‘He probably did do it on purpose.’

Nick’s brows drew together as he frowned. ‘I’m hardly in the village during the day so I’ve clearly missed something. What’s going on?’

‘Seymour Cole is an absolute—’

Trish cleared her throat and nodded towards the living room. Len got the message and reconsidered his sentence. ‘He’s not a very nice man. Particularly recently. Always out for what he can get, using people then throwing them aside.’

‘But doesn’t he do something financial in Witchbury? How can he be using people here in the village?’

‘Cheated his way to a promotion over poor old Derek in Stone Cottage,’ Len said authoritatively. ‘And he refused to pay Adam Noble for some carpentry work he did as well. Adam made him a beautiful table, then Seymour said he’d gone “off spec” and he wasn’t going to pay for something he didn’t ask for. Adam tried to explain that he’d spoken to Mrs Cole because the original table they wanted wouldn’t go through any doorways it was so big, so he’d have to make it in two sections and assemble it in the house. She agreed and then when it turned up, Seymour went nuts and said Adam should have asked him not the wife.’

‘Ridiculous,’ scoffed Trish. ‘The wife. I ask you.’

‘What happened in the end?’

‘Cheeky bugger tried to get it for free, but Adam refused and stuck to his guns. Seymour shouted for days saying Adam was a crook but Adam’s mum and some of the older ladies from the village set him straight in the pub and we haven’t seen him since.’

‘Cheated on his wife too,’ added Trish. ‘Saw him with my own two eyes. Not the first time either. There are problems there for sure. And they both think the sun shines out of Amias’s behind. That boy can do no wrong and that’s no good for a kid. Children need to know there are expectations and boundaries. Telling them they’re the best thing since sliced bread gives them an inflated ego.’

‘He’s nine,’ said Nick, defending this other boy, though he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because it sounded like his parents were more concerned with themselves than him. Trish and Len weren’t gossips so if they’d heard something they must think or know it was true to repeat it to him.