The Adulterer's Daughter: A Novel by Sam Anthony

Author:Sam Anthony [Anthony, Sam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 42

Thursday 30 October, 2003

The village hall, 7:35 p.m.

“But what the hell are you doing about it?” shouted Stan Shepherd, the misnamed dairy farmer, as his wife nodded aggressively beside him.

PC Patel held up her hands and waited for the hubbub to subside.

Mia Fairfax was already impressed. This young lady was wasted in the police force. She possessed the patience and personality required to control a year nine bottom set on a stormy Friday afternoon, and that was a rare talent indeed.

The sergeant jerked his head for her to continue, but PC Patel held the silence for long enough to convince the villagers that she was the one in charge, and any more outbursts would not be tolerated.

“The good news is,” she said, “Mrs Reed is expected to make a complete recovery. She lost a significant amount of blood, and bruised her forehead on the steering wheel when she crashed, but otherwise, I’m assured there will be no permanent damage other than a small scar on her thigh. When I spoke to Betty this morning, her biggest concern was how soon she could go out dating.

“The bad news, of course, is that there remains a violent criminal at large in our community. I want to reassure you all that we are taking this matter extremely seriously. We believe that this is the fourth assault this person has carried out, and with each new crime the victims are getting younger and the level of violence is increasing. However, what we don’t want is gangs of vigilantes patrolling the streets and taking the law into their own hands. It’s no good looking behind you, Mr O’Connor. We both know I’m talking to you. Let the police handle this. Do you understand?”

Steve had a brief flashback to primary school.

“I said, do you understand, Mr O’Connor?”

“Yes, miss. I mean: yes, officer.”

“Good. Now, I believe the ladies of the Women’s Institute have made tea and cakes for everyone, so let’s have a ten-minute break for refreshments, and then resume.”

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