Brownies and Bloodshed (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 19)

by Agatha Frost

  “That is true,” he finally said when he put the bowl of chocolate over the pan to melt it. “I was overheating in my costume, so I went into the garden for some fresh air. Ian happened to be walking by.”

  “You could have mentioned that at the B&B.”

  “I couldn’t.” Marley gave her a melancholy smile as he pushed the chocolate pieces around. “Oh, Julia. You don’t miss a trick, do you?”

  “It’s been said.”

  “I couldn’t mention it because Eugene doesn’t know, and I’d rather keep it that way.”

  “Eugene doesn’t know what?”

  Marley huffed, glancing at Julia as though to say, ‘You’re not going to give up, are you?’

  “If I tell you,” Marley stated, “you can’t tell Eugene. In fact, I’d rather it stayed between us because it’s not relevant to the situation, even if it seems like might be.”

  “Go on.”

  “I gave Ian £10,000,” Marley revealed, eyes still on the chocolate. “Over a year ago. Ian turned up, begging for money as usual. I didn’t want to give it to him, but he had a way with words. He didn’t explicitly say he would burn my café to the ground, but it was implied.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “That’s Ian.” Marley laughed bitterly. “Eugene might not have seen his true core, but I always did. I never liked him. Things always got more complicated when he showed up.”

  “Why did he need £10,000?”

  “He claimed to have an investment opportunity in America that would finally make him rich. I know it sounds ridiculous said out loud, but when someone is threatening to destroy your life’s work, you’re more willing to drain your savings. He promised to pay me back, plus interest, which he never offered before.”

  “But let me guess, he never did?”

  “Nope.” Marley sighed. “We didn’t see him again for a whole year, and even though I wanted the money back, it was a relief not to have him hovering over us. Then he turned up a few weeks ago, and that’s when Eugene invited him to the meal to smooth things over with Percy. The funny part was that Ian seemed interested in burying the hatchet, or else I would have put a stop to it myself.”

  “And the money?”

  “He claimed to have it,” Marley said with another eye roll. “I guess I believed him. He said he had a cash flow problem, but insisted he’d have my money by the night of the meal. When Helen saw me talking to him outside the B&B, I was calling his bluff. Even then, he said he would repay me. He was always a good liar, but he seemed truthful. In fact, he seemed scared. It was the first time I’d looked at him and seen him for the old man he’d become. The confidence melted away. That’s the last I saw of him.”

  The café bell rang, distracting Julia enough to make her peek through the beads. Rather than a customer coming in, Dot had finally left. Julia thought about going after her, but she knew her gran was in too much of a daze to hear anything.

  “Why haven’t you told Eugene?” Julia pushed.

  “The cruise.”

  “Oh.”

  “For years, he’s had his heart set on this round-the-world cruise,” Marley explained, stirring the melting chocolate with the wooden spoon. “We each planned to pay half and have a once in a lifetime trip. The problem is, I don’t have my half, so I have to stall.” He paused, and to Julia’s surprise, tears lined his eyes. “It’s breaking my heart because I adore Eugene with all my being, but I’m not naïve. I might not be a young ‘un anymore, but Eugene is ten years older than me. I know I’ll likely outlive him, and while I hope I’m a much older man when that happens, I couldn’t live with myself if he died and we weren’t able to go on that stupid bloody cruise.”

  Marley roughly wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his linen tunic. Julia wanted to hug him. However, since they were still practically strangers, she held back.

  “I’m sure Eugene would understand.”

  “Oh, he would.” Marley inhaled deeply, stiffening his spine. “That’s Eugene all over. He never lets anything or anyone get to him. That he even had the time of day for Ian after everything Ian did to him back in the day still baffles me.” His gaze left Julia’s and lingered in the corner before he blinked and cleared his throat. “Anyway, this is ready to be added to the dry stuff. Have you got vegetable oil?”

  Julia grabbed the oil from the shelf and followed Marley back to the middle counter on the island. His regret about revealing a past conflict was palpable as he poured the melted chocolate into the dry ingredients.

  “What happened between them?”

  “Oh, it was years ago,” Marley said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. Can you pass the almond milk?”

  “What happened?” Julia pushed, handing Marley the pre-measured almond milk. “If it was years ago, surely you can tell me.”

  “It was nothing,” Marley said, a bite in his voice. “Well, that’s a lie. It was huge, but it was a few years before I met Eugene, and if he hadn’t been fired from his job, I would never have met him. We met at a fracking demonstration.”

  “Fired?” Julia arched a brow. “Didn’t Eugene say he was a politician?”

  “He was.” Marley sighed and stopped stirring. “He was the MP for Northash for over a decade, and from what I’ve heard, he was a damn good one. Eugene has always been a proud gay man, but those around him convinced him to keep it secret. This all sounds so silly now, and while things aren’t perfect for folk like us, times were very different back then. Society still wasn’t on our side. So, Eugene did what he had to do. Hiding his sexuality created the image he needed, and it worked. They re-elected him every chance they got. He gave his entire life to that job and, if not for Ian, I daresay he’d still be working in government today.”

  “Let me guess,” Julia said, her turn to sigh, “Ian outed him?”

  “He did more than that. Ian created an entire smear campaign against my husband and ran against him in the election even though he knew he had no chance of winning.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Because Eugene wouldn’t give Ian money,” Marley said, his eyes meeting Julia’s. He smiled sadly. “So, Ian ruined his youngest brother’s career. It caused a huge scandal, and Eugene resigned before he was pushed out, his legacy ruined. Would you forgive your brother if he had done that to you?”

  Julia immediately shook her head, unable to believe Eugene could have forgiven such a betrayal. Was it motive enough for murder all these years later? She added the caramel extract and the salt to the mix before Marley poured the batter into a parchment-lined baking tray.

  “Eugene doesn’t like discussing it,” Marley said firmly, “so I’d appreciate your discretion. I’m not telling you these things to solidify my innocence; I have nothing to hide. But you have an inquisitive mind. Something tells me you’d figure it all out on your own, given enough time. We’re family now, so I want to be honest.”

  “Maybe it’s time to be honest with Eugene about the money?”

  “Maybe.”

  Julia took the completed tray from Marley and slid it into the middle shelf of the oven. Before they could continue their conversation or pick up the baking small-talk, Jessie burst through the beads.

  “The American!” Jessie cried. “He just walked past.”

  “An American?” Marley replied, brow arched. “Handsome fella? Forty-odd?”

  “You’ve seen him?”

  “Seen him?” Marley laughed. “The man practically kicked down our bedroom door at the B&B to interrogate us about Ian last night. Wouldn’t give his name, but he seemed to be looking for something.”

  “I think it’s time we found out what our American friend wants,” Julia said, already untying her apron. “Jessie, watch the café for two minutes.”

  “No chance!” Jessie cried, hoisting her apron over her head. “One, you’re pregnant and have no idea who this guy is or what he’s capable of; and two, you’re always trying to run off and have fun without
me! Not this time. The vegan can watch the café for two minutes, can’t you, pal?”

  “Erm.” Marley scratched the side of his head as Jessie thrust her pink apron over his head. “I guess so?”

  “See?” Jessie grabbed her denim jacket off the hook and tossed Julia’s to her. “We’re all family now. Just don’t change anything. I won’t be happy if I come back and see that you’ve binned all the cakes and replaced them with falafel and quinoa.”

  Knowing she couldn’t waste precious seconds arguing, Julia reluctantly left Marley alone in the café. She hoped a late lunch rush wouldn’t arrive the moment she left. They hurried up past the Plough and Evelyn’s B&B, catching up with the American at the top of Mulberry Lane.

  “Hold on,” Julia said, pulling Jessie back before she marched right up to him. “We can learn more through observation.”

  “Or a smack in the teeth,” Jessie muttered, pulling herself free of Julia. “That bloke is up to something. He’s been sniffing around the village all week, and I don’t trust him.”

  “Neither do I, but let’s just wait and see what he does.”

  Heads peering around the top of Mulberry Lane, they watched as he sauntered down the street, clutching a piece of paper in his hands as though looking for an address. At the bottom of the lane, Brian stood outside his antiques barn. Alfie, whose building company’s office was around the corner, was helping him unload the mahogany wardrobe from his van that had spent a day blocking Julia’s hallway.

  “You don’t realise how lucky you are living alone.”

  “Barker getting that bad?”

  “Hilarious.” Julia pursed her lips. “Trust me, if you hadn’t already moved out, living with the Wellington-Souths would have sent you packing. Don’t suppose you want to take them in?”

  “I’d rather stick pins down my fingernails.”

  “It was worth a shot.”

  The American paused in front of Percy’s flat door, silencing them both. He glanced up and down the quiet street, eyes scanning past Julia and Jessie’s hiding place. When he seemed confident that he wasn’t being watched, he stepped into the shadow of Percy’s door and rattled the door handle. It didn’t move, so he produced a crowbar from within his jacket.

  “Who is this guy?” Jessie whispered. “Do you think he’s trying to solve Ian’s murder too?”

  “Not in the slightest. I think he’s looking for something. From the places he keeps popping up, he clearly didn’t know Ian at all … or he wouldn’t be breaking into Percy’s flat.”

  After some shimmying with the crowbar, the door sprung open. With another glance up and down the lane, he slipped inside.

  “Right, let’s get him!” Jessie cried. “Caught red-handed. I bet he’s the one who killed Ian.”

  “Hold your horses.” Julia pulled Jessie back again, nodding down the lane to Alfie and Brian, now having a friendly chat by Alfie’s work van. “You need to distract them so I can slip in and confront the guy.”

  “Are you out of your mind? You’re—”

  “Pregnant,” Julia cut in. “I know. How could I forget when people keep reminding me every second of the day?”

  “It’s not safe.”

  “It’s broad daylight.”

  “He’s American!” Jessie pouted. “He probably has a machine gun strapped to his back or something. I’ve seen the news.”

  “Too much, by the sounds of it.” Julia pushed Jessie out of the shadows of their hiding place. “Distract them, get them to look in the other direction, I’ll slip in, and then you can follow, okay? If anything happens, I’ll scream like a madwoman, and all three of you will rush in to save me. Sound fair?”

  “No.” Jessie narrowed her eyes. “I thought you were supposed to get wiser as you get older. You just seem to be getting more reckless.”

  “Blame it on the baby brain then.”

  “Now who’s the one bringing up the baby?”

  “Just go.” Julia gave her another shove. “We could have seconds left, and this is the perfect time to catch him on the back foot.”

  “Fine!” Jessie huffed. “But it will cost tomorrow off. I want to go kickboxing again.”

  “Deal.”

  Jessie wandered down the street, glancing back at Julia periodically until she reached the antiques shop. Within seconds, Jessie was pointing up to one of the tall trees surrounding Mulberry Lane. Alfie and Brian turned away from Julia. She hurried down the lane, dodging from car to car in case they looked back, but they didn’t.

  Holding her breath, she crept up the stairs to the flat. She heard the trespasser moving around; he wasn’t even bothering to search quietly. Barker would flip his lid if he knew what she was doing, but she didn’t have time to consider the consequences. Besides, there was no proof the American was dangerous.

  “Gotcha!” she called out.

  He spun around, pausing his clumsy search of Percy’s kitchen cupboards. He squinted through the dark and appeared to recognise her.

  “What do you want, ma’am?” he snapped before resuming his search. “I’m a little busy here.”

  “I could ask you the same question.” Julia took a brave step into the dark flat; the curtains were closed. “You’re the one breaking and entering. And while I may also be entering, Percy is my step-grandfather now, so I’m sure the police would let me off.”

  The man froze at the mention of the police. He slammed the door of the cupboard he was searching and spun around. Even though he was still as handsome as a George Clooney look-a-like could be, his grim expression dimmed that beauty.

  “Stay out of this, ma’am,” he replied, a firm finger outstretched in her direction. “Don’t get involved with things that don’t concern you.”

  “I could say the same to you.”

  “You’ve got no right telling me what concerns me.”

  “Nor yours to tell me.” Julia folded her arms and solidified her stance. “Who are you?”

  “Nobody.”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Donald Trump.” He gritted his teeth. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’re testing my patience, ma’am.”

  “And you mine,” Julia replied, not missing a beat as she stepped further into the flat. “Now, you can answer my questions, or I can call the police and tell them what I’ve caught you doing.”

  The American left the kitchen, closing the distance between them. He walked right up to her, his towering frame blocking the little light seeping through the crack in the curtains.

  “It’s your word against mine.”

  “Not quite.” Julia gulped. “I wasn’t the only one who saw you with the crowbar.”

  The American’s smile grew, and his chest strained his tight white shirt as he inhaled deeply. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, letting out a slow, drawn-out laugh.

  “Bless your heart, little lady.” He smirked, eyes narrowing. “Don’t make me your enemy. Greater people than you have sure ‘nuff grown to regret that. Leave me to my work. That’s your final warning.”

  Before Julia could respond, footsteps charged up the staircase. Jessie burst into the flat, and with a scream, she charged at the stranger. Wrapping her arms around his waist in what could only be described as a textbook rugby tackle, she knocked the man clean off his feet.

  “Jessie!” Julia cried. “What are you doing?”

  “Saving you!”

  “I didn’t need saving.” Julia pulled Jessie off the man. “We were talking, and now you’ve gone and assaulted him!”

  “So?” Jessie yanked herself away, frowning deeply. “He just broke into Percy’s flat – or are we all forgetting that part?”

  He straightened slowly. While his face was calm, his fury bubbled close enough to the surface that Julia could see the rage in his eyes. Something told her that, where he came from, he wasn’t someone people tackled to the ground.

  “Little lady,
” he said carefully as he readjusted his flipped collar, “you’ll regret that.”

  “I’m terrified,” Jessie replied with a heavy dose of sarcasm, clacking her knees together. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

  “I already tried that,” Julia butted in.

  The stranger cracked his knuckles, eyes darting between them. Even though she probably should have been scared, she found the man more amusing than anything. Whatever power he had over people where he came from hadn’t transferred to Peridale.

  “Stay out of grown men’s business,” he declared as he walked past them towards the door. “You don’t know what you’re playing with.”

  The American left the flat, heedless of the mess he had caused. Julia was certain he hadn’t found whatever he was looking for.

  “How did you distract them?” Julia asked as she began straightening up the cushions on the sofa.

  “Told them I saw a dodo in the tree.” Jessie shrugged with a proud smile. “Don’t think they even knew they were extinct.”

  They spent the next five minutes tidying the flat before emerging into the bright daylight of Mulberry Lane.

  “Alfie?” Julia called. “Don’t suppose you know how to fix a busted lock?”

  Leaving Alfie to retrieve his tools from his builder’s yard behind the barn, Julia and Jessie returned to the café. It had filled to capacity in the time since they left. The crowd cleared slightly, revealing a weary-looking Percy at the middle table. Before Julia could say a word, she spotted black smoke drifting from the kitchen.

  “The brownies!”

  11

  Later that evening, on Dot’s insistence, Julia and Barker sat at Dot’s dining room table.

  “They’re all late,” Dot said from her spot at the head of the table. “I told everyone to be here for seven.”

  Julia checked the clock. “It’s only five to.”

  “Which means they’re all five minutes late!”

  “Ohhh,” Barker whispered to Julia. “So that’s why you were so insistent we get here early.”