Scandal at Six(70)

*



The church path was lined with wreaths and floral tributes, and when the coffin, with its spray of white lilies, was taken from the hearse, Justin, with his mother on his arm, followed slowly behind. The organ played some of his father’s favourite Mozart, and every pew was full.

“Dad must have been popular,” he whispered to his mother, and she nodded, unable to speak.

The service went smoothly, with Father’s friends stepping forward and giving short tributes to his loyalty, his kind heart and steadfastness. Justin was the last to speak, and he delivered the encomium in a shaky voice.

Pettison was in his wheelchair at the back of the church, well wrapped up against the cold, and Justin could hear his voice singing hymns in a loud voice. Hypocrite! Just you wait until we’re back in Tresham, he thought angrily.

Now it was time to lower the coffin into the grave, and Justin and his mother threw in handfuls of earth with a last prayer. “Rest in peace, Dad,” he said to himself. “Rest in peace.”



*



“So when is Justin coming back?” asked Josie, sorting out new stock to go on the shelves.

Lois had arrived early, saying that she needed more porridge oats. “Don’t you know, dear?” she replied.

“I’ve heard nothing, and I’m glad. Sooner or later, we’re going to have to tell him we no longer have the shrews. If that’s what they were.”

“I suppose we could make up a story about them being collected, and leave it at that,” said Josie.

“Collected by who?” said Lois. “He’s bound to be suspicious.”

“Well, that’d be better than having to admit they were stolen. He did ask us to look after them.”

“Which we did, to the best of our ability. Not our fault if the shed got broken into.”

“It didn’t, Mum. Don’t you remember? I unlocked it in the usual way with the key. I suppose we should tell the police? I haven’t even told Matthew yet. I keep remembering Justin saying we were not to tell anyone.”

“But we told Cowgill, and his niece. They know the poor little things have gone.”

“Well, let’s hope Dot finds them in the zoo. I must say it’s the last time Justin uses the shed for his weird pets! It’s the funeral today, so he could be back here tomorrow, or even later on today.”

Lois paid for her porridge oats, and said they would keep in touch. “And you be careful, my duckie,” were her last words as she left the shop.



*



In Tresham, Betsy Brierley was struggling from the car to her front door, carrying four heavy bags of shopping from the supermarket. As she approached, the door opened and Ted stood there, holding out his arms to help.

“Phew! I don’t know, Ted, we seem to get through an awful lot of food. Just dump them in the kitchen, and I’ll sort them out later. I’m dying for a coffee, if you’ve got the kettle on.”

When she had taken off her coat and settled down with a hot drink, Ted, who had up to then been silent, began to speak.

“Betsy, we shall have to be a bit careful, you know. My hours at work are being cut. The current economic situation, an’ all that. So perhaps we’ll give up the luxuries for a bit.”

“What luxuries? A bit of cream and a couple of peaches is hardly luxury living, is it.”

“No, dear, of course not. But you know what I mean. Oh, and by the way,” he said, on his way out to the kitchen, “I found a strange-looking mousetrap in the washhouse, and a couple of dead mice in it. Funny-looking mice, but anyway, as they were very dead, I put the whole thing in the bin. Must have been our neighbour’s. They weren’t Pettison’s were they? He looks after his stuff too well. I know you’re not partial to mice so I thought I’d get rid of them. They were rather pathetic, actually, curled up together as if they’d frozen to death.”

“Ted Brierley!” said Betsy. “You have just thrown away two and a half thousand pounds! Of course they were Pettison’s. I had to collect them from Farnden. Still, if they were dead, they were no use anyway. Make sure you cover ’em up with plenty of rubbish. The bin men come today, don’t they? Right. Now, can I have another dollop of cream in this coffee, or would that count as luxury living?”





Forty





The ambulance had arrived in the early afternoon to collect Pettison, and Justin waved him off with mixed feelings. A part of him thought it was actually very loyal of his uncle to risk pain and discomfort to come to say farewell to an old friend. At the same time, he was haunted by suspicions that Robert had turned up to make sure no incriminating evidence was left behind. Uncle and his mother had been in close conversation, and had changed the subject as soon as he came into the room.