Tonight would be his last meeting. He had been expected to resign, and had put it off several times, but now he felt pressure on him from younger members. Three councillors had let it be known they were willing to stand as his successor: Evangeline Baer, Malcolm Barratt and Gillian Surfleet. Well, Evangeline was still recovering from her fall – a funny business, that – and Professor Barratt had not yet reappeared in the village. This left Gillian Surfleet and anyone else who might declare themselves willing. Andrew Rix had his doubts about Nurse Surfleet. Not that she was anything but excellent at her job, he just was not sure if she would be able to handle the strong-willed members, of whom Prof Malcolm was the most troublesome. There were times when arguments broke out, when old village confronted new village, and animosities rose to the surface. Then, the chairman was required to be diplomatic but authoritative. Subduing the natives, his father would have said. As for the other two, could they be elected
¦
Andrew Rix turned to Janice. They had reached the relevant item on the agenda, and now he needed her guidance. “Do we have names, my dear?” he said.
Janice nodded. “We still have three, but only Nurse Surfleet is present. I tried to contact Mrs Baer, but her husband was reluctant to bother her with decisions to be made. Seems she is still quite poorly – shock, he said.” Dr Rix raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. “And then there’s Professor Barratt,” Janice continued. There was a pause, and members looked at each other.
“Ah yes,” said Dr Rix. “Have we any news from that quarter?”
Janice shook her head. “I tried a diplomatic approach to his wife, but she more or less shut the door in my face. I think she may have been taking a consoling nip of something,” she added with the faintest trace of a smile.
“So?” said Andrew Rix.
“So I was unable to check, and it seems that without the others being able to indicate their willingness to stand…are there any other proposals?” She paused, and looked around the room. No one spoke, and Janice continued. “Then Miss Gillian Surfleet, who has confirmed that she is still willing…”
Janice looked at Nurse Surfleet, who beamed and said, “Quite keen, actually.”
“Then Miss Surfleet is by default our new chairman…or perhaps I should say chairperson.” There was a spatter of applause, Gillian Surfleet smiled broadly and got importantly to her feet.
“Gentlemen, fellow councillors,” she began. “I can hardly thank you for electing me, because really you didn’t…”
She paused, and there were mutters of “Would’ve done, anyway,” and “You’ll do, gel,” and “Get on with it, then.”
“Well, thanks anyway,” she said briskly. “But before we go any further, I have a very pleasant and important task to perform.” She began a clearly prepared speech of gratitude and praise to Dr Rix for his long and wise service in the chair which she was now about to occupy. Gillian had done her homework. She spoke of good deed after good deed, gave innumerable examples of the doctor’s wise counsel and patience over difficult parochial issues, and finally groped beneath her chair and produced a smartly wrapped parcel. She advanced on Dr Rix, and handed to to him. “With our deep gratitude and affection,” she said, and everyone clapped heartily, some sniffing a little with emotion.
It was Andrew Rix’s turn to say a few words and they were short and to the point.
He had loved every minute of his time as chairman, but hoped he knew when the time had come to step down, and he wished Gillian Surfleet every success. “If she’s half as good at keeping us in order as she is in administering an enema…” he said and the rest of his sentence was drowned in loud guffaws from the rest.
In this atmosphere of mutual admiration and goodwill, Janice began to suspect she would spot nothing suspicious this evening. It was only when they were packing up papers and putting their chairs back against the wall that she overheard something rather interesting. Dr Rix was still at the table, handing over files and papers to Gillian Surfleet, and she heard him cough in an embarrassed way and say quietly, “A little word of warning, my dear.” Gillian Surfleet looked at him, surprised. Janice loitered behind them, pretending to search for something in her own document case. “Lois is very curious,” he continued in a whisper that Janice could only just hear.
“What?” said Gillian Surfleet.
“Curious,” he repeated. “More curious than usual. Noticed it at the Baers’. Just thought you ought to know.”
“Ah, well, thanks for telling me, then.” The usually confident Gillian Surfleet looked for a moment nonplussed. Then she gathered all her things together, and said loudly to the rest, “Drinks on me tonight! See you all in the pub.”
¦
“Hello, yes?” said Lois. She had heard the telephone ringing as she opened the front door. She and Derek had been to see a film – superbly horrible – and now she panted, out of breath.
“Lois? It’s me, Janice Britton.”
Lois mouthed at Derek to put on the kettle, and sat down heavily. “God, Janice, you gave me a fright. I thought it must be something to do with the kids. Josie was left in charge for the first time tonight while me and Derek went out, and I thought…”
Janice interrupted her. “I shan’t keep you,” she said. “Just thought you should know what I happened to overhear at the parish council meeting tonight.” She relayed faithfully Dr Rix’s words of warning.
There was a moment’s silence from Lois, and then she said, “Oh dear…Well, thanks for the tip. I shall have to watch it, shan’t I? Still, funny he should be so bothered.”
“Yep, that’s what I thought, too,” said Janice, and with a brief “Cheers, then,” she rang off.
¦
Lois decided not to tell Derek about the real reason for Janice’s call, saying lightly that it was the Special Constable woman, just checking to see if anything new had come up. “I told her I’d lost interest,” she said casually. She did not like lying to Derek, but she knew that he was now very worried in case she should become too involved. He has a point, Lois reminded herself. After all, there is a murderer out there somewhere and if she seemed to be probing too deeply, she could find herself on the slab next to Gloria. An involuntary shudder caught her. Yes, she’d definitely better watch it.
“Looks like Josie has gone to bed,” Derek said. “Better go and check on Jamie.” He went upstairs two at a time, while Lois waited in the kitchen. She hadn’t been keen on leaving Josie in charge, but Derek had said she was old enough now to baby-sit and, after all, he had his mobile with him and she could always call. Lois wandered into the sitting room waiting for Derek to come down, and switched on the light.
“Oh, my God!” she shrieked. There was a body on the sofa. A long thin body, curled up and motionless. “Derek!” yelled Lois, in such a terrified voice that he rushed down, followed by the boys, tousled and sleepy, and finally Josie, rubbing her eyes and looking anxious.
The body moved, then sat up and Lois saw that it was Melvyn. “Oh, sorry if I scared you, Mrs Meade,” he said, instantly wide awake. “Josie was a bit worried about being left alone with the boys, so I said I’d stay until you came back.”
“But what were you doing here in the first place?” said Derek, now furious and barely able to contain himself. “Sneaking in behind our backs? You’ve been told to keep away during the week and if I had my way, it would be forever. Come on, out with it, what were you doing here?”
Before Melvyn could answer, Josie, white and trembling, burst in. “Shut up, Dad!” she shouted, close to tears. “Melvyn brought a book he said he’d lend me and I asked him in. The boys were playing up and I was scared, and…and…” She was crying now with loud, wrenching sobs.
“What book?” said Derek. He glared at Melvyn. “I said, what book?” Melvyn took a paperback from the table and handed it to Derek.
“
Lois stepped in. “That’s quite enough, Josie,” she said. “Go on back to bed, and you boys as well. There’s been a mistake and it’s time for sleep. Go on, all of you.” Sheepishly, they trailed back upstairs and after a few minutes muttering, there was silence.
