Chapter EightCelesta dropped down on her knees beside her brother and saw in the moonlight that blood was seeping through his coat in a dark crimson stain.
He had been shot and she knew even before she touched his forehead that her first intuition had been correct and he was indeed dead.
The way he lay sprawled on the sandy ground told her that he must have fallen as the bullet hit him.
Then in the moonlight she saw that his hand was outstretched and his first finger was pointing towards some figures in the sand.
She stared at them incredulously.
Written clearly so that there was no mistaking the words, she read,
MELTHAM KILLED ME
The last ‘E’ trailed away as if it had been an effort on the part of the dying man, but the ‘Meltham’ was written clearly and strongly.
Kneeling beside G
