“They can at least take him off to the proper place,” he said. But it turned out that the emergency services couldn’t come and collect the body because they couldn’t reach us. The river had burst its banks and the roads were beginning to flood. According to the vicar, if we left quickly we could just about drive from the church up to Coldean Manor as the big house was on higher ground. But then we wouldn’t be able to leave. As long as the rain kept up, we would be stranded. Great. Just great. Well, even though he was obviously dead, we couldn’t leave the tramp lying there – it didn’t seem right. Reverend Bristow was deeply concerned about the traumatizing effect it would have on our tender young souls, but he needed our help. The three of us carried the body into the church. It was harder than we’d expected – he was as stiff as a board and his clothes were soaked and slippery so it was difficult to know quite where or how to get hold of him. We dropped him a couple of times but eventually managed to get him up the aisle and into a room at the side, which the vicar said was the vestry.
