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.However, the presence of officers from the city’s Major Incident Team could indicate that we have a serial arsonist at loose in the city.I put that question toDetective Inspector Jon Spicer, MIT’s officer at the scene.’Jon then heard his own voice.‘I’m afraid we can’t say.The site has been sealed off and fire investigation officers will conduct an examination alongside our own forensic team once it is safe to do so.’‘But is it true that the same satanic symbols found spray-painted on the walls of the other three churches were also found here?’‘No one’s even been near the inside of the church yet, so I really can’t say.’‘We understand the vicar of the church suffered a heart attack as a result of this act.Will it be a murder investigation if he dies?’‘I really can’t comment on that.Thank you.’The link switched back to the studio.We’ll bring you more on that story as it unfolds.Now on to sports news and a brilliant victory for Belle Vue Aces at Kirkmanshulme Lane last night—Jon turned the radio off.‘That wasn’t too bad, was it?’Alice smiled back.‘You sounded very on the ball.How is that poor vicar?’‘Not sure.I’ll drop by before I report in to the incident room.’‘So is it Satanists doing this?’Jon ran a hand through his cropped brown hair.‘Probably.How often do churches burn down of their own accord?’‘That’s awful.’‘Yeah.I thought those sorts of beliefs had died out in theMiddle Ages too,’ Jon replied, filling the kettle with water.‘You’re joking aren’t you? Alternative religions have never been so popular.Look at Ellie.Which reminds me, your mum wants to speak to you about her.’‘What the hell am I supposed to do? Jesus Christ.’ He banged the cupboard door shut and placed two cups on the worktop.‘Jon, losing your temper about this is the last thing we need.You should sit down with Ellie and sort something out.’Jon kept his eyes on the cups.For fuck’s sake! Why did he have to play the middle man here.?‘I spoke to Ellie yesterday night,’ Alice continued.‘She’s coming round for tea.Maybe you two could have a chat then.’ Jon turned to his wife, sensing that she’d set the meeting up.‘Don’t look at me like that, I’m only trying to help.’He sighed.‘Yeah, sorry.It pisses me off though.I always seem to get stuck as some sort of mediator.’‘The pitfalls of being the eldest child.’Jon thought back to when they were all kids.It was true.Being the eldest had so many disadvantages.There was no doubt his parents had been strict with them all during their early years, but only Jon had suffered the same treatment right the way through being a teenager.In by ten o’clock until he was seventeen, not allowed to the pub until eighteen.Then along comes Dave, his younger brother by four years.Allowed to stay out far later, far younger.In the pub by the time he was sixteen.Then Ellie, the youngest by seven years.He couldn’t believe how much she’d got away with.Had his parents grown tired of enforcing discipline by the time she’d reached her teenage years? No wonder she drifted through life, swayed by any hippy-dippy shit that came her way.His thoughts turned back to Dave.The black sheep of the family who’d left home to live in squats, dabbling in minor crime and, in all probability, drugs.As usual, he was nowhere around, safe from all this family shit.‘When did Mum ring?’‘Yesterday.You got in too late last night for me to mention it then.’Jon reflected on the latest crisis to hit his family.During Sunday lunch at his parents’, Ellie had announced that she was starting to follow a religion called Wicca.She had described it as a set of pagan beliefs that pre-dated Christianity and were based around respect for the natural environment.Their mother, Mary, a devout Catholic, had hit the roof.In the ensuing argument she had asserted that Wiccans were actually witches, and Wicca was a religion that would lead its followers straight to hell.Ellie had responded with a description of the part the church had played in burning thousands of women during the sixteen-hundreds.Now, as an integral part of the Establishment, the church was meekly allowing government after government to help wreck the planet through policies based on pure greed.Jon had lost track of what Ellie was on about after her first three sentences.Concentrating on his roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, he’d hoped the dispute would settle itself down, but things had got more and more heated, culminating in Ellie storming out of the house [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]