Let Right Be Done

chapter three

Chapter 3

He didn't question why he had felt the need to come to the funeral, others could and no doubt would, especially George Gently. The Inspector was sat in a pew three or four rows in front of him, John Bacchus at his side. Ricky could guess why they were there, observing the mourners looking for somebody who seemed out of place. A chill spread over him as he thought of Billy's funeral. Somebody had been out of place there, Webster. At the time nobody had wondered but later the town had been rocked by the deaths of two young people at Webster's hands. Ricky sighed and closed his eyes. His dreams were still troubled by Webster torturing him. No doubt George felt that he, Ricky, was as out of place at this funeral as Webster had been Billy's.

He'd needed to come and pay his respects; Olivia Scott deserved that much from him. He'd hated leaving her alone in the warehouse while he went and phoned the police. No child should have suffered as she had, he hadn't even been able to cover her body and the warehouse had been bitterly cold. He'd gone back to her as soon as he had phoned the police. He could have waited outside but he felt the poor girl should not be alone. He stayed with her, he even spoke to her, soft words of reassurance, as he waited for the police to arrive. Words that had been as much for him as they had been for her.

He glanced around at the church full of mourners; although not a follower of any formal religion he understood and respected the funeral service more than any other religious rite. The church and burial gave people a centre, a place where those who had known and now grieved for the deceased could come together. There was a solace to be found in not only sharing the burden of grief but in reliving shared memories of better times.

A change in the music being played and the shuffling of feet indicated that the family had arrived. All the eyes in the church were drawn to the coffin and family that followed it down the aisle. Quiet sobs from Olivia's classmates could be heard above the sound of the funeral march. Ricky sighed, the young girls were as out of place as him. They should be in double English or on the hockey field; all of them were too young to be mourning the loss of a school friend.

Only two women walked behind the coffin. Ricky supposed that one of the pallbearers must be Olivia's father. It was easy to see the family resemblance between the two women. Alexandra had the look of her mother. Her arm was positioned tightly around her mother's waist, she looked like she was physically holding her up as they walked slowly along. Ricky's first thought was for her mother. The poor woman was crushed; how did you ever recover from the loss of a child? His eyes moved to Alexandra. Despite the carefully applied make up she still looked pale; tension was etched on her face. Purple smudges were evident beneath her eyes, eyes that were dark and haunted with pain and grief. It appeared that she had got very little rest. Who is taking care of you, offering a supportive arm, he wondered? He knew the moment she realised he was there, her step faltered slightly and her eyes widened in surprise. He nodded in acknowledgement and then she was gone moving down the aisle between the mourners.

John Bacchus shifted slightly in his seat, out of the corner of his eye he could see Ricky Deeming watching Alexandra Kendrick. A half smile flitted across his face. He was pretty sure that Ricky wasn't having the same thoughts as him about Olivia's gorgeous sister. Even now dressed in mourning black she was more stunning than any model that had ever graced a magazine cover. She had the look of Jean Shrimpton about her. It wasn't her colouring that bought the famous model to his mind but the shape of her nose, wide doe eyes and full mouth. He glanced at Ricky again; no he wouldn't be appreciating Alexandra's beauty.

Bacchus had to admit he was curious as to why Ricky was at the funeral. Had he lied about knowing Olivia? John could not think of a single reason why he would be there unless it was that he was acquainted with her. He had some information for Gently about how Ricky Deeming knew about Idunna but he would have to wait until after the funeral to tell him about it. He smiled smugly wondering how Deeming would talk himself out of this.