Read Online Hard Going by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - Free Book Online

receptive look, went on conversationally: ‘We first met at a Residents’ Association meeting. He’d just moved into the area. We got talking, and took a liking to each other. He said he wanted to busy himself with useful things now he’d retired, so I persuaded him to volunteer for the Home Visit Club – it’s a charity I’m involved with. You visit housebound people and read to them, or talk, or do little errands, whatever they want. He helped with the office work, too. And it went on from there. He got himself involved in local campaigns, and charity things. Various committees. We’re both collectors for the Royal British Legion. I suppose there isn’t much charitable or volunteer work around the area that he
isn’t
involved in. He’s that kind of man – a genuine pillar of the community.’
    In his enthusiasm he had slipped back into the present tense, and his face was relaxed and happy. He’d forgotten why he was talking about Bygod, here and now.
    â€˜You haven’t mentioned a wife. Was he married?’
    â€˜No – well, never since I’ve known him. I don’t know much about his life before that. He didn’t talk about himself, really. But he never mentioned a wife.’
    â€˜What about family?’
    Plumptre shook his head. ‘I never knew he had any. He never mentioned anyone.’
    â€˜So you can’t help us with who his next of kin might be?’
    â€˜Oh dear, I’m afraid not.’ He put a hand to his cheek. ‘It hadn’t occurred to me – of course you would want to … but I really don’t know. I could ask some of our other friends if they know. Perhaps he might have mentioned someone at some time.’
    Slider digested this. Men were, in any case, deeply incurious about each other’s private lives, and probably the older you got the more entrenched the habit became. It might not even be remarkable that Plumptre didn’t know whether Bygod had ever had children.
    He moved on. ‘So was he already retired when you first met him?’
    â€˜Yes – we had both retired early, which was another bond between us, I suppose. I worked in the salaries department at Beecham’s on the Great West Road. I was there before the SmithKline takeover, but when Glaxo took over the lot, I was eased out, so I took an early pension.’
    â€˜And what did Mr Bygod do before he retired?’
    â€˜I believe he was a solicitor. I don’t know why he retired early – as I said, he didn’t really talk about himself. Perhaps he’d just had enough. He seemed very happy with his life the way it was.’
    â€˜You knew about his habit of giving advice to people who came in off the street?’
    â€˜It wasn’t quite like that,’ Plumptre said. ‘They were people he’d met elsewhere, or who were introduced by other people he knew. Word got round, of course, but he didn’t let complete strangers in.’
    â€˜What sort of advice?’
    â€˜Legal and practical – how to deal with the local council, what your rights were in disputes, faulty goods, that sort of thing. Who to go to and where to find information – rather like the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. Not lonely hearts stuff,’ he added, permitting himself a small smile. ‘He wasn’t an agony aunt.’
    â€˜Talking of lonely hearts,’ Slider said, ‘did he have any women friends?’
    â€˜Oh, there are women in our group all right – of course there are. But if you mean in the romantic sense – I don’t think so. I never saw him with anyone.’
    â€˜Your group?’ Slider queried.
    â€˜Of friends,’ Plumptre said with a clear look. ‘We’re on committees together and meet for drinks and meals and go out sometimes. It’s a very nice circle. Of course, we’ve all known each other for years. Everyone was so kind and supportive when my