The Price of Butcher's Meat by Reginald Hill Page B

in banking— oh aye?—you mean—like Bonnie & Clyde? —
    Trying to work out the Parker family dynamic—OK—I mean I was as nebby as usual!—I asked about the sister. According to Min—Aunt Diana is really wierd—always going on about being at deaths door—which used to scare Min when she was little—thinking she meant the attic door in their old family house—& that must be where death lived! It was her uncle Sid set her mind at rest—by taking her up into the attic—& showing her the relics of his childhood—& also by saying—dont worry about your aunt little Min—when you yourself are finally laid to rest—aged 150 or thereabouts—it will be Auntie Di who lays flowers on your grave!—
    Bit macabre comfort—I thought—but kids love macabre & in Minnies eyes Uncle Sid is perfection itself!
    Not sure if Mary would go as far as that. Tom vanished after supper tonight—still catching up he said—& once the kids had all been put to bed—in Mins case by main force!—me & Mary had a large Baileys apiece—& got to talking like old mates. I reckon shes been dying for someone to confide in for years—someone outside the family—& outside Sandytown. Like I said before—shes incredibly loyal—but I got a strong impression she secretly fears this development scheme will end in tears.
    Shed confirmed what Min had told me—that it was Sid who got things started.
    Sids always been good with figures & stuff—from an early age hes handled the Parker family finances—very successfully too—Mary admits. Good investments—steady returns—spotting which Lady D got in on the act—asking his advice—free to a friend of course—& so profitable that Sid soon became her blue-eyed blue-chip boy!
    Anyway—Sid came up with this idea that the combination of the Brereton property & the Parker land & Toms architectural know-how could add up to a nice little earner. At least thats the way I guess he put it to Lady D. With Tom Im sure he painted things in more visionary terms—the greater good—benefit of the community—environmental concerns—etc—the kind of stuff Tom had been dabbling in all his life.
    This was how the great Sandytown Development Consortium got into its stride—& since then—I gather—Sidney has acted not only as its financial consultant—but also as an umpire when Tom & Lady D dont see eye to eye. Lady D is far from persuaded that Toms preoccupation with complementary medicine & the environment is going to be a money spinner for the hotel. Upper class recreational pursuits—facials—manicures—massage—plus maybe the latest post Pilates exercise fad to work up an appetite for the gourmet grub—& thirst for the disgustingly expensive booze—thats what she sees bringing the stinking rich punters in. But Tom wont give ground here—insisting there has to be room for a full range of alternative therapies—something in which his family have always had a deep—in some cases—Maryhints & Min confirms—an obsessive interest. Fortunately it seems Dr Feldenhammer—boss man at the Avalon—after some initial doubts—has been persuaded theres no harm in the clinic presenting a united front with Tom re the complementary stuff.
    â€”very enlightened of him—I said—surprised—knowing most mainstream medics think its all a load of crap—me too if Im honest—which Im not—around dear Tom!
    â€”yes—& the good thing—said Mary—is that it shuts Daphne Brereton up a bit—her feeling about poor Lester the way she does—
    â€”eh?—I said—you dont mean…?—
    â€”oh yes—shes got him in her sights—& wants him in her bed—said Mary grimly—disgraceful—a woman of her age—
    Maybe this Sandytown air really does have