首发偶发空缺 (临时空缺)-第64部分

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nder？’。

Out　on　the　pavement　he　found　a　young　blonde　woman；　stocky　and　square；　with　an　aura　of　impermeable　cheerfulness　that　Howard　recognized　immediately　as　determination　of　his　own　brand。　She　was　holding　a　notebook　and　looking　up　at　the　Sweetlove　initials　carved　over　the　double　doors。

‘Hello；　hello；’　said　Howard；　his　breathing　a　little　laboured。　‘Alison；　is　it？　Howard　Mollison。　Have　you　e　all　this　way　to　tell　me　I　can’t　write　for　toffee？’

She　beamed；　and　shook　the　hand　he　proffered。

‘Oh；　no；　we　like　the　article；’　she　assured　him。　‘I　thought；　as　things　are　getting　so　interesting；　I’d　e　and　sit　in　on　the　meeting。　You　don’t　mind？　Press　are　allowed；　I　think。　I’ve　looked　up　all　the　regulations。’

She　was　moving　towards　the　door　as　she　spoke。

‘Yes；　yes；　press　are　allowed；’　said　Howard；　following　her　and　pausing　courteously　at　the　entrance　to　let　her　through　first。　‘Unless　we　have　to　deal　with　anything　in　camera；　that　is。’

She　glanced　back　at　him；　and　he　could　make　out　her　teeth；　even　in　the　fading　light。

‘Like　all　those　anonymous　accusations　on　your　message　board？　From　the　Ghost　of　Barry　Fairbrother？’

‘Oh　dear；’　wheezed　Howard；　smiling　back　at　her。　‘They’re　not　news；　surely？　A　couple　of　silly　ments　on　the　inter？’

‘Has　it　only　been　a　couple？　Somebody　told　me　the　bulk　of　them　had　been　taken　off　the　site。’

‘No；　no；　somebody’s　got　that　wrong；’　said　Howard。　‘There　have　only　been　two　or　three；　to　my　knowledge。　Nasty　nonsense。　Personally；’　he　said；　improvising　on　the　spot；　‘I　think　it’s　some　kid。’

‘A　kid？’

‘You　know。　Teenager　having　fun。’

‘Would　teenagers　target　Parish　councillors？’　she　asked；　still　smiling。　‘I　heard；　actually；　that　one　of　the　victims　has　lost　his　job。　Possibly　as　a　result　of　the　allegations　made　against　him　on　your　site。’

‘News　to　me；’　said　Howard　untruthfully。　Shirley　had　seen　Ruth　at　the　hospital　the　previous　day　and　reported　back　to　him。

‘I　see　on　the　agenda；’　said　Alison；　as　the　pair　of　them　entered　the　brightly　lit　hall；　‘that　you’ll　be　discussing　Bellchapel。　You　and　Mr　Fairbrother　made　good　points　on　both　sides　of　the　argument　in　your　articles　…　we　had　quite　a　few　letters　to　the　paper　after　we　printed　Mr　Fairbrother’s　piece。　My　editor　liked　that。　Anything　that　makes　people　write　letters　…’

‘Yes；　I　saw　those；’　said　Howard。　‘Nobody　seemed　to　have　much　good　to　say　about　the　clinic；　did　they？’

The　councillors　at　the　table　were　watching　the　pair　of　them。　Alison　Jenkins　returned　their　gaze；　still　smiling　imperturbably。

‘Let　me　get　you　a　chair；’　said　Howard；　puffing　slightly　as　he　lifted　one　down　from　a　nearby　stack　and　settling　Alison　some　twelve　feet　from　the　table。

‘Thank　you。’　She　pulled　it　six　feet　forward。

‘Ladies　and　gentlemen；’　called　Howard；　‘we’ve　got　a　press　gallery　here　tonight。　Miss　Alison　Jenkins　of　the　Yarvil　and　District　Gazette。’

A　few　of　them　seemed　interested　and　gratified　by　Alison’s　appearance；　but　most　looked　suspicious。　Howard　stumped　back　to　the　head　of　the　table；　where　Aubrey　and　Shirley　were　questioning　him　with　their　eyes。

‘Barry　Fairbrother’s　Ghost；’　he　told　them　in　an　undertone；　as　he　lowered　himself　gingerly　into　the　plastic　chair　（one　of　them　had　collapsed　under　him　two　meetings　ago）。　‘And　Bellchapel。　And　there’s　Tony！’　he　shouted；　making　Aubrey　jump。　‘e　on　in；　Tony　…　we’ll　give　Henry　and　Sheila　another　couple　of　minutes；　shall　we？’

The　murmur　of　talk　around　the　table　was　slightly　more　subdued　than　usual。　Alison　Jenkins　was　already　writing　in　her　notebook。　Howard　thought　angrily；　This　is　all　bloody　Fairbrother’s　fault。　He　was　the　one　who　had　invited　the　press　in。　For　a　split　second；　Howard　thought　of　Barry　and　the　Ghost　as　one　and　the　same；　a　troublemaker　alive　and　dead。

Like　Shirley；　Parminder　had　brought　a　stack　of　papers　with　her　to　the　meeting；　and　these　were　piled　up　underneath　the　agenda　she　was　pretending　to　read　so　that　she　did　not　have　to　speak　to　anybody。　In　reality；　she　was　thinking　about　the　woman　sitting　almost　directly　behind　her。　The　Yarvil　and　District　Gazette　had　written　about　Catherine　Weedon’s　collapse；　and　the　family’s　plaints　against　their　GP。　Parminder　had　not　been　named；　but　doubtless　the　journalist　knew　who　she　was。　Perhaps　Alison　had　got　wind　of　the　anonymous　post　about　Parminder　on　the　Parish　Council　website　too。

Calm　down。　You’re　getting　like　Colin。

Howard　was　already　taking　apologies　and　asking　for　revisions　to　the　last　set　of　minutes；　but　Parminder　could　barely　hear　over　the　sound　of　her　own　blood　thudding　in　her　ears。

‘Now；　unless　anybody’s　got　any　objections；’　said　Howard；　‘we’re　going　to　deal　with　items　eight　and　nine　first；　because　District　Councillor　Fawley’s　got　news　on　both；　and　he　can’t　stay　long—’

‘Got　until　eight　thirty；’　said　Aubrey；　checking　his　watch。

‘—yes；　so　unless　there　are　objections　–　no？　–　floor’s　yours；　Aubrey。’

Aubrey　stated　the　position　simply　and　without　emotion。　There　was　a　new　boundary　review　ing　and；　for　the　first　time；　there　was　an　appetite　beyond　Pagford　to　reassign　the　Fields　to　Yarvil。　Absorbing　Pagford’s　relatively　small　costs　seemed　worthwhile　to　those　who　hoped　to　add　anti…government　votes　to　Yarvil’s　tally；　where　they　might　make　a　difference；　as　opposed　to　being　wasted　in　Pagford；　which　had　been　a　safe　Conservative　seat　since　the　1950s。　The　whole　thing　could　be　done　under　the　guise　of　simplifying　and　streamlining：　Yarvil　provided　almost　all　services　for　the　place　as　it　was。

Aubrey　concluded　by　saying　that　it　would　be　helpful；　should　Pagford　wish　to　cut　the　estate　away；　for　the　town　to　express　its　wishes　for　the　benefit　of　the　District　Council。

‘…　a　good；　clear　message　from　you；’　he　said；　‘and　I　really　think　that　this　time—’

‘It’s　never　worked　before；’　said　a　farmer；　to　muttered　agreement。

‘Well；　now；　John；　we’ve　never　been　invited　to　state　our　position　before；’　said　Howard。

‘Shouldn’t　we　decide　what　our　position　is；　before　we　declare　it　publicly？’　asked　Parminder；　in　an　icy　voice。

‘All　right；’　said　Howard　blandly。　‘Would　you　like　to　kick　off；　Dr　Jawanda？’

‘I　don’t　know　how　many　people　saw　Barry’s　article　in　the　Gazette；’　said　Parminder。　Every　face　was　turned　towards　her；　and　she　tried　not　to　think　about　the　anonymous　post　or　the　journalist　sitting　behind　her。　‘I　thought　it　made　the　arguments　for　keeping　the　Fields　part　of　Pagford　very　well。’

Parminder　saw　Shirley；　who　was　writing　busily；　give　her　pen　a　tiny　smile。

‘By　telling　us　the　likes　of　Krystal　Weedon　benefit？’　said　an　elderly　woman　called　Betty；　from　the　end　of　the　table。　Parminder　had　always　detested　her。

‘By　reminding　us　that　people　living　in　the　Fields　are　part　of　our　munity　too；’　she　answered。

‘They　think　of　themselves　as　from　Yarvil；’　said　the　farmer。　‘Always　have。’

‘I　remember；’　said　Betty；　‘when　Krystal　Weedon　pushed　another　child　into　the　river　on　a　nature　walk。’

‘No；　she　didn’t；’　said　Parminder　angrily；　‘my　daughter　was　there　–　that　was　two　boys　who　were　fighting　–　anyway—’

‘I　heard　it　was　Krystal　Weedon；’　said　Betty。

‘You　heard　wrong；’　said　Parminder；　except　that　she　did　not　say　it；　she　shouted　it。

They　were　shocked。　She　had　shocked　herself。　The　echo　hummed　off　the　old　walls。　Parminder　could　barely　swallow；　she　kept　her　head　down；　staring　at　the　agenda；　and　heard　John’s　voice　from　a　long　way　off。

‘Barry　would’ve　done　better　to　talk　about　himself；　not　that　girl。　He　got　a　lot　out　of　St　Thomas’s。’

‘Trouble　is；　for　every　Barry；’　said　another　woman；　‘you　get　a　load　of　yobs。’

‘They’re　Yarvil　people；　bottom　line；’　said　a　man；　‘they　belong　to　Yarvil。’

‘That’s　not　true；’　said　Parminder；　keeping　her　voice　deliberately　low；　but　they　all　fell　silent　to　listen　to　her；　waiting　for　her　to　shout　again。　‘It’s　simply　not　true。　Look　at　the　Weedons。　That　was　the　whole　point　of　Barry’s　article。　They　were　a　Pagford　family　going　back　years；　but—’

‘They　moved　to　Yarvil！’　said　Betty。

‘There　was　no　housing　here；’　said　Parminder；　fighting　her　own　temper；　‘none　of　you　wanted　a　new　development　on　the　outskirts　of　town。’

‘You　weren’t　here；　I’m　sorry；’　said　Betty；　pink　in　the　face；　looking　ostentatiously　away　from　Parminder。　‘You　don’t　know　the　history。’

Talk　had　bee　general：　the　meeting　had　broken　into　several　little　knots　of　conversation；　and　Parminder　could　not　make　out　any　of　it。　Her　throat　was　tight　and　she　did　not　dare　meet　anyone’s　eyes。

‘Shall　we　have　a　show　of　hands？’　Howard　shouted　down　the　table；　and　silence　fell　again。　‘Those　in　favour　of　telling　the　District　Council　that　Pagford　will　be　happy　for　the　parish　boundary　to　be　redrawn；　to　take　the　Fields　out　of　our　jurisdiction？’

Parminder’s　fists　were　clenched　in　her　lap　and　the　nails　of　both　her　hands　were　embedded　in　their　palms。　There　was　a　rustle　of　sleeves　all　around　her。

‘Excellent！’　said　Howard；　and　the　jubilation　in　his　voice　rang　triumphantly　from　the　rafters。　‘Well；　I’ll　draft　something　with　Tony　and　Helen　and　we’ll　send　it　round　for　everyone　to　see；　and　we’ll　get　it　off。　Excellent！’

A　couple　of　councillors　clapped。　Parminder’s　vision　blurred　and　she　blinked　hard。　The　agenda　swam　in　and　out　of　focus。　The　silence　went　on　so　long　that　finally　she　looked　up：　Howard；　in　his　excitement；　had　had　recourse　to　his　inhaler；　and　most　of　the　councillors　were　watching　solicitously。

‘All　right；　then；’　wheezed　Howard；　putting　the　inhaler　away　again；　red　in　the　face　and　beaming；　‘unless　anyone’s　got　anything　else　to　add　–’　an　infinitesimal　pause　‘–　item　nine。　Bellchapel。　And　Aubrey’s　got　something　to　tell　us　here　too。’

Barry　wouldn’t　have　let　it　happen。　He’d　have　argued。　He’d　have　made　John　laugh　and　vote　with　us。　He　ought　to　have　written　about　himself；　not　Krystal　…　I’ve　let　him　down。

‘Thank　you；　Howard；’　said　Aubrey；　as　the　blood　pounded　in　Parminder’s　ears；　and　she　dug　her　nails　still　more　deeply　into　her　palms。　‘As　you　know；　we’re　having　to　make　some　pretty　drastic　cuts　at　District　level　…’

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

‘…　and　one　of　the　projects　we’ve　got　to　look　at　is　Bellchapel；’　said　Aubrey。　‘I　thought　I’d　have　a　word；　because；　as　you　all　know；　it’s　the　Parish　that　owns　the　building—’

‘—and　the　lease　is　almost　up；’　said　Howard。　‘That’s　right。’

‘But　nobody　else　is　interested　in　that　old　place；　are　they？’　asked　a　retired　accountant　from　the　end　of　the　table。　‘It’s　in　a　bad　state；　from　what　I’ve　heard。’

‘Oh；　I’m　sure　we　could　find　a　new　tenant；’　said　Howard　fortably；　‘but　that’s　not　really　the　issue。　The　point　is　whether　we　think　the　clinic　is　doing　a　good—’

‘That’s　not　the　point　at　all；’　said　Parminder；　cutting　across　him。　‘It　isn’t　the　Parish　Council’s　job　to　decide　whether　or　not　the　clinic’s　doing　a　good　job。　We　don’t　fund　their　work。　They’re　not　our　responsibility。’

‘But　we　own　the　building；’　said　Howard；　still　smiling；　still　polite；　‘so　I　think　it’s　natural　for　us　to　want　to　consider—’

‘If　we’re　going　to　look　at　information　on　the　clinic’s　work；　I　think　it’s　very　important　that　we　get　a　balanced　picture；’　said　Parminder。

‘I