“The men are back up,” said Collins. “Apparently they haven’t found anything. Neither a body, nor any of the items you claimed you threw into the shaft with it.”
Hatherley stared at the gaping darkness beyond the fencing. He looked around him. The men were already stripping off their protective clothing, winding up operations. “This is the right place. I’m quite certain. That copse there is unmistakable. There are other mines, a few miles away. I chose this one deliberately.”
“It was night,” said Collins. “Could you have used another shaft?”
“No. This is it. I’m sure. There must be something—”
Collins was shaking his head. “The men are pretty thorough, sir. If there’d been a rock fall, possibly burying a body, they’d have found evidence of it. The shaft is undisturbed. Nothing has coll
