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HIGH ON THE SPRAWLING HILLS AND MOORS 2011 OF NORTHERN ENGLAND, AN EXCAVATOR LAY UNEXPECTEDLY IDLE DURING THE PREPARATION OF A SITE EARMARKED FOR THE ERECTION OF WIND TURBINES. THE WORKMEN PAUSED UNEASILY AS WORD SPREAD OF WHAT HAD BEEN UNCOVERED.

STORY MAC MACDONALD ART CARLOS PINO COVER CARLOS PINO

IT’S A GRAVE WITH FIVE BODIES IN IT. THE BOSS HAS ALREADY CALLED THE LAW.

4 A POLICE VEHICLE SOON CLIMBED INTO VIEW UP THE ROUGH TRACK ON THE SIDE OF THE HILL. THE WORKMEN KNEW FROM WHAT THEY HAD HEARD FROM THEIR BOSSES THAT THE SITE HAD BEEN OCCUPIED IN ANCIENT TIMES BY A SUCCESSION OF PEOPLES WHO HAD MINED THE AREA FOR PRECIOUS AND USEFUL METALS. THE CORPSES COULD BE ROMANS OR VIKINGS MAYBE. THEY KNOCKED AROUND HERE BACK THEN.

AYE, YOU’D REMEMBER THAT.

THINKING THE SAME AS THE WORKERS, THE LOCAL CONSTABULARY INVESTIGATED. THEIR FORENSIC SCIENTIST SOON DISCOVERED THAT THE BODIES WERE A LOT MORE RECENT THAN ANYONE BELIEVED. THEY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR MAYBE ABOUT FIFTY OR SIXTY YEARS. ALL SHOW SIGNS OF MEETING A VIOLENT DEATH.

RIGHT, WE’LL SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN DISCOVER THEN.

5 AS THE CORPSES ALSO APPEARED TO BE WEARING REMAINS OF WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE MILITARY CLOTHING, THE MILITARY POLICE WERE CALLED IN. WHAT A MISERABLE PLACE ON A DAY LIKE THIS, SIR.

I’D RATHER BE HERE THAN OUT IN AFGHANISTAN. IT’S HOT, DUSTY AND A LOT MORE DANGEROUS THERE.

CAPTAIN MIKE PROCTOR, RECALLED FROM LEAVE AFTER A TOUGH TOUR IN AFGHANISTAN, WANTED TO SEE THE SITE FOR HIMSELF. ONE THING STRUCK HIM AT ONCE.

IT’S ALL VERY TIDY, BUT THERE ARE NO CLUES TO WHO THEY WERE, BECAUSE THEIR I.D. DISCS ARE MISSING. IT’S A PROPER BURIAL, MORE THAN LIKELY MILITARY AND NOT DONE IN A RUSH.

IT DOES MAKE YOU WONDER, SIR. WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?

6 THAT WAS NOT GOING BE EASY TO FIND OUT BUT THE MYSTERY GRAVE DID REVEAL ONE ODD CLUE. A CRUMPLED COPY OF A WAR PICTURE COMIC HAD BEEN FOUND WRAPPED IN A MAP CASE WITHIN THE CLOTHING OF ONE OF THE VICTIMS. MIKE KNEW THE PUBLICATION WELL FROM HIS SCHOOLDAYS, AND THERE HAD BEEN COPIES LYING AROUND IN EVERY BASE HE HAD SERVED IN.

THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE MAN OF THAT NAME IN THE RECORDS, BUT MIKE NARROWED IT DOWN TO A REGIMENT WHICH HAD SERVED AT THE NEARBY CAMP BACK IN THE NINETEEN-SIXTIES. HIS ENQUIRIES ALSO LED TO A VISIT FROM TWO MEN IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES, REPRESENTATIVES OF A VERY SECRET GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.

THE EDITOR TELLS ME THIS ONE WAS PUBLISHED BACK IN NINETEEN-SIXTY-ONE. I DIDN’T KNOW THEY WERE ON THE GO THEN.

CAN I HELP YOU?

I’M SURE YOU CAN...

AN ENHANCED PRINT OF THE OPENING PAGE HAD REVEALED A HAND-WRITTEN MESSAGE...“PROPERTY OF D. DEWAR. RETURN IF FOUND.”

7 MIKE HAD COME ACROSS “SPOOKS” LIKE THESE BEFORE AND HE PLAYED ALONG WHEN THEY STATED THEIR CASE. WE’D BE OBLIGED IF YOU WOULD CLOSE YOUR ENQUIRIES INTO THAT GRAVE ON THE MOORS. NATIONAL SECURITY IS AT STAKE.

AND YOU COULD DO WITH A FEW DAYS AWAY, I BET.

YES, AND THAT’S ALL I NEED TO KNOW.

NEXT DAY HE RESTARTED HIS BROKEN LEAVE.

THEY SUGGESTED A BREAK WOULD DO ME GOOD. I COULDN’T AGREE MORE.

HE DROVE ACROSS COUNTRY TO AN OLD FRIEND’S HOUSE. NIGEL MATHERS, AN OFFICER IN THE ROYAL ENGINEERS, WAS RECUPERATING FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. THERE’S A MEAL READY FOR US...DOWN AT THE LOCAL.

AS LONG AS IT HASN’T BEEN COOKED BY YOU, I DON’T MIND.

8 THE PAIR CHATTED ABOUT OLD TIMES WHEN THEY HAD SERVED ON THE SAME BASE ABROAD. NIGEL WAS ALMOST FULLY FIT AGAIN, AND HE KNEW THAT HE OWED HIS LIFE TO MIKE WHOSE QUICK INTERVENTION HAD MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE AFTER AN IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE HAD DETONATED. I KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH TO REALISE YOU WOULDN’T COME OUT OF THE BLUE LIKE THIS WITHOUT A REASON, APART FROM ENJOYING A GOOD PINT.

WELL, I DO HAVE AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE. I HAVE BEEN MUSCLED OFF A STRANGE CASE THAT I WANT TO SOLVE FOR THE SAKE OF IT, AND MAYBE YOU CAN HELP...

MIKE PAINSTAKINGLY REVEALED ALL THE DETAILS BUT KEPT THE VITAL LINK TO THE VERY LAST. THE ONE IDENTITY WE HAVE TO WORK ON SERVED WITH THE NORTHERN RIFLES AND I KNOW YOU ONCE MENTIONED...

...THAT MY GRANDFATHER WAS WITH THEM FOR YEARS. YES, HE’S STILL ALIVE AND KICKING. I’LL PHONE HIM TONIGHT AND SEE WHAT HE SAYS. I OWE YOU THAT AT LEAST.

9 THE OLD BOY LIVED ALONE IN THE WILDS MANY MILES AWAY AND AGREED TO TALK TO MIKE AS LONG AS HE BROUGHT SOME SUPPLIES FROM THE VILLAGE. MIKE DIDN’T MIND THAT AND, ON HIS ARRIVAL, SAW THAT LIEUTENANT-COLONEL REGINALD MATHERS (RETIRED) HAD ALL HIS WITS ABOUT HIM.

YOU GOT THAT BOTTLE OF MALT I ASKED FOR? NOT THE CHEAP ONE, I HOPE.

I FOLLOWED YOUR ORDERS TO THE LETTER, SIR. THE SHOPKEEPER MADE SURE OF THAT.

THE TWO MEN CHATTED ABOUT NIGEL FOR A WHILE, THEN MIKE TRIED TO STEER THE CONVERSATION TO HIS INVESTIGATION AND OUTLINED THE FACTS HE HAD ALREADY GARNERED.

WELL, IT’S A LONG TIME AGO. MY MEMORY ISN’T WHAT IT WAS...

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I APPRECIATE THAT, SIR, BUT I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT RECALL SOMETHING FROM THAT TIME.

THEY WERE GOOD DAYS. I REMEMBER WHEN...

THE OLD SOLDIER DID TALK, BUT IT WAS ABOUT HIS CAREER MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. ...OUTSIDE BERLIN IN ‘FORTYFOUR, THE LEFT HEEL OF MY SERGEANT’S BOOT WAS SHOT OFF

BY A NAZI SNIPER...

HILARIOUS!

HE’S A GREAT OLD BOY, BUT I’M GETTING NOWHERE.

BY THE TIME HE LEFT, MIKE KNEW THE FULL HISTORY OF THE REGIMENT BUT HAD GOT NO FURTHER IN SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF THE GRAVE.

PLEASURE TO TALK TO YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR YOUNG NIGEL. HE’LL GO FAR.

I’M SURE HE WILL, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, SIR.