Dotty Dreads a Disaster

by Diane Ezzard

  “Good for her.” Dotty could well do without Betty Simpson’s comments.

  “Oo, my back.” Betty put a hand on her lower back.

  “Are you okay, Betty? Do you want to sit down?” Dotty helped Betty to the chair behind her table. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Pass me my handbag. I’ve got some painkillers in there. It’s probably this heat that’s making it worse.” Dotty knew that if it were raining, Betty would blame that. In fact, whatever the weather was doing caused Betty’s bad back to worsen according to her. As was the norm with Betty, she told Dotty all about her latest visit to the consultant, going over every word he said in detail. Dotty didn’t like to stop her and say that Betty told her all this the previous week. She couldn’t get a word in anyway. Finally, Betty took a breath but then immediately started up again.

  “I hear that Christine Beckley was taken in for questioning over Nigel’s death. They released her though. They don’t think she did it.”

  Dotty nodded. Having Betty there wasn’t all bad. At least she provided nuggets of information about the killings. You just had to listen to all the boring stuff first.

  “Are those chocolates supposed to do that?” Betty pointed to one of the trays of truffles. Dotty had been so busy concentrating on Betty’s yapping and her bad back, she took her mind off keeping her display out of the sun.

  “Oh no!” It had only taken twenty minutes, but in that short space of time, tiny brown muddy puddles had appeared on half of the trays. The chocolates had turned to mush. What a disaster!

  “I better leave you to it.” Betty scarpered quickly leaving Dotty to clear up the mess. There was no point staying any longer. She packed up, threw ninety percent of the chocolate splodge away and sloped off home not sure if she still wanted to meet Dave later. Who knew that melted chocolate could put you in such a foul mood?

  Chapter 33

  Dotty still felt glum when she arrived to meet Dave that evening. She hoped his news wasn’t something bad. The disaster with the chocolates had left a profound effect on her and she had spent the early evening evaluating her life. There were elements of her job she enjoyed but it was hard work for the returns she got. She couldn’t see it as a long-term prospect. What she would give to have Mr Binns, the careers adviser from her schooldays here now telling her what to do. Do something creative, he had told her. Mm, what else could she put her mind to and make a success of?

  She walked into the wine bar and glanced around the room. The nice weather had brought the crowds out and the bar was packed. The noise of chatter hummed through the air. Dave had already found a corner pew, and he waved when he saw her. She shook her hand as if holding a glass to ask if he wanted anything. He declined so Dotty plumped for a large glass of Chablis. She took it over to where Dave sat and went up to him and kissed his cheek. He didn’t respond. That brought a wave of discomfort to her stomach. His smile seemed forced. Something was wrong. She waited, but he didn’t speak. She settled in the seat next to him and told him about the fiasco with the chocolates. He listened but looked distant as though he had something on his mind weighing him down.

  “Is everything okay, Dave?”

  “Yes, fine. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” He avoided eye contact. He wasn’t a very good liar. Dotty told him about eavesdropping on Royston and Winston’s conversation and what she knew about the White Brethren Society and their impending gathering. Dave’s face looked serious.

  “You have been getting involved where you shouldn’t, haven’t you? What did I tell you not to meddle in police business?” Dave looked cross. Dotty felt like a naughty schoolgirl.

  “I…” Dotty didn’t know where to look or what to say. She had no excuses. “I… I thought the police would want to know.”

  “So, what else have you found out?” Dotty decided that if she had gone this far, she may as well tell him everything she knew. She told him about how she and her friends had done some investigation, specifically into Nigel’s death to help her friend, Milly.

  “Our suspects at first were Kylie’s auntie Flo, Christine, Judith and Winston, Delphinia’s son. They were all in the area and could have administered the poisonous mushrooms. Royston had also been added to the list as he had been to Millie’s house and could possibly have found the batch of soup. We felt that he was the least likely to have done it because he wouldn’t have known that Nigel would eat the mushroom soup. That put Christine as number one suspect as she talked him into trying some. Delphinia also wasn’t too far away, and she was known to have a grudge against Nigel so, we haven’t discounted her. In fact, all of them had cause to dislike him but was that enough to murder him?” After Dotty finished her speech, she waited. Dave didn’t speak. He remained calm. Finally, he opened his mouth.

  “I see.” He nodded his head. “You have been very busy, and you lied to me.”

  “But I…” Dave put his hand up to stop Dotty speaking.

  “You have got involved where you shouldn’t.” Dave took his phone out and made a call.

  “Who are you phoning?” Dave ignored her but spoke into the phone.

  “You better get over here, mate. I’ve something important to tell you.”

  Dave continued to ask Dotty questions about her involvement. His tone had changed to that of police officer. She didn’t like it. He made her feel guilty when all she had been trying to do was to help a friend.

  Ten minutes later, she groaned when she saw who walked through the door — Wayne.

  “You need to hear this,” Dave said to his colleague. Dotty relayed back everything she previously told Dave. Wayne listened. Finally, he turned to Dotty.

  “So, Delphinia had been blackmailing Nigel and his cronies?”

  “It appears that way from what we’ve found out.” Wayne’s face was serious.

  “Okay, well I’ve got work to do.” Wayne rose from the table they were sat around. “I’ll deal with you later, young lady and I’ll see you back at the nick, Dave.”

  Dotty wondered how much trouble she was in. If she didn’t need a good strong drink before, she certainly needed one now.

  “I’m sorry for lying to you. Fancy a cocktail as a peace offering?” She tried to get the mood back on track.

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

  The drinks arrived and Dotty took a long glug of hers. Dave ordered a Malibu Beach and when he sipped through his straw, his head was obscured by the cherry, pineapple and umbrella. Dotty sidled up beside him. Her mind was ready to take off to some sun-kissed beach. She desperately wanted to imagine she was on holiday and get away from all this mess. Dotty was glad she had worn a summer dress. The heat was unbearable, even for early evening. Dave wore white shorts with a navy polo shirt. She glanced down at his legs feeling sure he must be wearing fake tan. His legs shone a golden colour. Not only that, but she was convinced he had shaved the hairs from them, his calves look moisturised and gleaming. Dotty resisted the urge to stroke them.

  “You mentioned you had something important to tell me.” After all the drama from her revelations, Dotty had almost forgotten about their previous conversation.

  “Yes, that’s right.” Dave took a long swig of his drink then wiped around his mouth. He breathed in deeply then looked up to the ceiling. It looked as though he was praying under his breath.

  “I’ve something I need to tell you.”

  “Yes.” Dotty leaned forward.

  “It’s very difficult for me and I haven’t told another soul about this yet.”

  “What is it, Dave?” Dotty’s heart pounded but not half as much as Dave’s. She hoped he wasn’t going to say he didn’t want to see her again as she enjoyed his company and thought they got on well.

  “I… I’ve realised something after spending time with you.”

  “Yes?” Surely, he wasn’t going to ask her to marry him.

  “I enjoy your company and I love being with you.”

  “I feel the same, Dave,” Dotty said, looking into h
is eyes. Dave glanced away.

  “The thing is…”

  “Yes.”

  “The thing is…” Dotty wanted to say — spit it out, but the way Dave was struggling with his words, she didn’t want to appear insensitive.

  “What is it, Dave? What are you trying to tell me?”

  “Being with you has made me realise something very important.” Dotty smiled. She felt sure now her hunch was right.

  “And what is it you’ve realised?”

  “That I’m gay.” Dotty’s mouth opened wide. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She didn’t see that one coming. Her eyes moistened. That was not the news she expected.

  “Oh, I see. What a brave thing to tell me. I hope that doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends?”

  “No, of course not.” Now, it all made sense to Dotty — why he never touched her or showed any intimacy towards her. It wasn’t anything she had done wrong. She was disappointed and upset for herself. It had been a bad day all round. When she got home that night and had time to reflect, at least she felt pleased that she was the one who Dave came out to. Still, when it came to her love life, it was back to the drawing board.

  Chapter 34

  On Friday morning, Dotty sat in her kitchen watching the rain pelt down. Her mum and dad had gone away for the weekend for their wedding anniversary and her brother Joe was staying at his mate’s, so she was home alone. That didn’t help her mood any. In view of the disaster the previous week with her chocolates melting, she cancelled her event for that weekend as the weather was scheduled to be warm again. And it would have taken too much effort to put all the work in that was needed to produce enough stock. The whole affair had disheartened her.

  Last Sunday had turned out to be a calamity. She hadn’t heard from either Wayne or Dave since. Today was the day for the march scheduled by the White Brethren Society. She would keep well out of things. What happened had nothing to do with her. After telling the police what she and her friends had uncovered about the blackmailing, she wondered if Delphinia had been arrested yet. It was obvious now why she had been so against Dotty getting involved and warning her, it was because she was responsible.

  Dotty made herself a drink and sat at the kitchen table thinking things over. Life never turned out the way you expected it to. As much as she wanted to keep out of things, she couldn’t help herself. It was like she had two parrots sat on her shoulder. The well-behaved one saying, do as you’re told and don’t meddle in things that have nothing to do with you and the naughty parrot, on the other shoulder who said, aren’t you curious to know who killed Nigel and Fred. It was the naughty parrot that got the better of her. On a hunch, she phoned Delphinia. She wanted to know if she was in police custody. The fortune teller still hadn’t got back to her after the previous messages she left.

  Dotty was surprised when Delphinia answered.

  “I wondered if we could meet up?” Dotty asked.

  “I could come over to you. I’ll be there in two hours.”

  “Okay.”

  Was it a good idea to see Delphinia on her own? Probably not but she planned to tell her she thought Christine was responsible for the killings. She told Kylie what she was doing. Neither Kylie nor Rachel could be there due to work commitments. She’d have preferred some support in challenging Delphina.

  Dotty pottered around the house while she waited. She hoovered the bedrooms to gain some brownie points for when her parents came home. She even decided to place some fresh flowers in her mum and dad’s room for their return. With no money to buy any, there were enough blooms in the garden to put together a nice bunch. Nipping in the shed for the secateurs, she weaved around the plants, snipping off a selection that had flowered to gain a varied selection. Then she mixed the daffodils with the lilies, tulips and a sprig of freesias. Since attending the flower arranging course, Dotty now took more care getting the design right rather than lobbing them all together. She did one display for the lounge and another for her parents’ bedroom. Winnie had stayed at her side all the while she walked around the garden and had followed her back into the house not wanting to be left out. The dog watched as she snipped off the ends of the stalks and painstakingly arranged the various colours of pink, white, lilac and purple.

  “There, Winnie. They look nice, don’t they?” She breathed in the scent from the display. Pleased with her work, Dotty checked her watch for the time. Delphinia shouldn’t be long now. She quickly fed Winnie while she waited. Then she remembered to put the secateurs back. She would just have time to return them to the shelf where they were always stored in the shed. There was no way she would leave them out and be on the receiving end of her dad’s wrath. He was a stickler for everything being in its place.

  She opened the front door and walked towards the shed at the back of the house. Unlocking the shed door, she was about to step inside. She hadn’t heard the car pull up outside, but she did hear footsteps behind her. An arm went on her shoulder and she swivelled around.

  “Delphinia, you made me jump.”

  Delphinia’s face looked serious.

  “Winston tells me you overheard his plans for the march later today.”

  “I…”

  “Have you told the police what you heard?”

  “No,” Dotty lied.

  “Good.”

  Next thing, an arm grabbed hold of Dotty’s torso and pushed her into the shed. Up against the larger woman’s frame, Dotty didn’t stand a chance. She was overpowered and stumbled to the floor. By the time she recovered her stance and went to pick herself up, she heard the lock rumble.

  “Hey!” she called out. She frowned and turned around to face the door. She put a thumb on the latch to open it, but nothing happened. She tried again. The door didn’t budge. Pushing her weight against the wooden frame, she gave it a heave, but the door was fast shut. She rattled the latch but to no avail.

  Her heart pounded as she realised what had happened. Delphinia had locked her in.

  “Hey,” she called out again but Delphina didn’t answer. So much for getting her over to question her about what she knew. Dotty stamped her feet, annoyed with herself for letting her guard down. She had been outsmarted. She sighed. Unfortunately, she didn’t even have her phone with her. She had left it in the house. Delphinia’s actions had convinced her she was behind the killings, but there was little she could do about it in this confined space. She looked around for something to help her escape.

  The shed was her dad’s pride and joy. Empty terracotta pots lined up along one shelf. There were some tiny seedlings in pots of soil on the table coming into bud. Worried about what her dad would do if she damaged the door, Dotty dismissed the idea of breaking it down. She would bide her time. Taking out a small watering can, she watered the plants. This gave her a thinking period. Occasionally, she called out.

  “Is anybody there? Let me out.” Her cries were wasted. There was no one outside to reply. More time passed.

  Suddenly, she heard scraping at the door.

  “Winnie, is that you?” Dotty heard a bark and smiled. “Get help, Winnie. There’s a good dog.”

  Chapter 35

  In the meantime, there had been developments across the road.

  It was rare for Kylie’s auntie Flo to come visiting in the neighbourhood, but it was an unusual request she received from Betty Simpson. She had bumped into her on the High Street the previous week. Flo told her about her revolutionary cure for pain relief, so Betty decided she wanted to try this wonder drug. Flo couldn’t imagine Betty smoking a joint so instead agreed to bring over some of her cake.

  Betty twitched the curtains in her front lounge as she spotted the car pull up outside Dotty’s house.

  “Is everything okay, Betty?” Flo asked as she cut them both a large slab of cake.

  “Yes, I just wondered who is visiting the Drinkwater’s place.” Her head bobbed up and down and she squinted to see who it was. “It’s that Delphinia and her son. What on earth are they doing?
They were round the back of the house and now they’re heading towards their car. Hang on a minute, Flo. I’ll be with you in a jiffy.” Betty scurried out of the house.

  Flo had already had a few bites of the cake. Betty could do whatever she wanted. She returned within minutes and brought in a couple of guests.

  “Is there enough cake for Delphinia and Winston to try?”

  “Yes, there’s enough here for everyone.” Winston had the march that afternoon on his mind but the pull of getting stoned on space cake was preferable to attending any rally right now. Winston and Delphinia eagerly dived into a slice of cake.

  “Mm, this is delicious, Flo.” Delphinia licked her lips. Her head soon became fuzzy.

  The women chatted away and Winston sat in the corner on his own watching the fish in the tank. He tried to copy the fishes’ movements. It looked most strange. His mouth opened and shut in time with the fish and he flapped his body as though treading water then began to giggle. The women ignored him.

  “Did you call to see Dotty?”

  “Err, yes, Winston rang the doorbell while I was on the phone. She wasn’t in.” Delphinia’s eyes centred on a vase on the table.

  “Was that why I saw you round the back of the house?” Delphinia wriggled in the chair, still looking at the ceramic vase.

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “We should ask Delphinia to do a reading for us and tell our future, Flo.” Betty nudged Flo who looked up at the ceiling.

  “Mm, good idea. Isn’t your wallpaper a pretty colour?”

  “Why thank you. I believe this stuff is working. My back feels much better.”

  “I told you it was good.”

  “It has made me feel a little strange though. I’m sure I can hear barking.”

  “No, you must be imagining things,” Delphinia said.

  Betty cocked her head to one side and frowned.

  “Ssh, everybody.” She could definitely hear a dog and it sounded close by. She rose from the chair to investigate. Flo and Delphinia didn’t even notice her leave the room. They were busy talking about reggae music. It had surprised Delphinia to find someone with the same taste in music as her. Even Winston joined in the conversation about Desmond Dekker and Steel Pulse with Flo.