Kirsty is a girl on a mission – she has made it her business to find out what has happened to the three lads that Philip and Gavin employed and then sold on to another gangmaster. In order to do this, she is to be found roaming the streets, showing down-and-outs a photograph of the three lads in question and asking if anyone knows where they are now. In vain do her friends (Lee and Helen) try to persuade her that this is not the cleverest thing she has ever done – indeed, it is potentially very dangerous.
Kirsty cannot see this and tries to persuade them to aid her in her search, saying that her life is now focused on putting things right with the lads. Helen asks her if she has spoken to Oliver about getting her job back, or what she is going to do about the house, but Kirsty cannot be bothered with what she considers irrelevancies and vows to continue her mission.
You have to ask yourself why is she bothering? I don’t mean why is she concerned about the lads’ welfare, but why is she the person doing it? After all, the police are trying to track down their whereabouts and I submit that their resources are far greater than an old photograph – and one in which the lads only feature as figures in the background at that. We also learn later that Gavin has turned himself in and is singing like a canary, in which case, having met Victoria, the new gangmaster, he should be able to provide the police with a wealth of information, from her address to her telephone number and possibly even her shoe size, if required. Just let it go and leave it to the professionals, Kirsty, before your battered body is found outside the gasworks.
We know that things are preying on Kirsty’s mind, when Shula happened to mention to Alistair that she had a narrow escape when out riding, as a car came speeding towards her and it was Kirsty at the wheel, seemingly oblivious to what was going on around her.
Elsewhere, over at Brookfield, the Archers are devastated by a nasty review online, suggesting that they knew about Philip’s use of slave labour when they had their barn refurbished and that it was modernised using cheap, illegal labour. It is evident from the wealth of detail in the review that the writer had extensive knowledge of the work carried out, as there are descriptions of the finished building, even down to the type of tiles used. The review was quickly taken down, but not quickly enough, as Rooooth takes a call from a customer who has booked a reception, wanting to cancel a future booking, as he feels that the reputation of the barn is now tainted and he feels uncomfortable.
Discussing the matter with Pip, David wonders out loud whether Toby was involved, but Pip scotches this idea. However, it gets her thinking and she realises that the author could well be Rex, smarting at being evicted from Hollowtree. David goes to see Rex, who admits that he is the culprit. He adds that he regretted his action almost immediately and took down the review. Sadly, it had already been read and widely distributed online. Rex mentions to David that the Archers seemed quite chilled about the slave labour and David is appalled that Rex could even think that he and Rooooth knew that something was amiss – Rooooth cannot sleep at night for worrying about it, David says.
Having got Rex to own up to the review, David then says that perhaps he and Rooooth were partly to blame for the way things worked out – maybe if they had taken time to talk to the workmen, or to question how the job was being done so cheaply, they might have suspected that something was wrong. Now, call me an unreconstructed old cynic if you like, but how many people, when getting a quote for a job, are likely to say ‘that seems suspiciously cheap to me’? I put it to you that they are more likely to grab the person’s hand off before he comes to his senses – I mean, it’s not as if Philip and Gavin had their workmen in chains, or working 24/7, or brought on to the site in a van with bars on the windows, is it?
If David is in a forgiving mood, the same cannot be said about Pip, who is all for dragging Rex behind a tractor until his skin is flayed off. She is unhappy too about the effect of these recent events on the Rewilding project, telling her father that Phoebe keeps making unilateral, executive decisions and then expects Pip to back her up. Things are not helped when Brian (who has taken over responsibility for Rewilding from Justin while Borsetshire Land investigates how much Justin knew about Philip Moss’s operations) keeps telling Pip what a good job Phoebe is doing. And don’t get Pip started on Rex’s involvement in Ambridge Rewilding…
While we are on the subject of Rewilding, am I alone in thinking that nothing much seems to be happening about it? I suppose it could be argued that, if you just leave the land alone and do not actually do anything to it, then rewilding will occur spontaneously, given enough time. This has given me an idea – instead of carrying out such chores as weeding, cutting the grass and so on, I shall adopt a policy of masterful inactivity and, should anybody utter words of criticism, such as ‘your garden is a bit of a mess’, I will fix them with a steely glare and say firmly ‘Actually, it’s a rewilding project – I got the idea from the Archers; as you can see, it’s a work in progress’.
The Vince Casey/Elizabeth Pargetter story continues to trundle along. At Lower Loxley, Russ is feeling a bit vulnerable, as the attendance figures for his latest exhibition were – how can we put this? – they were abominable. He has an idea to have a solo exhibition from someone who he describes as an up-and-coming young artist, who is bringing some of his work in this afternoon and would Elizabeth like to come and have a look? She isn’t keen, but agrees to give him half an hour at 3pm.
The best-laid plans and all that – Vince turns up with a carful of booze; it’s wine for his daughter Stephanie’s wedding and he would appreciate the views of an expert (ie Elizabeth). Her immediate reaction is that it’s not a patch on Lower Loxley’s own label and Vince challenges her to put her money where her mouth is in a blind tasting. Having already told Vince that the accepted thing is to spit the wine out, Elizabeth (and Vince) proceed to ignore this advice and are soon very well refreshed and giggling. Consequently, when they go to see the artist, they are very late and very loud.
To make matters worse, the artist works in textiles (“a bit of a knit, really” quips Vince after the artist has left). Russ says he has never been so embarrassed in his life and reverts to lecturer mode as he tells the pair off. Vince cuts him short by saying that he really liked one of the pieces – a sparrowhawk – and urges Russ to go after the man and buy it, and he is off like a shot. “Sparrowhawk - a ruthless hunter; like you?” Elizabeth comments. “A ruthless ex-hunter” Vince corrects her, adding “I might have found what I’m looking for – I’m talking about the wine, of course.” There is a pause, then Elizabeth adds “Hmm – me too.”
The following day, Russ is trying to get Vince to cough up some sponsorship money for the Gallery and Vince shows an unexpected knowledge of contemporary art, telling Russ that it was the one subject that he was any good at in school. He also gives Russ some advice and tells him that he shouldn’t give a stuff what people think about him; he’s got a good job and a lovely girlfriend.
Let us return to Philip Moss. He phones Shula and begs her not to hang up – he’s ringing from prison, where he has been remanded in custody. He says he is at the end of his tether and he is being fitted up; he’s not sure that he can survive this and he begs her to come and see him. A couple of days later, she does exactly that, and he says he has so much to tell her, and how good it is to see a friendly face. He asks her about other people in the village, but Shula replies that she is not there to talk about anyone else, but to discuss Philip’s spiritual needs. Has he asked God for forgiveness?
Philip seems genuinely puzzled – he doesn’t need forgiveness, as he has done nothing wrong. So how did he plead in court? “Not guilty, of course” he answers. Shula is amazed that he thinks he is completely innocent and, when he asks after Kirsty, she reminds him again that she is not there to discuss other people. He asks how Shula is, and she answers that she is not there to talk about herself, either.
Philip is becoming more and more agitated and tells Shula about Jim and how he turned on Philip after offering him tea. Shula says yet again that she will not discuss anybody else and that she is not there as Philip’s friend. Philip reminds Shula how he was there for her as a friend when her marriage broke down and he insists again that he has done nothing wrong. “I did right by the lads” he tells her.
Shula is getting angry by this time and cannot believe that Philip wants her to believe that he is some kind of philanthropist. “I haven’t heard one word of contrition or apology while I’ve been here” she says, and tells him that she won’t be coming back. “I don’t want you to,” he replies, adding; “I feel sorry for anyone who asks you for help – what sort of priest is a bad-tempered old cow like you going to be?” Well, that’s you told, Shula.
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