Love, Lies and Liquor by M. C Beaton

Author:M. C Beaton [Beaton, M. C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: 2010-03-31T21:00:00+00:00

Mrs. Bloxby was a good listener. She had years of practice from listening patiently to parish complaints.

The evening grew dark outside as Agatha talked and spray from the rising waves hammered against the windows.

“It’s interesting,” said Mrs. Bloxby when Agatha had finally finished and coffee was being served.

“Which part?”

“Well, the husbands.”

“Which ones?”

“Archie Swale and Fred Jankers.”

“What about them?”

“I was just wondering if either of them had a record.”

“The police said nothing to me.”

“They wouldn’t. You see, I think a noisy, coarse sort of woman like Geraldine Jankers would like criminals.”

“But as far as I gather, she was after money. She pretended to be all meek and mild before her weddings.”

“Still, I have found in the parish that battered wives who are finally persuaded to leave their husbands somehow manage to find another one the same. Mrs. Jankers may have thought she was simply after the money, but there might have been something villainous there which subconsciously attracted her. Take Mrs. Prissy Burford, for example.”

“That odd little woman who lives up Back Lane?”

“The same. Now, before you arrived in the village, she was married to Paul Burford, a raving alcoholic. She had a terrible time with him. Then he joined Alcoholics Anonymous and the change was miraculous and we were all so happy for her. But she divorced him and took up with a much younger man and he drank like a fish. If he hadn’t left her, she’d still be with him.”

Agatha saw Patrick entering the dining room and waved to him. “I hope there’s some food left,” he said, sitting down with them.

Agatha told him about Mrs. Bloxby’s idea and Patrick said he would walk along to the police station after he had eaten. “That is, when the tide goes down,” he said. “It’s getting dangerous out there. A chunk of masonry fell off one of the buildings on the front, they say, and still the council will do nothing about it.”

Mrs. Bloxby and Agatha said goodnight to him. Agatha waited while Mrs. Bloxby was checked into a hotel room, and was delighted to find the room next to her own was available.

“I thought the hotel would be full of press,” said Agatha to Nick Loncar, the receptionist.

“It was, but some big story broke over in Brighton and they all rushed off.”

Agatha sat up late into the night, going over her notes. She jumped nervously when her phone rang and looked at her watch. Two in the morning. She gingerly picked up the receiver.

“It’s James here, Agatha,” said that once-loved voice. “I’ve arrived.”

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