Interim

Sunday late morning

Cleo phoned as I was just about to go out and do some tidying in the garden. The video conference had been cancelled.

Of course, I wanted to know why, and was justifiably horrified when she told me about shooting the dogs and other horrific scenarios. All the more reason to chew it over, I think. I hope they don’t think I can’t cope.

Cleo told me that Gary had been to the prison to question Mike Curlew, whom I always thought was a nasty piece of work, and had new information he needed to follow up. There was no time for thought. Now was the time for action. I tried to ask since when had action preceded thought, but my advice fell on deaf ears.

I wonder what Mia will say about Mike being release. She’s a nice girl and better off without him. Between you, me and the gatepost, I think something is brewing between her and Greg. Cleo hinted at it when she phoned this morning: I’m sorry I did not accept the invitation to go there last night. Then I could have seen it for myself.

I must remember not to gossip about Mia and Greg, but anything’s better than that woman Rosie Cleo told me about. Poor Greg. He is really an innocent abroad when it comes to girlfriends, so Cleo told me.-

“Dorothy, don’t speculate,” my sister Vera always advised, and that’s probably true when it comes to personal relationships, but where would Cleo’s Detective Agency be without my hunches? Even Gary has had reason to follow my advice more than once.

The locals there say that something funny is going on at the Bailey farm and I think Cleo should know about it since according to Thursday’s Gazette, Bailey is in some sort of trouble. He’s been getting a lot of visitors and usually doesn’t get any. Joe’s Friday edition of Cop’s Corner did not even mention that.

Don’t ask me how a freebie advert weekly can know what’s going on anywhere. The editor, a man named Bernie, or is it Bertie Browne, is not a journalist at all. He just prints anything that comes along to fill the pages. He’s a gossip-monger, if ever there was one. I’ve no idea what else he gets up to. I avoid his office. I can put an ad up on the P to P board at Verdi’s emporium if I want to sell something.

So on Friday, Joe Butler’s paper came out uninformed, as far as I can see. I get a copy because I’m on the postal list of private detectives, though I have, as I said, more or less retired.

Joe is a proper journalist. This time he wrote a neutral article on anthropophagy without mentioning where. Is there really cannibalism in Upper Grumpsfield! The day before, Mr Browne’s headline on page one had said so, and I thought that was the worst kind of scaremongering. Mr Browne dropped warning hints. Quite frightening. We are all at the mercy of monsters!

And now Mike Curlew is getting probation and will be back on the scene, Cleo tells me. Disgraceful after the way he treated his wife. I just hope he’s had some anti-aggression therapy.

I wonder if there’s a connection between Mike Curlew and Mr Bailey. I don’t like it one bit. I’m coming out of retirement to sort it out.