The Book of Secrets — excerpt

With the spade she turned the hard earth. The paddocks were misty and cool but they held the fragrance of approaching spring. The curious wax-eyes perched a careful distance away from her.
Maria scraped the last loose over the grave, turned the spade over, and tamped the soil firm with the flat side.
‘Maria McClure.’
At Hector’s call, she leaned on the shovel. It startled her, but at the same time she had been expecting him. The watchers may have failed at their task , but she knew they would not miss a sight like this. She looked at him without speaking.
‘What are you doing?’ As if he did not know, could not guess.
‘Burying my child. What does it look like?’
‘So you killed it too?’
That was what they would think. She had known that.