The next day, SId was summoned to the prebytery to help with something or other. He hadn't seen much of the Father or Mrs M over the last few days - this kind of weather meant odd-jobs were aplenty, with pipes freezing and the other issues the cold brings.
He was glad to run into the presbytery, and had bolted to the range in the kitchen to warm his hands before he had even said hello to Father Brown, who was standing by the sink.
''Sorry Father, but that cold would freeze the fingers off you,'' He said dramatically, while blowing hard on his numb hands.
He turned around and flopped into a kitchen chair. ''So,'' He said, ''What's my mission?''
Father Brown looked concerned. ''No mission. I just wanted to speak to you.''
''This is all very mysterious,'' Sid kicked his legs up on the table and reached for a biscuit, ''What's the problem?''
''Inspector Sullivan seems very withdrawn these days, definitely not'' Father Brown began, but had to stop as Sid choked on his biscuit and sprayed crumbs across the kitchen.
''Why?'' Sid choked, ''Its not like he's anything to do with me.''
Father Brown looked at him with his quizzical gaze, ''Is that so?''
Sid wasn't really as surprised as he might have been, but he was still shocked.
''Oh not you too... How did you find out?''
''About what?''
''Me and Sullivan's ... arrangement.''
''I don't know anything about an arrangement,'' Father Brown said, ''I just know that I met you coming out of his house one morning, and that ever since Albert's funeral neither of you have seemed like yourselves. And if I was wondering if you'd like to talk about it.''
''If you want the saucy details, ask Lady F and Bunty.'' Sid said bitterly, ''Are you laughing?''
''No no; just got a bit of a tickle in my throat.'' Father Brown chuckled.
Sid leaned forward on the table looking miserable. ''Look, I'm gonna have to give you a few details- please don't faint or anything.'' He pointed at Father Brown warily.
''I shall sit down, to steady your nerves'' Said the priest, plonking down on the kitchen chair beside SId, ''But I must remind you that after so many years hearing confessions, it would take something rather groundbreaking to shock me.''
Sid rolled his eyes. ''Typical. I've got a proper scandal going and nobody's even shocked.''
''Perhaps you should take some caution when informing Mrs McCarthy,'' Father Brown advised gently, ''Now, how did it all start?''
Sid thought back. ''About... four months ago, maybe five. We were both drunk, and I said something sarky to him and out of the blue he just...kissed me. Not even one of them sloppy drunk kisses either I'm talking about a real movie star zinger of a kiss, that must have been what he learned at boarding school-''
''I thought you didn't want to give me details?'' Father Brown was smiling.
''I don't!'' Sid was mortified, again. ''Anyway, we ended up going back to his place and... doing the deed. And then afterwards he asked if I wanted to do it again - like, a regular thing. No romance or strings or anything like that, just meeting up every so often to... y'know, and then carry on as if life was normal.''
''How often did you go?'' The Father asked.
''Bout once a week, to begin with. But then it kinda, changed. I'd stay three of four nights, and I started staying over. But after he got sick, I brought him some food-''
''Sorry to interrupt,'' Father Brown interjected, ''But was that what happened to the tinned pineapple you dropped on your toe and swore at, prompting Mrs McCarthy to swing at you with her handbag?''
''That's the one,'' Sid affirmed, ''And then one night, his old man rang. I answered the phone - don't ask me why, cause I'd answered the phone once before and he'd tore a right few strips of me, and off Ed- I mean Sullivan, when he got in. But this time he was really different... He said he'd forgot his address and he wanted to send his son a birthday card and all this stuff about him wanting to make amends and stuff like that. So, I gave him the address.'' Sid looked pained.
''He went to his house and attacked him, didn't he?'' Father Brown enquired quietly.
Sid nodded. ''I thought he'd want rid of me after that but he didn't. Said it didn't matter or anything.'' Sid sank forward onto the table. He'd seen him several times, poking at that scar on his cheek that the ashtray had left, examining it in the mirror when he thought no one was looking.
''I started staying more often after that. But... We didn't do it as much after that, like we just didn't need to anymore. We just slept together, in the bed, like. Stayed up late chatting about childhoods and stuff.'' Sid cracked his knuckles, a nervous habit he'd do without realising when deep in thought.
''I see.'' Father Brown, said, adjusting his glasses. ''So when did it all go wrong?''
''Albert's funeral. He was a fu-'' Sid noticed the warning glance, ''A thoroughly unneccescary speech. Right berk he was- it was rotten!''
''And I assume you told him as such?''
''Yeah. Gave him a right talking to.'' Sid looked ashamedly at his wrists. ''He yelled back, asked if I'd rather they had hanged him-I didn't, of course I didn't! We argued and then... He told me to get away from him, I left.''
''Doesn't sound like a very easy situation for either of you.'' Father Brown remarked.
''He started it.'' Sid said sulkily, ''And if he can't see how important you all are to me and treat you like decent human beings, I don't want anything to do with him.''
''What would he have to do, in order to gain your affection again?'' Father Brown asked.
''Apologise to you, which he will obviously never do.''
''He has.'' Father Brown said, stirring some milk into some tea for Sid.
''He what?'' Sid was shocked, ''When? Where? What did you talk about?''
''I cannot say.'' Father Brown said.
''Why not?'' Sid asked, before his eyebrows shot up, before realising.
''He never went for a confession.'' He exclaimed.
Father Brown looked up at the light fitting
Sid sank back into his chair, looking flabbergasted.
''He must have had a midlife crisis or something. Maybe if he doesn't have sex on a regular basis he goes a bit mental-"
''Back to the relationship issue,'' Father Brown said, pushing the tea into Sid's hands, ''You said your arrangement was just a casual one with no emotion in it. You could start another relationship like that with anyone but you haven't.''
Sid took a sip of his drink, smacked his lips together, and looked back at Father Brown.
''Your point is?'' He asked.
''Why not find somebody else, if you say you do not like him anymore? And why have you been so depressed since you broke it up?'' The priest asked.
Sid shrugged. ''I don't know."
Father Brown raised his eyebrows and looked at him quizzically.
Sid raised his hands in defeat.
''Alright,'' He admitted, ''I'm in love with him.''
''In love with who?'' Asked Mrs McCarthy, who had just walked into the kitchen. Father Brown choked on his tea, and Sid went a vibrant tomato red.
''Mrs M, when have you ever taken any concern in my love life?'' Sid asked, attempting to brush her off.
''Since you've just confessed to be in love with somebody.'' Mrs McCarthy was not deterred.
Sid breathed in deeply. She'd find out sooner or later. ''Mrs M, you'd better sit down,'' He said, gesturing to the kitchen chair, ''This will be a shock.''
''And leave these dishes?'' Mrs McCarthy asked dryly, pointing at the stack of crockery in the sink, ''I hardly think so.''
Sid looked at Father Brown in despair. He shrugged.
''Well...'' Sid began looking very serious, ''It's about me and Inspector Sullivan. Now I -''
''Oh!'' Interjected Mrs McCarthy, ''I know all about that.''
She returned to the dishes as if it was church gossip. Sid shrieked and fell off his chair, landing with a clatter on the kitchen floor. Father Brown's spilled tea all over the table.
He leaned over to help Sid up of the floor.
"Mrs McCarthy, how did you know about it?" He asked.
"Oh, I just hear things." She said airily.
Sid, who was almost on the chair at this stage, slipped back off it with another crash. He sat there lamenting. "Why does all of Kembleford seem to know about this? What are the WI meetings like?Ooh, 'ave you 'eard, Sid Carter and Inspector Sullivan are at it like rabbits-"
"Sid, please." Mrs McCarthy grimaced.
"Well it's not very fair. My lovelife is the talk of the town''
''No one's talking about you Sid.'' Mrs McCarthy attempted to soothe him.
''Then how do you know?'' Sid interrogated.
'Mrs McCarthy pulled on her rubber gloves and started on the dishes.''Why you let these plates get so out of hand-''
''Mrs M?'' Father Brown queried, ''You are really keeping us in suspense.''
''Ach,'' Mrs McCarthy threw a clean plate onto the draining board, ''If you must know, I was talking to the Inspector- who was very upset at the time, and it all sort of came gushing out.''
Sid looked stunned. As did Father Brown.
''You've kept very quiet about this.''
''He begged me not to tell anyone, so I didn't.'' She flicked at Sid with the tea towel. ''Perhaps helping will help distract you from your tumultuous love life."
Sid ambled over to the sink. "What was he upset about?" He asked, in what he thought was a conversational tone.
Mrs McCarthy looked at him with a hint of despair. "I suggest you ask him yourself."
