In Sickness and in Death

by Alana Ling

‘So, who do you think did it?’ Sam asked, taking a sip of her wine.

  I shrugged. ‘No idea. It’s not my business anymore.’

  Sam ignored my remark and went on. ‘I bet you it was Rory. He found out about Poppy and the other guy and killed her in a fit of rage.’

  ‘Rory has no inch of rage in him, but then again, I’ve only met him twice, so who knows. Plus why would he kill her? This was obviously a marriage of convenience. A financial arrangement.’

  ‘That’s it!’ Sam snapped her finger towards me, making a few patron’s heads turn. ‘He was fooled into believing he was marrying for love so he went in and killed her.’

  ‘Maybe,’ I said dismissively.

  Kit approached our table to clear it.

  ‘How was everything, ladies?’ he asked eyeing Sam as he took her plate.

  She was impervious to his stare when she complimented the food. He reached for my plate and paused.

  ‘Joanna. I heard what happened. How are you feeling?’

  It was a small town, no matter how rich it was, and as with every small town, news didn’t take long to travel. What annoyed me was him talking to me like a concerned friend when only two days ago he had spoken to me like rubbish.

  ‘We’re good. Still in a bit of shock, but we’re feeling better for having had your lovely burgers,’ I said with a sly smile.

  He picked up my plate. ‘I hope it doesn’t affect your business. It’s a terrible thing to happen to anyone.’

  I laughed it off and returned my attention to Sam, signalling the end of our conversation. Kit, however, stayed at the table. I glanced at him.

  ‘If you ever need help, or if there’s anything I can do for you, let me know. I’m sure we can find a position for you here.’ He pursed his lips.

  ‘Thanks,’ I said coldly. ‘You can get us another glass of wine for now. I’ll let you know about the rest.’ I leaned closer to Sam on the other side of the table and talked to her about the calendar and our next events.

  Kit got the message and left us in peace.

  ‘Pompous arse,’ I spat as soon as he left.

  Samantha laughed. ‘I think he likes you.’

  I took a deep breath. ‘Did you hear that conversation?’

  ‘I did,’ she giggled, ‘and I think he fancies you.’

  I shook my head in desperation. ‘I can’t believe he offered me a job. And who the hell does he think he is? Pig!’

  Samantha bit her lips and shrugged.

  ‘He’s right behind me, isn’t he?’

  She nodded.

  Kit set our drinks down, gave me the most charming fake smile he had at his disposal and disappeared behind the bar.

  My relationship with this guy was getting worse by the day. I missed Paul. He was friendly, funny and most importantly, he loved my cupcakes. Kit was an out-of-towner. He was arrogant, pretentious and unwelcoming.

  And I had just described three-quarters of Haven-on-Sea’s populace.

  Seven

  Finding myself without a job for the first time in weeks, and no texts from Poppy to read, weep, and delete, I came out of my flat and headed towards the town square with Alfie chasing smells ahead of me.

  The town was back to normal. Shop owners pulling up their shutters and welcoming their regulars and business people, shoppers strolling down the street and waving their high-end paper bags, angry men shouting into their phones and women too absorbed by their phones to watch where they were going.

  Nothing had actually fallen out of place. The single death of Poppy Guildford had affected no one but her family and even there, I had my doubts.

  Poor Lesley flashed before my eyes, collapsing, bursting into tears, seeing him break the news to Sarah and watching a mother’s whole world crumble under her legs. A tear misted my eyes and I blinked it away.

  Devika had my coffee ready as I walked in. I spotted a couple of people sneaking glances my way and turning away as soon as they’d been caught staring. I shook my head and dedicated my attention to petting Alfie and getting my work station in place.

  Devika joined me as soon as her rush died down and her staff could take over.

  ‘I heard what happened,’ she said.

  ‘So has half the town from the looks of it,’ I said, having a staredown competition with one of the customers obviously glaring at me. I turned to Devi. ‘Does it say “I killed Poppy Guildford” on my forehead or something?’

  ‘No. Your forehead is not that big,’ she said without a hint of sarcasm.

  Her voice carried her chai latte flavours, soothing me back to my seat and tuning everyone else out.

  ‘Oh you know how gossip travels. It’s an endless game of Chinese whispers. I should know. You wouldn’t believe what stories have turned into giants in this very shop. They probably just think you’re bad luck or something absurd like that.’

  ‘That sucks for business, though. I had an engagement party calling to cancel today,’ I said as I opened an email to read of a second cancellation. ‘Point proven,’ I yelped, pointing at the screen.

  Devi ducked into view to read it and patted my back. ‘Don’t worry, honey. It will all be okay once they catch the killer.’

  ‘I guess.’ I opened yet another email. ‘I just hope I have a business left by then.’

  Coming out of Devi’s shop, my phone rang. The screen read unknown and I answered it cautiously.

  ‘Jo, it’s Daniel. How are you? Is this a good time?’ his voice shot through the phone and I tasted peanut butter. Funny how his voice only tasted of peanuts, yet his physical presence added chocolate brownie.

  My stomach churned.

  ‘I need to talk to you about yesterday. Could you come down to the station today?’

  ‘Sure.’ I swallowed. Was I a suspect? I couldn’t possibly be. I had found the body. I’d been with Sam the whole morning ironing out all the details before the rehearsal. My alibi reassured me and I replied, ‘I’m just around the corner. I’ll be down in a minute.’

  I took my time, however. Had I missed anything when I gave my statement? I couldn’t have. I remembered everything down to the last detail. And of course Alfie stopped every couple of steps to relieve himself against the wall. Was he stressed going to the station too? Maybe he was feeding off my energy.

  We reached the station ten minutes later and Daniel took me into his office. At least it wasn’t the interrogation room. I sank in the chair and let Alfie wander in the office. I don’t know what I was even worried about. I hadn’t killed anyone.

  ‘How are you feeling today, Jo?’

  I nodded and Alfie climbed on Daniel, who chuckled and petted him as if the dog was no bother to him. Oat cookies and peanut brownie went well together. My stomach grumbled again. Too many sweets before breakfast.

  ‘He’s cute. When did you get him?’

  I grimaced. ‘When the divorce papers came through. I decided I needed some company. Someone who wouldn’t abandon me every two months to fly off somewhere that is not home. So I went to the shelter and got this little champ.’

  ‘How have you been?’ he said drawing his lips into a thin line. How could the two brothers grow up to be so different?

  ‘Busy.’ I said. ‘The business is really taking off. And it’s how I like it.’

  He nodded. ‘I’m glad. This is why I brought you here, actually. I wanted to talk to you about yesterday. Now the shock has worn off, you might be able to remember more.’

  I shrugged my approval and he opened an envelope.

  ‘Right. You said you were with your assistant all morning and when you found the body you were picking Poppy up for the ceremony.’

  ‘That’s correct. Sam and I both had an open telephone line so she could give me the go-ahead.’

  ‘Up until that point, did you notice any suspicious behaviour? Was there anyone missing from the guests?’

  I shook my head.

  ‘Okay. So you go to pick up Poppy and her parents were there.’

  ‘No, h
er parents were in the hallway. Poppy’s father, Lesley, told Sarah it was time to get the whole rehearsal over with as he had better things to do and then her mum went outside and Lesley went towards his study and I followed him. We knocked a couple of times, but Poppy wasn’t answering so we opened the door and found her—well, dead.’

  ‘And that’s when Lesley fainted and you used the vase water to bring him around?’

  I nodded.

  ‘One of the paramedics said they found you over Poppy’s body when they arrived at the scene.’

  ‘Yeah, I was checking to see if she had a pulse. Lesley was in shock and he thought she might still be alive.’

  ‘I see. Samantha said you told her to not let anyone in the house and to tell the guests there was going to be a slight delay. Why did you do that?’

  I repositioned myself on the chair and looked at Alfie who had grown bored of Daniel’s petting and had decided to lie down by my feet. ‘Come on, Daniel, we’ve known each other for years. All the stories you’ve told me about people contaminating scenes and of people announcing deaths before the family had been informed. I wanted to make sure none of the guests stormed in and made your job any harder than it already is.’

  He seemed satisfied with my answer and put his pen down.

  ‘I’m sorry, Jo. I have to ask these questions. Not that I suspect you in any way.’

  ‘I understand.’

  ‘Can you tell me what kind of woman Poppy was? You’d been working with her, how long, four months?’

  ‘She hired me on Valentine’s Day when Rory proposed to her. Since then we’ve spent most of the working weeks together either in her house or over the phone. Poppy was a meticulous and calculating woman. She knew what she wanted and how to get it. She didn’t take no for an answer, which didn’t make her the most popular person. Half of the suppliers and businesses I liaised with hated her guts. But Poppy didn’t really care for others as long as she had what she needed.’

  ‘Didn’t it ever strike you as weird that such an organised woman planned a wedding in such a short amount of time? Most people I know give it at least a year.’

  I took a deep breath. ‘It does. It did. But I never asked her. She was a scary woman.’

  Daniel wrote something down on a piece of paper and then faced me again. ‘Do you know anyone who would have wanted to hurt her?’

  ‘She was a terrifying woman, like I said, but I don’t think anyone in her circle hated her enough to do this to her.’

  Daniel wrote this down and I bit my lip before I added. ‘There was someone—’

  Daniel looked up at me and winced. ‘Who?’

  ‘Sam and I saw her going into a hotel with a man on…Tuesday, yeah, that’s it. But I don’t know the guy or their relationship.’

  ‘That’s okay,’ Daniel said. ‘That’s my job to find out. Do you remember which hotel?’

  Eight

  The next day, I still couldn’t get Poppy’s murder out of my head and what I had told Daniel in my statement. I didn’t know where to start, but I wanted to help Daniel in his investigation.

  I put the kettle on and took out the ingredients for a batch of vanilla cupcakes and beat the eggs, coffee in hand. I used another bowl to beat the butter until it was smooth and then added the sugar. Once the mixture had bonded I added the flour and eggs and a few drops of vanilla and popped them in the oven.

  A couple of hours later I was standing outside the Blakely mansion, cupcakes in hand. A maid answered the door and took me through to the parlour (her words, not mine) and asked me to take a seat, which I refused. I looked around “the parlour” and found several picture frames on the fireplace: two kids playing on a gingham picnic cloth, Mrs Blakely in the background taking toast out of a basket; then one of the Blakely parents. A stiff picture that bore no resemblance to the previous one where Rory and his brother looked like normal kids. Before I could look at all the pictures closely, I was interrupted by the groom. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked freshly showered.

  ‘Joanna, what brings you here?’ he asked with a forced smile. I couldn’t blame the guy. I might have thought it was an arranged marriage, but perhaps he’d really loved her.

  I passed him the box. ‘I baked some cupcakes and thought I’d drop some by and check how you’re getting on.’

  Rory took the box and opened it. He grabbed one and put the box down as he took a seat on one of the emerald armchairs decorating the room and crossed his legs. He was wearing lime green and blue polka-dot socks. He bit into the cupcake and closed his eyes, taking a moment to enjoy it. The whiff of the vanilla paired with his candy floss flavour on my tongue took me back to my childhood, when dad was alive. I licked my lips and sat down next to him.

  ‘How are you feeling? Have you slept at all?’

  He seemed to notice me again, as if he’d forgotten all about me.

  ‘I’m okay. I still can’t believe what happened to Poppy. I mean, who would do such a thing?’ he said and bit into the cupcake again.

  I squinted and paid close attention to his face when I asked the next question.

  ‘Do you know anyone who would want to hurt her?’

  He looked at me, took a deep breath and shook his head. ‘The police asked me the same thing. I don’t know what to tell them. I don’t think anyone wanted to, but obviously someone has, so I’m no help either.’

  A man walked into the room and placed his hand on Rory’s shoulder. ‘Hey, Rory, the car is outside.’ He was tall, taller than Rory, and had dark spiky hair and greyish green eyes. His face was chiselled like a Greek god’s and his build seemed to be of a similar make. Recognition shot through my body.

  It was the man I had seen with Poppy, going into the hotel.

  ‘Hi, I don’t think we’ve officially met,’ he said, but I didn’t reply, nor did I stretch out my hand to shake his.

  ‘I’m Lloyd, Rory’s brother.’ He inspected me closely.

  ‘Hi,’ I said clearing my thoughts enough to not look like a fool in front of a potential murderer.

  The taste of bacon butty and English mustard bit into my buds and my stomach churned, realising it was time for some food. Unfortunately my taste buds couldn’t feed me, even though I sometimes felt full just looking at someone. And Lloyd was one of those people. I wondered how well he and Poppy got on, because I couldn’t imagine their flavours matching greatly. Amaretto with bacon and mustard? Hell, no.

  ‘I’m Joanna,’ I finally said. ‘So nice to meet you. Where are you guys headed?’

  I knew it was none of my business, but I needed to talk to the Blakely brother and find out what he’d been doing with Poppy in Hotel Margot.

  ‘Just going for lunch by the seaside,’ Lloyd said and Rory nodded and turned. ‘I’m hoping it will make him feel better,’ he whispered to me.

  I would have appreciated the brotherly sentiment if I didn’t think Lloyd was our man.

  We all walked outside and I saw a man in his thirties waiting inside a red convertible. His sunglasses were covering his eyes and he was busy on his phone. Rory turned to me.

  ‘Thank you so much for checking on me, Joanna. Those cupcakes were really nice.’ Rory shook my hand and got in the car, greeting the driver.

  Lloyd shook my hand as well.

  ‘I saw you the other day, you know. With Poppy,’ I whispered.

  Lloyd turned to look at his brother, who was still chatting to the driver, and then back to me.

  ‘Oh, jolly! That was not what you think it was. Poppy and I used to date.’

  I squeezed my eyes and he came in closer. ‘You’re not helping me unthink what I was thinking.’

  He pulled me aside, a few steps away from the car.

  ‘What happened? Did you want to relive the good old days before she tied the knot with your brother?’ I asked.

  He bit his tongue and looked at the car. ‘Look, Joanna, that’s not what that was. Poppy came with me to my hotel, she wanted to talk about my brother and her, but
I didn’t want anything to do with her.’

  ‘Is that why you took her to your room?’

  ‘It is none of your business what I was doing with her, but if you’ve got to know, I didn’t want anyone to see us together and get the wrong impression, so I took her inside, to the reception, mind you, and told her I didn’t want to see her again.’

  ‘Why should I believe you?’

  ‘Lloyd, are you coming? What’s the hold up?’ the driver shouted.

  ‘Coming,’ he responded. ‘I love my brother, Joanna. I would never hurt him. Whether you want to believe me or not, that is your problem.’

  ‘Or the police’s problem, if you decided to kill Poppy before she married your brother. Maybe if you couldn’t have her, you didn’t want anyone else to have her either,’ I said and my voice trembled at my audacity to accuse someone of murder so blatantly. I shouldn’t have done that, but it was too late now. I had to play along.

  ‘Oh, jolly. Alright, alright. I broke up with her, okay? She told everyone she ended it to fit into her stupid plan,’ he admitted.

  ‘What plan?’

  ‘Lloyd, come on. We’ll lose our reservation,’ the driver shouted again, and Lloyd excused himself.

  ‘I’ve got to go. But please, stay out of this. Your job was to plan a wedding and that wedding is off. Just drop it already and go on to your next job. There’s nothing for you here.’

  Lloyd joined his brother and his friend and the car sped off from the private entrance, going around the fountain standing in the middle of the garden.

  I took off in my mint green beetle, finding some time to think through what Lloyd had said. What sort of plan did Poppy have? And why had Lloyd broken up with her? What was Poppy doing at his hotel? Was she trying to get him back? Was that all part of her plan?

  So many questions and no answers. And the most burning one of all: who had killed Poppy?

  I met with Sam straight after my meeting with Rory and Lloyd, at Bean Therapy, so we could go over work. Since the bride went and died, we needed to get planning on our next event, and it was time to test Sam’s skills.