首发偶发空缺 (临时空缺)-第56部分

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‘Do　they　know？’　he　asked　her。

‘Fergus　does。　Somebody　at　school　told　him。　I’ve　asked　him　not　to　tell　the　others。　Honestly；　Gavin　…　I’m　about　at　the　end　of　my　tether。　The　spite—’

‘It　isn’t　true；’　he　said；　and　then；　his　curiosity　getting　the　better　of　him；　‘is　it？’

‘No！’　she　said；　outraged。　‘I　mean　…　I　don’t　know　…　I　don’t　really　know　her。　But　to　make　him　talk　like　that　…　putting　the　words　in　his　mouth　…　don’t　they　care　what　it’s　like　for　me？’

She　dissolved　into　tears　again。　He　felt　that　he　shouldn’t　hug　her　while　she　was　wearing　her　dressing　gown；　and　was　glad　that　he　had　not；　when　eighteen…year…old　Fergus　entered　the　kitchen　a　moment　later。

‘Hey；　Gav。’

The　boy　looked　tired；　older　than　his　years。　Gavin　watched　him　put　an　arm　around　Mary　and　saw　her　lean　her　head　against　his　shoulder；　mopping　her　eyes　on　her　baggy　sleeve　like　a　child。

‘I　don’t　think　it　was　the　same　person；’　Fergus　told　them；　without　preamble。　‘I’ve　been　looking　at　it　again。　The　style　of　the　message　is　different。’

He　had　it　on　his　mobile　phone；　and　began　to　read　aloud：

‘“Parish　Councillor　Dr　Parminder　Jawanda；　who　pretends　to　be　so　keen　on　looking　after　the　poor　and　needy　of　the　area；　has　always　had　a　secret　motive。　Until　I　died—”’

‘Fergus；　don’t；’　said　Mary；　slumping　down　at　the　kitchen　table。　‘I　can’t　take　it。　I　honestly　can’t。　And　his　article　in　the　paper　today　too。’

As　she　covered　her　face　with　her　hands　and　sobbed　silently；　Gavin　noticed　the　Yarvil　and　District　Gazette　lying　there。　He　never　read　it。　Without　asking　or　offering；　he　moved　across　to　the　cupboard　to　make　her　a　drink。

‘Thanks；　Gav；’　she　said　thickly；　when　he　pushed　the　glass　into　her　hand。

‘It　might　be　Howard　Mollison；’　suggested　Gavin；　sitting　down　beside　her。　‘From　what　Barry　said　about　him。’

‘I　don’t　think　so；’　said　Mary；　dabbing　at　her　eyes。　‘It’s　so　crude。　He　never　did　anything　like　that　when　Barry　was　–’　she　hiccuped　‘–　alive。’　And　then　she　snapped　at　her　son；　‘Throw　that　paper　away；　Fergus。’

The　boy　looked　confused　and　hurt。

‘It’s　got　Dad’s—’

‘Throw　it　away！’　said　Mary；　with　an　edge　of　hysteria　in　her　voice。　‘I　can　read　it　off　the　puter　if　I　want　to；　the　last　thing　he　ever　did　–　on　our　anniversary！’

Fergus　took　the　newspaper　off　the　table　and　stood　for　a　moment　watching　his　mother；　who　had　buried　her　face　in　her　hands　again。　Then；　with　a　glance　at　Gavin；　he　walked　out　of　the　room　still　holding　the　Gazette。

After　a　while；　when　Gavin　judged　that　Fergus　was　not　ing　back；　he　put　out　a　consoling　hand　and　rubbed　Mary’s　arm。　They　sat　in　silence　for　some　time；　and　Gavin　felt　much　happier　with　the　newspaper　gone　from　the　table。

II
Parminder　was　not　supposed　to　be　working　the　next　morning；　but　she　had　a　meeting　in　Yarvil。　Once　the　children　had　left　for　school　she　moved　methodically　around　the　house；　making　sure　that　she　had　everything　she　needed；　but　when　the　telephone　rang；　she　jumped　so　much　that　she　dropped　her　bag。

‘Yes？’　she　yelped；　sounding　almost　frightened。　Tessa；　on　the　other　end　of　the　line；　was　taken　aback。

‘Minda；　it’s　me　–　are　you　all　right？’

‘Yes　–　yes　–　the　phone　made　me　jump；’　said　Parminder；　looking　at　the　kitchen　floor　now　littered　with　keys；　papers；　loose　change　and　tampons。　‘What　is　it？’

‘Nothing　really；’　said　Tessa。　‘Just　calling　for　a　chat。　See　how　you　are。’

The　subject　of　the　anonymous　post　hung　between　them　like　some　jeering　monster；　dangling　from　the　line。　Parminder　had　barely　allowed　Tessa　to　talk　about　it　during　yesterday’s　call。　She　had　shouted；　‘It’s　a　lie；　a　filthy　lie；　and　don’t　tell　me　Howard　Mollison　didn’t　do　it！’

Tessa　had　not　dared　pursue　the　subject。

‘I　can’t　talk；’　said　Parminder。　‘I’ve　got　a　meeting　in　Yarvil。　A　case　review　for　a　little　boy　on　the　at…risk　register。’

‘Oh；　right。　Sorry。　Maybe　later？’

‘Yes；’　said　Parminder。　‘Great。　Goodbye。’

She　scooped　up　the　contents　of　her　bag　and　hurried　from　the　house；　running　back　from　the　garden　gate　to　check　that　she　had　closed　the　front　door　properly。

Every　so　often；　as　she　drove；　she　realized　that　she　had　no　recollection　of　travelling　the　last　mile；　and　told　herself　fiercely　to　concentrate。　But　the　malicious　words　of　the　anonymous　post　kept　ing　back　to　her。　She　already　knew　them　by　heart。

Parish　Councillor　Dr　Parminder　Jawanda；　who　pretends　to　be　so　keen　on　looking　after　the　poor　and　needy　of　the　area；　has　always　had　a　secret　motive。　Until　I　died；　she　was　in　love　with　me；　which　she　could　barely　hide　whenever　she　laid　eyes　on　me；　and　she　would　vote　however　I　told　her　to；　whenever　there　was　a　council　meeting。　Now　that　I　am　gone；　she　will　be　useless　as　a　councillor；　because　she　has　lost　her　brain。

She　had　first　seen　it　the　previous　morning；　when　she　opened　up　the　council　website　to　check　the　minutes　of　the　last　meeting。　The　shock　had　been　almost　physical；　her　breathing　had　bee　very　fast　and　shallow；　as　it　had　been　during　the　most　excruciating　parts　of　childbirth；　when　she　had　tried　to　lift　herself　over　the　pain；　to　disengage　from　the　agonizing　present。

Everyone　would　know　by　now。　There　was　nowhere　to　hide。

The　oddest　thoughts　kept　ing　to　her。　For　instance；　what　her　grandmother　would　have　said　if　she　had　known　that　Parminder　had　been　accused　of　loving　another　woman’s　husband；　and　a　gora　to　boot；　in　a　public　forum。　She　could　almost　see　bebe　covering　her　face　with　a　fold　of　her　sari；　shaking　her　head；　rocking　backwards　and　forwards　as　she　had　always　done　when　a　harsh　blow　had　hit　the　family。

‘Some　husbands；’　Vikram　had　said　to　her　late　last　night；　with　a　strange　new　twist　to　his　sardonic　smile；　‘might　want　to　know　whether　it　was　true。’

‘Of　course　it　isn’t　true！’　Parminder　had　said；　with　her　own　shaking　hand　over　her　mouth。　‘How　can　you　ask　me　that？　Of　course　it　isn’t！　You　knew　him！　He　was　my　friend　–　just　a　friend！’

She　was　already　passing　the　Bellchapel　Addiction　Clinic。　How　had　she　travelled　so　far；　without　realizing　it？　She　was　being　a　dangerous　driver。　She　was　not　paying　attention。

She　remembered　the　evening　that　she　and　Vikram　had　gone　to　the　restaurant；　nearly　twenty　years　ago；　the　night　they　had　agreed　to　marry。　She　had　told　him　about　all　the　fuss　the　family　had　made　when　she　had　walked　home　with　Stephen　Hoyle；　and　he　had　agreed　how　silly　it　was。　He　had　understood　then。　But　he　did　not　understand　when　it　was　Howard　Mollison　who　accused　her　instead　of　her　own　hidebound　relatives。　Apparently　he　did　not　realise　that　goras　could　be　narrow；　and　untruthful；　and　full　of　malice　…

She　had　missed　the　turning。　She　must　concentrate。　She　must　pay　attention。

‘Am　I　late？’　she　called；　as　she　hurried　at　last　across　the　car　park　towards　Kay　Bawden。　She　had　met　the　social　worker　once　before；　when　she　had　e　in　for　a　renewal　of　her　prescription　for　the　pill。

‘Not　at　all；’　said　Kay。　‘I　thought　I’d　show　you　up　to　the　office；　because　it’s　a　rabbit　warren　in　here　…’

Kay　led　her　down　a　shabby；　deserted　institutional　corridor　into　a　meeting　room。　Three　more　women　were　already　sitting　there；　they　greeted　Parminder　with　smiles。

‘This　is　Nina；　who　works　with　Robbie’s　mother　at　Bellchapel；’　said　Kay；　sitting　down　with　her　back　to　the　veian…blinded　windows。　‘And　this　is　my　supervisor　Gillian；　and　this　is　Louise　Harper；　who　oversees　the　Anchor　Road　Nursery。　Dr　Parminder　Jawanda；　Robbie’s　GP；’　Kay　added。

Parminder　accepted　coffee。　The　other　four　women　began　talking；　without　involving　her。

（Parish　Councillor　Dr　Parminder　Jawanda；　who　pretends　to　be　so　keen　on　looking　after　the　poor　and　needy　of　the　area　…

Who　pretends　to　be　so　keen。　You　bastard；　Howard　Mollison。　But　he　had　always　seen　her　as　a　hypocrite；　Barry　had　said　so。

‘He　thinks　that　because　I　came　from　the　Fields；　I　want　Pagford　overrun　by　Yarvillians。　But　you’re　proper　professional　class；　so　he　doesn’t　think　you’ve　got　any　right　to　be　on　the　side　of　the　Fields。　He　thinks　you’re　a　hypocrite　or　making　trouble　for　fun。’）

‘…　understand　why　the　family’s　registered　with　a　GP　in　Pagford？’　said　one　of　the　three　unfamiliar　social　workers；　whose　names　Parminder　had　already　forgotten。

‘Several　families　in　the　Fields　are　registered　with　us；’　said　Parminder　at　once。　‘But　wasn’t　there　some　trouble　with　the　Weedons　and　their　previous—？’

‘Yeah；　the　Cantermill　practice　threw　them　out；’　said　Kay；　in　front　of　whom　sat　a　pile　of　notes　thicker　than　either　of　her　colleagues。　‘Terri　assaulted　a　nurse　there。　So　they’ve　been　registered　with　you；　how　long？’

‘Nearly　five　years；’　said　Parminder；　who　had　looked　up　all　the　details　at　the　surgery。

（She　had　seen　Howard　in　church；　at　Barry’s　funeral；　pretending　to　pray；　with　his　big　fat　hands　clasped　in　front　of　him；　and　the　Fawleys　kneeling　beside　him。　Parminder　knew　what　Christians　were　supposed　to　believe　in。　Love　thy　neighbour　as　thyself　…　if　Howard　had　been　more　honest；　he　would　have　turned　sideways　and　prayed　to　Aubrey　…

Until　I　died；　she　was　in　love　with　me；　which　she　could　barely　hide　whenever　she　laid　eyes　on　me　…

Had　she　really　not　been　able　to　hide　it？）

‘…　last　seen　him；　Parminder？’　asked　Kay。

‘When　his　sister　brought　him　in　for　antibiotics　for　an　ear　infection；’　said　Parminder。　‘About　eight　weeks　ago。’

‘And　how　was　his　physical　condition　then？’　asked　one　of　the　other　women。

‘Well；　he’s　not　failing　to　thrive；’　said　Parminder；　withdrawing　a　slim　sheaf　of　photocopied　notes　from　her　handbag。　‘I　checked　him　quite　thoroughly；　because　–　well；　I　know　the　family　history。　He’s　a　good　weight；　although　I　doubt　his　diet’s　anything　to　write　home　about。　No　lice　or　nits　or　anything　of　that　description。　His　bottom　was　a　bit　sore；　and　I　remember　his　sister　said　that　he　still　wets　himself　sometimes。’

‘They　keep　putting　him　back　in　nappies；’　said　Kay。

‘But　you　wouldn’t；’　asked　the　woman　who　had　first　questioned　Parminder；　‘have　any　major　concerns　health…wise？’

‘There　was　no　sign　of　abuse；’　said　Parminder。　‘I　remember；　I　took　off　his　vest　to　check；　and　there　were　no　bruises　or　other　injuries。’

‘There’s　no　man　in　the　house；’　interjected　Kay。

‘And　this　ear　infection？’　her　supervisor　prompted　Parminder。

‘You　said　it　was　the　sister　who　brought　him　in；　not　the　mother？　Are　you　Terri’s　doctor；　too？’

‘I　don’t　think　we’ve　seen　Terri　for　five　years；’　said　Parminder；　and　the　supervisor　turned　to　Nina　instead。

‘How’s　she　doing　on　methadone？’

（Until　I　died；　she　was　in　love　with　me　…

Parminder　thought；　Perhaps　it’s　Shirley；　or　Maureen；　who’s　the　ghost；　not　Howard　–　they　would　be　much　more　likely　to　watch　her　when　she　was　with　Barry；　hoping　to　see　something　with　their　dirty　old…womanish　minds　…　）

‘…　longest　she’s　lasted　on　the　programme　so　far；’　said　Nina。　‘She’s　mentioned　the　case　review　quite　a　lot。　I　get　the　feeling　she　knows　that　this　is　it；　that　she’s　running　out　of　chances。　She　doesn’t　want　to　lose　Robbie。　She’s　said　that　a　few　times。　I’d　have　to　say　you’ve　got　through　to　her；　Kay。　I　really　do　see　her　taking　some　responsibility　for　the　situation；　for　the　first　time　since　I’ve　known　her。’

‘Thank　you；　but　I’m　not　going　to　get　over…excited。　The　situation’s　still　pretty　precarious。’　Kay