A Village Feud (25 page)

They all three watched the police hurrying someone into their car and when it drove past, heading to Culworth, Sheila was able to see who was in the car.

Sue gasped with horror. ‘My God! See that? That was Andy Moorhouse.’

‘It wasn’t!’

‘It was. Believe me.’

Greta Jones tapped the side of her nose. ‘Always knew he was a wrong ’un.’

Joyce the weekender wanted to know who they were talking about. So they had an in-depth discussion about Andy and his Jenny and how she’d dumped him and gone to Australia.

‘Left us right in the lurch with the Beauty Evening at the Women’s Institute meeting, she did. Not like her to do something like that. Always kept her appointments did Jenny. A very nice girl with a lovely smile.’

Greta nodded approvingly. ‘I’ve always had my suspicions about that Australia business. She never said nothing, did she, about a brother in Australia before she went. Then she’s supposed to have flu, then she’s supposed to have set off to Australia in the middle of it. I ask yer, it just doesn’t add up. I reckon he did her in.’

Joyce made a mental note to tell the staff where she worked this whole new tale from the idyllic place she called her country retreat. They always loved her tales about the village.

Sheila gasped, eyes wide with amazement as she looked at Greta, ‘You don’t really think so, do you?’

‘Oh, yes, I do. He’s always struck me as being a nasty beggar. Look at that trouble with the tainted food he claims he’s bought from the Store. Working there, I know full well that Jimbo wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen. He’s mustard on food hygiene, believe me, I know.’

A thought occurred to Sheila. ‘I wonder where she is now?’

Greta rolled her eyes. ‘A sight lot nearer Turnham Malpas than Australia, I should imagine.’ She drew closer to the two of them and whispered, ‘I know for a fact that house has a cellar.’

‘You don’t think she’s bur … That is disgusting, and him tucking into his supper with her laid … How could he?’ said Joyce.

‘If I’d done someone in,’ said Sheila, ‘I’d take the body to the old quarry. They’d be lost for ever amongst all the stuff that gets dumped there. The council never clear it up.’

‘Or throw ’em over Bickerby Rocks, make it look as though they’d fallen over.’ Greta nodded knowingly.

Sheila and Joyce shuddered. Joyce said, ‘But how would he get her up to the top, carrying her?’

‘No, you’re right there, though she is very slight.’ Greta, having further weighed up the possibilities of Jenny’s whereabouts, declared finally, ‘My money’s on the quarry.’

‘Bus coming.’ Sheila picked up her bag. ‘Keep me informed of further developments.’ She leapt on the bus with greater ease than in the past, having lost so much weight.

The weeks rolled by. Andy had been released by the police because there was insufficient evidence to convict him of having murdered Jenny and he was plausible about the visit to the Abbey Coffee Shop. But he had been dismissed from the Social Services with decisions about his future still pending and was now living on benefit. His car was sold, and he lived the life of a hermit apart from going once a week into Culworth for his food shopping, and no one volunteered to sit next to
him
on the bus. His name was on everybody’s lips week after week and he got short shrift from everyone. They all guessed he was guilty and, so far as they were concerned, it would stay that way until proved different.

Over their morning cup of tea Dottie and Beth discussed it yet again. Dottie said for the umpteenth time, ‘I can’t understand why they haven’t accused him of murdering her. After all, it didn’t seem right, her being the kind of person she was, that she promised your mum about the Beauty Evening and then wham! She disappears overnight to Australia and hasn’t been seen since.’

‘Neither can I.’

‘Can’t find no evidence, I expect. But you have to admit her disappearance was a mystery; here today, gone tomorrow.’

‘I still think, Dottie, that she never had flu at all. I think she’d already gone when he told you about the flu. She was fully alive the previous night, and not ill at all, because I spoke to her here in the sitting room about the Beauty Evening.’

‘Exactly. That’s my point. Coming for lunch today? I’d like it if you did.’

Beth nodded. ‘I’ve got a load of homework to do this morning. I swear they give me more to do than when I was at school. Still, keeps me busy. But, lunch at yours is definitely on. After Easter I’m going back to school.’

Dottie beamed. ‘I’m pleased, so very pleased. That is good news. You’ll be all right on the school bus ’cos it’ll take you right into the school, won’t it?’

‘And I’ll have Alex, too, and the girls get off first and then it goes on to the boys’ school. Coming home it’s in reverse so I’ll be absolutely fine. Thanks for being a good friend.’

‘That’s all right. Going back to school will make life a lot more normal and you’ll be safe.’ Dottie got to her feet, patted Beth’s hand and smiled at her.

It could have been coincidence but when Beth, feeling much more confident about walking out in the open, had started to walk home after lunch at Dottie’s that day, Andy appeared at the entrance to Syke’s Wood as though on cue. Beth’s head had been full of the talk she and Dottie had had after lunch and suddenly, without the slightest warning, there he was, smiling his most ingratiating smile.

Keep calm, keep calm, Beth said inside herself.

He waved to her and crossed the road to join her. ‘Can’t let you walk all that way up Shepherds Hill by yourself, now can I?’

He was wearing a kind of Sherlock Holmes hat and a heavy overcoat that gave him an air of respectability, a complete change from his navy anorak; it was like a new identity. He adjusted his stride to hers and began asking her if she’d started back at school yet.

Beth stopped and, not looking at him, said, ‘I wish … to walk home … by myself. Would you please walk ahead of me?’

‘But I feel you need company – you never know these days, walking alone – and I shall be proud to walk with someone as charming as you. Because you are charming. You might not realize it, but you are.’

Beth stood rooted to the spot and didn’t answer. Nothing could happen so long as she didn’t move. That was the secret; ignoring him and keeping quite still.

Andy, baffled by her lack of response, tried taking a grip on her elbow to push her into walking along with him.

But he couldn’t move her. ‘Do you hear me? Walk with me. You’ll come to no harm. Not with me.’

Then he tried wheedling and cajoling and persuading in the lightest, brightest of tones but Beth ignored him.

‘Did you know there’s some baby foxes just out of the den in the wood? They’re magic to watch. Would you like to see them?’

By now she was rigid with fear and didn’t know how much longer she could remain motionless. The desire to run was paramount in her head.

The stile leading to Sykes Wood was a matter of a few feet away and she pondered on bolting for the wood, but squashed that idea immediately. She had to stay in the open where someone, anyone might see her.

Then he was breathing heavily, his face close to her ear and she smelled garlic and drink on his breath. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

‘Do you hear me? How much longer will you stand here? Answer me, you little bitch, answer me.’

His language and his attitude to her grew more alarming by the minute, and he tried again to pull her towards the wood. Her mobile phone was worse than useless to her because he’d never let her use it. Just when her desperation had reached uncharted waters, Mrs Jones, on her way home from the Store, hove into view round the bend.

She was yards away but picked up on Beth’s panic immediately. She saw the grip he had on her arm, smelled his animal energy, and knew this was her moment, her drama.

She ran towards the pair of them, shouting and swinging her shopping bag, arriving just at the moment when Beth couldn’t physically resist his pulling any longer. So intense and focused was Andy that he was unaware of Mrs Jones’s voice until the shopping bag hit him across the back of his head. Momentarily he lost his balance and relaxed his grip. He called Mrs Jones some foul names, but she didn’t care. Released, Beth began running, short of breath through fear, but away she went, heading for the school.

Mrs Jones continued hitting Andy about his head and shoulders with her bag until she’d driven him into escaping her by running up the hill towards the village. Mrs Jones followed him as best she could but neither he nor she could see where Beth had disappeared to when they finally arrived in Jacks Lane. All appeared normal; the geese were demonstrating their authority to one of the Charter-Plackett cats, the children were playing in the schoolyard for their afternoon break, Kate Fitch was supervising and Beth – well, she’d disappeared completely.

Andy, knowing he couldn’t inquire from Mrs Fitch if she’d seen Beth as that would look suspicious, had to retire to his house, bowed but not beaten, to watch from his window.

Beth was hiding in the school kitchen with Maggie Dobbs. ‘I want my mummy,’ she said, just like she’d done when she was small at school and wanted to go home.

‘See here, Beth love, you’re safe with Maggie Dobbs. No harm’ull come to you. Why, you’re quite out of puff. Now, come on. Stop the tears, you’re safe now. Maggie’s in charge and nothing nor nobody will get at you while I’m here. Sit on this chair, and I’ll get you a glass of water. There you are, that’s it. Now, here’s the water, cold as ice out of this tap, do you a power of good, it will.’

Beth sipped clumsily out of the glass, water dripping on her chin which Maggie wiped off with a clean tea towel, feeling Beth shivering right inside herself as she did so. She repeated her request. ‘I want my mummy. Please. Beth’s going to be sick.’

Maggie nodded. She took her brand-new mobile phone from her bag and gave it to Beth. ‘You dial the number. I’ll speak.’

So Maggie spoke and Caroline was there in minutes. ‘Darling!’ She said, and they were clutched in each other’s arms.

‘I want to go home.’

‘Of course. Thank you, Maggie, for taking care of her. Thank you very much. I’ll explain later. Sorry.’

Caroline, with an arm around Beth’s shoulders, hurried her home. ‘It’s all right, Beth, we’re nearly there.’ She didn’t realize that Mrs Jones was rushing to catch up with them.

‘Doctor Harris! Doctor Harris!’

Caroline turned to see who was speaking to her. ‘Come in, come in.’

Mrs Jones followed her into the Rectory, breathless but determined to have her say. ‘You all right now, Beth? I saw it all, that’s why I’ve come.’

Caroline led the way into the kitchen. ‘Sit there, Beth, till you catch your breath. Now, Mrs Jones, what is it? What did you see?’

‘I saw it all happen. Has she told you?’

‘No.’

‘Well, that Andy Moorhouse must have been waiting for her coming home from Dottie’s because when I got round the bend by Angie Turner’s there was that sod holding Beth’s arm and trying to pull her into Sykes Wood, dragging at her arm, he was. I raced up and swung my shopping bag at him. Feel, it’s heavy, two jars of marmalade in it I’ve bought for a neighbour, and it shocked him and he let go, and your Beth ran like hell, and he and me followed her, but we couldn’t see her when we got into the village. He went home and I stood and waited to see where she’d gone. If you need a witness you’ve got me. I saw him doing it.’

Caroline laid a grateful hand on Greta Jones’s arm. ‘Thank you, thank you. I’m almost out of my mind with worry. I shall ring the police immediately and if they want to talk to you about it, will that be all right?’

At this moment Anna walked in to the Rectory, intending sitting down in Peter’s study and putting in some spadework on her Sunday sermon.

‘Oh, hello. Has something happened? Shall I make myself scarce?’

Caroline, almost beside herself, said, ‘It’s Beth. Andy Moorhouse has assaulted her. Greta witnessed it.’

‘Oh! Beth, my dear, I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?’

Greta piled in with, ‘I saw it. He tried to drag her into Sykes Wood, and these two jars of marmalade …’

Anna looked pointedly at Caroline and then went round the kitchen table and put her arm around Beth’s shoulders. ‘My dear. What a shock. Shall you and I sit in your dad’s study for a while till your mum’s sorted out what to do? Mmm?’

Beth nodded. Anything that would bring her dad close would be a help. So she and Anna sat quietly side by side on the sofa in his study, and Beth looked round the familiar room and immediately felt cherished.

‘Why is he doing this to me, Anna?’

‘It’s because his mind has got very bent.’

‘What does he mean to do?’

‘Probably all he wants to do is look at you and admire you. You’re a very beautiful girl, you see. Don’t feel it’s your fault that you’re beautiful, it isn’t, not at all. With a Dad who’s so good-looking you’re bound to be beautiful. Just look on it as his mind not functioning properly; his is like a jigsaw all in pieces in a box and needing to be sorted. If your mum rings the police then it’ll mean the police questioning you, though. Do you feel up to that?’