looking. I don’t know. These bones were long dead. It’s not as if there was a police investigation.’ He looks meaningfully at Sandy.

‘Were any of these people alone with the bones?’ asks Tim.

‘Yes,’ says Terry, sounding defensive now. ‘I left them to it. Like I say, the site wasn’t sealed.’

Sandy, who has had his own experiences with sealed sites, says, ‘Could any of these people have taken some of the bones away and substituted others?’

Terry looks amazed, his sandy eyebrows disappearing into his hair. ‘Why would anyone want to do that?’

‘Just answer the question, Constable.’

Terry looks about to object, but after a martyred glance at Tim, says, ‘It’s not possible. Bags are checked on entry and departure.’

‘Who checks them?’

‘The officer on the door. Or me, if no-one else is available.’

‘So they couldn’t have switched the bones brought in on 10th May and replaced them with the bones of some other poor sod?’

‘Is that what you think happened?’

‘I’m not at liberty to say,’ says Sandy, getting up. ‘This is a police matter now.’

*

The dream-catchers go into a frenzy as Nelson and Cathbad rampage around the house looking for Pendragon. His bed upstairs is neatly made, the ubiquitous collection of shells and feathers hanging overhead as well as (more surprisingly) a large crucifix. The other rooms upstairs seem to be full of junk. Downstairs there’s a bathroom and a kitchen, both high on period charm and low on appliances. There is food for Thing in the kitchen as well as a covered saucepan containing what look like herbs in water.

‘Funny sort of stew,’ says Nelson.

‘It’s an infusion,’ says Cathbad. ‘I don’t know what for.’

They go outside into the walled garden. Nelson is about to trample over Dame Alice’s herbs when Cathbad calls him back. Besides, there’s no need to search, they can see the whole garden from the back step. It’s a tangle of long grass and cow parsley. The only plants that Pendragon has cultivated are the herbs. Lemon-balm and rosemary stand in neatly turned earth and there is an old beer barrel full of mint. Otherwise the weeds and the brambles run unchecked. At the back of the garden there are apple trees, already heavy with fruit, and in the centre there’s a sundial. Beyond the wall, the hill climbs steeply up to the sky, dark purple with gorse. From one of the trees, a blackbird watches them.

Nelson turns to go back into the house and almost falls over a bowl of cherries on the step.

‘What the hell’s that doing there?’

‘I think it’s an offering,’ says Cathbad. ‘The house used to be owned by Dame Alice Barley, one of the Pendle Witches, and Pendragon told me that he leaves gifts for her.’

Nelson stares at him. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Yes. Pendragon says that the libations have always vanished by morning.’

Nelson picks up the bowl. The fruit looks sticky and rotten; a worm is poking out of one of the cherries.

‘Well, Dame Alice isn’t playing today.’

They go back into the house, which seems darker and more oppressive than ever. Thing drinks noisily out of a bowl in the kitchen.

‘Pendragon’s not here,’ says Nelson. ‘We’d better go back.’

‘I’d like to stay for a bit,’ says Cathbad.

Nelson turns to stare at him. ‘Why?’

‘Well, someone’s got to look after Thing.’

‘Thing?’

‘The dog.’

‘He’ll be fine. He’s got enough food for a week.’

‘All the same,’ says Cathbad. ‘I want to stay. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.’

Nelson is about to tell him not to talk rubbish but even he feels something odd about the little house. So odd, in fact, that Nelson suddenly feels desperate to get back to Blackpool, the Golden Mile, traffic, Michelle.

‘I can’t leave you here with no car.’

‘I’ll be fine. It’s only a few miles to Fence. And I’ve got a phone.’ He brandishes an ancient-looking mobile.

‘Well, ring if you’re in any trouble. I’d better get back to the family.’

When he’s back in the car he thinks that there must be something very sinister indeed about Dame Alice’s cottage. He’s even looking forward to seeing Maureen.

CHAPTER 20

Ruth is bumping the pushchair down the staircase. Kate is still complaining loudly, pushing against the straps and yelling ‘Out, out, out’ like some miniature activist. Susan Chow had offered to help with the stairs but Ruth just wanted to get away as quickly as possible. Besides it’d take Susan a while to get her room back in order. So Ruth ignores Kate’s shouts and heads for the front door of the library. In a few minutes, she’ll be out in the open air and maybe they can go to a park or something.

‘Can I help you?’

A man appears at the foot of the stairs. Ruth says no thank you, she’s fine and is about to hurry past when the man says, ‘It’s Ruth, isn’t it?’

Ruth looks round in surprise. She doesn’t expect to know anyone in Blackpool (apart from Maureen, that is, and she wouldn’t put it past her to have mastered the art of shape-changing).

‘It’s Sam,’ says the man. ‘Sam Elliot. We met at Clayton’s party.’

Oh yes. Sam, Dan’s friend. He seems friendly enough but Kate is still yelling and Ruth is terrified that the people in the library will hear her.

‘I’m sorry,’ she says. ‘I’ve got to go. We’ll get chucked out in a minute.’

‘I’ll help you,’ says Sam, opening the main doors.