Page 112 of Hope and Happiness in Bluebell Wood
‘I’m not surprised in the least,’ I say, examining the locket. ‘I’ve become quite used to it now. But they’ve never left anything like this before. I wonder where it’s from and what it means.’
‘Does it open?’ Lonan asks. ‘Maybe there’s something inside?’
Carefully I prise open the locket, and just as Lonan hadsuggested, in one half there is a worn sepia photo of a man with a beard.
‘He looks Victorian, maybe even Edwardian,’ I say, squinting at the photo. ‘I wonder who it is.’
‘The plot thickens . . . ’ Lonan says, shaking his head, and then he laughs. ‘You know, I might have to change my writing genre after witnessing all the things I have recently. I think my historical novels might have to be given the push, in favour of a mystery. I’ve certainly got enough material to use!’
‘I thought the bingo numbers were strange enough, but this? This is on a different scale.’
‘What bingo numbers?’ Lonan asks. ‘Have you had more gifts that I don’t know about?’
As we go back inside, I quickly explain about the pink paper left by the robin and how Callum had interpreted it for me.
Lonan looks even more astonished than he had when the locket had been presented.
‘Goodness, you have been left some treasures by these birds, haven’t you? Some tiny treasures that might have seemed insignificant at first, but now are painting a much more fascinating story than I could ever hope to tell.’
‘I like that,’ I say, smiling, ‘they are tiny treasures, aren’t they, each and every one. Until a few days ago I thought they might just be junk, and it was all a weird coincidence the birds leaving these things. Then we found the Roman connection and I thought they were to do with that, but now . . . now I think they have a much more significant meaning, one that I hope to discover very soon.’
That afternoon, I can’t help but allow my walk with Merlin to pass by the building site.
It’s just gone three o’clock so I’m surprised to see the men packing up for the afternoon. Bert, the builder that I’d spoken to on my first visit here, recognises me and comes over to the edge of the field.
‘Looks like you got your way,’ he says, smiling at me. ‘We’ve been told to pack up for a while. Apparently, they’ve decided this is an area of historical interest after all. They’re going to excavate it properly and have a look around.’
‘Really?’ I say, trying to sound surprised. ‘What happened, did you find something?’
‘Someone else did nearby, then we had some kids on here from the local school with a metal detector and they found some bits and pieces – enough to stop us working, anyway.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I say, genuinely meaning it. I hadn’t considered the builders, who now wouldn’t have work; I’d only thought about stopping Colin Cuckoo. ‘Will you be paid while the work stops?’
‘Yeah, we’ll be put on another site. We won’t be out of pocket. Cuckoo Land Homes has new builds going up everywhere.’ He looks around to see if anyone else is within earshot, then he leans in closer to me. ‘Just between you and me, I’m glad someone else found more artefacts. From what I’ve seen, this land seems riddled with old stuff people might find interesting. It seemed a shame for it to be forgotten and just built over.’
I look at Bert and it takes me a moment to process what he’s trying to tell me.
‘Are you saying that you’ve been finding things while the building work has been going on?’ I ask. ‘Things that might be classed as of historical interest?’
Bert nods. ‘Not only us, but I heard that the original excavation found things too, but it was all hushed up.’
My heart is beating fast now.
‘Do you think someone bribed those in charge of the original excavation to say there was nothing here?’
Bert nods again. ‘I don’t think so, I know so. You didn’t hear it from me, though, right?’
I hurriedly nod my agreement. ‘Just one more question: were you told not to say anything about them by someone with the name of a bird, by any chance?’
Bert looks at me, then he makes the sound of a cuckoo.
It’s all I need to hear.
Thirty-six
‘I can’t believe they’re not going to do anything,’ I say to Callum for about the fifth time since he got to the cottage. ‘How can they not?’
‘You don’t know that for sure,’ Callum says patiently as he watches me pace about the sitting room. ‘Lonan said they’d look into it.’
