Chapter 102

‘You've got to understand how small Aaron Bowman was,' Poe said to Doctor Lang. ‘I mean, he was tiny. We had the video cleaned up later, of course, but even on the rough cut Israel Cobb showed me, Aaron could easily have passed for eleven or twelve years old.'

‘You don't have to tell me this, Washington,' Doctor Lang said. ‘Not if you don't want to.'

Poe continued, as if he hadn't heard her. ‘He was terrified,' he said. ‘So was Bethany, of course, although she also had a resigned look. Almost as if she'd expected something like this to happen to her. But, out of all the videos I watched, Aaron kicked back the most. He resisted to the point I thought Cornelius might actually give up.'

‘But he didn't?'

‘No, he was enjoying himself too much to stop. I have no idea what Bethany could have done to make so many people hate her, but Cornelius was definitely one of them. In fact, the only person in her life who didn't seem to hate her, was the person throwing rocks at her.'

‘Cornelius convinced Aaron in the end?'

‘Convinced isn't the word I'd use. It took almost an hour of in-his-face ranting, but in the end, yes, Aaron surrendered to the inevitable.'

Poe closed his eyes as he recalled the final moments of Bethany Bowman's life.

‘Aaron could barely lift the first rock Cornelius handed him,' he said. ‘He had to throw it underhand, like he was playing French cricket. It bounced harmlessly off Bethany's shoulder. I doubt it even bruised her.'

‘And the second?'

‘There was a break between the first and second.'

‘What happened?'

‘Cornelius and Israel had a blazing row. Israel was begging him to let Bethany wear the hood and Cornelius was refusing.'

‘She wasn't offered a hood?'

‘No, for some reason Cornelius was being particularly vindictive with her. He'd instigated the murder of five men before Bethany, but he hadn't taken any pleasure from their deaths. Like I said, he referred to them as "it" if he referred to them at all. They were just things to him, of no more importance than the toy from a Christmas cracker. But when Israel was begging him to let Bethany wear a hood he seemed genuinely happy. As if Israel's distress was equally as important as Bethany's terror.'

‘Like he was punishing Israel as well.'

‘That's exactly what it was like,' Poe agreed. ‘I asked Israel why Cornelius had acted this way and he swore he didn't know.'

‘Bethany was never offered the hood?'

Poe shook his head. ‘No,' he said. ‘And to be honest, I'm not sure she'd have accepted it anyway. You should have seen her, Doctor Lang. She was as fierce as a mongoose. When the argument was over and Aaron was ready to throw his second rock – a more manageable one this time – Bethany started taunting Cornelius. This fourteen-year-old girl, strapped to a chair and knowing she was about to die, began calling him names. Admittedly she didn't seem to know any good swear words, so it was mainly "sinner" and the old Bowman family favourite, "bad biscuit", but that simple act of defiance is the bravest thing I've ever seen. I honestly don't think I've admired anyone as much as I admired Bethany Bowman.'

‘But she died anyway?'

Tears stung the back of Poe's eyes. One rolled down his cheek. It wasn't the first he'd shed over Bethany Bowman, and it wouldn't be the last. He'd wept over the five dead men too, of course, but none of them had hit him as hard as Bethany. Right up until the end, her raw, untameable spirit had remained unquenched.

Doctor Lang passed him the box of tissues and took one for herself. She wasn't crying, but liquid was brimming at the bottom of her eyelids. Poe dried his face and answered her question.

‘Cornelius made Aaron carry on throwing rocks until he was too weak to lift them,' he said. ‘I counted seven in total.'

‘Did he kill her?'

‘No. I don't think Aaron had the upper body strength to do more than bruise her.'

‘But you saw her die?'

‘I did.'

‘Was it Cornelius?'

‘It wasn't.'

‘What happened?'

‘Israel and Cornelius had their second row of the night,' Poe replied. ‘It was short and it was vicious, but when it was over, Israel Cobb, as he had previously, walked over to the mercy chair, pulled out his Stanley knife and slit Bethany Bowman's throat.'