‘Ay. I told him the story yesterday while you were asleep. I thought he’d know of something.’ He grinned. ‘I found I got on well with the Moor on better acquaintance.’
I looked out over the silent lawn. ‘Still no dogs.’
He scratched his chin. ‘What say we risk it?’
I looked at the blank windows of the house. ‘So long as we keep an eye out.’
He looked at me. ‘You all right?’
‘Yes, yes!’
‘Right then, down we go.’
Barak leapt easily onto the lawn and I followed, wincing at the jarring my spine took as I landed. I watched the house as Barak fetched his hunks of meat and replaced them in his knapsack.
‘Best not to leave these, or they’ll know someone’s been here.’
He removed the padlocks from the well, then I helped him off with the lid. The smell was fainter now, but the sight of that black opening still made my stomach clench. Barak unfurled his rope ladder and climbed quickly down. I kept glancing over at the house. For a moment I thought I saw a movement, a deeper blackness, at one of the upper windows, but when I looked again I saw nothing.
This time Barak managed to light his candle the first time. I turned from the house as a faint white glow lit the well and leaned carefully over the side. It was shallower than I had expected, no more than twenty feet. It was weird to see Barak standing at the bottom of that long circular hollow. He was crouching, looking at a huddle of dark shapes. He explored them with his hands. This time he was quite silent. I could not see his face.
‘What is it?’ I whispered.
He looked up at me, shadows from the candle making eerie shapes on his face. ‘Animals. There’s a cat here, a couple of dogs.’ He bent down again. ‘Shit, there’s horrible things been done to them - the cat’s had its eyes put out. This is where that neighbour’s retriever went - Jesu, it’s been hanged.’ He half-turned and examined a larger shape. This time he did cry out, an abrupt shout that echoed off the bricks.
‘What? What is it?’
‘I’m coming up,’ he said abruptly. ‘For God’s sake, keep watch on the house.’
He snuffed out the candle and clambered up again. I peered at the house, my heart beating so fast it made my vision judder. All remained dark and silent. Barak clambered over the top of the well. His eyes were wide.
‘Help me get the well cap back on,’ he breathed. ‘We have to get out of here.’
We slid the cap back and Barak replaced the locks. With a last look at the silent house we ran back to the wall and clambered over. Back in the orchard, Barak leaned against a tree. He stared at me, then gulped.
‘Someone in that house has been torturing animals. But not just animals. There’s a little boy down there, a ragged boy of about seven. He’s been - ’ he broke off’—you don’t want to know, but he’s dead and he didn’t die quick.’
‘The mad girl’s brother,’ I breathed. ‘The girl that was put in Elizabeth’s cell.’
‘Perhaps. Whoever took him probably thought a beggar boy wouldn’t be missed, didn’t matter.’ He blew out his cheeks. ‘It scared me, I’ll admit. I thought, if whoever did that came I would be helpless down there. I had to get out.’ His voice trembled.
‘I don’t blame you.’
He stared at me aghast as a thought struck him. ‘Could it have been Elizabeth Wentworth who killed the boy? Was that why she lost the will to live after the girl was put in with her? If that’s the girl’s brother down there—’
I thought a moment. ‘No. Joseph said Elizabeth had a cat she was devoted to. Needler said it ran away, but I think it’s her cat down there. No, it wasn’t her. I think young Ralph did this. First the animals, then the child.’
‘But then—Don’t you see? This gives Elizabeth a motive to put the boy down the well! You could say it was apt justice for the wretch. Perhaps she found out what he was doing—’
‘But why, when Needler pulled Ralph from the well, did he say nothing about the animals or the dead child?’ I shook my head. ‘He must have seen what was down there. I have to see Elizabeth again - I have to get her to talk.’
‘If she’s still alive.’
‘I’ll go first thing tomorrow. Thank you for what you did,’ I added awkwardly.
Barak gave me a sombre look. ‘You think me hard, but I’d never hurt a defenceless creature.’
‘I believe you,’ I said. ‘Come, let’s get back to Chancery Lane.’
He nodded. ‘All right. Jesu, I’ll be having nightmares tonight.’
Chapter Thirty-nine