“Andrew,” Pattie said, looking at Elliott. “I have to check that he’s alright…”
“I can’t hear any more shooting. Let’s go and see.”
They got to the lobby just as someone turned the power back on. Blue electric lights clunked and hummed back to life. The same could not be said of the police officer that they found out in the car park, who had been hit in the neck by a bullet from Crowley’s rifle. Andrew knelt beside him, staring into space. He was still holding Officer Brant’s wrist, even though he knew the pulse was long gone.
“Andrew?”
“Mum.”
“Are you okay?” she asked, rushing to give him a hug.
“Yes,” he said, holding her tightly. “Crowley was the only shooter. He killed Officer Brant and then ran around the side of the building.”
“Crowley’s out for the count,” Elliott told him. “Patricia hit him with a few thousand volts.”
“Mum did?” said Andrew, looking at Pattie with surprise. “Well done, Mum!”
But Pattie wasn’t interested in praise. “Andrew – Where’s D.C. Palmer? Where’s Juliette?”
“What? Why?”
Chapter Fifteen
Seconds later, they found Juliette around the side of the station, putting cuffs on John Crowley. He was barely conscious, and had also badly cut his stomach from falling over the broken glass windowsill. But before Juliette could drag him into the station to a cell, Andrew quickly yanked her aside and put her in handcuffs too.
“Andrew? What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m putting you under arrest,” he replied, doing his best not to snarl. “For aiding and abetting a known felon.”
“What?”
“Juliette,” said Pattie, coming forward, “how could you? I thought it was suspicious that Crowley killed his old girlfriend, Edith, when he couldn’t possibly have known she’d been a secret witness against him in court. Andrew told me that only officers at this station, and the judge, knew that. Besides you and I, nobody knew that Thomas was going to visit the gardening centre that day to investigate the suspected murder weapon. And tonight, somebody knew where they could find the switch for the station’s electricity, and how to shut it off. It followed that he was working with a police officer, but I never would have thought you capable of it, Juliette…”
At first it seemed that Juliette was going to protest … but then her shoulders sagged. Pattie’s heart sank in her chest. So it was true. Juliette Palmer had collaborated with John Crowley.
“But why?”
“He contacted me days ago,” Juliette said, struggling not to cry. After all the stress, all the guilt and grief, it was all she could do not to collapse onto the ground. “He said that he would hurt Thomas if I didn’t help him. He said he only wanted information – I never thought he would kill anybody! Especially not … my Thomas…”
Pattie shook her head. It felt like her heart was breaking. “You must have known, Juliette … He’s a convicted killer. You were frightened and selfish. That’s understandable, but the result is that Thomas is dead. Two others are dead. And now you’re going to prison right alongside that madman.”
“I know!” she sobbed, tears now pouring down her face. “I deserve it! I know…! Oh Thomas, I’m sorry … I’m so sorry…”
Chapter Sixteen
It was three days later when Pattie and Elliott were finally able to sit Andrew down at the kitchen table and give him the news. They plotted and schemed, first boiling the kettle (Darjeeling for Pattie and Elliott, Nescafé for Andrew), then make sandwiches to compel Andrew to sit, then clear the room of cats so that he was comfortable enough to stay for more than thirty seconds.
“In some ways you’re similar, and in other ways you’re really quite different…” Elliott said, as he shooed a grumpy Churchill out of the kitchen. “It’s the same with you and Simon.”
“Both my sons got the best and worst from me,” Pattie admitted, smiling as she held Elliott’s hands. “I’m glad that you can accept us as we are, flaws and all.”
“You have flaws?” asked Elliott, feigning shock.
When Andrew arrived and they had trapped him with food and hot beverages, they got him talking about the case.
“Everyone I talk to says that Juliette Palmer was a good woman. A good police officer,” said Andrew. “No-one can believe it. There are alot of people up in arms over her arrest, so I’m not making any of those friends back. But the Chief is reasonable and knows we have to look into the evidence. They found a lot of ‘unknown numbers’ on her mobile during the last five days, some lasting ten or twenty minutes. They found Juliette’s number on Crowley’s phone. It’s starting to look like you were right, Mum. He was threatening her, and so she helped him.”
“Unfortunately Thomas got hurt anyway,” Pattie said, allowing tears to flow. “Neither of them deserved that. Poor Juliette…”
Andrew leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, well you knew her. I’m less sympathetic. Where are all your cats?”
“We shooed them away because we wanted to talk with you about something, Andrew,” Pattie replied. She put her hand on Elliott’s. “Elliott and I have known each other for a long time now, and we have decided to get married.”
Andrew looked at each of them for a moment. Then he said, “That’s great.”
Pattie brightened. “Really?”
Her son laughed. It was the first time she’d seen him smile since he returned. “Of course! All this time I’ve been so worried about you, Mum, all by yourself. I know that you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t stop a person from getting lonely. And you deserve some happiness after everything we’ve been through – everything that I’ve put us through. Congratulations!”
He stood up from the table and came to give both of them a hug. Tears sprung once again to Pattie’s eyes. “Good gracious, I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much as I have the last week…!”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Oh, we haven’t set a date yet,” said Elliott, feeling teary himself. “But it won’t be too long.”
“Let me know when you decide, and I’ll come back,” said Andrew.
“Come back?”
“I’m not staying in Little Hamilton,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “Not even in England. I’ve started to build a life in Bordeaux, and that’s where I’ll stay for now. I’m here for a couple more days, until the last few details of the case are settled, and then it’s up to the courts to wrap things up. But if you ever fancy a holiday, there’s a place for you at my house over there.”
“Thank you,” said Pattie. “I hate for you to go, but it’s been such a joy just to see you, despite everything that’s happened.”
“Thanks, Mum. Congratulations on the engagement. And good luck, Elliott!”
They shook hands. “Thank you, son.”
Andrew had decided to stay at the B&B, as he expected to be working late finalising the Crowley-Palmer case and didn’t want to disturb them. Secretly, Pattie thought that he really just wanted time to himself, to work through everything that had happened. He had lost an old friend and had unwittingly unleashed a deadly killer onto a peaceful community, but he also had some closure. Crowley would be in maximum security for good, and there would be no question about evidence this time. Andrew bid them goodbye and left Pattie and Elliott to themselves for the afternoon.
Elliott cleared up lunch, as Pattie went to feed all the cats. It took a while to satisfy several hungry bellies. Then Elliott brought her a fresh cup of tea and they sat together in the lounge.
Before she drank, he plopped a ginger cat into her lap. It was Jasper, who had developed the strange skill of being able to detect when people were fibbing. If he sensed an untruth, he would lash his tail, or even scratch.
Elliott sat opposite Pattie in the armchair, smiling warmly. “Now, Patricia. You’re under Jasper’s oath, so I have a question for you. Do you think that we’ll be happy together?”
Pattie smiled and stroked Jasper, from his fuzzy ears down to his tail. She said, “Elliott, I believe we will be very happy together, and I look forward to every moment!”
They watched Jasper for a reaction.
Then Jasper flicked his ear and curled up on Pattie’s lap to sleep.
*
*
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Murder Most Familiar (A Pattie Lansbury Cat Cozy Mystery Series Book 4) Page 9
