Village Secrets by Shaw Rebecca

Author:Shaw, Rebecca [Shaw, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409140078
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2010-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

It was not only Don Wright who’d seen Kate walking home in the night. Ralph and Muriel had been to dinner with an old Diplomatic Service colleague of Ralph’s and the two men had been reminiscing with such enjoyment that Muriel had not wished to spoil their pleasure by reminding them how late it was getting, with the result that they hadn’t left his house until a quarter past one. Muriel was very tired and dozed for most of the way home.

Ralph had woken her when they were about five minutes away from Turnham Malpas. ‘My dear, time to wake up. Five minutes and we shall be there.’

Muriel stretched. ‘I wasn’t really sleeping, just dozing. I’m glad you had such a wonderful evening, Ralph.’

‘We rather neglected you, I’m afraid.’

‘No, you didn’t, I enjoyed hearing about your exploits. He seems to have been great fun.’ In the beam of the car headlights Muriel spotted someone walking by the side of the road. ‘Oh look, Ralph! Be careful, there’s someone there. Look!’

‘So there is. Who on earth can it be?’

As they passed, Muriel saw it was Kate Pascoe with Cat.

‘What is Kate doing out at this time of night? Quick! Do stop and give her a lift.’

‘No.’

‘Ralph! Perhaps her car has broken down. Do stop.’

‘I don’t want that cat in my car.’

‘I think that’s most unkind, and not at all like you.’

‘She’s nearly home anyway. I don’t like cats, Muriel. Particularly ones the size of a young panther.’

‘You’re not succumbing to this village superstition thing, are you?’

‘Of course not.’

‘You don’t sound very sure.’ She turned her head to look into his face. There was a half-smile on his lips and she said, ‘You are, just a little bit, aren’t you?’

‘I was born and bred here, so perhaps I am in tune with the spirit of the village.’

‘Well, really, I’m ashamed of you. I truly am. I was born here too, but I don’t feel like that. It’s nonsense.’

‘There’s an atmosphere in the village at the moment that I don’t like – a kind of wary atmosphere – and people are finding it difficult to meet one’s eye. Have you noticed that? But then there have been some strange happenings recently, haven’t there?’

‘Ralph – you’re as bad as everyone else! Sadie dies in her sleep, which I’m very sorry about because I envied her her joie de vivre and I shall miss her, one cat goes missing and a stray dog turns up. No connection at all.’

‘Two people, one quite young, are both quietly going out of their minds. You’ve forgotten that.’

Muriel shivered. ‘You’re right.’

‘I am. Somewhere there’s evil about. Someone is toying with the devil.’

As Ralph was putting the car away in the garage, Muriel remarked, ‘I overheard in the Store that there’s been lights seen in Sykes Wood at night.’

‘Ah!’

‘Why “Ah!”?’

‘We’ve just seen Kate Pascoe, with a torch, walking along in the early hours of the morning, haven’t we?’

‘We have. Ralph, how about if we go and take a look one night? Very late.

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