Page 7 of Play Our Song

“Policing a small community is different from policing in a city,” Max said as they walked. “You’ll see. It’s more… flexible, perhaps, and there’s more community care involved. But it’s rewarding in its own way, even if it isn’t all chasing bank robbers down.”

“Right.” Tilly’s stomach tightened a little. It just sounded like a lot of paperwork and not much else. Maybe a walk every lunchtime to say hello to people. Hardly high-profile policing.

They turned a corner and were suddenly engulfed in a wave of children.

“Afternoon, Max,” said a tall, bearded man.

“Ah, this is Frank Meyer, teacher of the upper Juniors, the oldest kids at the school,” Max said. “And Frank, this is Tilly Ware.”

“Nice to meet you. We’re just off to the playing fields for a game of football,” Frank said.

“I’m going to be goalie,” piped up a familiar voice. Tilly looked down to see Agatha Browning bouncing up and down in shorts and a striped t-shirt. “And guess what, dad?” she said, still bouncing. “Ms. Brooke is starting a choir and I can’t even join in it, even if I’m the best at music in the whole school.” She looked annoyed.

Frank Meyer raised an eyebrow. “That would be the contentious point of the day,” he said more quietly. “Sorry, I don’t know where she heard it, but she’s not happy. I’m sure that you and Mila are going to have to put up with a lot of complaining tonight.”

“Is it true?” asked Max.

Frank nodded. “Billy Brooke is starting a village choir. There’s a notice on the board outside the school. First rehearsal’stomorrow night at the village hall. Should be fun. Are you up for it?”

“Not me,” Max laughed. “I only sing in the bath.”

“And he’s terrible,” put in Ag.

“What about you, Constable Ware?” Frank asked.

For a second, Tilly thought about it. She did like music, she’d sung in the police choir in training college. And… and this was community policing. If that was what she was here to learn about, then that’s what she was going to do. What better way to become a part of the community? If Max was right, this was how she was supposed to be doing this job.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I think that sounds like fun.”

Chapter Four

Sophie put plates down on the table.

“Thanks, love,” said her dad. “You finish this month’s invoices?”

“Yes,” she said, taking a seat beside her dad and opposite her brother. “But something isn’t adding up.”

“What’s that then?” asked her dad, digging into his beans on toast.

“If I knew that, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Sophie said. “It looks like there’s more money coming in than invoices going out, which doesn’t make sense, I’ll have a look at it again tomorrow.”

“Doesn’t sound like a bad thing, that,” Gio said. “Better than invoices going out and no money coming in.”

“Yeah, it all needs to add up though,” said Sophie picking up her fork.

Once, she’d wanted to do something else. She’d seen herself wearing a smart suit, maybe some heels, wearing her long dark hair up in a bun. Maybe even being daring and cool like those women she saw on TV. Sort of like inIndustry, but with less sex and more accounting. Not no sex, just not every night. A girl needed her beauty sleep after all.

And then… Well, then she’d graduated and come home and just sort of not left again.

College had been fun, or fun enough. She’d worked hard, made some friends, lost her virginity, ticked all the little boxes that students were supposed to tick. It was after college that had proven to be the issue.

It wasn’t so much that she thought her dad and brother would fade away without her. It was more that they needed her. She could see that. Could see that their lives were better with her in them. For the most part, she didn’t resent that. Not really. It wasn’t like she’d been flooded with offers from fancy companies in the city or anything.

Wearing her jeans and Adidas to a dirty garage every day wasn’t quite the dream, though. Nor was picking through oil-stained receipts and booking appointments for tire rotations.

“Have a look and see that things add up,” her dad was saying.

“Yeah, I will,” she said.

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