Page 34 of Play Our Song

She sighed. “I know you said that more than likely these cars are getting chopped outside the village. But from the second I stepped foot in the Farmer garage they knew I was police, and the father confronted me before I even opened my mouth, told me there was nothing there.”

“Right.”

She shrugged. “He was defensive. People aren’t usually defensive unless they’ve got something to be defensive about. It just struck me as odd.”

Max nodded. “Could be. On the other hand, he might just have had bad experiences with police in the past. You can’t assume too much from all this.”

“I know,” Tilly said. “I know. But you asked, and that’s the best I’ve got.”

“Fair enough,” said Max, getting up. “Now, I need you off to Mrs. Dodds’ place, please. It’s just off the high street, turn right out the door and take the first right. Number thirty-six. She wants some new locks fitting and a basic security system, chains, that sort of thing. No alarm, her son says.”

“Okay,” said Tilly, confused. “And I need to be there because?”

Max sighed. “Because this is community policing. Because preventing crime is just as important, if not more important, than catching criminals, and because this is the part of the job where, if you’ll excuse me saying so, you’re not so hot.”

“Not so hot?” Tilly squeaked.

“It’s not all big cases, Till. You need to focus on the people. I keep telling you that. Think about the people involved, they’re not numbers, they’re not names in a report. Policing is about humanity, and if you overlook that, you’ll never be the kind of officer I know you want to be.”

Which stung, she wasn’t going to lie. She wasn’t used to being criticized. She was used to being number one, top of the class. But she looked at her desk and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Hey, cheer up,” said Max, patting her shoulder. “You’re here to learn. And if it’s any consolation, I don’t think anyone’s ever given me a typed up report before. Mostly people just bend my ear about things.”

She gave him a smile. “You’re welcome.”

“And so are you,” grinned Max. “Now off you go, there’s work to be done.”

“ARE YOU SURE the burglars won’t get in now?” Mrs. Dodds was saying.

“They won’t,” said Tilly, who was unsure whether or not Mrs. Dodds herself would be able to get into the small house. “Can you show me how you unlock the doors from the inside?”

“I’m no fool,” grumbled Mrs. Dodds as she unlocked the new locks.

Tilly picked up the bunch of keys that the locksmith had left and stepped outside with Mrs. Dodds. “Alright, now lock up.” She waited and watched as the old woman fumbled with the keys and locked the door. “Now unlock again.”

Another palaver and they were back inside the house.

“Now, lock us in safely,” said Tilly.

Mrs. Dodds clicked the locks back to closed. “See?” she said. “I told you I’m no fool. I know how to lock a door, young lady.”

Tilly, who’d thought Mrs. Dodds was a frail and slightly demented old woman the last time she met her, was revising her opinion. She’d spent the afternoon mediating between a tired locksmith and a demanding Mrs. Dodds, and all she really wanted was to go home and take her shoes off.

But it wasn’t to be. She checked her watch, almost time. “I have to be leaving now,” she said. “Are you going to be alright?”

“Better now that the burglars are on the outside,” Mrs. Dodds said, and tottered off toward the living room.

“Don’t forget to lock up after me,” Tilly shouted, shaking her head.

She left quickly. Billy had said that the village hall was free from five until six if she and Sophie wanted to use it, and it was quarter to five now. She didn’t want to keep Sophie waiting. Actually, she didn’t want to miss a second of being in Sophie’s company.

She was walking fast and was distracted trying to message Max at the same time as walking, so she didn’t see the shiny red car drive past her and then pull up to the curb. The window slid down and someone shouted at her.

“What? Sorry,” she began, getting closer to the car.

A young man was glaring at her through the window. “You stay out of things,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “Stay away from my garage and stay away from my family.”

It was only then that she recognized him as the Farmer son. He’d been in the background when his father had been trying to throw her out of the garage. “If you’ve got nothing to hide, there’s no reason to threaten me,” she said, holding her head up high. She was no coward.

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