As Harry waited for the police to arrive he thought. He thought hard. He had no idea if he had committed a crime. Come to think of it he had no idea if a crime had been committed, although trying to envisage the situation on his mat arising accidentally sent him running back to his southern comfort.
He was about to wipe the handle of the knife but stopped short. His knife. His prints. No problem. No prints. Problem. His mind was working again. He showered and changed.
Inspired he returned to his desk and the parish profile document that had caused so much trouble. He typed:
As our new Rector you will be a person of discretion and decisiveness. You will be able to take the diverse and varied views of a gifted yet occasionally strong-willed congregation and make a team. You will lead them in the mission to convert the town ensuring that all threats to the unsaved world are no more than implied. You will be able to take care of yourself. As a resource investigator you will have good contacts when dirty work is required and inside knowledge of ecclesiastical goods. When two or three are gathered together in God's name they'll need something to sit on. You will have good administrative skills and will know where the bodies are buried. This is no job for a broad.
It was looking better already. He could see the new Rector photographed next to a shiny new notice board. The sign saying, 'Come to church. If you know what's good for you.'
The doorbell disturbed his dream. Flinging the bottle into his desk drawer and chewing on a mint he went to welcome the young officers he could see through the glass.
No idea where this will lead yet but more tomorrow.
5 comments:
assuming that you're improvising now:
maybe the attractive, younger investigating officer was at the last 'inquiry service'.. room for some complex relations?
maybe the church secretary was the only one on the PCC who was supporting Harry in trying to hold the increasingly fractioius two churches together as a parish...
...of course this would throw the ambitious associate minister, keen on empire building into the mix!
... there again, the knock on the door could be a weeping sidesperson, blurting out, before they cross the doorstep, how the church secretary had abused their position of trust to pilfer several church kneelers and a large box of the tea bags used for after service drinks....
...it's a bit of worry the sort of plots that become plausible once a 'good' christian lets rip...
:-)
Fabulous - though disturbingly possible ;-)
Brilliant - please do continue!
Don't know much about Raymond Chandler, but should we be expecting the arrival of a hardboiled, whisky-swilling dishevilled, detective-type area dean?
(with apologies for the grotty, dishevelled typo..)
I'm just a bit worried how Caroline knew about the kneelers.
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