‘Can I help you?’
‘We are here to see the bodies. We think we know who a few of them are,’ Carlotta explained.
‘Have you identified them all yet?’ Phillip asked. As he spoke he was aware that his voice seemed to come from miles away. It didn’t sound like his. He couldn’t believe he was asking to see the corpses of his colleagues.
He studied the shrouded bodies all lined up on the floor in front of the alter. His heart began to pound. For a moment, he wasn’t at all sure that he could do it. When he reached out, Carlotta’s hand slid into his to steady him. His long fingers immediately entw
ined with hers. Phillip braced himself.
The vicar looked down at their clasped hands before taking a closer look at Phillip. Having seen the look on his face many times before, the vicar instantly became sympathetic and smiled gently at him.
‘Not all of them, no. Might I enquire who you are?’ the vicar asked looking from Carlotta to Phillip and back again.
‘I work with the War Office. My boss, Sir Hugo, has he been here?’ Phillip asked.
The vicar nodded. ‘He has asked that the men be kept here until the magistrate arrives.’
‘Has he been to identify his men yet?’ Phillip’s voice was harsh, but he made no apology for it.
‘Not yet. I believe he is out of town now with Sir Hugo.’
‘Did Sir Hugo have a look at the men?’ Phillip bit out.
‘Yes,’ the vicar replied.
‘Did he – did he say if any of them were men from the Star Elite?’ Phillip whispered.
The vicar immediately snapped to attention. His eyes widened. ‘The Star Elite? Why, no. No, he didn’t. He just looked at the bodies and said that I was to keep them here until the magistrate arrived.’
Phillip nodded at the bodies because he couldn’t decide what Sir Hugo’s actions meant. ‘Can I look at them?’
‘Of course.’ The vicar stepped away but with a new respect in his eyes.
Phillip sucked in a deep, fortifying breath and turned to front of the church. His heart thundered in his chest when he leaned down to ease the first cloth away from the deathly pale face. Thankfully, it wasn’t one he recognised. Nor was the second, third, fourth, or fifth. There were three more to look at. He knew that the chances were that one of the three might be his one of his colleagues. Determined to get it over and done with, Phillip yanked the sheets off the faces of the remaining three in rapid succession. When he had taken one brief look at the last body, he dropped his head and tried to calm down.
‘Did any of the bodies get taken anywhere else?’ he asked of the vicar who had remained in the aisle and was watching him closely.
‘I don’t know, sir. All I know is that I was told to keep these men in here because they are the magistrate’s men. The rest are all outside, sir. Have you checked those?’
Phillip shook his head. His face was grim as he strode outside, around to the back of the church. He slammed to a stop when he saw two long rows of bodies. Carlotta raced outside to join him and gasped when she saw how many bodies were there. Her gasp of horror made Phillip look at her. She met his gaze over the distance. Without hesitation, she hurried toward him and clasped his hand in hers. Phillip looked over her head at the Vicar, who stood beside the door and watched.
‘Might I look at them?’ he asked politely.
The vicar nodded.
Carlotta stayed where she was and watched Phillip look at each body in turn. He didn’t do anything more than lift the covers on the faces; cloaks, sheets, blankets, shirts. Anything that had been easy to find that would block their faces from view. Their injuries were irrelevant because each body was far beyond help. What mattered now was identifying each one and making sure the relatives were informed.
When he had finished, Phillip turned to the clergyman and offered him a brief smile. ‘Thank you. None of them are with the Star Elite.’ His voice thickened as he spoke. So much so he couldn’t say anything else for fear of it cracking completely.
Carlotta stepped closer and smiled at him. ‘That’s good news then,’ she whispered hopefully.
Phillip nodded and pressed a kiss onto the back of her hand. ‘For now.’ He turned to look at the vicar. ‘If the magistrate returns, could you give him a note for me? It has to go to my boss in the Star Elite, Sir Hugo.’
‘Of course. Of course. Come on inside.’ The vicar disappeared inside the church.
Phillip and Carlotta followed him. Once Phillip had penned a quick note, he folded it and gave it to the vicar with a smile. ‘Thank you.’
‘You are one of them, are you? Were they here last night?’ the vicar asked.