Charlotte Denver Cozy Mystery Box Set

by Sherri Bryan

  “Ooh yes, he may be skinny but make no mistake, he’s 100% solid muscle. I can vouch for that.” Marigold giggled.

  Charlotte turned to Larry. “So, you killed Samuel because he wanted to do the right thing?” She shook her head. “You really are the lowest of the low.”

  “Listen, Charlotte, you don’t understand.” Larry removed the gobstopper from his mouth again, suddenly keen to defend himself. “Samuel would have ruined everything if he’d spoken to Costello.

  “When we found out that the boys were being released from prison, Marigold knew they’d be making plans to get the money back. She was going to give me her share so I could put down a deposit on a place. We’re moving in together, see. We couldn’t let Samuel ruin everything by going to the police so when Maureen asked me if I’d get rid of him, I didn’t hesitate.” He gave Marigold a squeeze and she gazed up at him adoringly.

  Maureen lit another cigarette and pushed a cuticle back with her fingernail.

  “Anyway, as I was saying, Samuel wasn’t the same person when he came out of prison. He’d changed ... he would never have dreamed of threatening me with the police before he went inside.” She laughed. “I played the concerned mother very well, don’t you think?”

  “Oh yes, and we were awfully good at pretending that was the first time we’d seen the body, weren’t we? You know, when we ‘found’ him in that pile of snow.” Lavender and Marigold smirked at the end of the bar.

  “The whole lot of you should be locked up!” Charlotte was raging. “GBH, armed robbery, intimidation, extortion and protection rackets ... not to mention a nice little sideline in murder! I hope they lock you all up and throw away the key!”

  Maureen stiffened. “What do you know about the protection racket? Nobody’s talked about that for years - not since Bill became involved in the property business.”

  She glowered at Charlotte before relaxing. “Actually, it doesn’t matter what you know because you’re not going to be around for long enough to tell anyone about it. And anyway, there’s no proof. Only the word of a lot of pathetic business owners, and I’d like to see that stand up in court.”

  “Actually, there is proof.” The words were out of Charlotte’s mouth before she could stop them. “Against you.”

  “What are you talking about?” Maureen Slater’s eyes narrowed as she moved slowly towards Charlotte, her bony fists clenched.

  “I found some notebooks that had been hidden in here underneath the bar. They show all the collections that were made from each business owner, the dates and the amounts. And it’s all in your handwriting. I’d say that’s pretty incriminating, wouldn’t you?”

  Maureen’s face was puce. Before Bill had joined her in the property business she’d helped him by keeping the only records of the protection racket. After he’d died and the old books were nowhere to be found, she’d assumed they’d been destroyed. The thought that he’d hidden them from the police in the café before he’d become ill had never once crossed her mind.

  She was incensed that he hadn’t told her about them before he died but more than that, she was furious that Charlotte had the only evidence that could prove her involvement in her husband’s shady business dealings.

  “That bloody idiot! I thought he’d destroyed those books! No one’s ever had anything on me and I’m damned if they’re going to now. I want them - where are they, you little cow! Give them to me or, I swear, I’ll hurt you.”

  Charlotte thought on her feet, praying she’d be able to buy a little time if she appeared to be cooperating. “I’ll ... I’ll take you to them after you’ve finished here. I promise. Just don’t hurt us.”

  “Don’t worry, Maureen. We’ll get them from her, won’t we, Larry ... Lavender?” A sneering Marigold was only too happy of the opportunity to cause Charlotte discomfort.

  As Maureen contemplated her predicament, Trevor distracted her with a call from the kitchen.

  “Ma! We’ll get the damn books when we’ve finished here. Right now, I need a beer.”

  His mother stared long and hard at Charlotte before pushing past her for a beer from the fridge and taking it to Trevor as he continued with his destruction of the wall with his hammer and chisel.

  Charlotte saw her chance as she quickly scanned the café.

  Larry had gone back to reading the newspaper, Marigold was hanging blissfully, on his arm, Lavender was playing a game on her phone and Maureen and Trevor were in the kitchen.

  She had to act quickly.

  She quietly opened the cupboard under the bar and took out the glass snow globe that Ava had bought her. She weighed it up in her hand and offered up a little prayer. Please God, don’t let me really hurt anyone. Just a little bit, for a little while.

  She had to make a split-second decision.

  “Hey, Trevor!” As he turned to face her, she said, “Your brother liked pretty things. Let’s see how you like them!”

  She raised her arm and he began to move towards her. With all her might, she threw the ornament at him over the kitchen door. Her aim was good. It hit him right in the middle of his forehead and he dropped like a stone.

  As Maureen ran to his side and before the others had time to react, Charlotte reached behind the bar and grabbed the first thing she laid her hand on. Launching a full bottle of gin at Larry, it caught him on the chin and he clutched his throat, gasping for air as the gobstopper became lodged in his windpipe.

  Immediately, Marigold became hysterical, banging him on the back and screaming for Lavender to help him.

  With the others temporarily incapacitated, there was only Maureen Slade left to deal with and by now, Charlotte knew that she was prepared to do anything to keep her and Nathan alive.

  Maureen picked up the chisel that had fallen from Trevor’s hand and stepped out of the kitchen, a look of pure evil on her face. “You hurt my boy,” she whispered. “Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with? You and Costello are going to wish you never laid eyes on me.”

  Charlotte knew she had to stand her ground. She held a bottle of brandy out in front of her. “Please don’t make me hit you with this, Maureen. I don’t want to, but you know I will if I have to.”

  As Maureen got closer, Charlotte spotted her saviour out of the corner of her eye.

  It all happened so quickly.

  As Maureen raised the chisel, Charlotte picked up the soda syphon and aimed it at her face.

  The chisel fell to the ground as Maureen’s hands flew to her eyes, stinging from the blast of soda water. With trembling hands, Charlotte picked it up quickly and took the phone from her pocket.

  “Ben! Ben! Are you there?”

  “Charlotte! Thank God you’re okay. We’re outside. We’re coming in now.”

  The doors flew open and in stormed what seemed like the whole St. Eves police force.

  “Oh, thank God! Quick, Nathan’s been hurt. We need an ambulance.”

  “We know - there’s one here. We heard everything, Charlotte. That was quick thinking of yours to call me again and keep the connection open.” Ben stepped back to let the team of three paramedics tend to Nathan, Trevor and Larry.

  “He’s going to be alright, isn’t he?” Charlotte watched the medics work, willing them to give her some good news.

  “By the look of it, he’s going to be fine. We’ll need to take him in for observation, but that’s quite normal procedure with a bang on the head. He’ll be out tomorrow, I’m sure.”

  “Is everyone else going to be okay? It’s my fault that Trevor and Larry need medical treatment.”

  “I’m sure they’re both going to make a full recovery. The chap in the kitchen will need an x-ray, just as a precautionary measure, but his vital signs all indicate that he hasn’t suffered any serious injury. He’ll have a banging headache when he wakes up and the other one will have a sore throat for a while, but they’re both going to be okay. Friends of yours, are they?” asked the paramedic.

  “No, they’re bloody well not!” Nathan
croaked.

  At the sound of his voice, Charlotte burst into tears. She sat on the ground beside him and held his hand. “Oh, Nathan, thank God. Everything’s going to be fine. You’ve had a bump on the head, but you’re going to be okay. I’m coming in the ambulance with you ... I am allowed, aren’t I?” she asked the paramedic.

  “Course you are.”

  “I’ll meet you at the hospital and wait with you,” said Ben, “and then I’ll take you home.” He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I just want to make sure this place is as secure as possible and get some officers stationed outside. This is a crime scene now, but we’ll try and get things back to normal as soon as we can. I doubt you’ll be able to open tomorrow, though, Charlotte.”

  For the first time ever, she couldn’t have cared less that the café wasn’t going to open. All she cared about was Nathan.

  The paramedics carefully put him onto a stretcher and carried him out to a waiting ambulance. As she followed behind, Charlotte heard the snap of the handcuffs as Larry, Lavender, Marigold and Maureen were read their rights before being led away.

  The nightmare was over.

  Thank God.

  Chapter 12

  “Glad to see you’re fully recovered, Chief.”

  “Good to have you back, Chief.”

  On his first day back at work after a week at home, Nathan made his way back to his office after a team briefing.

  Maureen and Trevor Slade, along with Lavender and Marigold Burridge were all facing charges of theft, conspiracy and accessory to murder. Larry Hall was facing charges of an assault on a police officer, conspiracy and murder.

  In addition, Maureen Slade’s involvement in the protection racket was being investigated, with a view to charges being brought by any of the business owners who had been targeted.

  Nathan hoped that the outcome of the investigation would see Andrew Dibble’s widow being awarded a sizeable compensation payout.

  It would never make up for what had happened to her husband at the hands of Bill Slade and his henchmen, nor the financial problems the couple had suffered as a consequence, but he hoped it would go some way to making Ann Dibble’s life a little more comfortable.

  He sat back in his chair and touched his head, gingerly. The evidence of the blow he’d suffered was plain to see but apart from superficial cuts and grazes, he was as good as new. He hadn’t wanted to take any time off work but at the insistence of the police doctor to take a week’s bed rest, Charlotte had been only too happy to ensure his orders were carried out to the letter.

  He grinned as he recalled Charlotte’s words to him when he’d tried to get up and dressed the first day he’d been home from work.

  “Nathan Costello. I swear, if you even think about it, I’ll ask Ava and Harriett to come round and give you a bed bath. I’m not joking.”

  He rested his chin on clasped hands, lost in his thoughts. He was thankful that recent events weren’t going to prevent him from attending the meeting he’d arranged. He couldn’t have allowed that to happen.

  A sharp knock on the open door interrupted his thoughts.

  “Yes?”

  Fiona poked her head into the office. “Chief, here’s the file on the Collier assault case that you asked for.”

  “Thanks. I’ll take a look at it.”

  “Anything else you need, Chief?” She hovered, awaiting further instruction.

  “No, that’ll be all for now, thank you. If you could close the door on your way out, please.”

  Nathan waited until Fiona had left before dialling a number on his mobile. He didn’t want any trace of this call on his desk phone.

  “Hi, it’s Nathan. Yes, yes, I’m fine. Is eleven still okay with you? Right, I’ll see you then. What? No, of course I haven’t said anything to anyone ... especially her. Right, I’ll see you tomorrow. Yeah, looking forward to it. Bye.”

  He looked at the diary that lay open on his desk. LW - 11:00 hrs was written against tomorrow’s date.

  He was filled with trepidation and excitement at the prospect of meeting Lola Whitworth and although he wasn’t one for praying, he looked skyward and offered up a few words.

  “Please, God. Don’t let this backfire on me.”

  ººººººº

  “So you’re off on another training course?” Charlotte spread buttered granary toast with a thick layer of lime marmalade.

  “Yes, but only for a day,” Nathan answered distractedly from behind the newspaper.

  “St. Eves must have the most knowledgeable officers in the country.” Charlotte observed, her mouth full of toast.

  “Hmmm, yes, I suppose we must have.”

  She flicked the newspaper and Nathan peered over the top of it. “Any chance of a face-to-face conversation? You know, where we actually look at each other and talk at the same time?” She grinned.

  “Sorry. What do you want to talk about?” Nathan put the paper to one side and leaned towards her.

  “Well, nothing in particular, I just don’t like talking to the back of the newspaper. Why don’t you tell me what this training course is all about?”

  “The training course?”

  “Yes. I like to take an interest in my husband-to-be’s career progression.”

  “Oh, yes. Of course. Erm, well, it’s going to focus on er, alternative interview techniques and a new approach to, er, victim support.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Charlotte mulled over his answer as she munched on her toast. “Are Ben and Fiona going, too?”

  “What? Er, no. No, it’s only for senior personnel.”

  “Oh, right. Where is it?”

  “Where? Oh, it’s er, in, um, St. Matlock.” Nathan looked at his watch. “Look, I have to get going, I’ve got to call in at the station first. I’ll see you tonight, okay? Not sure what time exactly, depends on how long this course goes on for.”

  He gave Charlotte a kiss, grabbed his jacket, came back and gave her another kiss, and then he was gone.

  ººººººº

  At the next roundabout, take the third exit and your destination is the second road on the left.

  Nathan followed the directions and switched off his SatNav. Slowing down, he squinted out of the window at the house numbers. 28, 26, 24, 22, 20. This was it. 20, Ashwing Road.

  He locked the car and walked up the path. His stomach was churning, although he had no idea why. There was no reason for him to feel nervous.

  Pressing the doorbell, he stood back from the porch. Presently, he heard the pad, pad of footsteps coming closer and the door was opened by a woman, slight in stature, with short, dark hair and light brown eyes.

  He swallowed hard as unexpected tears pricked his eyelids. The woman standing in front of him could have been Charlotte’s mother.

  She stepped forward and slid open the porch door. Smiling, she held out her hand. “Nathan, I’m so happy to meet you at last. Please come in.”

  ººººººº

  “You can’t imagine how many questions I have for you. I understand that you didn’t want to tell me much over the phone, but I hope you’re prepared for a literal bombardment because there’s a lot I want to know.” Lola Whitworth smiled as she put a mug of tea in front of Nathan.

  “And there’s a lot I want to ask you, too, but in time honoured tradition, ladies first.” Nathan sat back and unbuttoned his jacket.

  “Well.” Lola sipped her tea. “First of all, how did you find me?”

  Nathan explained that it hadn’t been too difficult for him to find her ex-husband’s contact details using social media and an online people-finding service. It had taken a while but eventually, his enquiries had rewarded him with an address and a phone number. The only thing was, as the online records hadn’t been updated since Ian’s departure from the marital home, Nathan hadn’t had any idea that he no longer lived there.

  “Oh my goodness, I had no idea you could find that kind of information online.” Charlotte’s Aunt Lola sat in an armc
hair with her feet curled up underneath her and her hands clasped around a mug of steaming tea. “Anyway, what made you want to get in touch with me in the first place?”

  Nathan felt the goosebumps prick up on his arms. Not for the first time since they’d met, he was struck with how similar Lola’s mannerisms were to Charlotte’s.

  “Well, as I told you on the phone, I never in a million years expected to speak to you - you can imagine my shock when you told me who you were. It was your husband - sorry, your ex-husband - I was trying to get in touch with.

  “Charlotte and I are getting married soon, you see, and I thought it would be a fantastic surprise if her uncle could come to the wedding. She misses her parents so much and I know it makes her sad to think she has no family left.

  “Of course, having you at the wedding is going to be even more incredible but I should warn you, it’s going to be a huge shock for her.

  “I was even considering telling her before the wedding but decided against it because I think the surprise will make the day even more special ... once the shock has worn off, that is!

  “So to answer your question, I wasn’t actually trying to get in touch with you, because I thought you were dead. Charlotte told me that’s what her mother told her years ago.”

  Lola nodded. “I’ve no doubt she did, although it was a dreadful lie and, I swear, I had no part in it.”

  Nathan took a gulp of his coffee. “I must admit, that part of the story’s been worrying me. Why does she think you’re dead?”

  Lola sighed and put her mug down on the coffee table. “It’s a long story, but I’ll give you the short version. When Molly and Scott decided to go to Spain, I wasn’t happy about it at all. Our parents had both passed away not long before and I felt as though Molly was abandoning me. She was ten years older than me, you see, and she’d always been very protective.” Lola shook her head. “I know how selfish that seems now, but back then, I didn’t see it that way.