Blood Harvest

6

‘WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN? MILLIE AND I HAVE been shouting for you for ten minutes now.’
The woman on the doorstep wasn’t much taller than her eldest son and, even in a loose shirt and jeans, looked as though she didn’t weigh much more either. She had strawberry-blonde hair that curled to her shoulders, and large turquoise eyes. As the eyes travelled up from her sons to Harry, they opened a bit wider in surprise.
‘Hello,’ she said.
‘Lo,’ said the chubby little girl who was sitting on her mother’s hip, rubbing her eyes as though she’d not long woken from a nap. Her hair was the exact warm blonde shade as her mother’s, whereas the older boy, Tom, had very fair hair and his brother’s was a dark, glossy red. All four of them, though, had the same pale-skinned, freckled faces.
‘Hi,’ said Harry, giving the toddler a wink before turning back to the mother. ‘Good morning,’ he went on. ‘Sorry to bother you, but I found these two hiding in the church. They seem to have been having some trouble with a group of older boys. I thought I’d better see them safely home.’
The woman was frowning now, looking from one boy to the other. Are you both OK?’ she asked.
‘They were throwing stones at us with cater-bolts and then they ran away when they heard Harry. This is Harry,’ said Joe. ‘He was saying his prayers in the church. We saw him.’
‘Well, that’s what it’s for, I suppose,’ said the woman. ‘Pleased to meet you, Harry, and thank you. I’m Alice Fletcher, by the way. Would you … like a cup of coffee? I take it you’re not a psychopath? Because if you are, I should probably make you drink your coffee on the doorstep.’
‘I’m a vicar,’ said Harry, who could feel his face glowing, the way it usually did when faced with a pretty woman. ‘We tend not to be psychopaths,’ he added. ‘The archbishop doesn’t really encourage it.’
‘A vicar?’ said Alice. ‘Our vicar, you mean? The new one?’
‘That’s me.’
‘You can’t be a vicar,’ said Joe.
‘Why not?’
‘Vicars don’t wear shorts,’ Joe told him. ‘And they’re really old. Like grandads.’
Harry grinned. ‘Well, the shorts I can probably work on,’ he said. ‘The rest I’ll have to leave to time. Do vicars have to drink their coffee on the doorstep?’
Alice too had been staring at Harry, as though she couldn’t quite believe it either, but was a bit more polite than her younger son. Then she stepped back so Harry and the boys could come inside. She closed the door behind them as Joe and Tom led the way along the hallway, kicking off trainers as they went.
‘What’s a psychopath?’ Harry heard Joe whisper as the boys pushed open the door at the end of the hall.
‘Jake Knowles when he’s grown up,’ replied Tom, lifting his brother into the air.
Alice and Harry followed the boys into the kitchen and Millie started wriggling to be free. Once on her feet, she tottered over to the boys. Joe, in Tom’s arms, had his hands around a large biscuit tin.
‘Bic bic,’ said Millie, looking surprisingly sly for one so young.
Alice gestured to Harry that he should sit down at the table, before crossing to the kettle, giving it a little bounce to see if there was any water inside and switching it on. The table still carried the remains of breakfast whilst a stack of plates and cutlery was piled up beside the sink.
‘You’re not from these parts,’ she said, as she spooned coffee grains into the filter.
‘Look who’s talking,’ replied Harry. Her accent was making him think of mint juleps and fragrant air, of heat so intense it seemed solid. ‘Let me guess. Texas?’
Movement behind made him glance back at the children. Millie was chewing a ginger nut and eyeing up a chocolate finger in Joe’s hand.
‘You’re a few states out. I’m from Memphis, Tennessee,’ said Alice, gesturing at the sugar bowl. Harry shook his head. On his right, Joe had put one end of the chocolate finger between his lips before bending down and offering the rest of it to Millie. She fastened her teeth on it and started munching just as Joe did the same. They ended up kissing each other and bursting into giggles.
‘That’s enough now, you three. It’s not long till lunch,’ said Alice, without turning round. Harry saw the two boys exchange a glance before Joe stuffed three chocolate fingers and a ginger nut into his pocket and made a hasty retreat from the room. Millie, entrusted with a custard cream, stuffed it down the neck of her dress and toddled out as her eldest brother watched with a smile of pride on his face. Tom pushed a handful of biscuits into his own pockets, then realized Harry had been watching. His face turned a shade pinker as he looked from the visitor to his mother.
‘We’re just going into the lounge,’ he announced.
‘OK, but I’ll have those biscuits back first,’ said Alice, holding out one hand. Tom gave one last glance at Harry – who shrugged in sympathy – before handing over the booty and slinking out.
For a second all was quiet. The room seemed too empty without the children. Alice put mugs, sugar bowl, spoons and a milk bottle on the table.
‘Have you lived here long?’ Harry asked, knowing they couldn’t have. The house was unmistakably new.
‘Three months,’ said Alice. She turned from Harry and started putting dirty plates and bowls into the dishwasher.
‘Settling in well?’ Harry asked.
The dishwasher loaded, Alice bent to a cupboard under the sink and took out a cloth and some spray disinfectant. She rinsed the cloth under the tap and began wiping down the counter top. Harry wondered if his presence might be unwelcome, in spite of the offered coffee.
‘These things take time, I suppose,’ replied Alice after a moment, bringing the coffee to the table and sitting down. ‘Will you be living here in town?’
Harry shook his head. ‘No, the vicarage is a few miles down the hill. In Goodshaw Bridge,’ he said. ‘I have three parishes to take care of. This one is the smallest. And probably the most challenging, given that there’s been no organized worship here for several years. What do you think, will the natives be friendly?’
Another pause. Definitely awkward this time. Alice poured the coffee and pushed the milk in Harry’s direction.
‘So the church is opening up again,’ she said, when he had helped himself. ‘That’ll be good for the town, I guess. We’re not great churchgoers, but I guess we should make the effort, what with living so close. When are you open for business?’
‘Couple of weeks yet,’ replied Harry. ‘I’m being officially installed into the benefice next Thursday down at St Mary’s in Goodshaw Bridge. It would be great to see you and the family.’
Alice nodded her head vaguely and then silence fell again. Harry was starting to feel decidedly uncomfortable when Alice seemed to make a decision. ‘There was a lot of local opposition to our moving here,’ she said, leaning away from the table. ‘This house was the first new building in the town in over twenty years. Most of the land and a lot of the houses are owned by the Renshaw family and they seem to control who moves in and who doesn’t.’
From elsewhere in the house came the sound of raised voices and a high-pitched squeal from Millie.
‘My churchwarden here is a man called Renshaw,’ said Harry. ‘He was on my interview panel.’
Alice nodded. ‘That will be Sinclair,’ she said. ‘He lives in the big house on the other side of the church grounds with his oldest daughter and his father. Old Mr Tobias came round the other day and stayed for coffee. Seemed quite taken with the children. Jenny, the younger daughter, introduced herself in the post office a couple of weeks ago and said she’d call round. As I said, these things take time.’
More giggling from the other room.
‘Is that your husband?’ asked Harry, indicating a photograph on the window ledge behind her. It showed a good-looking man in his thirties, cowboy hat pushed back over dark hair. He wore a blue polo shirt the same colour as his eyes.
She nodded. ‘This has been his dream for years,’ she said. ‘Building our own house in a place like this, keeping chickens, having a vegetable plot. Of course, he’s not here most of the—’
She was interrupted by a sharp knocking on the front door. Muttering an apology, she left the room. Harry looked at his watch. He heard the pad pad pad of tiny footsteps and, a second later, Millie reappeared in the kitchen, pulling a shiny red duck on a stick. She began to circle the table as he heard Alice open the front door. He took a last glug of coffee and stood up. He really had to go.
‘Alice, hi. I’ve been meaning to call for ages. Is this a good time?’ The woman’s voice was light and clear, with no trace of accent. He knew she’d be young, privately educated and probably rather beautiful, maybe just a tiny bit horsy, even before he reached the door of the kitchen and could see down the hall. She was standing just inside the front door. Right on all counts.
‘Are you and Gareth free next Friday, by any chance?’ she was asking Alice. ‘We’re having some people round for dinner.’
Her blonde hair had too many tones and lights in it to be anything other than natural. It fell to her shoulders and was held back by expensive sunglasses. She had the face of an alabaster statue, and she made the tiny, pretty Alice look like a doll.
‘It’d be great if you could join us,’ she said, putting a pleading expression on her face, but it was obvious she didn’t expect a negative response.
As Harry walked down the hallway, ready to make his excuses and leave, the boys appeared from a room to one side.
The newcomer was wearing jeans and a cream linen shirt. She managed to look casual and expensive at the same time. Before Alice could respond, she spotted Harry and her mouth twisted in amusement. ‘Hi,’ she said, as Harry felt his face colour.
‘Jenny, this is Harry. Our new vicar,’ said Alice. ‘Joe has already had a word with him about the expected clerical dress-code in these parts. Harry, this is Jenny Pickup. She and her husband have a farm a couple of miles out of town.’
‘Reverend Laycock?’ she said, holding out her hand. ‘How great. We’d just about given you up. Dad’s been waiting in for you for the past hour.’
Harry took her hand. ‘Dad?’ he repeated.
‘Sinclair Renshaw,’ she replied, letting go of his hand and tucking her own into her pockets. ‘Your churchwarden. We knew you were arriving this morning. We thought you’d come to the house.’
Harry glanced at his watch. Had he had a firm arrangement with his churchwarden? He didn’t think so. He’d just left a message that he’d be arriving late morning and would visit the church.
‘Whoa, speak of the devil,’ she went on, looking out of the open front door. ‘Here he is, Dad. I’ve found him.’
Harry, six feet and a fraction himself, had to look up to meet the other man’s eyes as he stepped over the threshold. Sinclair Renshaw was in his late sixties. His thick white hair fell over his forehead, almost covering very dark eyebrows. He had brown eyes behind elegant spectacles and was dressed like a country gentleman in a magazine, in various shades of green, brown and beige. He inclined his head at Harry and then turned to Alice, who seemed almost dwarfed by the tall father and daughter.
‘I’m afraid there’s been some serious vandalism at the church,’ he said, speaking to Alice but glancing at Harry. ‘One of the older windows has been broken. I understand your sons were seen there this morning, Mrs Fletcher. That they were playing with a cricket bat and ball.’
‘Baseball,’ said Joe helpfully.
Alice’s face stiffened as she turned to look at Tom. ‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘I saw the window being broken,’ said Harry. ‘And the boy who did it. It was someone called Jack, John …?’ He glanced down at Tom for help.
‘Jake,’ said Joe. ‘Jake Knowles.’
‘He was standing on the wall when I drove up,’ Harry went on. ‘I saw him swing the bat and hit the ball straight through the window. I’ll be speaking to his parents.’
Renshaw looked at Harry for a second. He’d completely ignored the boys. ‘Please don’t bother,’ he said eventually. ‘I’ll deal with it. Sorry to disturb, Mrs Fletcher.’ He nodded once at Alice then turned to Harry. ‘I’m sorry I missed you this morning, Vicar,’ he went on. ‘But welcome, we’ll have lunch soon.’ Then he walked down the drive and turned to go up the hill.
After extracting a promise from Alice that she and her husband would come to dinner the following week, Jenny climbed into her Range Rover and drove away. The children disappeared again.
‘I really have to go,’ said Harry. ‘I’m meeting someone at the vicarage in fifteen minutes. It was good to meet you all.’
Alice smiled. ‘You too, Harry. We’ll see you next Thursday.’