Edward didn’t answer. He was already bending down and examining the damaged end of the coffin. Scraping some of the immediately adjacent dirt into his hand, he felt it.
“This is encouraging,” he said. “It’s bone-dry down here and amazingly cool.” He then insinuated his fingers into the partially opened joint between the head of the coffin and its side. With a sharp yank the headpiece bent to the side.
“Good God!” Kim murmured to herself.
“Would you get the flashlight from the car?” Edward said. He was looking into the open end of the coffin.
Kim did as she was told, but she wasn’t happy about what was happening. She didn’t like the idea of disturbing Elizabeth’s grave any more than it already had been. After venturing as close to the edge of the trench as she dared, she tossed the flashlight down to Edward.
Edward shined the light into the open end of the coffin. “We’re in luck,” he said. “The corpse has been mummified by the cold and the dryness. Even the winding sheet is intact.”
“I think we’ve done enough,” Kim said. But she might as well have been talking to the trees. Edward wasn’t listening. To her horror she watched while he put the light down and reached into the coffin. “Edward! What are you doing?”
“I’m just going to slide the body out a little way,” he explained. He got hold of the head and began to pull. Nothing happened, so he put one foot against the wall of the trench and pulled harder. To his surprise the head detached suddenly, causing Edward to fall against the opposite wall of the trench. He ended up in a sitting position with Elizabeth’s mummified head in his lap. A small shower of dirt dusted down onto his own head.
Kim felt weak. She had to look away.
“My gosh,” Edward said as he got to his feet. He glanced at the base of Elizabeth’s head. “I guess her neck must have been broken when she was hanged. That’s kinda surprising since the method of death in those days was not to cause the neck to break but rather let the person dangle and die of strangulation.”
Edward put the head down and bent the end of the coffin back to its original position. Using a rock, he hammered it into place. When he was convinced he’d returned it to its original appearance, he carried the head back down the trench to where he could climb out.
“I hope you don’t think this is funny,” Kim said when he’d joined her. She refused to look at the object. “I want that put back!”
“I will,” Edward promised. “I just want to take a little sample. Let’s go inside and see if we can find a box.”
Exasperated, Kim led the way. She marveled how she allowed herself to get involved in such situations. Edward sensed her attitude and quickly found an appropriately sized plumbing supply box. He put the head into it and put it in the car. Coming back into the house, he said eagerly, “Okay, let’s have a tour.”
“I want that head put back as soon as possible,” Kim said.
“I will,” Edward said again. To change the subject he walked into the lean-to portion of the house and pretended to admire the studding. Kim followed him. Soon her attention was diverted. There had been significant progress in the renovation. They even discovered the cellar floor had already been poured.
“I’m glad I got my dirt samples when I did,” Edward said.
When they were on the second floor inspecting the work being done to install the half-bath, Kim heard a car pull up. Looking out one of the casement windows, her heart skipped a beat. It was her father.
“Oh, no!” Kim said. An uncomfortable anxiety spread through her that brought instant moisture to her palms.
Edward sensed her discomfiture immediately. “Are you embarrassed because I’m here?” he asked.
“Heavens, no!” Kim said. “It’s because of Elizabeth’s grave. Please don’t let on about the head. The last thing I want is to give him an excuse to interfere with this renovation project.”
They descended the stairs and stepped outside. John was standing at the edge of the trench, looking down at Elizabeth’s coffin. Kim made the introductions. John was polite but curt. He took Kim aside.