Village Secrets (20 page)

‘But we do. It was Kate Pascoe’s cat, sure as eggs,’ Jimmy argued.

‘Yes, I’m certain you’re right on that score. Good night to you.’

Ralph and Muriel went to their own house and Ralph unlocked the door for Muriel but, before he followed her in, he stood in the road looking round at the sleeping village. Well, well. What next? But they’d withstand this crisis. The village had withstood heaven knew what for centuries – a bit of black magic wasn’t going to destroy it. Civil war, world wars, plagues, kings and queens … all had come and gone, but here it still was, and here it would be for all time. The canker would have to be plucked out of its heart. He, Ralph Templeton, would see to that. He wasn’t going to allow some pathetic people with twisted minds to destroy the peace of mind of this beloved place.

Hetty Hardaker rang the school-bell at five minutes to nine, as she always did. The children made their neat lines, Margaret Booth came to collect her infants and there was the usual hubbub of happy young voices, eager for the school day to begin. She couldn’t help smiling. Where else would she find such satisfaction?

‘Sophie, use your handkerchief dear, please. You haven’t got one? Go and get a tissue from the box in my room.’

‘Mrs Hardaker, it’s my birthday today.’

‘I know, Brian, I’ve got the candles all ready. I’ve put five out – that’s right, isn’t it?’ She laughed at her joke. The children chuckled.

Brian protested. ‘Eight!’

‘Of course. I know. Just testing! Right, Miss Booth?’

‘Right, Mrs Hardaker. Come along, Class One. Gently now.’

The only cloud on the horizon this morning was that Kate Pascoe was late. Hetty looked across at the school-house. The curtains were still drawn. Odd.

‘Miss Booth, could you take prayers? When I’ve done the register I’m going across to the school-house to see what’s happened to Miss Pascoe.’

‘Will do.’

Hetty slipped on her top coat and strode across the school playground. She kept thinking Spring was on its way but this morning she knew she was mistaken. The wind blowing across the open space between the school and the house was cruelly cold. She knocked on the front door. She knocked again. She tried the knob, but the door was locked.

Only the curtains in the kitchen were open. Shading her eyes she peered in. Everything appeared to be quite normal. Neat, tidy, nothing out of place. Typical Miss Pascoe. But acid green kitchen walls? Hetty shrugged her shoulders. She stood below the bedroom window and shouted, ‘Kate! Kate! Are you all right?’

Hetty returned to school. The head teacher’s absence made a complete hash of the school timetable. She’d better inform the Education Department in Culworth to see if they could send a teacher to help out. At the back of her mind there was a nagging feeling. This was so unlike Kate. Hetty wished wholeheartedly that Mr Palmer was still here. Those were the days. Still, she couldn’t deny him the happiness he’d found at last. His wedding to Suzy Meadows had been so beautiful … Maybe Kate was ill, Hetty thought suddenly. That was it! Too ill to get help. Oh dear. She hadn’t got a key, so she couldn’t get in.

Pat Duckett was just finishing in the kitchen when Hetty hurried back into school. ‘No message from Miss Pascoe is there, Pat?’

‘No, nothing. Funny she’s not here. You’d think she’d have let us know.’

‘Exactly. I think she must be ill and
can’t
let us know. If I had a key I’d go and find out.’

‘Look no further. I’ve still got one. Mr Palmer always let me keep one for him in case he lost his. Been meaning to give it to Ms Pascoe and never got round to it.’

‘Where is it?’

‘Safe at home. Too ’eavy to carry around.’

‘I must go and see to the children. Is it asking too much to suggest you go home and bring it back here?’

‘No sooner said than done.’

By the time Pat had cycled up to the Garden House and back again she was tired, but her curiosity urged her on to suggest Mrs Hardaker oughtn’t to go into the house by herself just in case.

‘You come with me then. It’s better if there’s two of us, just in case as you say.’

The decorations inside the school-house appalled Pat. It felt decadent. It
was
decadent. Give her a nice light emulsion and some chintzy curtains any time. This was a nightmare. There’d been two deaths on school premises, Toria Clark’s and Mr Palmer’s wife before that. Was this to be the third? She shuddered.

There was nothing and no one downstairs so Hetty called up: ‘Kate!
Kate
!’ Still no reply.

Nervously, she climbed the stairs with Pat close behind. The bed in the little bedroom hadn’t been slept in. There was no sign of habitation except for a pair of black velvet slippers under the bedside table, and a book laid on the bedspread, which was dyed the deepest purple Pat had ever seen. Good grief! She’d never sleep a wink under that thing.

Then Hetty looked in that awkward corner under the eaves. There was an object shrouded beneath a black cloth. Two black candles stood sentinel either side. She whisked the cloth off and found a crystal ball.

Pat blanched. ‘Lord help us! She’s a witch.’

Hetty snapped her reply. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Pat.’ Despite her anger at Pat’s remark she covered the ball with the cloth and went down the stairs much faster than she had gone up them.

They stood at the bottom of the staircase looking at each other.

Hetty said, ‘It’s not a criminal offence.’

Pat trembled. ‘The cat – where’s the blasted cat?’

‘I’ve always hated that cat.’

‘Unnatural it is. I don’t fancy finding it.’

‘Neither do I. Where is she though?’

‘I’ve just had a thought.’ Pat raced outside. ‘Look – her car’s not here.’

Classes Two and Three had just gone out for their morning play when Kate’s car drove into the school playground. Hetty ushered the children to one side whilst Kate parked it beside the school-house.

‘Miss Pascoe! Thank goodness you’re all right. Where have you been? We’ve been so worried.’

In answer to Hetty’s questions Kate reached into the car and carefully lifted out a wire cat-carrier. Cat was inside. The animal had a wide bandage all the way round her middle, and looked much the worse for wear.

‘Oh dear, I am sorry. Whatever happened?’

‘A coal flew out of the fire and burnt Cat before she could get out of the way. It’s a terrible burn and I had to take her to the vet’s in Culworth. I’ve been so upset.’ And indeed, the head teacher looked strained and hollow-eyed. ‘They took ages attending to her. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know but it’s been terrible. I’ve been up all night with her. They wanted to keep her in but I insisted on bringing her home.’

The children pressed round to see the horrific injuries and were quite disappointed that the bandage prevented it.

‘Oh! Ms Pascoe!’

‘Ohhhh! How awful!’

‘Awww. The poor thing!’

‘It must hurt!’

Kate unlocked her door and said, ‘Mrs Hardaker, I’ll be in school by the end of playtime. I’ll just grab something to eat and then I’ll come.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course I am. I can’t leave you holding the fort.’

Hetty had to admire her, but at the same time … Crystal balls? What was the teaching profession coming to! At dinnertime when Pat came back she’d have to warn her not to let Kate know that they’d been in the house. At all costs Kate must never find out. It would put their working relationship, already somewhat tetchy, on such a precarious footing if Kate knew she’d seen the … well, not to put too fine a point on it …
the altar
.

Ralph had rung Peter at nine o’clock that morning to ask if he would be free to see him.

‘Of course, if you come in about half an hour. After that I have various appointments which I can’t ditch.’

‘That will be absolutely fine, Peter.’

‘Good, see you then.’

They settled down to talk in the study. Peter said, ‘Before you tell me what you’ve come to discuss, can I say the builders have given me the quote for pointing the church tower and replacing any necessary masonry. When it’s been agreed, they’ll go ahead as soon as the weather improves.’

‘Good – not before time. Can’t have the tower falling down. Stitch in time et cetera.’

Ralph mentioned the cricket club and his hopes for the summer, and that the first match in the League was on the first Bank Holiday in May; they would be playing against Little Derehams. What did he think?

‘Brilliant!’ Peter, a born athlete and keen cricketer, was pleased. ‘I understand they’re a very good team.’

‘They are. They are,’ Ralph beamed.

‘The pavilion will be finished then?

‘Oh yes! Have you not been to take a look?’

‘No. I keep meaning to find the time. It’s not lack of interest.’

‘It is going to be excellent,’ Ralph enthused. ‘All modern conveniences in every sense of the word, plus a marvellous wide verandah right across the front – old Fitch’s idea, and give him credit it’s a good one. Best pavilion in the county when it’s finished – but then that’s typical of the man.’

Peter looked at Ralph with a reproving expression on his face. Ralph apologised immediately. ‘Sorry! I truly am grateful for what he’s done but it does rather stick in the craw. However, we shall have a superb summer cricket-wise, I’m sure of that, and the pitch is coming on a treat.’

‘Is it cricket you came to see me about then?’

Ralph sat forward and rested his hands on his knees as he always did when he was searching for the right words. Looking up at Peter he said, ‘It was nearly half-past one last night before I got to bed.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. What was the problem? Muriel not well?

‘No, no, nothing like that. I was in Sykes Wood with Jimmy and Muriel.’

‘Ah. Yes?’ Peter’s expression changed.

Ralph told him what had happened in the wood and asked his opinion.

‘I am completely bewildered. Who on earth can these five people have been?

‘The cat Sykes had the fight with was Kate Pascoe’s.’

‘Oh good Lord, I don’t believe it.’

‘It got badly burnt. It actually rolled on the glowing embers with Sykes on top of it. It’s bound to have burns. That will be proof of a kind.’

‘I can hardly ask to see her cat can I? What excuse could I give?’

‘None. But I won’t have black magic or whatever it is they’re doing, in this village. People are being affected by it, and it must stop.’

Unable to believe what was happening, Peter said, ‘They’ll not meet there again, will they, now they’ve been seen.’

‘Exactly. I didn’t mean to let them know we were there but Sykes thought differently.’

‘I wonder who else is involved?’

Ralph retorted. ‘No idea.’

‘Hardly a police matter is it? But there’s no doubt it is a church matter. They’ve done nothing criminally wrong, have they?’

Ralph shook his head saying ‘No, but morally wrong.’

‘Indeed. This calls for intervention on my part. I shall have to act, and quickly.’

‘Quite. A sight of the cat is most important. Evidence, you see. And here’s the other bit of evidence – one of the black candles.’

He took the candle from his pocket, and put it on Peter’s desk. Peter picked it up. ‘Oh, my goodness. That is ominous.’

‘It is, isn’t it? I must go, Muriel will be wondering where I am. She’s very upset after last night, but she would insist on coming with us. She can be quite headstrong sometimes.’

‘Thank you for telling me, Ralph. Action is called for, definitely, but I’m not yet quite sure what to do.’

‘Neither am I. If I get any more information I’ll let you know.’

‘Very well, and I you.’

When Ralph had left, Peter moved one of his appointments to the afternoon so that he would be free to collect the children from playgroup.

‘I
want
to go, Sylvia, I have a particular reason for going, OK?’

‘Very well, Rector, but don’t let Beth forget her wool hat. Dr Harris and I are taking them both to Bickerby Rocks this afternoon. Wear them out a bit, we hope!’

Peter laughed. ‘Got to go, but I will collect them, don’t worry.’

When he got to school at five minutes to twelve he went straight to the playgroup room and picked up the twins.

‘Just need to see Ms Pascoe for a moment, children. Come with me.’

‘Daddy.’

‘Yes, Alex?’

‘Cat’s got a big, big bandage round her tummy and she’s in her cage and she’s poorly, and you can’t see her eyes, she won’t open them.’

Beth, not to be outdone, said, ‘Ms Pascoe’s been crying. Truly crying.’

Peter’s heart sank. As he crossed the hall Kate, looking quite dreadful, came out of her classroom.

‘Hello, Ms Pascoe. The children tell me your cat’s been in the wars.’ He felt very two-faced saying this but couldn’t see any other way round it. He could hardly tell her outright that he knew the cause.