Abediah Thornton

Chapter 23 - Sunday

Her house hadn't been this full for a long time. There were six police officers sitting around the kitchen table. Their vests, padded with innumerable pockets laden with goodness knows what, were swinging from the backs of their chairs. They were off duty. 

She slid another tray of food onto the table and reached for a large jug for the water before turning towards the fridge. This morning Abediah had sent three police officers off across the fields on her little 4x4. Rita and DeeDee sitting up front and sitting in the back, legs swinging, sat Barbie. Police Officer Barbie. Well, no, not quite. Her name was Cindy, not much better. But she looked so much like Barbie, Abediah was struggling to remember the woman's actual name! 

The three women had planned to leave the 4x4 behind the hill and then approach the barn from behind. The rest of the team would wait until someone came to the barn before approaching from the road, hopefully blocking their exit. That was as much as the women had told her this morning. 

Later, they had met the rest of the team back at the farm house after returning the 4x4. Abediah had felt so sorry for them, covered in mud and looking like cold drowned rats. Since they were helping her, it seemed only right to invite them in for dinner. 

Now the police officers were eyeing up the last of the trays of food from the freezer. A steak pie and another lasagna. She was glad she had something to feed them, other than cookies. She had been a bit surprised that they had taken her up on the offer, but looking at them now she could see everyone was tired, wet, cold and needed a bit of a chat. 

Their captain and some other officers had apparently taken the three people they'd arrested back to the station in town for questioning, so now they could relax. There were three men and three women. Now at the top of the table with her back to the window, Abediah had Cindy/Barbie on her left and on her right a smart little guy who looked like Charlie Chaplin, without the moustache and with glasses. He looked very tidy, seemed quite shy and perhaps not altogether happy being thrust into this very social situation. 

On his right sat Rita and DeeDee. Opposite them sat the other two male officers, who couldn't be more different. At the end sat a young man who looked remarkably like a young Gene Kelly, the only big difference being, instead of slicked back hair he had tight red curls that reminded her of Pastor John. 

The other man looked like he would be more comfortable in an NFL line-up than sitting here at her kitchen table. A big black man, he seemed to take up all the space around him, making everyone else at the table seem tiny. Looking at him now he did seem vaguely familiar, although Abediah couldn't imagine where she might have seen him before, she certainly would have remembered if they'd met. The man was chatting comfortably with his colleagues at the far end of the table and every now and then would let out a big booming laugh which he accompanied with a wonderful smile that lit up his whole face. 

As she sat down to the table DeeDee called Abediah's name, 'Mrs Thornton, I'm so sorry we've interrupted your evening.' The rest of the conversation ceased while the two women spoke across the length of the table. 

'Oh, my dear, what else would I have to do tonight? Curl up with a book? This is far more interesting! Thank you all for being here.'

'Thank you for feeding us Mrs Thornton.'

'You're welcome, but since you are all eating at my kitchen table, I think it'd be best if you all just called me Abediah, OK?' she said, looking around the table. Everyone seemed to be on their best behaviour. Nobody was eating and the animated chatter that had been going on as she'd prepared the table had ground to a halt. 

'Abediah,' started DeeDee with a nod. 'Let me introduce you to our team then.' Abediah nodded and smiled at everyone, she really was quite excited to have so many interesting looking people in her house. She wanted to know all about them.