Crime in the Community

Chapter 6 Signals from another world

'But they're concerned for his safety, though,' said Big Dave. 'It said so in the papers.'

Amaryllis broke her silence to add, 'He would have got in touch by now if he could.'

'There you are!' said Mrs Stevenson.

'But what could have happened to him in Pitkirtly?' said Christopher, not really wanting an answer. 'It's not as if it's the murder capital of the world or anything.'

'That's Detroit, isn't it?' said Big Dave.

'Cape Town, mate,' said Young Dave.

'I expect he'll turn up again wondering what all the fuss is about,' said Mrs Stevenson comfortably, taking a sip of the Dubonnet Big Dave had already got in for her.

Amaryllis, by contrast, still seemed to be on edge, fidgeting with one of the zips on her leather jacket and intermittently glancing round at the rest of the bar population.

'So is this a normal meeting of PLIF, or what?' said Young Dave.

'There's no such thing!' crowed Jock McLean, cheering up slightly. 'This is as normal as it gets.'

'So what's on the agenda then?' Young Dave challenged Christopher.

'Item 1, apologies. I take it Steve Paxman won't be able to make it,' said Christopher, becoming infected by the general mood of frivolity. 'Item 2, the guerilla campaign. Item 3, the village hall.'

There was a groan round the table.

'I was asked if the village hall could be put on the agenda,' Christopher explained.

'Who by?' demanded Young Dave.

'Who do you think?' returned Big Dave.

'Yes, I asked for it to be added,' said Amaryllis. 'We should at least talk about it - if nothing else, it'll give you the chance to air your reasons for being so against it.'

Christopher knew, and Amaryllis had probably worked it out by now too, that they wouldn't be persuaded to air their real reason, which was that they didn't want anything to change. There would be all sorts of feeble justifications - the state of disrepair of the building being one of the more serious ones.

'I'll air a reason right now,' said Young Dave. 'If it does belong to the town, then the townspeople would be better served by knocking it down and selling the land for building. You could get a nice new block of apartments, right near the river, double-glazing, balconies - it'd be a gold-mine.'

'You're not in court now,' said Jock McLean. He knocked his pipe out on the edge of the rather nice tile-topped table. The barman looked over suspiciously in their direction. Jock stuffed his pipe into his jacket pocket.

'You can't just rob me of my chance to speak by making sarcastic comments,' said Young Dave.

'Oh, can't I?' said Jock McLean. 'Have you got any more to say?'

'Um - no.'

'Well, let somebody else have a go, then, lad.'

Christopher opened his mouth to speak just as Jock said smoothly, 'What do you think, Mrs Stevenson?'

'If the Cooncil want to pay to have it re-built just so young hoodlums can wreck it again, that's their own look-out,' said Mrs Stevenson, face nearly as pink as her drink.

'We haven't really got to that agenda item yet,' said Christopher, getting his word in quickly before Jock and the Daves started again.

'There's no need to talk about the gorilla campaign any more,' said Big Dave. 'Been there, done that. It's redundant now himself's gone.'