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sheet and spread the plastic bags on it. Each one had a luggage label tied around the neck, recording the exact site where the contents had been found. As he began undoing the strings on the bags, the others clustered around to get a good view.
    Pacey suddenly twisted his head around to look at Peter.
    â€˜Mr Adams, I’m sure you’ll remember your promise and not write anything for your paper without asking me first, eh?’
    Peter agreed readily. He was too grateful for the chance of being present at all, to abuse his privilege. He watched the superintendent slide some brown fragments from the first bag.
    â€˜What about this, Doc?’ the big man asked heartily.
    There appeared to Peter to be several chunky pieces, and a few thin curved bones which even he recognized as ribs. Gerald picked up some bits, and David took the rest:
    â€˜These are vertebrae – bits of the spinal column,’ pronounced the younger brother. ‘My God, they look old to me! I wonder if we’ve got another Piltdown Man?’
    â€˜In a lead mine?’ Pacey countered sweetly.
    David was seriously staring at all sides of the bits which he had taken. ‘These are ribs and a broken shoulder blade. Heaven only knows what the small bits belong to – could be fingers, I suppose.’
    Peter thought again how like the father David was. His small eyes flickered behind his spectacles, and he had the same pointed chin that stuck out rather aggressively. David was two years older than his brother, and, in his thirty-four years, had picked up many of John Ellis-Morgan’s mannerisms.
    Pacey looked up at David, squinting into the sun. ‘So they are all human, without a doubt?’
    â€˜All the big pieces, certainly. I can’t vouch for the scraps, though I should think that they are fragments knocked off the larger bones.’
    The detective went carefully through the six bags of bones, showing the contents to the doctors and putting them back gently into their labelled containers.
    â€˜We’ve got a sketch plan of where all these were found, Willie, haven’t we?’
    The thin, nervous-looking inspector wagged his head.
    â€˜Yes, and photographs of each zone marked out on the floor.’
    â€˜Don’t suppose it’ll matter a damn, anyway,’ Pacey said happily
    â€˜What’s this zone business, Superintendent?’ asked Peter.
    â€˜Oh, just a rough guide to record where each exhibit came from on the floor of the shaft. There’s been such a devil of a fall of roof in there that it will bear no resemblance to the original position of the skeleton. But we’d better do it, just in case, I suppose.’
    David and Gerald gave their opinion on as many of the bones as they could recognize and then abandoned the attempt. Pacey hauled himself elephantinely to his feet. Peter was struck by his resemblance in size to Ceri Lloyd, though his bulk looked all muscle instead of fat.
    â€˜Now then, gentlemen, can I have a couple of answers. First, this is a human skeleton – right?’
    David looked seriously at the detective.
    â€˜Well, part of one, to be accurate.’
    â€˜How much is missing?’
    â€˜We’ve got no skull. And no legs below the knees.’ said Gerry.
    Pacey pulled his ear – a movement which Peter soon came to recognize as sign of deep thought on the superintendent’s part.
    â€˜Well, there’s quite a bit of. stuff still to be sorted through.’ He swung around to the resting policemen.
    â€˜Better get in there now, lads, and give the others a breather.’
    As the men trooped into the dark hole, Pacey carried on with his questions.
    â€˜The next thing is – how many bodies?’
    David’s eyebrows went up. ‘How many? One, of course!’
    Pacey beamed again. Peter felt that if the big man were an executioner, he would smile as he sprung the trap.
    â€˜With respect, Doc, it isn’t “of