As The Pig Turns

noticed that some of them take years to solve. Just be careful,’ he said in a quieter voice.
    When he had left, Agatha sat down suddenly. The fear of whoever it was who had sent her that head two months ago had never gone away. She had a craving for sleep most days. She often thought during the day of the moment when she could get home and pull the duvet up round her ears. Death by duvet.
    The fear ebbed as her temper rose. She must find out something, anything, to try to break the case. She could not go on living like this.
    Agatha looked up as her staff filed in. They discussed jobs to be covered that day.
    ‘Aren’t we ever going to find out what happened to Beech?’ asked Toni.
    ‘No,’ said Agatha sharply. ‘We will drop that one. Leave it to the police.’
    ‘When did we ever leave anything to the police?’ said Patrick plaintively, but Agatha ignored him.
    ‘And what are you doing today?’ asked Phil after they all had their assignments.
    ‘I’ve got paperwork to do,’ said Agatha. ‘Off you go.’
    She cast a quick suspicious glance at Toni as the girl left. Toni appeared to be carrying a golden glow around with her. I hope she’s not found another unsuitable older man, thought Agatha.
    Toni’s job was to find a missing teenager. She had not told Agatha that she had found the girl the night before and had returned her to her parents. She needed the day free to meet Simon. They had arranged to meet in a teashop in Winter Parva, the one place Toni was sure Agatha would not visit. Simon had got in touch with her as soon as he had returned from Afghanistan on leave. He had told her his impending wedding had all been a mistake. Susie, his intended, had turned out to be bossy. He had phoned Toni the night before to arrange to meet her, where he said he would explain everything.
    As Toni parked near the teashop, Winter Parva was not living up to its name. Great fluffy clouds sailed in the blue sky above, and the trees in the main street were ruffled by the lightest of breezes. The old village cottages and shops lining the main street appeared to crouch beside the road like very old villagers surveying the passing of time. In these days of chain shops, Winter Parva had retained its individuality. There were teashops, souvenir shops, an ironmonger, a baker, a fishmonger and a butcher – all the traditional fabric of a Cotswold village. There was a huge church at one end, built by rich merchants in the days when the wool trade was at its height. Its huge Gothic spire cast a long finger of shadow down the main street like the pointer on a giant sundial.
    Toni’s heart rose as she saw Simon seated at a table in the bay window of the teashop. She recognized his thick hair and his jester’s face.
    When she joined him, they began to talk at once about the perfidy of Agatha Raisin, until Toni said sadly, ‘You can hardly back out of the wedding now.’
    He hung his head and mumbled, ‘It’s all got out of hand. The regiment’s on leave and they’re all going to be there. It’s going to be a big production. Toni, the mayor is going to attend. I’m trapped. It’s all Agatha’s fault.’
    ‘Hardly,’ said Toni. ‘ She wasn’t in Afghanistan. She didn’t make you propose to Susie.’
    ‘No, but I was feeling flat, and Susie’s a good sort. She was very sympathetic, and one thing led to another.’
    ‘There’s still time to get out of it,’ urged Toni. ‘Think of the misery of a loveless marriage.’
    ‘Oh, Susie does love me. Oh, what is it?’
    ‘The waitress wants your order,’ said Toni.
    They both ordered tea and scones. The shadow of the church spire moved across the window of the tearoom. Toni felt bleak. When Simon had phoned her, she was sure he was going to tell her the marriage was off.
    ‘So you are going ahead with it,’ she said in a small voice.
    ‘I have to—’ Simon broke off as tea and scones arrived.
    Toni gave a little sigh. ‘It’s up to you. Why did you let it get so far?’
    ‘She’s pregnant.’
    ‘Oh, Simon!’
    He shrugged. ‘Maybe being a dad will have a lot of compensations.’ He looked at her eagerly. ‘We can still see each other.’
    ‘No, we can’t,’ said Toni roundly. ‘I’ve got my own life to lead, and creeping around meeting a married man doesn’t come into it.’
    There was a long, awkward silence. Then Simon said, ‘Tell me about this dead policeman case.’
    Toni gave him a précis. ‘It sounds like a gang,’ she concluded.