Omega

'What about the two abandoned by the riders who were taken to hospital?'

'They were removed by persons unknown immediately after the disturbance, sir. It was an estimated half-hour between the riot ending and the first police car reaching the scene, I regret to say. Our switchboards were swamped with earth tremor reports and our cars were busy – but all the same, we could have been called to Bell Beacon earlier if the St John Ambulance radio had been working. The ambulance officer will tell you that he suspects it had been sabotaged.'

'Superintendent, your quite remarkable evidence does not seem to me to point to an act of spontaneous hooliganism. It points to a carefully organized plot.'

'One cannot escape that conclusion, sir, I agree.'

'And I may not be able to escape the conclusion that this inquest should be adjourned to allow for further police inquiries… However, we shall at least continue until all the evidence which is so far available has been heard, before I decide whether an adjournment is advisable.'

'As the court pleases.'

'The court would also be pleased to know why no police were in attendance at this Festival. I understand that until this occasion, it has been the invariable practice for a suitable number of officers to be present.'

'My instructions were that since there had been no trouble at such events for many years, police presence was an unnecessary waste of manpower and should be discontinued – by our county force, at least.'

'And this was the first application of the new policy?'

'In Buckingham, yes, sir. I understand that other forces have continued the old practice.'

'An astonishingly unfortunate coincidence,' the coroner said quietly.

The superintendent reddened. 'I can only follow my instructions, sir.'

'Instructions from whom, in this case?'

The superintendent hesitated, then answered: 'From my Chief Constable, sir.'

'I see… And were those instructions in accordance with your own judgement, as an experienced officer?'

‘With respect, sir, I ask to be excused from answering that question.'

The coroner nodded several times, slowly, and the superintendent's face grew even redder.

The ambulance officer was next. He stuck firmly to his story that the ambulance radio had been sabotaged but he had no way of proving it. He also insisted that he had telephoned his HQ from the hospital, reporting the two casualties and requesting that his report be passed on to the police.

When the next witness was called, Moira hissed to Dan: 'Good God! Him!' 'What about him?' 'Mike Wharton. Renegade.'

'Black?'

'He hasn't got the guts. Just a rat.' 'Don't recognize him.' 'Shush. Tell you later.'

Andrea Sutton's solicitor was on his feet. 'I must apologize, sir, for asking the court to hear this witness, Mr Michael Wharton, virtually without notice. Mr Wharton came to me about twenty minutes before the court convened, with such an extraordinary story that had there been more time I would have accompanied him straight to the police, because it has a direct bearing on the murder of Miss Sutton.'

'Do not anticipate the verdict of this court, Mr James.'

'I was about to add, sir – "if murder it was, as Mr Wharton alleges".'

'I see. And Mr Wharton is a stranger, who came to you completely out of the blue?'

'I had not met him before, sir, personally, but I knew of him. He is a well-known and respected figure in the witchcraft movement…'

('Like hell!' Moira muttered.)

'… who has contributed many articles to the movement's periodicals. Recognizing him and knowing his standing within his own field, I knew his story could not be lightly dismissed. I saw no alternative, in view of the time factor, but to bring him before you, sir.'

The coroner studied the witness. 'Mr Wharton – before I hear what you have to say, I would like to ask one thing. If you have vital evidence on the death of Miss Sutton, why did you not go straight to the police with it? Why have you waited till now?'

Wharton peered back at him through tinted glasses, under carefully groomed black hair. 'I was afraid, sir. These people…"

'Which people?'

'The black element in the Craft, sir.'

' "Black" in this context of witchcraft and magic meaning malignant?'

'Yes, sir. And ruthless. I was afraid of what they might do if I told what I saw. I am still afraid, but… I felt, this morning, that if I didn't speak now it would be too late.'

'You are safe here,' the coroner told him, 'and if you do have cause to be afraid once you leave this court, the police will arrange for your protection. The court takes a very serious view of the intimidation of witnesses. I shall be better able to form a conclusion about that when I have heard your evidence.'

('Which'll be a load of lies,' Moira whispered.)

('Let's hear him, at least,' Dan whispered back, judicious as always.)

To begin with, Wharton's evidence differed little from everyone else's, or from Moira and Dan's memory. He said that he had been in a Circle in the direct path of the Crusade demonstrators, who had reached it just about the time when the dancers had converged on them and tried to stop them. He himself had offered no violence; he had merely attempted to argue with the leading demonstrators, who had included Miss Sutton, but they had gone on chanting and would have pushed him aside. But at that moment he had been caught between attackers and defenders near the Cauldron.

'I fell over, sir – most of us did, the demonstrators and the others, all mixed up together in a heap of people. Some were fighting, some trying to tear up the banner, and some – like me – just trying to break free. One is pretty vulnerable with no clothes on… But I was trapped under two or three people. Miss Sutton was about three metres away from me – she was on the ground, too, pinned down by the crowd. One man was hitting at her face, and she was protecting it with her hands… Then the earth tremor came and more people fell on top of me – I thought my back would break and I could hardly breathe. Then Miss Sutton managed to get to her feet and yelled out about the wrath of God smiting the witches. She was dragged down again, and then the fighting started again – only harder, as though the tremor had rattled people. I was still trapped. Then I saw two people – a man and a woman -pushing their way through the crowd towards Miss Sutton. They went down on their hands and knees as they reached her. They were skyclad – naked, that is – and he was carrying an athame and she a copper bowl. An athame is a witch's ritual black-handled knife, sir.'

The coroner nodded. 'Did you recognize these two people?'

'No, sir. Their backs were to me and they both had long hair falling forward, the way they were moving. His was black and hers light brown. I never saw his face and I only got a glimpse of hers in profile – round, with a big mouth and small nose. I'd say they were both about thirty. He was thin, a little tall as far as I could judge. She was on the plump side but small-breasted.' He paused.

'Go on, Mr Wharton.'

'By then, sir, Miss Sutton was still pinned down by the crowd, but no one was paying attention to her, if.you understand me. The man and woman wriggled between a lot of legs till they reached her, and then… It was horrible, sir. He pulled up her sweater and stabbed her in the ribs with his athame. I think I screamed – but there was so much noise and screaming no one would have heard. She must have died almost at once, there was so much blood. And the woman was catching as much of it as she could in the copper bowl… Then someone fell in front of me and I couldn't see them any more. The crowd moved and I managed to get up. The man and woman had gone. I looked around, I think I must have called out something, but no one listened – then I saw them running towards the Great Altar. She was holding the bowl up high as though she were carrying an offering, and he was running beside her holding his athame up like a salute. Four other people had joined them – two men and two women, like an escort… I never saw them reach the Altar; I was knocked over again. The Altar had been smashed up by then and the statue. I suppose they intended to pour the blood over it, as a sacrifice to avenge the sacrilege…'