The Shared Grave: One

A shared grave. Husband and wife lying side by side forever. A tender and touching symbol of the love that transcends the grave. One headstone, one hole, and two people. Fit to bring a tear to the eye. Of course, it does mean trouble for the gravediggers, who normally have to re-open a grave when the surviving member of the party dies. But what can they find when the grave is re-opened? What do we see when hidden things are revealed?

In one English country churchyard, not so long ago, such a grave was opened. Three feet down, amid the disturbed earth of the grave, the gravediggers found something they had not expected. A black plasic bin-liner. The bin-liner was wrapped around something, something heavy. They called over the curate and opened the bag.

It contained something that is normally found in graves. A dead body. Badly decomposed, it had clearly been placed there shortly after the first burial. It was never identified.

Apparently a killer had escaped justice. But killers never escape justice. As our tale will prove...