Election madness — a Ms Winslow investigation

Ms Winslow ist wieder zu Besuch in Heroldstein. Dieses Mal lässt die Wahl zum Kirchenrat gänzlich unchristliches Verhalten unter den Einheimischen zutage treten. Von JAMES SCHOFIELD

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err Ober,” said Angelika Moser. “Dieser Fisch schmeckt überhaupt nicht!” For the next ten minutes, Frau Moser explained to the waiter in great detail what was wrong with the fish on her plate. She insisted on it being replaced, since she had ordered it only on his recommendation.

“Ach, Frau Winslow,” she said after the waiter had been sent back to the kitchen to tell the chef what Frau Moser thought about the freshness of the fish he’d cooked for her. “Standards everywhere go down and down. I see it in my own lifetime already. I can hardly imagine what it must be like for an older lady like you.”

Dorothy Winslow was in Heroldstein looking after Trotsky, the dog that belonged to her niece, Lucy Tischler. Lucy was going on a camping holiday in Italy with her husband, Klaus, and their twin sons, Roland and Freddie.

“Last year, we took Trotsky with us, but he didn’t like it, and we had to come home after a week,” Lucy explained, as Dorothy unpacked her suitcase when she arrived.

“He doesn’t like camping?” Dorothy asked.

“He’s not the only one,” Lucy said. “I’d prefer to stay in a hotel. But Klaus always went camping when he was small, and he wants the boys to see what it’s like. That’s one of those things about being married to a German. But there’s another thing I need to tell you about…”

At this point, they were interrupted by the arrival of Dorothy’s friend, the charming and debonair Armin von Weiden. He had heard that Dorothy was visiting again and had hurried round immediately.

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“You’ve come at an excellent time,” he said to her. “The church council elections are in two weeks. Klaus and Lucy wanted to help me with my campaign to be elected chairman, but now suddenly, they’ve changed their holiday plans, and they’ll be away.”

Dorothy saw Lucy looking guiltily out of the window. “Most unfortunate! So, perhaps you could join in. Yes?”

After he had gone, Lucy apologized to Dorothy and explained what was happening.

“That’s what I wanted to tell you. Church members in Heroldstein can all vote for the church council. The person who gets the most votes is chairperson, and the other candidates are then members of the council. For the past four years, it’s been Frau Moser, and she hasn’t done a bad job organizing things like village fetes or forcing the local government to get the rubbish collection done more often. But as you know, she’s very bossy, and Armin has this idea that he could do a better job. I’m a little worried that the election might get nasty. These things can become awfully political.”

The day after Lucy and her family left to go camping, Frau Moser was waiting round the corner when Dorothy took Trotsky for a walk. She invited Dorothy to lunch with her in the village inn. This was when