Mae said, “We’ve nothing else to go on. There’s a cafe upstairs, it overlooks the hall, we can spy on everyone.”
“And I can get a cup of tea,” Grace said.
“They do a lovely coffee and walnut cake here,” Mae said. She sighed. “That’s something I miss about having passed over.”
Grace smiled at her. “I will have a piece of cake on your behalf.”
Mae laughed. “Your kindness knows no bounds! The cafe’s just up the stairs, on the left. Watch these steps, they can be slippery. One of these days someone will break ...”
Mae stopped talking and stared at Grace. “I was just about to say break their necks!” Mae burst out laughing. Grace couldn’t help but join in. It took her mind off Autumn Rose and her possible murderous side.
Despite the light moment Grace still felt a chill as she walked up the steps.
Chapter 16
Grace bought a cup of tea and an extra large slice of coffee and walnut cake. Well, if something was worth doing, it was worth doing right.
Mae was standing near some tables at the side of the cafe, they looked right down into the church hall through some large windows. Grace set her cup and plate down and gave Mae an appreciative nod. This spot was perfect. She could see Autumn Rose from here. The queue hadn’t diminished much.
Grace smiled and took a sip of her tea. Mae’s little postman had just finished his reading. Grace hoped he’d been given some good information.
Grace’s chair was jostled as a large woman tried to get to the table next to her.
“Sorry, love,” the woman beamed down at her. “I’m not as thin as I think I am.”
Mae sat opposite Grace and said, “That’s Shirley, one of my oldest friends. She’s been coming to this church nearly as long as me. She can’t be very busy if she’s having a break. Strange, she was always popular.”
Another woman joined Shirley at the table. Mae frowned. “That’s Ann, she’s as popular as Shirley. Normally brings her own flask of tea because she never has time to pop up here.”
Grace gave a slight nod. She couldn’t talk to Mae in public but she could text her. But she couldn’t text if she was eating cake. She could try one handed texting but she’d never been good at that, she wasn’t a teenager.
Mae moved forward and said, “See if you can eavesdrop, see what’s going on with them. You won’t have to strain your ears, Shirley’s got a voice like a foghorn. Bless her.”
That suited Grace. Listening to other people’s conversations whilst eating cake and drinking tea.
Her fork paused midway to her mouth.
What was she becoming?
She gave a slight shrug. She was a sleuth, that’s what she was. Jessica Fletcher would do just the same as her if she was in this position.
The fork completed its journey.
Mae was right, the cake was delicious. Could she take some to go?
Grace jumped as Shirley’s voice boomed out.
“Apart from that one incident earlier I’ve had nothing! That bloomin’ Autumn Rose has taken all my business. It’s not on.”
“I know,” Ann added. “What happened with that customer earlier? It looked nasty.”
“It was. I called for that security chap but he was too busy with Miss Fancy Bra. I sorted it out myself. I wouldn’t mind but this one has already been to my house. It’s not right, we should have the proper security. And do you know what else?”
“What?”
Grace thought from Ann’s tone that she was familiar with Shirley’s ranting.
Shirley almost exploded. “That table should have been mine! Mae always said I could have it if she didn’t need it anymore. Bless her soul.”
“I know,” Ann said.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if that bloomin’ Quentin was in cahoots with her. I’ve seen how much she charges. I bet she gives a percentage to him. I’ve seen the new curtains and chairs! They cost a pretty penny. Oh, Ann, it makes my blood boil.”
“I know,” Ann said, again.
Mae said, “Quentin owns this church hall. We all pay him a fee to have tables here. He’s always been fair with me.” She paused. “I’m beginning to doubt everyone now. What if Shirley’s right? What if Autumn Rose wanted that table to get the best customers and Quentin had to get rid of me? He could have pushed me, he’s big enough.”
Grace reluctantly put her fork down and picked up her phone. She typed:
‘Was that Quentin’s voice on the earpiece?’
Mae shook her head. “It was a young man’s voice. I’ve been looking around, there aren’t many young men around here. I pictured the accomplice hunched over a computer muttering into a hidden microphone.”
Grace let out a sudden sigh of exasperation and typed again:
‘He’s not here! Why didn’t I realise? That’s what the hidden camera on Autumn’s necklace is for! He could be sitting in a cafe across the road!!!!!!’
“That’s a lot of exclamation marks. You could be right. What are we going to do next?”
Grace tucked into her cake again, she knew what she was going to do next.
A male voice boomed out, “Shirley! Ann! My beautiful people! What are you doing up here?”
“That’s Quentin,” Mae said.
A large man sashayed over to the table. He’d taken tie dye clothes to the next level. His shirt and his trousers were a rainbow of colours. His grey plait rested over his shoulder, tied with a multi coloured ribbon. He had about five crystal necklaces festooned around his neck.
Grace edged slightly away from the possible murderer.
Shirley exploded into a torrent of complaints. “We haven’t got any customers! That young tart has taken them all! It’s all your fault!”
Quentin clutched his chest dramatically. “Shirley, my darling, calm down. There’s been a misunderstanding. I would never do anything to hurt you, to hurt any of my ladies.”
Shirley stood up and pointed a finger at his chest. “You gave her Mae’s table, it was mine.”
“I ... I didn’t think you’d want it, I thought it would upset you too much.”
“You should have asked me. And she’s charging £50 for ten minutes work. Did you know? Are you getting a slice of the profits? Is that where the new curtains came from? Is it dirty money?”
“I ... I ...” Quentin couldn’t get any words out. The whole cafe was watching them now.
Grace felt like standing up and shouting, “Where were you on the day that Mae died?”
Quentin gulped a few times, his crystal necklaces tinkled. He held his hands up and said, “I must admit that Autumn Rose did give me a contribution towards the hall. She called in one day to discuss a business matter. She pointed out that the hall needed sprucing up. She helped me pick new curtains and chairs, the kind girl even took the old ones away. She did mention that she did readings and that she’d love to have a table here. No one wanted Mae’s table so I offered it to her.”
Shirley spat, “We didn’t take the table out of respect for Mae! We were still mourning her.” Shirley suddenly screamed. “You! You pushed Mae down the stairs just so you could help that Autumn Rose.”
The colour drained from Quentin. “I would never do that, never. How could you think I would?”
Shirley folded her arms and said, “Where were you on the day that Mae died?”
Grace almost cheered.
Quentin stood up straighter. “I was on stage! Playing the matinee performance of Hamlet. And I was rather good, no matter what the critics say.”
Grace’s shoulders slumped. She was hoping that Shirley was going to coerce Quentin into confessing.
The number one suspect was Autumn Rose again.
A shrill scream pierced the air.
It wasn’t Shirley this time.
A woman ran into the cafe, her face white. “Autumn Rose! She’s fallen down the steps! I think she’s dead!”
Chapter 17
People burst into tears, there were cries of, “No!
”
Amid the confusion Grace jumped up from the table and ran out of the cafe. She had to see the murder scene before the police were called.
She wasn’t the only one. There were people lined up at the top of the steps, craning their necks to see better. Grace tried to look over their shoulders but all she could see was a leg lying at the bottom of the stairs, the rest of Autumn Rose was obscured.
Mae said, “I’ll get a better look.”
She floated through the onlookers and down towards the body of Autumn Rose. She returned within a minute, a grim look on her face. “She looks just like I looked. Her head is twisted to one side. That necklace that you think is a camera? It’s gone.”
Grace’s eyes widened. Had Autumn Rose been pushed down the steps just like Mae? Who would do that?
A male voice cried out, “No! Autumn Rose! No!”
It was coming from the bottom of the steps. Grace stood on her tiptoes but couldn’t see who the voice belonged to.
“Leave it to me,” Mae said and once again she floated through the people in front of her.
When she returned she said, “I think we’ve found Autumn Rose’s accomplice. There’s a young man down there weeping over her body. He’s got one of those curly earpieces hanging down over his shoulder. I saw a laptop on the floor at his side. What shall we do now? I don’t think it was Autumn Rose who killed me, and I don’t think it was Quentin, he was with us when Autumn Rose was pushed down the steps – if she was pushed.”
Grace didn’t know what to think. Someone had a motive for killing Mae, and it could be that the same person had now killed Autumn Rose.
“Nobody move!” a voice boomed out.
Mae floated several feet in the air and looked down the steps. “It’s the police, they got here quick.”
The voice continued, “Nobody is to leave the building, we need statements from you all.”
There was a collective sigh. Shirley pushed in front of Grace. She boomed out, “Why do we have to stay? Do you think this is a murder?”
There were gasps and mumbles amongst the crowd.
The voice boomed back, even louder than Shirley’s, “We are making enquiries. Stay right where you are.”
A group of uniformed police officers ascended the steps and soon took control of the situation. Everyone was herded back into the cafe. An official looking man in plain clothes spoke to Quentin. Quentin nodded and pointed to a door marked ‘Office’ at the far side of the cafe.
Grace returned to her table, she was now sharing it with three other people, each person had their own idea of what could have happened to Autumn Rose.
Grace looked towards the office, it was obviously going to be used as an interrogation room. How she’d love to be inside it.
Mae must have picked up on her thoughts because she said, “I’ll go into the room, I don’t know how long this is going to take.”
Grace gave her a grateful smile. She wouldn’t be getting very far in this investigation without Mae’s help. She sighed, she wasn’t much of a sleuth.
A young man was led into the office first, Grace presumed he was the accomplice that Mae had seen. He was in the room for nearly an hour. Was he the one who killed Autumn Rose? Did they have a falling out? Did he have anything to do with Mae?
When he came out the young man looked like he’d aged ten years. The whole cafe went silent as they watched him walk through the cafe, a policeman at his side. When he left the cafe people burst into chatter again.
Grace had to wait two hours before they called her in. She gave her name and address to the bored looking man behind the desk. She wanted to ask him questions about Autumn Rose but she didn’t have the courage.
Mae was standing behind the man. She nodded at Grace and said, “I’ve got lots of things to tell you.”
Chapter 18
They had to wait until they were back at Grace’s house before talking.
The police hadn’t kept Grace long in the office. She answered their questions. No, she hadn’t been to a fair before. No, she didn’t know Autumn Rose. No, she’d never been on Autumn Rose’s website.
Grace was annoyed that they didn’t mention Mae. Surely two psychics losing their lives the same way within six months of each other was suspicious? She didn’t want to raise the subject, she thought it wiser not to.
When they walked into Grace’s house Mae insisted on Grace making a cup of tea and sandwich for herself first.
“You’ve hardly eaten today, you need to keep your strength up. I’m not going to start talking until you sit down and eat,” Mae insisted.
Grace smiled. It was comforting to know that someone cared about her welfare. She made a cheese and pickle sandwich and a big mug of tea. She sat down next to Mae on the sofa.
“I’m ready,” Grace said.
Mae gave a pointed look towards her sandwich. Grace picked it up and started eating.
“Okay,” Mae began. “We were right about the scam that Autumn Rose and her accomplice were pulling off, he’s called Noah by the way. And you were right about the necklace being a camera.”
“Did he confess straight away?” Grace asked between mouthfuls of sandwich.
“Not at first but he soon crumpled when the police opened up his laptop. It was still on the last page, I think that’s what the policeman said. It showed all the personal details of the last person that was sitting with Autumn Rose. You should have seen what was on there! Nothing is private anymore. No wonder she knew so much about everyone.”
Grace finished one half of her sandwich. “Did he see what happened on the steps? Did he see who might of pushed her?”
Mae pressed her lips together and shook her head. “He said that Autumn Rose kept drinking from a glass of water on the table, he said that was unusual because she always took her own bottle of water. He was surprised when she told the next person in the queue that she needed the toilet, she was able to sit at that table all day without feeling the urge to go.”
“Lucky woman,” Grace muttered. She picked up the second half of her sandwich.
“Despite being a conman, Noah said he turned the camera and sound off when Autumn Rose went into the ladies’ room upstairs. He said he wanted to give her some privacy. He waited a few minutes and turned the camera and sound back on. He saw a hand move towards the camera and then it went blank. He heard someone muttering but couldn’t tell if it was male or female.”
“Did the police find the necklace?”
“Yes, near the new curtains,” Mae said with a small smile. “There’s more. A police constable went to look for the glass on Autumn Rose’s table, probably to check for drugs.”
“You can buy tablets that make you go to the toilet more,” Grace said.
Mae frowned. “Why would anyone want to do that?”
Grace’s cheeks felt warm. “You know, for when you feel bloated, at certain times of the month.”
Comprehension dawned at Mae. She laughed. “Well, I didn’t know that. Anyway, the glass had gone. If someone had put something in the water to make her go to the toilet, they’ve taken the evidence with them. I suspect that the murderer left the building before the police arrived.”
Mae and Grace looked at each other. Mae said, “What are we going to do now?”
Grace put her sandwich down, her appetite had gone. A sad feeling settled in her stomach.
She said, “I’m sorry, Mae, I can’t do this anymore.”
Chapter 19
Mae put her hand out sending a cold shiver up Grace’s arm. “Grace, what is it? I can feel your sadness.”
Grace put her plate on the floor. “I’m useless at this sort of thing. I can’t confront people, I can’t look for clues. I had heart palpitations when I was in your house uninvited! I should have been asking Quentin where he was at the time of your death. I was too busy stuffing my face with cake.”
“What happened in your life to make you have such little confidence?”
Grace shrugged. “I’m not a
brave person, I don’t thrive on adventure. I’d rather be at home every night.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, thousands do it. I’ve travelled around the world but I was always happiest when I came home and sat in my armchair with a cup of tea at my side. You’ve got a gift, Grace, you can see people who’ve passed over. You’re braver than you realise. I’ve put you out asking for help but you haven’t complained, you just got on with it. Quiet determination is worth more than reckless bravery.”
Grace was silent for a moment. “I suppose there is some truth in that. I do like helping people. But I don’t know how I can help you. I’m at a dead end, sorry, you know what I mean.”
Mae waved her hand dismissively. “When you can’t go forwards turn around and look at where you’ve been, you might have missed something. It’s not just you who’s trying to work this mystery out, it’s me too, we’re in this together.”
Grace smiled. “Thanks, you’re good with people.”
“I know.” Mae gave her a grin. “Let’s go over what we do know. I can’t remember much about my death but we know I was pushed. We know that someone tried to find something on my person. What were they looking for?”
“I thought it was the tarot cards. Perhaps another psychic saw how successful you were and thought they could have the same success with your cards.”
Mae nodded. “That’s a possibility. The cards flew towards the curtains and got stuck in the hem. Then sometime later the curtains, and other things from the church were put in that storage locker.”
Grace held a finger up. “Quentin said that Autumn Rose organised the removal of them, she must have put them in the locker. A lot of people give fake names and then stop paying the rent, then the lockers go up for auction. I wonder if she did that.”
“Another possibility. But don’t forget a mystery bidder bought it and went through the contents as if they were looking for something.”
Grace frowned. “I don’t know how our mystery murderer would know about the locker. They were taking a chance on it coming up for auction.”
The Last Reading (Storage Ghost Murders Book 1) Page 5
