Deadly Clementine

“All I am saying is that we can think what we like but cannot ignore the fact that four people are now dead, and none of them had ever mentioned any medical problems in the days prior to their deaths. In fact, I have seen all four of them the day before they died, and they all seemed fine and dandy to me. I cannot see there is any reason why someone would want to kill the Fair Committee. Mr Richardson was not one of us. Whatever people think, the deceased must have a link of some kind, but it cannot be me or the Fair Committee.”

“You think that we have a killer in village?” Reverend Ormstone didn’t look as horrified as Clementine thought he would. It warned her that he too had been thinking along the same lines as she had.

“I think we have to consider that is likely, yes.”

“Given the nature of what we are dealing with here, I would ask that what is discussed in this house goes no further,” Cameron said.

Reverend Ormstone immediately agreed.

“So, please talk freely. It shall go no further.”

“I don’t understand what the deceased could have in common,” Clementine scowled at the table while she contemplated the possibilities.

“We need to be careful,” Cameron whispered. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

“I don’t think it is over yet, but I cannot convince the magistrate that there is anything untoward going on. He just won’t listen.” The vicar’s voice was rife with frustration.

“How are we to find out for definite what happened to the victims if we are too afraid to discuss what happened to them?” Clementine forcibly blocked out all thoughts of Moss.

“We can’t find out what happened to them,” Cameron said.

“So, we just sit back and allow the villagers to die?” Clementine cried. “Can I remind you that I am one of them? What would you do if I suddenly died of one of these ‘seizures’? Would you be as accepting of it then?”

“Of course not,” Cameron snorted.

“So, why are we supposed to sit here and just accept the deaths of the villagers, our friends?” Clementine countered.

“I have to confess that I cannot help but see that we need to cancel the Autumn Fair after this fourth death. People are worried. I am sorry, my dear, because I know you and your friends have been working extremely hard to make it a wonderful occasion for the village. However, I cannot lose sight of the fact that three committee members have died. Given nearly half of the committee have now passed away, I don’t think the Fair should be held.” The vicar looked apologetically at Cameron rather than Clementine and missed the dour look she threw at him.

“I beg your pardon?” Cameron blinked. He stared at the vicar as if he had never set eyes on him before. “What?”

Reverend Ormstone scowled. “Three of the committee members have now passed away in quick succession. If your daughter is right. I think we must consider that someone doesn’t want the village fair to take place this year and is prepared to kill to make sure they get their wish. For the first time in nearly two and half centuries, we are going to have to cancel this village’s annual fair. It is that simple. I am sure my parishioners will understand given the severity of what has happened. I am afraid that because the magistrate doesn’t accept anything other than natural causes is to blame, we must keep everyone safe and at home wherever possible. Putting on an annual fair is just asking for trouble.”

“This village has held that fair for years. You have just said so yourself,” Clementine growled. “Why should we be cowed by a killer? Shouldn’t the killer be led by the majority? I don’t care what you do, I am certainly not going to cower at home and allow any murderer to get their way. If the magistrate won’t do anything about it then I will.”

“And how do you intend to do that?” Cameron demanded in a voice that was laden with panic. He threw an askance look at the vicar, who looked equally shocked.

Clementine mentally and uncharacteristically cursed as she struggled to find a way of solving the problem but couldn’t. With a huff, she glared at her father. “Well, sitting here discussing it isn’t going to solve the problem, will it?”

“Going out there to challenge a killer isn’t going to solve it either,” Cameron retorted.

“What about that private detective friend of the Captain’s?” Reverend Ormstone asked suddenly.

Clementine huffed a sigh. “He won’t help us.”

“Clementine?” Her father’s brows shot up.

“He doesn’t believe that there is a killer amongst us either. Besides, he is already busy with another investigation and cannot help us,” Clementine sighed.

“You have been to see him?” Cameron asked incredulously. His gaze slid to the vicar, who was trying to pretend he was somewhere else but failing miserably.

“The Captain did a letter of introduction for me. When I got there, Moss – Mr Banfield-Moss – had just returned from an investigation. He told me that there is nothing we can do, and nothing he is prepared to do, even though people are dying here. But we cannot just sit and do nothing.”

“We are going to do something. We are going to protect everybody and cancel the Autumn Fair,” the vicar declared. “I am sorry, but it has to be done.”

“There is no earthly reason the Autumn Fair has to be cancelled. It is the wrong thing to do, and it will not be supported by the remaining committee members, or the villagers for that matter. I think you should know, and I am speaking as a committee member, that the arrangements have been underway for many months now. Everybody knows what to do. It is not just the committee who arrange everything. The locals play their part, and everyone has had their allotted stalls given to them since last year. They have been working o

n those stalls ever since and have been involved from the first committee meeting. We will not tell those people that their efforts are unnecessary this year. That will cause an even bigger problem and raise even more suspicion because it has never happened before. It isn’t fair on the villagers who have already worked so hard to make it happen to simply turn around and tell them that they cannot hold the fair.”