by Poppy Blake
Matt knocked on the door and Rosie felt a lurch of pleasure when Carole’s cheerful face appeared to welcome them in. A pleasant aroma, a fusion of warm caramel and golden syrup, of furniture polish and kindness, emanated from the house.
‘Oh, hello, Matt. It’s good to see you. Come in, come in. Suki and Jess are in the lounge, but you’ll have to excuse me. My daughter Grace is arriving with her boyfriend tonight. They’re planning to go midnight hiking and they want to stock up on carbs.’ Carole rolled her eyes in mock irritation. ‘You’d think they were climbing Kilimanjaro the amount of equipment they need to take with them to scramble through the heather. Roger is busy brushing up on his obligatory health and safety lecture about the dangers of camping in the wild. I don’t have the heart to tell him about the quality of the accommodation the two of them stayed in whilst travelling in Cambodia and Thailand over the summer and that they’re quite used to roughing it.’
‘I don’t envy them at all,’ said Rosie. ‘I’d say I’m more into rambling than scrambling! Wish them luck from me.’
‘Will do. Tea? And maybe a slice of coffee and walnut cake?’
‘Count me in,’ beamed Matt, seemingly completely relaxed for his first visit to Carole’s kitchen since he’d availed himself of her services when he’d been a jilted groom.
‘Coming right up.’
Rosie pushed open the door into the lounge and Jess rushed forward to greet her with a hug while Suki looked on with a weak smile.
‘Thanks for coming. I’m sorry to ask you to come to the vicarage, but now that the police are getting involved I’ll admit to being a little scared.’
‘No problem.’
Rosie settled herself down on Carole’s flowery sofa and Matt took a leather armchair next to the fireplace, currently empty of flames. The living room had clearly not yet been released from the embrace of the Eighties’ craze for all things country chic. Soft furnishings were obviously Carole’s domain, and she had been given a free hand to indulge her creative urges, probably to diminish the impact of the dreary portraits of Roger’s scowling clerical predecessors which lined the hallway. Every available surface boasted evidence of Carole’s obsession with ceramics and a vividly swirled purple carpet and pink velvet curtains completed the look. Yet, to Rosie, the entire house felt as though it had been draped in a mantle of comfort and compassion, embroidered with a seam of faith in the power of friendship.
‘Oh, hello Alfie.’
The dog bypassed Matt and made a beeline for Rosie who fondled the ears of the lively Lhasa Apso bundle of white fur.
‘Tea and cake,’ announced Carole, putting a tray down on the coffee table and then leaving them to their discussions.
‘So, what did you want to talk to us about?’ asked Matt, grabbing a plate and a slice of the still-warm coffee cake.
‘Felix seems to think you’re looking into how that weird stuff got into my throat spray.’
‘Oh, well, we just wanted to…’ began Rosie, feeling like a village busybody.
‘No, sorry, don’t get me wrong. I want you to ask questions and if you find anything out, I want you to tell me immediately. I think that whoever did put something in my spray didn’t mean for me to get so ill, just wanted to either stop me from performing at the Windmill Café after the garden party, or perhaps when I did try to sing, my voice would be awful. What I don’t know is who – and it can only be one of four people.’
‘Four?’ asked Jess. ‘Are you counting Lucas then?’
‘Sorry, Jess.’
‘But it can’t be Lucas. Why would he do that?’
‘Why would anyone?’
‘I suppose so.’
Before Rosie could ask all the questions she had stored up for just such an opportunity, the door opened again and Carole popped her head inside the lounge.
‘Suki, dear, I’m so sorry to bother you, but do you think you could come into the kitchen for a few minutes and meet a couple of the ladies from the local WI committee? We’re just wondering if you’d be interested in giving a talk at our next meeting about your road to stardom?’
Suki smiled and pushed herself up from the sofa. ‘Sorry, guys, back in a minute. Jess, will you tell Rosie and Matt what we were thinking?’
‘Sure.’
Suki left the room and Rosie turned back to Jess who looked just like an undernourished waif as she hunched against the chintzy cushions of the sofa, twisting a strand of her beaded hair. She wore distressed jeans cut off at the knee and a peasant-style blouse with brightly coloured tassels along the hem. She looked as though she hadn’t slept for weeks which added to Rosie’s impression of a frightened schoolgirl as she simply stared wide-eyed at Matt, waiting for him to start the conversation.
‘I think Suki is right, Jess. Apart from her friends, no one else at the party had any idea that she relied on her throat spray before performing.’
‘But who would want to do such an awful thing? Everyone adores Suki. She’s the kindest, the most caring person…’ Her voice rasped and she attempted to clear her throat. ‘Do you think… do you think someone was actually trying to kill her?’
‘No, of course not,’ said Rosie, moving to sit in the seat vacated by Suki and taking hold of the young girl’s hand.
‘But why would they want to hurt her? It doesn’t make any sense.’
‘What about Suki’s relationship with Felix?’ asked Matt.
‘Oh, that was fizzling out even before we decamped to Ibiza.’ Jess’s pale blue eyes took on a wary expression and Rosie knew immediately that she had known about William. ‘But Felix wouldn’t do anything to harm her!’
‘Do you think he realized things were cooling off?’
‘You know, don’t you?’ asked Jess, fiddling with the handle of her mug before releasing a long, agony-filled sigh. ‘Suki was seeing William. She felt guilty about Nadia, of course, but she loved William. She went out to his parents’ tennis academy at the beginning of May and that’s when she realized she had feelings for him. If you ask me, William has always loved Suki, but it was the “ping” moment for her. She should have broken it off with Felix straightaway but she refused. She didn’t want to hurt Nadia. She was so conflicted. Like I said, she’s a good person. She’s the best sister anyone could ask for and all this is so upsetting.’
Jess’s voice cracked and she crumpled into Rosie’s arms. It was several minutes before she raised her head and was able to continue.
‘Suki has always adored music, you know, from the very first moment she bashed a pan with a wooden spoon. She believes that music is the source of true happiness, that the songs she writes can offer meaning to those who give them the opportunity to live. She wants to devote her time to sharing her gift with others in the hope that the pleasure she feels when she sings can also fill her listeners’ hearts with joy – her words not mine.’
‘Do you mind telling us a bit about your family’s trust fund?’
‘I don’t know much about it. Suki handles all our finances with Uncle Ken – Dad’s older brother. The money we inherited was put in trust until we reach twenty-five. Suki’s just got control of her share. She used some of it to update her wardrobe, bought some decent sound equipment, and had a few voice coaching sessions. She isn’t a big spender. That’s my forte. I’ve been spoiled, I know. I’m a huge responsibility for Suki, but she never complains. She wanted me to get a job when I finished uni, learn the value of earning my own money, but I just wanted to party. As soon as we get back to London, I’m going to look for an internship at one of the big publishers.’
Rosie had been so engrossed in what Jess had been saying that she hadn’t noticed Suki had returned to the lounge.
‘I’m sorry, Jess, we’re not leaving Norfolk until I find out what’s going on.’
Chapter 20
Darkness draped the rooftops of Willerby when Matt and Rosie left the vicarage. Matt stretched his shoulders and rubbed his thumb and finger over the bridge of his nose in an effort to relie
ve the tension that had built up there.
‘So, how was it? Your first visit to the vicarage?’ said Rosie, linking her arm through Matt’s.
‘Not as bad as I expected.’
‘It never is. Come on. I’ll treat you to a lemonade at the Drunken Duck.’
The pub had emptied of the hordes who had descended for their evening meal. Only the local stalwarts remained, hunched over their pint as though they expected it to deliver the answers to all life’s questions and were saddened when it didn’t.
‘Hi, you two,’ said Mia plonking herself down next to Rosie. ‘Freddie’s getting the drinks in. Don’t worry, mine’s a Coke. I heard from the grapevine that the café will be back up and running tomorrow and I want to be at my best. I’m itching to get stuck in to baking again and I’ve got a few new recipes I want to try out. Oh, Rosie, it’s such a relief to know that our beloved little Windmill Café had nothing to do with what happened. So, are you going to leave the investigations up to the police now?’
‘Probably,’ said Matt.
‘No way!’ exclaimed Rosie, shocked at Matt’s swift acquiescence. ‘Whoever did this to Suki, did it to the Windmill Café too and I intend to stick it out to the end and see the poisoner gets what he or she deserves! We might as well finish what we started – despite the fact that I’ve actually ruled out everyone we’ve spoken to so far and we’ve only got Lucas left to talk to.’
‘Yes, but like Jess said, it’s unlikely to be him.’
‘My money’s still on Nadia – hell hath no fury and all that,’ said Mia.
‘Or the guy spurned,’ muttered Freddie, setting down the drinks and taking a long draught of his Guinness.
‘Mia, I don’t think it’s Nadia. She’s had ample opportunity to slip something into Suki’s throat spray, or anything else for that matter, when they were singing together in Ibiza. She’s also known about the record deal and the affair for weeks, so why wait until now? And don’t you think she would steer clear of something as obvious as putting poison in the spray because the spotlight would fall on her immediately?’
Rosie sipped the red wine Freddie had bought her as she fought her way through the forest of contradictory thoughts cluttering her mind.
‘So, why don’t you think it could be Felix?’ Freddie asked.
‘He had just proposed to Suki, so he obviously wanted a future with her, and he craves the limelight so much I don’t think he would do anything to jeopardize his chance of being the other half of a celebrity couple. It’s his dream come true. If Felix was going to attack anyone I think it would be William, don’t you?’ said Matt.
‘Okay, so it looks like we’ve exhausted the “love” angle as a motive,’ Rosie accepted reluctantly, recalling her wager with Matt early on in their investigation. ‘I suppose we need to turn to the “money” angle now.’
‘I agree, but I have no idea how to do that.’
‘Leave it with me. When our family home was repossessed, Dad’s brother, Uncle Martyn, did our conveyancing for free, and because he knew I was interested in qualifying as a solicitor, he invited me into his office to show me how the process worked. I remember he carried out a couple of searches before we bought the flat which revealed information about the vendor’s financial background. I could give him a call and ask if he’s got any advice.’
‘That’s great! I’ll try to do some digging too.’
‘Well, no time like the present!’
Rosie grabbed her phone and made her way outside to the dimly lit courtyard at the rear of the pub. She searched her contacts for her uncle’s number and waited for him to answer. She was disappointed when her call went to voicemail, but she decided to leave him a very precise message about what she was looking for. Like herself, Martyn had always been a very practical person, able to slice through the jumble of irrelevant information and arrive at the nub of the matter with the least amount of fuss. She briefly wondered if her tendency towards orderliness could be genetic rather than psychological, but she had enough to contend with at the moment without embarking on a random course of self-diagnosis.
‘So, can you email me anything that’s thrown up, please?’
She terminated her call as a blast of homesickness took her by surprise. She made a pact to visit her Uncle Martyn and Aunt Beatrice in their cosy thatched cottage in Somerset just as soon as the current crisis was over. She knew both of them would be fascinated to hear what had been going on. She made her way back to the pub, the warm air and convivial atmosphere hitting her like an errant hairdryer.
‘You know, the only person you’ve not had a conversation with is Lucas. Are you going to talk to him?’ asked Mia, warming to their theme. ‘Oooh, this is just like an episode of Midsomer Murders.’
‘Except for one thing.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Thankfully no one was murdered!’
‘Oh, yes!’ Mia giggled and Freddie rolled his eyes.
‘But why would Lucas want to prevent Suki from singing?’
‘No idea, but we should try and have a chat with him, if we can, just to complete the picture.’
‘Okay, that’s enough mystery-solving for one night. While you were over interviewing suspects at the vicarage, Freddie and I have been chatting to Grace and Josh. Did Carole tell you they’re going wild camping tonight? I’ve been trying to persuade Freddie that we should join them. Oh, and Rosie, you should see Grace’s engagement ring. It’s amazing. They’re getting married at St Andrew’s on Christmas Eve – how romantic is that?’
Mia flashed a quick look at Freddie as she said that, but he was oblivious to the cryptic message. Rosie smiled, happy that there was perhaps another budding romance in their midst even if one of the protagonists didn’t know it. Mia deserved her fairy tale ending and she truly hoped Freddie would wake up and at least ask her for a date.
‘Maybe you should start dating again, Rosie?’
Despite having prepared herself over the last four months for that very question, it still hit Rosie with unexpected force. She felt warmth spread into her cheeks and she didn’t dare meet Matt’s eyes, although she could feel them on her. Yes, she and Matt had shared a couple of kisses on the beach, but that didn’t mean they were writing the next epic love story. It was way too soon to be talking about dating and she didn’t want any pressure from her friends to rush into anything that might turn out to be a mistake.
‘Maybe.’
Rosie saw Freddie roll his eyes before he quickly excused himself to help Matt with the drinks. However, she had an inkling that Mia might just have sown a seed in the shadowy crevices of his mind where it would lay dormant until she could coax it into the light when the conditions became more favourable. She smiled whilst simultaneously scouring her brain for a change of subject, terrified Mia would continue with the dating conversation and unearth the details of her and Matt’s afternoon on the beach. Fortunately, Matt arrived back with a tray of drinks just in time.
‘Where’s Freddie disappeared off to? I’ve just seen him head out to the car park.’
‘I think he might have needed a breath of fresh air,’ laughed Rosie.
‘Okay,’ said Matt, looking from Rosie to Mia and back again. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I think we can safely assume that it will be a few weeks before Freddie is happy to start dating again. He’s still getting over the shock of what happened with Suki, but when he does, I reckon there might be a queue!’
‘And guess who’s going to be first in line?’
‘He’s a lucky guy.’ Matt smiled. ‘Come on, Detective Constable Barnes. Let’s finish these drinks and I’ll give you a lift home. It’s been one of the longest days since… erm… since I can remember.’
Rosie knew what he was going to say but was pleased to note that the moment passed swiftly with no accompanying flash of sadness. If Matt was starting to refer to what had happened between him and Victoria in general conversation then it was a good sign. She too felt that the next ti
me she and Mia went out for a few well-deserved cocktails in Norwich, she would be able to talk to her friend about the details of how she found out about Harry’s cheating, to rake over the embers of her pain until they no longer glowed with such intensity.
They exchanged farewells and Rosie and Matt left the pub, crossing the road to where Matt had left his vehicle. Rosie caught his arm and pulled him back into the shadows of the vicarage kissing gate.
‘Mmm, an assignation under the kissing gate?’
Rosie wished she had thought of that but it was something else.
‘Isn’t that Lucas? What’s he doing hanging around the vicarage this late? You don’t think he’s spying on Jess and Suki, do you?’
Matt followed Rosie’s eyeline and as they watched on from their vantage point behind Matt’s SUV, Lucas took out his phone and engaged in an animated call.
‘Why would he want to spy on them? He’s probably on chauffeur duty like me, but it’s something we can ask him about it when we talk to him.’ Matt grinned as he opened the door to allow Rosie to clamber into the passenger seat. ‘You’re enjoying this sleuthing game, aren’t you?’
‘It brings back all the best memories of the time I spent with my dad. I wish he was here so I could ask him for his ideas on what’s happened at the café, and to share my theories with him. I bet he would have had The Mystery of the Poisoned Throat Spray solved in five seconds flat.’
Chapter 21
An insistent buzzing noise drew Rosie from a dream-filled slumber. Until the events at the garden party on Sunday, sleep had no longer been the elusive yet necessary oblivion from her demons she had craved after leaving Pimlico. She could usually enjoy a restful night and wake feeling refreshed and excited about the day ahead. She was grateful for her cosy home above the little Windmill Café – her sojourn in its comfortable confines had set her on the path to recovery from the heartbreak Harry had caused.
