by K E O'Connor
“You should get a medal. If it wasn’t for you, we’d have never figured it out. And heaven forbid, you may have been charged with a crime you weren’t involved in.”
“That would never have happened,” I said. “I wasn’t going down without a fight, and if that meant confronting Meredith to prove my innocence, that’s what I was prepared to do.”
“Did you know that she had a gun?”
“I figured she must have a weapon, but no, I didn’t think she’d pull a gun out.” If I had, I wouldn’t have been so eager to chase after her.
“Smitherington told me the gun was her ex-husband’s. She stole it from him. Meredith’s been planning vengeance for a long time.” He shuddered. “I feel sorry for her. I had no idea she held this bitterness against us. I can promise you this, Sebastien’s death was an accident. We did everything we could to save him. Although ... if we hadn’t encouraged him to swim in the first place, he’d still be here today.”
“You can’t blame yourself,” I said. “It was a horrible, tragic accident. Meredith was too grief stricken to see that. This was her way of trying to get closure.”
“Well, I’m jolly glad she failed.” He grinned. “Did you hear that Izzie and Simon are dating again?”
“Wow! She’s a fast worker. I guess she’s not all that devastated about losing Kendal.”
“I suspect she misses his social connections. He always went to the best parties, but that’s about it.”
“And your other friends have gone home?”
“Tony and Christian left this morning,” he said. “It’s back to normal now. In truth, I’m quite relieved. I know we have to do things for appearances’ sake, but I don’t enjoy their company. They’re always bragging about how much money they make and the women they’re dating.”
Rupert was never a bragger, and he had the most to brag about, living in an enormous castle surrounded by luxury most of us would never experience.
We walked along in a companionable silence until I reached my first delivery stop.
“I, um, I keep meaning to ask you something.” He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and looked around.
“What’s that?” A nervous tickle ran down my spine.
“It’s just that, we get on well, don’t we?”
“I like to think so,” I said.
“Yes, me too. And—”
“There you are!” Alice raced across the road out of the Lady Belle Boutique and flung her arms around me. “My criminal best friend.”
I chuckled as I stepped out of her embrace. “Steady on. What makes you think I’m a criminal?”
“I’ve heard all about your criminal past and the illegal marches and protests you went on with your granny. You naughty thing. She sounds like such fun. I imagine she’d get on well with Granny Philippa. We must arrange for them to meet.”
I bit my bottom lip. “My gran’s ... unique. And she’s not often around. I don’t hear from her much.” I got the occasional letter from prison, but she wasn’t a big fan of writing.
“I insist you bring her to the castle as soon as you can. Granny Philippa gets lonely stuck in the turret. When she has too much time on her hands, she gets obsessed with her predictions. It’ll do her the world of good to have a new, fun friend.”
“The next time she gets in touch, I’ll mention it to her.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about them meeting my gran. She was the serious black sheep of the family.
“Oh, and before I forget, there’s a history exhibition we must visit on your next day off. You love the Tudors, and this is all about them. I find it all a bit stuffy and boring, but apparently, there’ll be a talk on finding your distant family. It could be perfect for finishing off my own family tree. And you’ve still to get started on yours. We can get going on that after the exhibition.”
“My family tree will take about five minutes to complete,” I said. “But the exhibition sounds good. You should come too, Rupert.”
Alice wrinkled her nose. “My brother isn’t interested in that sort of thing.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind coming. Only if you want me there.” He looked a little crestfallen.
I smiled warmly. “Of course you must come.” A movement in the shadows caught my eye. Campbell was lurking in his usual discreet fashion, protecting the family.
I hadn’t quite forgiven him for believing that I killed Kendal, but I understood why he’d pursued me. Campbell was logical minded. He followed the evidence, and there had been evidence to suggest I could have been the killer.
He nodded at me before retreating further into the shadows.
I happily listened as Alice continued to talk about the exhibition and all the fun it would be and that we’d have lunch and go shopping after the ‘stuffy’ exhibition.
I smiled up at Rupert, and he blushed before returning my grin.
“Why don’t we ask Lady Philippa to the exhibition?” I asked. “You said she gets lonely. We could take her out for the day.”
Rupert and Alice exchanged a loaded glance before she shook her head. “We have tried that a time or two, but it never ends well. The trouble with Granny Philippa is she’s psychic.”
My mouth dropped open. “That’s a joke, right?”
Rupert shook his head. “It’s an old family gift, apparently. Neither of us have it. Although my gut gets strange twinges from time to time.”
“That’s because you eat too much. You’re such a piggy.” Alice snorted before collapsing into giggles.
“I am not.” Rupert glanced at me. “Well, maybe when it comes to Holly’s cakes. That’s the reason we lock Granny Philippa in the turret. It’s for her own protection, and ours. We don’t want the castle getting a bad reputation.”
“The ghosts help out quite nicely with that.” Alice continued to giggle. “A curse predicting granny will only make things worse.”
I stared at them, still not sure whether my leg was being pulled.
My employers were on the weird side, especially Lady Philippa, who had been absolutely right about the murder and the trouble I’d face. But that had to be a one-off. Her predictions couldn’t always come true.
Did I want to be a part of this? Live in a place that was possibly haunted, had a psychic granny locked in a turret, and a castle run by a family of eccentrics?
I took a deep breath as I looked around the beautiful village green, and the people walking by, and let the happy vibes float past.
I smiled. Yes, this was the life I wanted. Bring on the weird.
“Oooh! I’ve got a great idea. Let’s help with your cake deliveries,” Alice said. “It’ll be such fun when people open their doors and they find Rupert and me standing outside. What a hoot. We might even get invited in for tea.”
I grimaced. “I’m not sure about that.”
“We can say it’s an extra special delivery. A free visit from the Lord of the Manor.” Alice prodded Rupert in the arm.
“Maybe you should listen to Holly,” he said. “She has an important job to do.”
Alice was already off with the first box of cakes in her hands. She strode to the wrong door and knocked loudly.
“Wait up, Alice. Not that house.” As I raced to salvage the delivery, I couldn’t help but smile.
This sure was an interesting life, and I was determined to enjoy every second of it.
About the Author
K.E. O’Connor (Karen) is a cozy mystery author living in the beautiful British countryside. She loves all things mystery, animals, and cake (these often feature in her books.)
When she’s not writing about mysteries, murder, and treats, she volunteers at a local animal sanctuary, reads a ton of books, binge watches mystery series on TV, and dreams about living somewhere warmer.
To stay in touch with the fun, clean mysteries, where the killer always gets their just desserts, follow Karen on Facebook or join her newsletter
More books by K.E. O’Connor
Holly Holmes – cozy culinary mysteries
set at Audley Castle, with treats, murder, and twists.
Cream Caramel and Murder
Chocolate Swirls and Murder (pre-order now)
Crypt Witch series - cozy witch mystery, featuring Tempest Crypt, a witch who can swallow demons, a talking hellhound, murder, intrigue, and a host of fun characters.
Luck of the Witch
Hell of a Witch
Revenge of the Witch
Curse of the Witch
Son of a Witch
Framing of the Witch
Trickery of the Witch
Wishes of the Witch
Lorna Shadow series - cozy ghost mystery set in the fun world of a personal assistant who can see ghosts! Meet Lorna Shadow, her ditzy sidekick, Helen Holiday, and Flipper, the dog who can sense ghosts.
Ghostly Manners
Ghostly Secrets
Ghostly Games
Ghostly Affairs
Ghostly Business
Ghostly Rules
Ghostly Waves
Ghostly Play
Ghostly Proposal
Ghostly Vows
Ghostly Fright
Ghostly Hunt
Zee Town – a complete cozy mystery series, featuring Cassie March, Stool the three-legged dog, grumpy cop Nick Morton, and friendly zombies (they exist!)
Dangerous Tails (prequel novella told from Nick Morton’s point of view)
Murder Daze
Hearts & Murder
Murder Fling
Candyfloss & Murder
Furballs & Murder
Old Sarum - cozy witch mystery set in the magical world of Old Sarum, featuring curses, magic, and murder.
Witch Kissed
Witch Rose
Witch Guy
