Rustic Vendetta by Wendy Lewis

Author:Wendy Lewis [Lewis, Wendy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mazard
Published: 2015-02-24T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Heather was sitting at the kitchen table concentrating on planning a change of menu. Alan was bottling-up. And Peggy had just switched on the floor polisher, when suddenly the village was full of the sound of high powered cars and police sirens. The cars swept through the square and turned towards Riverview Close, a neat estate of private bungalows which had almost doubled the size of the village twenty years previously.

Heather went into the bar and across to the window.

‘What’s going on?’ asked Alan joining her.

A police car pulled up outside and Alan went to open the bar door.

‘Have you got any customers in there, sir?’ asked the policeman.

‘No - we’re not open yet.’

Peggy switched off the rattling polisher and came over to them.

‘What’s goin’ on?’ she asked.

‘I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask everyone to stay indoors and keep away from the windows,’ said the policeman.

A canvas covered army lorry full of soldiers raced across the square towards the estate.

‘We’ve found a UXB, er sorry, an unexploded bomb, sir. We’re evacuating everyone from Riverview Close and taking them up to the church hall. You should be all right here. We’ll let you know when it’s been dealt with.’ He turned and went across the square to the shop.

‘You haven’t been making bombs have you, Peggy?’ Alan asked.

‘Ha ha, very funny. Anyway it’s not our estate they’re evacuatin’.’

‘I suppose we’d better do as he says and stay away from the windows, in case it does go off,’ said Heather.

‘What sort of a bomb? Is there a secret IRA cell in the village?’ asked Alan of no-one in particular.

‘There’s no Irish people here. I wonder how you make a bomb?’ said Peggy thoughtfully. ‘I think I heard it was fertilizer and sugar.’

These two ingredients were too readily available for comfort, Heather thought.

Then Peggy shook her head. ‘No…no, it would frighten the cows. Oh my goodness. If that one goes off they could stampede and hurt themselves, and they’re on their own. Luke’ll be at market today. I’ll ‘ave to get down there. Can I ‘ave some time off Alan?’ She had taken his permission for granted as she was already unplugging the polisher.

‘Er yes, I suppose so. No, don’t put that away, I’ll finish the floor,’ he said.

‘Should you be going out?’ Heather asked her. ‘The policeman said to stay under cover.’

‘Let them try and stop me,’ Peggy was pulling on her blue anorak.

‘Can you keep an eye on Jimmy for me, as well?’ asked Heather. ‘Here, take my mobile. Ring us if there are any problems.’ Heather handed her the phone.

As Peggy left through the front door, Colin and Audrey came in, half supporting a thick-set man with close cropped gingery hair.

‘Can we wait in here, Alan?’ asked Colin. Audrey was looking very pale and clutching a handkerchief.

‘Of course. What on earth’s happening down your way? The police didn’t really tell us anything.’ said Alan.

‘Oh, Colin, we’re going to lose our home. Our lovely bungalow, all our things,’ said Audrey beginning to cry.

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