Vampire Farmer - Penny Farthing Mystery - Chapters Nine and Ten

CHAPTER NINE

Penny Farthing Arrives in Allenbury

Penny parked the hire car outside of Madge’s cottage. Grabbed her handbag and suitcase, locked the car then headed up the path to the front door. The door opened before she had time to knock. Madge opened her arms, hugged her then pulled her indoors. ‘Thank goodness you’re here,’ she said.

‘What happened to you?’ Penny noted the bruise and dried blood on Madge’s forehead.

‘Come into the kitchen. I’ll make tea and tell you all about it.’ Madge led the way through to the back of the cottage. Reached for the kettle. ‘Sandwich or cake? Or both?’

‘I ate on the train, but cake would be nice.’ Penny took in the functional rather sparse kitchen. ‘Come on then tell me.’

‘You’ll never believe what happened last night.’ Madge set mugs of tea and a Victoria sponge on the table, they sat opposite each other. ‘I’d been busy in the church. When I’d finished I locked up. I started to walk down the path and I heard voices, and they weren’t heavenly voices either!’

‘You can get medication for that Madge.’

‘Hah! Very funny. I am telling you Penny, I heard voices.’

Penny sipped her tea, studied her friend’s face. There was no doubt in her mind Madge was serious. ‘Go on.’

Madge set her mug on the table, bent forward. ‘I crept round the back of the church. It was very late, but there was a full moon so it was bright. And the voices didn’t stop, it wasn’t my imagination.’ Madge tapped the side of her head. 'I didn’t want whoever it was to see me. I was scared.’

Vampire Farmer - Penny Farthing Mystery - Chapters Seven and Eight

CHAPTER SEVEN

Life Goes On

The following morning as Kitty stood at the Aga shaking a pan full of sizzling bacon she glanced out of the kitchen window across the farmyard. The cows were back in the pasture after milking. Ben and Young Ted stood heads together, inspecting the tractor engine. She could see their breath rise from their mouth as they spoke to each other. It all looked so normal. Sighing, she knocked hard on the window to attract their attention and let them know breakfast was almost ready.

Ben straightened up, acknowledged his mother with a wave, tossed a spanner into the tool box. ‘Time to eat.’ He hoped blood wasn’t supposed to be a substitute for food especially the cooked breakfasts he loved so much.

‘Aye, I’m starving. Could eat a scabby hos’ and run after the jockey.’ Young Ted looked across to the farmhouse, and sniffed the air. ‘I can smell bacon.’

‘Come on, shift yourself.’

‘Wash your hands and sit yourself down, Ted lad.’ Kitty slid fried eggs sunny side up onto plates loaded with bacon, mushrooms, beans and fried bread.

Ted sat at the table. ‘Thanks, Kitty.’ He grinned up at her. ‘You do look after me.’ He tucked into his breakfast, a small frown on his face as he glanced up at Kitty again. ‘Mind if I say you’re looking a bit peaky today. Are you feeling all right? Ben said you’d not been well.’

Vampire Farmer - Penny Farthing Mystery - Chapters Five and Six

CHAPTER FIVE

Diagnosis

Ben and Young Ted had been working the farm together for almost a week when Ben received a call from the surgery. His test results were back and could he come in to see his doctor straight away.

‘What is it, Doctor?’ Ben sat nervously twisting his cap in his hands.

‘Well Ben…you have something called Porphyria.’

‘Can I have that in English.’ Ben shifted in his seat.

‘Hmm, it’s a general term used to describe a variety of syndromes due to an excess of porphyrins in the blood tissues. Sometimes the symptoms present as neurological problems and other times the skin is affected, hence the purple pigmentation you have. Or, occasionally, both.’ Doctor Walton looked into Ben’s eyes and realised the lights were on, but there was no-one home. ‘You have the symptoms of Cutaneous Porphyria. The itching, blisters and swelling of the skin, and the photosensitivity—doesn’t mean you’re sensitive to photo’s though!’ Doctor Walton chuckled. ‘And, your pee had a slight purple tinge to it, another symptom. The fact that you have stomach pains is probably down to worrying about the play.’

‘Could be, I suppose.’

‘Porphyria is a genetic disease, but neither of your parents appear to have the symptoms, which is rather strange. Can you remember if any of your grandparents had similar health problems?’