The Fabric of Sin

‘Of course not. Don’t even think about it.’

‘If you need any advice,’ Merrily said, ‘you go to Lol, OK?’

‘Sure. When he’s here. Listen, if you’re going to, like, cleanse that place, it’s going to be a problem, isn’t it?’

‘What is?’

‘The Baphomet. You’ll be taking it on. Some kind of power symbol that maybe goes back to Celtic times? The Baphomet is also a representation of the great god Pan — nature at its most merciless and ferocious. I’d be a bit careful.’

‘You watch too many weird DVDs, Jane.’

‘Yeah, well, even practising Satanists have to relax sometimes,’ Jane said. ‘Goodnight, Mum. Sleep well.’

35 Unleashed

The sleep, as Mrs Morningwood had predicted, had been deep, and there were no clinging dreams. The muted chimes of the phone awoke Merrily. She rolled out of bed, the mobile clutched, like some throbbing fledgling, in her hand. Dislodging the bedside table, the lamp wobbling, her watch falling, and then the Bishop saying, very clearly, ‘Merrily, I’m going to ask you to wind this up.’

She sank down to the floor.

‘Give me a moment, Bernie.’

On hands and knees, patting the carpet for her watch. The window was flushed with pink and orange. What the hell time was it?

‘I’m sorry if you’re not yet up and about,’ Bernie Dunmore said, ‘but I wanted to catch you before you went anywhere. After all, you didn’t even tell me you were doing this.’

‘Doing what?’

‘Didn’t tell me that you were going to stay at Garway Hill.’ His voice distant, abnormally formal. ‘In fact, my information—’

‘I couldn’t. You weren’t there.’

‘—My understanding of the situation was that you’d found some obvious discrepancies in this pitiful woman’s story which had rendered further inquiries unnecessary. You told me yourself last Saturday that you could prove fabrication.’

‘That’s not … I’m afraid that’s not true, not any more. And as for not knowing I was coming here …’ On her feet now, couldn’t believe this. ‘You wanted me to come and stay at Garway. Remember? Full attention? Need to get you a locum?’

‘I may have overreacted,’ the Bishop said.

‘That was what I thought at the time, but it’s a bit, you know … it’s a bit late now.’

‘Late?’

‘Two people died?’

She walked barefooted to the window, the valley rising into view then plunging into a mist that was opaque, like set honey. She was wide awake now, and she didn’t understand.

‘Merrily, let’s be sensible about this.’

‘I’m trying—’

‘I do know about the deaths. I also know of no one, apart, it seems, from yourself, who is connecting them, in any way, with these alleged disturbances at Garway.’

‘Bernie—’

‘Furthermore, I do not believe that it would be in the best interests either of the Diocese or the deliverance ministry if it were to become known that we were making something out of this. Do I really need to remind you why having Deliverance linked with the taking of life, whether it’s suicide or murder or, in this case, God forbid, both, is—’

‘No. You don’t.’

‘Good.’

‘And the subtext here is what, Bernie?’

‘Just come home,’ the Bishop said, as though she was abroad. ‘Administer a blessing, if you think it’s necessary, and then come back. There are other issues we need to discuss. Organizational issues. Re organization.’

‘Of parishes?’

‘Merrily, I don’t want to get into this over the phone, it’s very early days, and you know how I feel about it. I generally think you’ve been doing a terrific job under less than ideal conditions, and I don’t want to see your position prejudiced …’

‘Is this something to do with Sian Callaghan-Clarke? Does Sophie know about it?’

‘It’s nothing to do with Sian, essentially, and I talked to Sophie last night—’

‘Essentially?’

‘—And asked her not to telephone you until I’d spoken to you myself. I’ve also, in the meantime, spoken to the Duchy who are a little worried about what might have been unleashed.’

‘Unleashed?’

‘You, Merrily. We unleashed you. Or rather I did.’

‘I …’ She rubbed her eyes; maybe she wasn’t actually awake. ‘I’m sorry, would you mind spelling this out for me, Bishop? Preferably in big coloured nursery letters?’

‘Traditionally …’ Bernie Dunmore hesitated; his uncertainty was almost audible. ‘Traditionally, the role of the deliverance ministry has been in the way of … of administering balm to what might be seen as an open wound — a psychic wound, if we must. You’ve displayed a tendency to go beyond the brief. Which, in normal circumstances, is not necessarily a bad thing. However …’

‘You’re saying you don’t consider these to be normal circumstances. This case might be tiptoeing around the edges of national-security issues. Which are obviously more important than the little lives of ordinary people.’

‘Merrily, please don’t make this more difficult than it—’

‘Has a detective called Jonathan Long been to talk to you, by any chance?’

‘No. I’ve never heard of a detective called Jonathan Long.’

‘All right.’ Merrily sat down on the bed. ‘I accept that you might not be able to tell me if he had been round. But if you could listen for just half a minute? Yes, initially, the evidence did suggest an element of scam. But now … now I feel strongly — and sometimes you have to run with feelings — that there’s something that needs looking into.’

‘Then let someone else look into it.’

‘You really think someone else is going to?’

‘That’s not your problem.’

‘I can’t believe you said that. Look, give me one more day, and I’ll submit a written report which I’ll email to Sophie so it’s on your desk by ten o’clock tomorrow. It will explain exactly why — with the underlying issues here — I feel this is not something we can, in all conscience, ignore.’

‘Merrily, you clearly haven’t been listening.’

‘And — as you’ve accepted that there should be at least a blessing at the Master House — there’s at least one person I need to talk to before I can organize it.’

‘And that would be …?’

‘His name’s Sycharth Gwilym.’

‘Mrs Watkins,’ the Bishop said, ‘the only thing I want to see on Sophie’s desk tomorrow morning is the Reverend Murray’s bill. Tell him we’ll pay him for the full five days.’

‘This is totally—’

‘I most certainly don’t want you to talk to anyone else. Please humour me. Pack your case.’