B004M5HK0M EBOK by Unknown Page B

don’t.’
    ‘Three Sisters.’
    So that was it. ‘Three sisters!’ Emily said. ‘It seems obvious now, doesn’t it? It’s simple arithmetic. If two are alive and one is dead...’
    An arc of light swung through the darkness in the cellar – Emily could see it through the peepholes in the head which were located in the nostrils that had been painted on the face. She looked for the painted sarcophagus but she couldn’t see it. She couldn’t see who was in the cellar with them – whether rescuer or assailant. ‘Shh,’ she whispered to Dr. Muriel. ‘I think we’re not alone.’
    ‘What’s that, m’dear? SPEAK UP!’ said Dr. Muriel.
    The light swung again. This time Emily had a chance to see who was there – it was Chris. He held a powerful torch which he put on the ground in front of him. Now he was standing just in front of her with an axe in his hand. Emily tried to determine whether she should run for her life (and look ridiculous) or stay still, or aim a good kick at him and hope he didn’t chop her legs off.
    ‘Emily!’ said Chris. ‘Nice head. Is this going to be another performance?’
    She said, ‘Don’t do anything stupid, Chris. The police know I’m here.’
    ‘Of course they do.’ He came up very close, his eye to her peephole.
    ‘Chris!’ shouted Dr. Muriel from inside her giant head. ‘Is that you?’
    Chris turned at the sound of Dr. Muriel’s voice and swung his axe, violently.
    ‘No!’ screamed Emily. She shut her eyes in spite of herself. She opened them again to see through the nostril peepholes that he was coming for her now. He swung his axe. The fibreglass prison split open. She stepped free, she was unharmed. She looked to her left and Dr. Muriel was there, also unharmed. Their well-being seemed to provide yet another clue to the case, which Emily tried to process.
    Chris took Emily’s hand and pulled her towards him. He looked as if he was going to hug her.
    ‘Where’s the dog that was down here?’ asked Emily.
    ‘My dog? Sam. He was frightened of the fireworks so I put him down here out of the way. Honestly, Emily, he lives like a prince the rest of the time. It was for one night, and it was for his own good. But, OK, you made me feel guilty, so I put him up in my room.’
    ‘Where’s that sarcophagus?’ said Dr. Muriel. ‘The painted lady? Zsa-Zsa’s in it.’
    ‘If you mean the witch that was in here, she’s part of the parade. They’re going to put her on the bonfire and burn her. Seriously, you think Zsa-Zsa’s in it? It’s supposed to be empty.’
    Dr. Muriel said, ‘Chris, we know she’s in it. We’ve seen her.’
    They scrambled out of the cellar. Out in the garden, the parade had already started. It was an ethereally beautiful sight: A procession of six giant heads lit from inside seemed to float towards the bonfire, flanked by eight Polish stiltwalkers in top hats and coattails, juggling flaming torches. It all looked desperately dangerous – but these people were about to burn (albeit unwittingly) the body of a young woman who had been murdered a few hours before, so it seemed ridiculous to cavil about Health and Safety. At the front of the procession, Emily saw the sarcophagus being carried on the shoulders of a couple of men. The distance between the house and the bonfire wasn’t that great, but the performers were making the most of it by covering the width as well as the length of the garden, winding from one side of it to the other very slowly, weaving around the fruit trees in the orchard. Now they were heading back. The garden was packed with spectators. Some stood on the wooden benches and applauded; others surrounded the performers, pressing in to get a good look. A few – the kids, mostly –joined the back of the parade.
    ‘Stop!’ yelled Chris. But the music was too loud. Nobody heard him
    ‘But who knocked us out in the cellar?’ Dr. Muriel asked Chris as they pressed through the crowd towards the bonfire. ‘And why