Free A Village in Jeopardy (Turnham Malpas 16) by Rebecca Shaw Page A

remembered it.’
    ‘Well, I do. Audrey, if you hear anything at all about Dottie, get a card or anything from her, will you let me know? I feel very concerned about her, you see. We can’t understand why she’s gone. Look, here’s my card with my number. Keep it and let me know, will you?’
    ‘Thanks. Yes, I will. I couldn’t have a better neighbour than Dottie. Lovely person, never a wrong word and always a good laugh.’
    But the card was propped against the clock on Audrey’s mantelpiece and there was still no word from Dottie.
     
    The night of the incident that so distressed Dottie, Willie and Sylvia had a terrible argument, the worst they had ever had. It began when Dottie scurried out of the bar looking so distressed. Sylvia stood up calling out, ‘Dottie! Take no notice; he didn’t mean it.’
    But Dottie never looked back. In her fury Sylvia turned on Willie. ‘Will you never learn, Willie Biggs, to control that tongue of yours?’ Sylvia gave him such a push that he almost fell out of his chair. Her anger made her give him another push and his chair went over backwards and Willie with it.
    This incensed him so much that despite his advancing years he rapidly stood upright and managed to proclaim for all the world to hear, ‘I only spoke the truth. That’s my defence.’
    Zack, standing Willie’s chair up for him, said, ‘There’s times to speak and times not.’
    ‘You found it funny. I saw Marie give you a nudge to shut you up.’
    ‘But . . . the difference is I didn’t say anything, did I? I’m ashamed of you, Willie, hurting her feelings like that.’
    ‘So all of a sudden the truth is illegal, is it? We all have to tell lies, do we, to be politically correct as they call it?’
    Sylvia, breathing hard, said between gritted teeth, ‘Home!’ pointing dramatically to the door. ‘We shall have words when we get in.’
    ‘Honestly, men aren’t even masters in their own homes nowadays,’ Willie grumbled.
    Sylvia loudly retorted, ‘Well, you certainly aren’t! Out!’
    And so it was that Willie slept the night on the sofa while Sylvia luxuriated in having the bed to herself and feeling distinctly self-righteous about it.
    So after Peter’s fruitless visit to Dottie’s he drove home, parked the car in Church Lane and knocked on Willie Biggs’s door. Sylvia answered and invited him in. ‘I was coming round, rector, but I saw you leave in your car.’
    ‘Ah! Do you have news about Dottie? She’s left us a note to say she can’t come to clean any more because she’s not fit to do so. From the sound of it someone must have—’
    Sylvia put a finger to her lips. ‘Willie! There’s a gentleman to see you.’
    The distinct sounds of someone in the kitchen doing the washing up ceased and Willie appeared, looking downtrodden. ‘Oh! Good morning, sir. You want to see me?’
    ‘I don’t know. Do I?’
    ‘Yes, you do,’ said Sylvia, arms akimbo, glaring at Willie.
    Willie cleared his throat. ‘There was an unfortunate altercation in the Royal Oak last night and unfortunately Dottie took it the wrong way. What I said was the truth but she took offence.’
    ‘I’ve been to see her this morning because of a note she put through our letter box very late last night. Audrey, her neighbour, says she left first thing this morning in a taxi with a large suitcase.’
    Sylvia gasped.
    Hesitantly Willie asked if he knew where she’d gone.
    ‘I don’t know, because she’s disappeared without even telling Audrey where.’
    Willie had no reply to this, feeling too shocked to think.
    So Sylvia replied on his behalf. ‘He can’t control his tongue nowadays. He’s not as bad as Don, who can say the most out-of-place things and doesn’t know he’s doing it. Willie knows what he’s saying but still he says it.’
    Peter turned to Willie. ‘What did you say, Willie?’
    ‘Well, it was like this . . .’ So he related the whole conversation to this man for whom he had more respect than any