Episode 19 - Garnets

Thursday cont

Edith was overjoyed that she would have the two little girls to care for even if her husband Frederick, a vicar who disliked the human race unless he was called on to save their souls, wasn’t. As vicar he was sincere but incompetent; as a husband and father he was was a dead loss.

***

However, Edith was getting bolder these days. She was no longer asking her husband for permission to do things. She was become more assertive. Frederick Parsnip did not like that, either, because he did not like playing second fiddle. He resented the arrival of the two little girls. The duty of a vicar’s wife was, in the vicar’s mind, to make sure he was well-fed, well-clothed and emotionally stable, though how he expected Edith to look after his emotional stability is a mystery since they had lived in a cold war situation ever since Edith had forced herself on him to become pregnant with the twin boys after he had told her that he did not want any more children.

Dorothy had remonstrated with him more than once about his mental cruelty to his wife and apparent indifference to his children.

“Just mark my words”, she had said, “if you go on being selfish and egoistic, one day you will wake up to find that Edith has left you, and no wonder.”

Edith was, however, still at the vicarage doing all her daily chores and most of his. She found happiness in caring for the children entrusted to her, which of course included her own five sons, of interest to their father only when he could boss them about and criticize.

The five Parsnip boys were also learning to defend their rights. Frederick thought schools were for discipline and teaching children to obey their parents, but his ideas on education belonged firmly in the 19^th century and his parental authority was non-existent. He was a fairly hopeless individual.

***

When PeggySue was safely under Edith’s motherly wing, Cleo, who had for various reasons  postponed meeting with Frank Wetherby, would drive separate from Gary to North Wales on what would be her last contribution to the investigations going on there. Apart from the logistics of getting organized to go anywhere, Cleo was not enthusiastic about travelling away from home now she had an infant and Charlie to care for. It was one thing looking after people’s problems locally and quite another having to drive hundreds of miles to do a job somebody else should be doing. Meeting Frank was, however, important and a necessary part of setting up a contract between them and gaining a qualified sleuth for her agency.

The main consolation in North Wales would be that she could spend quality time with Gary who was over the moon he and Cleo had at last advanced from clandestine couple to real live family, but there was still an extra kick in a hotel assignation.

Cleo phoned Dorothy to make up for not meeting her on Thurday morning, but Dorothy did not volunteer much information about Rita. Despite being determined to treat the event as normal, Cleo was dying with curiosity. In the end she did ask Dorothy what it would be like living under the same roof as Robert and the girl he had married nearly 30 years ago.

“They weren’t exactly affectionate with one another last night,”   Dorothy started. “In fact, Rita told Robert that she was not interested in a renewed relationship. She was quite adamant about not wanting Gloria’s job and I’m quite sure she will not be moving into the flat above the shop.”

“Is that a hunch, Dorothy?”

“I don’t have hunches these days. They have led me up the garden path too often!”

“Oh dear! Do you mean Gary? Your hunch was spot-on there.”

“That was not a hunch. That was a deduction,” said Dorothy. “Being a sleuth teaches one to observe and draw valid conclusions.”

***

“I stand corrected,” said Cleo. “What should I do about the stolen hens, Dorothy?”

“Wait and see if Jane Barker absconds with any more. She definitely took the ones that are missing, but telling on Jane to Jim may not be constructive at this stage. I’m not sure that Jane knows the difference between right and wrong if she thought her husband’s pet hens were hers to be dispose of as the mood took her.”

“Will she stop doing it?”

“I’m not sure. I got the impression that she had customers lined up, but I don’t think she slaughters the poor creatures herself. ”

“Chloroforming them and leaving them to their fate on the Common is not humane, either, Dorothy.”

“I’m surprised that Mr Barker did not realize sooner what his wife was doing. After all, the story of the wandering hens was in the Gazette a couple of times with an appeal to the owner to come forward.”

“But by the time Bertie Browne’s Gazette reported the story, since it only comes out twice a week the hens would have invariably met their maker, so Mr Barker could not have identified them. He knew about those articles in the paper. That’s why he came to us.”

“So he probably had a hunch, but did not want to expose his wife to police questioning or the Gazette,” said Dorothy.

“Or it was a deduction, since his hen-population was shrinking one by one and he did not want to challenge his wife himself.”

“I’ve heard them shouting at one another on more than one occasion. I often wonder why people stay together when they evidently don’t even like each other,” said Dorothy.

“Financial considerations, I should think,” said Cleo, “or fear of loneliness. That drives lots of people to putting up with an insufferable partner. Do you want me to write an official letter to him, saying we’ve solved the mystery but not saying how, only that his remaining hens are now safe?”

“Always assuming they are, Cleo. You could offer to get a prosecution, but that would mean telling on Jane.”

“If that’s necessary, we’ll do it, Dorothy. Mr Barker is paying us for investigating the issue and expects concrete information in return, so he’ll get it.”

“Of course, if they were on better terms, the Barkers could sort it out themselves. But if Jane can be believed, the hens already have the run of the house and that’s not a good basis for burying the hatchet,” said Dorothy. “I’m not sure I could keep my temper faced with that situation. Jim Barker treats his poultry like household pets.”

“How many hens are there?”

“At least a dozen left, I would say. Jane told me that she doesn’t even eat the eggs they produce except in cakes. She also told me that Jim has given all the hens names, like farmers do with calves even when they know they are going to be slaughtered.”

“I’ve always thought that treating your farm animals like pets and then sending them to the slaughter was macabre. At least hunters don’t know their trophies personally.”

“I think I’ll turn vegetarian,” said Dorothy.

“If everyone turned vegetarian that would be the end of Robert’s business.”

“I wouldn’t want that. Gloria’s job would go, too, wouldn’t it?” said Dorothy.

“Always assuming she still wants it,” said Cleo. “How long will her enthusiasm for the job last when she has to get the bus from Gary’s old flat in Middlethumpton every day?”

“You’ll have to get her a car, Cleo.”

“Even if I could afford it, I wouldn’t. I’m not letting Gloria loose in the traffic round here. She drives like a New York cab driver.”

“Maybe she’ll find a flat in Upper Grumpsfield.”

“On the other hand, I’m glad Gary offered her his place since it has put her firmly on his side. I could not have stood any more lectures from my mother on how to patch up a failed marriage.”

“I can well believe that,” said Dorothy.

***

“To change the subject,” said Cleo, “I received a request from a Miss Snow yesterday. It was on pink rose-perfumed letter paper, and it may be a job for you, Dorothy.”

“Anyone who writes on perfumed paper is a challenge. What does she want?”

“She’d like us to find her dog.”

“Oh no! Not another lost dog.”

“This one should be easy to find. It’s apparently a more or less black fluffy almost- poodle and Miss Snow has dyed a streak of the fur on its head pink.”

“Quite remarkable,” said Dorothy, tongue in cheek. “Always assuming the fur has not been dyed back to its normal colour.”

“Miss Snow is distraught. She has sent me a cheque to cover my initial expenses.”

“OK. Send me a fax of the letter and I’ll get onto it.”

“You don’t have a fax machine, Dorothy.”

It will be digitalized, of course,” said Dorothy.

“Wow!”

“Faxes are out of date, Cleo. You’ll have to get used to make data files of anything that arrives on paper. You need a copier rather than an old-fashioned fax machine.”

“Wow! I’m glad I have a new assignment for you.”

“I’d rather solve a murder,” said Dorothy.

“None in stock right now, Dorothy except a fleshless female corpse that appeared when the pond behind Huddlecourt Manor school was emptied.”

“Good gracious. Who is it?”

“Someone with an amulet like the one found under Susie Sweet’s body.”

“That sounds like a thumnping good mystery,  Cleo.”

“We’ll get onto it next week.”

“Where’s Gary?”

“At Headquarters if he isn’t already on the way to Frint-on-Sea-. He wants to wind up his activities there and make a deal with a guy named O’Reilly, who will release Brass so that he can work in Middlethumpton,” said Cleo.

“Aren’t you going with him?”

“Separately. My plan is to meet Frank Wetherby and get him to sign his contract, but I’ll also have to pay that awful brothel a visit. Those hookers might know something they won't tell the police. After that I'll have finished my investigations in Frint-on-Sea, whatever the outcome.”

“I wish you hadn’t been dragged into the business in the first place,” said Dorothy. “Thanks for coming to the rescue.”

“My pleasure, and it did lead to Gary and me getting together for ever, so you did me a big favour, Dorothy.”

“Yes, but…”

“I thought you approved.”

“Oh, I do. It took you long enough to find out what you wanted.”

“Explain that, please.”

“I’m not going over it all again. I’d rather go and find Miss Snow’s dog. And before that I’m going to give Frederick a piece of my mind. We need plans for the Christmas entertainment.”

“Christmas? It’s only September.”

“If you are going to be around more, can you help me to organize some sort of show?”

“I’m your gal, Dorothy. Say the word.”

“I thought we could have something with spirituals, but that would mean involving Robert.”

“Go ahead, Dorothy. It’s a big deal for him and I can cope.”

“But can he?”

“Of course he can. He has Rita and Julie to support him, remember.”

“I can’t see Rita taking him on,” said Dorothy.

“He should have married Gloria, not me. She’s much more his type.”

“Cleo, I’m shocked. She’s your mother, after all.”

“But they are on the same wavelength and he was born middle-aged.”

“I hope that idea doesn’t occur to them. Just imagine the headlines: ‘Butcher marries the daughter then the mother’.”

“It won’t happen, Dorothy. Robert is too quiet for Gloria. Go to vicarage and tell that vicar that you will cancel the Christmas festivities if he doesn’t cooperate. Miss Snow’s dog can wait.”

“Always assuming Frederick hasn’t left for darkest Africa by then.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s probable. Frederick’s sermons have been ghastly recently, I heard, and he walks around like Atlas with the world on his shoulders. It will do him good to go where there is real poverty and suffering.”

“Don’t wish that on him, Dorothy. He can barely cope with a normal life, let alone a deprived one.

“Of course, there is one ideal solution, to the vicar’s marriage,” said Cleo.

“How dou you mean that?”

“That marriage is on the rocks. Edith is sacrificing herself for the family and he doesn’t even notice.”

“Go on!”

“Supposing Edith were to take a fancy to Robert, or he to her?”

“That occurred to me, too. Anything’s better than Gareth Morgan fawning around her.”

“Does he still think that organist is a rival?”

“It looks like it,” said Dorothy, “but I know for a fact that Edith now always announces her presence when she listens to him practicing the organ. She didn’t used to do that. That’s how she toppled the donation box. Remember that?”

“Dorothy, how do you know she did it?”

“I just put two and two together.”

“The business with the donation box shook her,” said Cleo.

“Everything shakes Edith except coping with children, Cleo.”

“Lucky for me!”

***

“PeggySue will be a year old soon, Dorothy. Shall we have a party?”

“That’s a good idea. You could invite Edith  and Robert and see what happens.”

“Maybe it will still be warm enough for a BBQ,” said Cleo. “Then Edith could organize it at the vicarage.”

“Even better. Robert is bound to deliver the meat for the grill.-I’ll suggest it to her, Cleo.”

***

Dorothy made her way to the vicarage, practising what she was going to say to Frederick about Christmas.

***

Since Dorothy always went round to the kitchen door when she went to the vicarage, she was able to talk to Edith first. Edith agreed that an informal BBQ would ease a sticky situation all round. Rather to Dorothy’s surprise, Edith was all in favour of Cleo’s new living arrangements. If Gary was going to be Cleo’s partner, he needed to be seen to belong to her. Robert would be asked to the barbeque as PeggySue’s father since all the other children would be there.

***

Dorthy did not reveal her match-making intention to Edith. Edith did not reveal her interest in Robert, either.

***

Edith wanted to know more about Rita. Hadn’t Dorothy told her that Robert was in touch with her through his daughter? She was coming home, wasn’t she? Had she arrived yet?

“Yes, she’s back and she’s staying with me,” said Dorothy. “But there’s no question of a reunion, Edith.”

“I’m glad … no I’m sorry about that.”

The Freudian slip did not escape Dorothy.

Dorothy was not sure if Rita should be part of the get-together, but on the other hand, it would show everyone that Robert was not anticipating a reunion and Rita was quite obviously not interested.

Dorothy thought it was time to get Edith away from Frederick. Sad for the vicar, but good for Edith.

***

Gary rang Cleo on his mobile to say he was ready to leave for North Wales.

“I could drive with you if you give me time to get ready,” Cleo told him. “PeggieSue is already at the vicarage and you could send a text to Charlie to tell her what’s happening. I took some clothes for her and she has a house key here so she could collect anything else she needs.”

“Brilliant. We could leave in an hour or so. Is that enough time for you?”

“Sure. Je t’aime.”

“Moi aussi.”

***

Dorothy was in good form when sie visited Frederick in his office. She omitted the preamble and asked him straight out if the Christmas show could take place, since he had not yet contacted her about it. OK, it was early days, but any panto would need casting and rehearsing, and that also applied to the idea she had of putting a spiritual revue together.

Frederick felt challenged and offered to put the entire arrangements in Dorothy’s capable hands. Dorothy wondered if that was proof that Frederick thought he could save the world by meditating as he did all night Tuesday followed by trips to darkest Africa to put his prayers into action.

The vicar had told Dorothy many times that he was planning an Africa trip, but did not know when he could get away, since there were the five boys to consider and other children Edith volunteered to look after. He was not aware that Edith knew of his Africa plans and thought his escape from his family duties would be a blessed relief for the family left behind. She would support Frederick’s plans with anonymous donations to the flight fund, all the while making out that she was not interested in discussing Frederick’s dream of evangelizing Africa.

The vicar was bothered about getting someone to stand in for him and had wanted Dorothy to make a constructive suggestion. Dorothy had hinted that the Bishop was the best person to ask, but could be requested not to send in an eligible young man. Frederick had looked puzzled and Dorothy thought how little the vicar cared about the souls under his roof before explaining that Edith would have to offer the replacement a room until he could find somewhere to live, unless she and the boys were going to have to leave the vicarage. He would not want to compromise his wife, would he?

Frederick had designed his pilgrimage but not thought of what he would be leaving behind. Dorothy had once reminded him that the vicarage was his family’s home and he was thoughtless to even consider leaving them without any concern for their future.  His reaction was invariably “We’ll sort something out,” meaning that someone else would have to sort things out.

***

Cleo phoned Edith to make sure that PeggySue was OK. She could not resist telling her that Robert needed a new partner.

 “We had got to the end of our time together, Edith, but I still care what happens to him, and it will not be getting together with Rita, from what I heard Dorothy say.”

“I heard that, too,” said Edith. “Maybe there’s someone else out there somewhere,” she added,  and Cleo could not help thinking that Edith was a little partial to Robert.

“Maybe there is. Someone who isn’t quite as independent as me, Edith. Someone he can take care of.”

***

After that phone-call, Cleo was sure that she had planted an idea in Edith’s mind, always assuming it wasn’t there already. If they got on well  - and Edith had always loved Robert’s singing and was always thrilled to listen to him in the church choir – who knows what might happen? For the first time in weeks, Cleo felt there was a solution to Edith’s lonelinesss. Though it was only days since Robert had left her, it felt like a year, so completely had Gary taken over the role of man in her life and head of the family.

***

Cleo was all smiles after her talk with Edith, and Gary was gratified when she told him about the solution she and Dorothy had cooked up for Robert.

“It might prevent him from stalking you, Cleo. He’s bound to regret moving out.”

“He wouldn’t stalk me. Rita is probably putting emotional strain on him, so he’ll be too busy coping with her having told him she doesn’t want a reunion.”

When Cleo looked into the distance Gary always knew she was avoiding eye contact.

“You are plotting something with Dorothy, aren’t you?”

“Not exactly plotting, but Dorothy says there isn’t a hope in hell that Rita and Robert will get together again, however hard Julie tries to force the issue.”

Mentioning Julie was rather undiplomatic since Gary had had a short affair – platonic, as both said -  with Robert’s daughter and the affair never took off as her former partner, Colin Peck, came back from London and they resumed their relationship. Colin had accepted the task of supervising IT and documentation at Police Headquarters, so Gary found himself turning to him for information.  ybil, another episode in Gary’s recent past, had met her death in a hotel. She had been picking up men at night, and one of them had killed her.

Gary described these short interludes as a futile attempt to find a surrogate for Cleo. It had been love at first sight for both of them. They had met many times, but Cleo had not been able to see the relationship as more than an affair, since she had promised herself to Robert. Gary had watched miserably as she had married the Welsh butcher. Sheer desperation had led him to telling her on that Frith-on-Sea beach how he felt about her. Her response had overwhelmed both of them.

“Talking of Julie, Cleo, I want you to know something.”

“I’m not really curious.”

“Not really? You might want to ask why we never slept together, Cleo.”

“Are you planning to tell me?”

“She was one of the substitutes for you and a strictly platonic one.”

“Do I need to kow that Gary? It’s all past history now.”

“Yes. Men find it easier to separate sex and love, but I found it impossible and that had never happened to me before..”

“So it was my fault, was it?”

“I suppose it was.”

“I’m sure glad we share a bed now, Gary. I could not have gone through any more of your girlfriends,  platonic or otherwise.”

“Julie was pining for Colin the whole time and conducting secret phone calls with him.”

“She must be happy now, then,” said Cleo.

“She might be, but Colin is looking around.”

“Another drama in the making,” said Cleo.

“We have a few minutes before we leave, Cleo. How about a bite of lunch and a short siesta?”

A bite of lunch and  far too short a siesta later, the lovers set off for North Wales. Gary chose a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Francesca di Rimini.

“I always think of you when I play this,” he explained. “It’s dripping with feeling. Like me, now.”

“Tchaikovsky releases a lot of deep feelings. I must have been emotionally stunted in the old days.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” said Gary.

“I mean passion, Gary. All that passion in the music.”

“You were stuck with the wrong guys,” said Gary. “As I tried to say before lunch, love was never a part of my relationships before, unless you count the early days of my marriage. I knew you were the woman I had been looking for from the first time we met, but I was too much of a coward to say so then.”

“You were not too bold to take me to Romano’s guest room, Gary.”

“I didn’t need words for that and you were just as keen.”

“I just hope Robert falls for Edith. I’d hate him to try to start up our marriage again.”

“He’d better not,” said Gary. “ For one thing, my divorce will be through in exactly one week,” said Gary. “If you just open the flap of the glove compartment, you’ll find a little red box.”

Gary kept his eyes firmly on the traffic while Cleo stared at the little box.

“Open it! I’m nearly a free man. Will you marry me, Cleo, or at least wear the ring? It’s garnets and belonged to my mother. My father gave it to her when they were courting, as they called it in those days.”

“Garnets are my favourite stones. I’ll be honoured to wear it. I want to marry you and don’t mind being courted.”

“You can take time to think about your answer.”

“I don’t need time. The only hitch is that I haven’t even had time to file for my divorce yet.”

“Fortunately, divorce is not as complicated as it used to be.”

“It will be if Robert fights for PeggySue.”

“He won’t, Cleo. Didn’t he say he was too old for parentage?”

“Sure. Anyway, I have a British passport now and I am not planning to leave the UK, so he can’t base his argument on wanting PeggySue to have a British education.”

“Robert gives me the impression that he doesn’t like things to get complicated, Cleo..That’s why he left you instead of waiting for you to ask him to leave your house.”

“I could not have done that, Gary.”

“How else were you going to end your marriage?”

“I’d never thought how.”

“I think Robert had. He wanted to avoid the humiliation of being kicked out or me throwing him out.”

“You would never have done that, Gary.”

“Wouldn’t I just!”

“I almost wish you had tried, except that he’s about 60 pounds heavier,” said Cleo.

“I trained in single combat so I could have taken him on, Cleo. I’m quite sorry I didn’t have to fight for you. When Robert left, he was only thinking of himself and he’ll go on thinking of himself.”

“I’d just like you to know that after our first tryst I knew deep down that I did not want to live without you,” said Cleo. “If that sounds trite, I suppose it must be, but it’s the truth.”

“I can’t imagine going back to a life without you, Cleo, but right now we need petrol,” said Gary, pulling into a filling station. “Let’s get a coffee to seal our engagement.”

“We should discuss what we are going to do in North Wales,” said Cleo. “Apart from going jogging, I mean…”

“Tht’s a great knew name for it! You never fail to surprise me. Is that the respectable married lady who just wanted a sex adventure without getting involved?”

“No, Gary, it’s the stupid woman who ignored all the symptoms and did not believe in her feelings!”

“But you do now.”

“You’ve convinced me.”

“So I’ve passed the test?”

“With flying colours.”