routine; they’d want to talk to him again tomorrow when they knew more. This time he hadn’t mentioned Roddy Lodge, whoever
he
was… perhaps just a name thrown up by the shock, a convenient focus for Gomer’s uncomprehending anguish, his denial of the obvious.
Merrily called up the vicarage number and was starting to get anxious when it rang six times before Jane picked up.
‘Sorry.’ The kid sounded muzzy. ‘Think I kind of fell asleep in the chair.’ A pause. ‘It’s bad, isn’t it?’
Merrily told her most of it. No point in dressing it up. Jane was silent for a while, then she said, her voice pitched high and querulous, ‘Couldn’t it be like a tramp or something? I know that’s just as like— just as bad for
somebody
, but it…’
‘We have to wait for official confirmation, flower.’
‘I just like
knew
there’d be something like this. It’s that kind of year – anything that could possibly be bad is always worse. Starting with Minnie… What will you do now?’
‘Come home, I suppose.’
‘Mum…’ Another pause as the wider implications sank in. ‘This is going to screw him up completely, isn’t it? It’s not like he can revive that business on his own, not at his age. But if he doesn’t, he won’t know what to do with himself. He’ll just fade into—’
‘We won’t let that happen,’ Merrily said quickly. ‘Go to bed this time, flower, or you won’t be fit for school.’
‘It’s half-term.’
‘Of course it is.’
‘Holiday time,’ Jane said. ‘What fun.’
Merrily had been holding the phone tight to her ear and didn’t think Gomer had heard any of Jane’s side of the conversation at all. But when she pocketed the mobile and started the van’s engine, he turned to her, green dashboard lights reflected in his glasses. Whatever small amount of light was available, Gomer’s glasses always seemed to reflect it.
‘En’t gonner pack in, vicar. En’t gonner walk away.’
‘Never thought you would.’
‘Gotter put it all back together. Somehow.’
‘Yes.’
‘Kind of memorial would that be for the boy, the business went down the toilet?’
‘We should talk about that.’
‘Put me outer the picture,’ Gomer said. ‘It’s what he wanted.’
‘Who?’
‘Roddy Lodge.’
‘Well, we can talk about that, too.’ Merrily let out the clutch too quickly – the van lurched and the engine stalled. ‘When we’ve got clearer heads. When we’re not so—’
‘You’re bloody well fobbin’ me off, ennit?’
‘No, I’m not, but…’
‘Poor ole bloody Parry! Shock of it turned his mind, done his ole brain in! Won’t face up to the truth: the boy had a drink problem. Comes in out of his bloody head, sets light to the mattress. Always been a liability. Accident waitin’ to happen. That’s what they’re gonner say, ennit?’
‘No.’ Merrily restarted the engine. ‘No, they’re not. Everybody liked Nev. Everybody who knew him.’ Ar. Well, that’s true. That’s dead right. But it weren’t Nev he was after. Me he wanted to get at, see. Poor bloody Nev, he just got in the way.’
‘Gomer—’
‘Can’t back away from this, vicar. Gotter take my piece o’ the blame. I never thought, see. Even after what I yeard in the Swan tonight, I never thought anybody in his right mind would…’ He shook his head. ‘But he
en’t
, see. That’s the point. En’t in his right mind. I never really reckoned on that.’
It was something about his voice this time. And the realization that he must have been going over this, in a kind of mental mist, all the time she’d been talking at him. Merrily switched off the engine and then the lights, watching the green glow fade from Gomer’s bottle glasses.
She slid a hand under her hair, undid her dog collar, pulled it off and put it on top of the dashboard.
She lit a cigarette.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘Who’s Roddy Lodge?’
6
Demonizing Roddy
G OMER BORROWED M ERRILY’S mobile and rang his
he
was… perhaps just a name thrown up by the shock, a convenient focus for Gomer’s uncomprehending anguish, his denial of the obvious.
Merrily called up the vicarage number and was starting to get anxious when it rang six times before Jane picked up.
‘Sorry.’ The kid sounded muzzy. ‘Think I kind of fell asleep in the chair.’ A pause. ‘It’s bad, isn’t it?’
Merrily told her most of it. No point in dressing it up. Jane was silent for a while, then she said, her voice pitched high and querulous, ‘Couldn’t it be like a tramp or something? I know that’s just as like— just as bad for
somebody
, but it…’
‘We have to wait for official confirmation, flower.’
‘I just like
knew
there’d be something like this. It’s that kind of year – anything that could possibly be bad is always worse. Starting with Minnie… What will you do now?’
‘Come home, I suppose.’
‘Mum…’ Another pause as the wider implications sank in. ‘This is going to screw him up completely, isn’t it? It’s not like he can revive that business on his own, not at his age. But if he doesn’t, he won’t know what to do with himself. He’ll just fade into—’
‘We won’t let that happen,’ Merrily said quickly. ‘Go to bed this time, flower, or you won’t be fit for school.’
‘It’s half-term.’
‘Of course it is.’
‘Holiday time,’ Jane said. ‘What fun.’
Merrily had been holding the phone tight to her ear and didn’t think Gomer had heard any of Jane’s side of the conversation at all. But when she pocketed the mobile and started the van’s engine, he turned to her, green dashboard lights reflected in his glasses. Whatever small amount of light was available, Gomer’s glasses always seemed to reflect it.
‘En’t gonner pack in, vicar. En’t gonner walk away.’
‘Never thought you would.’
‘Gotter put it all back together. Somehow.’
‘Yes.’
‘Kind of memorial would that be for the boy, the business went down the toilet?’
‘We should talk about that.’
‘Put me outer the picture,’ Gomer said. ‘It’s what he wanted.’
‘Who?’
‘Roddy Lodge.’
‘Well, we can talk about that, too.’ Merrily let out the clutch too quickly – the van lurched and the engine stalled. ‘When we’ve got clearer heads. When we’re not so—’
‘You’re bloody well fobbin’ me off, ennit?’
‘No, I’m not, but…’
‘Poor ole bloody Parry! Shock of it turned his mind, done his ole brain in! Won’t face up to the truth: the boy had a drink problem. Comes in out of his bloody head, sets light to the mattress. Always been a liability. Accident waitin’ to happen. That’s what they’re gonner say, ennit?’
‘No.’ Merrily restarted the engine. ‘No, they’re not. Everybody liked Nev. Everybody who knew him.’ Ar. Well, that’s true. That’s dead right. But it weren’t Nev he was after. Me he wanted to get at, see. Poor bloody Nev, he just got in the way.’
‘Gomer—’
‘Can’t back away from this, vicar. Gotter take my piece o’ the blame. I never thought, see. Even after what I yeard in the Swan tonight, I never thought anybody in his right mind would…’ He shook his head. ‘But he
en’t
, see. That’s the point. En’t in his right mind. I never really reckoned on that.’
It was something about his voice this time. And the realization that he must have been going over this, in a kind of mental mist, all the time she’d been talking at him. Merrily switched off the engine and then the lights, watching the green glow fade from Gomer’s bottle glasses.
She slid a hand under her hair, undid her dog collar, pulled it off and put it on top of the dashboard.
She lit a cigarette.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘Who’s Roddy Lodge?’
6
Demonizing Roddy
G OMER BORROWED M ERRILY’S mobile and rang his
Similar Books
