Thank you to my readers for help and inspiration. I have not been able to use all your ideas, but I have done my best to squeeze most of them in.
Setting: the fictional village Aldburgh in Yorkshire, not far from Knavesborough.
——————————————–
I.
- You´re that new constable, aren´t you?
Constable Archibald Penrose nodded cautiously. He had only been in Aldburgh for a few days, and his superintendent had assured him it would be a piece of cake. But here he was, three days later, stealing out of his office for ten minutes to eat his sandwiches in peace.
- You see, I really thought the new second-hand shop was the answer to all our prayers. The leaky church roof, you know. Central location and all.
Penrose nodded again, stealing a look at the gaunt man with the stoop who was sitting next to him on the bench. – I see.
- Poor Chesterfield and his delusions I can live with, but all their other stories. King George and his nose and all that… The dog-collared vicar sucked his cheeks in. – Avarice is such a mean character trait, don´t you think?
- Ehm, yes, vicar, I´m sure you are right.
- Sorry, I´m afraid I forgot to introduce myself. Reverend Sheridan Thwing. St. Bartholomew´s, you know.
- Constable Penrose, Penrose said, relieved that this time he did know. No one in Aldburgh could help spotting the square, Norman tower of St. Bartholomew´s.
This time it was the vicar who nodded. – Good to know you are here. If… But no, I´m sure it´s just Chesterfield. He hesitated. – And Chippendale, of course.
- Perhaps you should ask someone who knows more about antique furniture than I do, Constable Penrose ventured.
- Brilliant idea, Constable! Reverend Thwing´s hollow face lit up for a second. – But where…
Constable Penrose threw the last bite of his ham sandwich into his mouth and grabbed the vicar´s hand firmly in his. – It was good to meet you, Reverend Thwing. I´m sure we´ll meet again soon.
He rose from the bench and moved away like a constable on important business. Only two weeks, he whispered. Two weeks, and Constable Askwith will be back from his paternity leave.
To be continued tomorrow…
Dorte – Oh, I am already intrigued! The vicar’s vague comments are beautifully done, and you do Penrose’s perspective excellently. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s “episode!”
Gosh and golly we’re good, aren’t we?! Can’t wait for more!!
Thank you, Margot.
Linda: spot on. My readers are just the best
Off to an excellent start! I’m looking forward to more…..
I´m glad you like it, Kelly. I have just scheduled tomorrow´s bit
The constable reminds me of Hamish Macbeth, without the brogue. Your character sounds like an interesting fellow. Nice to see what happens next…
I’m so confused…
Harvee: Constable Penrose thinks he is much smarter than Hamish, but I am not quite so sure
Care: I hope it is in a good way. I can´t remember when I introduced the letter, though.
Pingback: The Charity Shop, part II | djskrimiblog
A new mystery? I’m intrigued. We have a lot of questions to be answered…
Can I make a few suggestions? If not, just ignore.
~Constable Archibald Penrose nodded cautiously. ( I would put the description of the man who said the first sentence here and put the rest of this paragraph after the next nodding…) He had only been in Aldburgh for a few days, and his superintendent had assured him it would be a piece of cake (what would be a piece of cake? make sure it’s clear you’re referring to the new job). But here he was, three days later, stealing out of his office for ten minutes to eat his sandwiches in peace.
~There were a few lines that confused me. Maybe it would be better to say you were talking about antique furniture from the beginning. I had to go back and read it a few times just to catch on. It could be me though, maybe I’m not that smart.
On to the next part. I waited until more sections were up before I started reading.
Clarissa: your comments are more than welcome, and – on the whole – very useful. But this part was actually meant to be confusing
Pingback: The Charity Shop, parts VI and VII | djskrimiblog