Meeting Minutes |
8th meeting of the Steering Committee for Stoney
Grove Attendees: Phil Porkridge, Shirley Johnson, Martin Johnson, Evelyn Prosser, Mr. Tinsley Snr., Simon Tinsley, Chester Vyse, Emma Knytleigh, John White. Simon: Well, first order of business is to figure out what all this stuff is in the box. Pretty disappointing I thought. Frank not here to contribute? Shirley: Poor lamb is wasting away. Good job some of us care. I’ve been taking him his food, but he’s hardly eating. Skin and bones, he is. Well it was the shock, wasn’t it? Emma: He already knew Shirley, it shouldn’t have been a shock. Remember? Simon: Well, let’s go through it all. Emma: I can save you some time. I’ve already examined it. Mr. Tinsley Sr.: Go on then. What did you find? Emma: I found Frank’s birth certificate, of course, a letter from his adoptive parents, thanking Ellen Hall for letting them have the baby, a photograph, and some dried flowers. Shirley: What kind of flowers? Emma: I don’t know, rosebuds and baby’s breath, I think. They’re all falling apart. Martin: Be careful you don’t crush them, miss. I might have a look later on. John White: Smashing job, Em. You’ve turned into a real detective! Simon: Yeah, right. So, this is the big treasure. Some homely woman and a bunch of dead flowers. And we waited weeks for this? Phil: I thought there might be a few thousand quid tucked away. You know, illicit gains or something. Chester: Nothing about the house, then? That's a disappointment. Evelyn: I don’t know. All these things are a part of the puzzle. Do you suppose the woman was Frank’s adoptive mum? Emma: Maybe. Frank won’t let me in to see him, so I haven’t been able to show him the picture. Shirley: I can save you another trip. That’s not Mrs. Churchill. She does look familiar though. I fancy I’ve seen that face somewhere before. Emma: Do you know who his father was? Shirley: That’s not for me to say. He’ll tell you when he’s ready. The root of all his problems, if you ask me. Having to go through life with that burden. Emma: Shirley! Evelyn: Come on Shirley, out with it! Martin: Go on woman, they’ll find out soon enough. Shirley: Well I’m not one to gossip, but all right then. His father was a German. Shot down during the war, he was. A POW hereabouts, and Ellen, that’s Miss Ellen Hall, fell in love with him. He was a good bit younger, as you can imagine. As far as I can tell, he went back without ever knowing she was in the family way. Evelyn: So she put Frank up for adoption? Shirley: Well, a women in her position. It’s not like now, when everyone is an unmarried Mum. John: Did Frank know Ellen? Did he ever meet his real mother? Or his dad? Simon: All right, Frank’s business, I think. Enough time wasted on memory lane. Let’s get back to it. Oh, bloody hell, what is it now? Sergeant Bobby Archer: I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve come to arrest Miss Emma Knytleigh. If you could just step away from the table, Miss Knytleigh, and put your hands behind your back. Emma: What? What’s going on? Simon: You can’t just barge in here and arrest Emma! I demand to see some authorisation! What are the charges? Sergeant Archer: Possession of narcotics. That’s drugs. We searched her room and found cannabis, or pot in the common vernacular, and cocaine—you know, the white stuff they snort. Simon: Who gave you permission to search her room? Sergeant Archer: I went through the proper channels, Mr. Tinsley. It’s not her first offense, you know, and I’ve been keeping an eye on this house for months now. You know, it's a mistake to underestimate the criminal mind. Emma: I don’t know what you found, but I don’t have any drugs… Sergeant Archer: Just you come along quietly. You can make a statement back at the station. There’s a good girl. And I’ll be back to ask a few more questions. Emma: Ann! Simon: She's not here Emma, you know that. Sergeant Archer: Come along, come along. (Archer and Emma leave the room). Simon: This is outrageous! How could he possibly have found anything in her room? Shirley: He didn’t. I did. Found a stash on her desk, and some more in the cupboard. And I’m not ashamed to say that I called him right away, I did. You might think otherwise, but I'll not have that sort of thing in this house. Not with my grandson around. John: Oh, way to go Nan! |