Mandy nodded. “Of course. It would be child’s play!”
Louisa’s eyes shone brightly as she spread her hands wide, moving them as if embracing the café. “We could put up pretty banners and lay the tables with proper tablecloths and napkins. What do you think?” She glanced at Paige.
Paige laughed at their enthusiasm. She contemplated the idea. “Hm. It does sound like fun, but it could be expensive. I’m not sure if people would want to attend and pay the price we’d have to charge for it.”
Louisa bounced up and down on her toes. “I think they would. I’ve seen this kind of thing done in many places and it’s very popular. It doesn’t have to be that expensive. I can get us some lovely table ware and dishes to serve the cakes on. All you have to do is work on a menu.”
“I couldn’t ask you to supply that,” Paige grabbed the tray Louisa had placed on the counter and took it into the kitchen. She quickly loaded the dishwasher.
“You’re not.” Louisa followed her in, Mandy on her heels. She stood in the doorway, her face slightly flushed. “I have some stuff I inherited when my mum passed away. She loved this sort of thing. If you remember me saying, she used to host events like this and I used to help her. I know how to plan them.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “She would love to know her things are being used instead of gathering dust in a cupboard.”
Mandy placed a comforting hand on Louisa’s arm as she addressed Paige. “Oh, I’m sure we could pull this off if we work together. I would be more than happy to pitch in some extra time. Designing the website and the advertising could go towards my course work. Please say we can do it?”
Paige shut the dishwasher door and switched it on. She couldn’t bear to see the pain on Louisa’s face or the disappointment on Mandy’s. “Okay, we can give one a try.”
Louisa and Mandy squealed in delight, hugging each other happily. “Oh, how wonderful. I will start some poster and leaflet ideas and we can discuss potential dates,” Mandy cried.
“Oh, let me work with you on that!” Louisa insisted. “I have so many ideas!”
“I’d love that. Maybe we should work on it after we finish here?” Mandy suggested. Louisa nodded happily.
Paige laughed at the girls’ enthusiasm. She waved a hand at them. “Go finish the clean-up first or we’ll be here all night.”
They both laughed, turning to head back in to the front of the café, their happy chatter reaching back to Paige. She shook her head, a smile still on her lips. Her phone buzzed in her apron pocket. Frowning, she quickly pulled it out and checked the screen. She had a text from a number she didn’t recognise. Her stomach clenched. It could only be from one person. Detective Steele. She tapped the screen and brought up the message.
Jean’s brother coming in tomorrow for questioning. Need you here at nine sharp. See you then.
Paige ground her teeth, anger slicing through her. So much for plenty of notice. He hadn’t even asked if she could make it. She knew what he’d say if she complained. It’s a murder investigation. She had no choice, but she couldn’t leave Louisa on her own at that time of day.
Paige sent a quick text to her other employees, hoping someone could cover her. By the time she’d completed her tasks, Becki had come to her rescue and agreed to do a few hours in the morning for her. Sighing with relief, Paige herded the still chattering girls out the café door and locked up.
She walked home slowly, her stomach clenched with dread. She sent a brief reply to Detective Steele to let him know she’d be at the station in the morning, though why she bothered she didn’t know. It wasn’t like he’d asked her if she could make it.
She glanced up at the cloudy grey sky, now darkening with the onset of evening. She sighed. Would she find any answers tomorrow? What would Jean’s brother know? She stumbled as another thought entered her head. What if Jean’s brother was the Hindleford Killer? If he thought they were on to him or that she knew something, would he come after her?
She swallowed hard, wishing she’d never got caught up in this horrible case in the first place, but knowing it was far too late for that.
Chapter Eleven
Paige wiped her damp hands down the thick cotton cloth of her light blue jacket. Swallowing hard, she entered the austere building that housed the Hindleford police department and approached the desk. She never liked these places. The energy was heavy and suffocating. It always made her feel sick. She’d learned how to block things out when she’d worked in London, but that had been a long time ago. It had been a while since she’d used those skills. She drew in a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.
“Excuse me, please,” she said politely, trying to gain the attention of the officer behind the desk. He was lazily flipping through a paper with large beefy fingers. Raising his eyes to her, he lifted one thick brown brow, but didn’t speak. “I’m here to see Detective Steele. He’s expecting me. Paige Saunders?”
The man’s lips twisted into a grimace, his thick moustache almost covering the gesture. “Oh, yeah. You’re the so called psychic.” His bright blue eyes moved over her. “Not quite what I expected. Shouldn’t you be wearing flowing robes or something?”
Paige glanced down at her jeans and light blue jacket. She levelled her gaze at the officer. “I’m not a fortune teller,” she snapped.
He laughed, but the sound was derogatory. “Is there a difference?”
“None that I would expect you to understand.” Paige glared at him. “Can you simply direct me to Detective Steele? He will be extremely upset if I’m late.”
The officer harrumphed, his gaze piercing. “Just one question. How did you convince such a normally fine officer that you have,” he wiggled his hands in the air, “special powers? You should be in the interrogation room as a suspect. Not this farce.”
His words sounded so familiar. Paige closed her eyes briefly, a sigh escaping her lips. “You must be friends with DI Hammond.” It was more of a statement than a question.
The man shrugged. “Is that supposed to impress me? It isn’t hard to figure that out. Anyone could do it. They call it a cold read, don’t they? What fakes use to convince people they are the real deal, when they aren’t.”
Paige shook her head, narrowing her eyes at the man. “I wasn’t trying to convince you. I was simply realising where your misplaced hostility has come from.” She leaned over the desk, placing her hand firmly on the cold surface. “Now, are you going to direct me to Detective Steele or not?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Honestly, I don’t much care. I would rather be at my café working than here, but I suspect the detective would feel differently.”
“You’d suspect right,” a familiar deep voice spoke from her right. She glanced round to see Steele standing in the doorway that lead through to the station. He pinned down the officer with a deadly glare.
The man shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. He tugged at his shirt collar with one thick finger. “Can’t blame people for talking, Sir. This is highly irregular.” His eyes flicked around, but didn’t land on Steele. “Many officers feel we are being led away from the real evidence and taken on some kind of wild goose chase.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to catch this madman,” Steele spoke softly, with a steely edge to his voice. “I am still following up every lead we have. I also happen to feel this lead has merit and needs investigating. Since I’m running the investigation, you follow my orders or I’ll have you on desk duty until further notice. Is that clear, Green?”
Officer Green stiffened, his face an angry mask. “Clear, Sir,” he bit out between clenched teeth.
Great, Paige thought. Now she’d made another enemy. Steele held the door open. “We’ve wasted enough time. I have Jean’s brother in an interview room. Come.”
Paige stifled the urge to point out she wasn’t a dog! Where did he get off talking to her like that? Was it because of the officer’s comments? She guessed Steele must be having a hard time with his colleagues. Especially if Hammond was involv
ed. Still, he needn’t take it out on her!
Paige gritted her teeth and shifted her bag on her shoulder as she moved towards the door Steele held open for her. She paused and glanced back at Green. She bit her lip. She had no reason to help out Steele, but she guessed it couldn’t hurt. Also, she couldn’t quite resist the urge to put Green in his place. “You should call your wife,” she told Green casually.
He glanced up, a sneer on his lips. “Oh, yeah?”
Paige smiled sweetly. “She may have said she was okay with you going away for a fishing weekend with your brother, but she really isn’t. She is getting pretty fed up with you not paying her any attention. If I were you, I would make a special effort for her birthday next week.” Her smile grew wider at his shocked expression. “We both know you’ve forgotten it, but since this fake has reminded you, I would make sure you remember. Believe me, unless you want to be single again real soon, you’d be wise to listen.”
She turned on her heel and marched through the door, her body brushing slightly against Steele as she passed him. It felt good to leave Green with his mouth hanging open. She didn’t normally display her skills that way, but if she was going to help with this investigation, she needed officers on board. From experience, she knew Steele would need that too. If she was going to achieve that, she had to show them what she could do in personal ways. It had worked in London, so she had to believe it would work here to.
“Impressive,” Steele murmured in her ear, his breath tickling the fine hairs at her temple, making her shiver. “How did you pick that up from him? I didn’t see you touch him. I thought you needed some kind of contact.”
“I touched the desk. He’s been leaning on it for the past hour at least, so his energy has kind of soaked into the surface. It was enough for me to pick up a few things from his life.” She glanced up at Steele. “That was easy surface stuff. His wife has been pissed at him for such a long time, I could pick up what she’s directing at him because she really wants him to know it. Jean’s brother may not be so easy.”
Steele nodded. “Understood.” He held his hand out. “This way.”
They walked through the wide office area where many officers had their desks and headed towards a door at the back of the room. She tried really hard not to notice the whispers and stares. It was to be expected. These people didn’t know her. She only hoped gossip about her wouldn’t spread to Oakwood Grove. The chances of her containing her secret were becoming slimmer and slimmer. She wasn’t sure how long it would be before she was forced to tell Jeremy and Beth. The thought made her stomach churn.
A young man in a grey suit hurried towards them. His face was sweet and kind of innocent. He grinned widely at her. “You must be the infamous Miss Saunders?” He held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. So happy you’re on board with this case.”
Paige was slightly taken aback at his warm greeting. She hesitated, glancing at Steele suspiciously. This was not the normal reaction she got from people and she didn’t quite know how to handle it.
“This is my partner, Sergeant Tucker.” Steele waved his hand towards the enthusiastic officer with a long suffering sigh. “He was the one who convinced me to contact Don. He is a true believer in your talents.”
The young man grinned. “My mother’s friend had gifts like yours. Well, maybe not quite as advanced, but she was really good at knowing stuff. Like the time…”
“Yes, okay!” Steele interrupted abruptly. “We need to get on with things. Your story can wait.”
Paige smiled, hesitantly holding out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sergeant Tucker.”
The young man bobbed his head as he shook hands with her. Paige started, staring at the young man with surprise. He widened his eyes slightly and grinned at her. Paige couldn’t help but grin back. There was a very sharp, clever man hiding under the young looking exterior. He winked at her. She liked the warm, clean feel of the young Sergeant. He was a truly good soul.
“Okay, introductions over. What do you need to get a read on Jean’s brother?” Steele asked, breaking into her thoughts. She shook her head, dropping Tucker’s hand and gathered herself together for the task ahead.
“It would be most helpful if I can touch him in some way and establish a link. It will make it easier for me to read him during your interview.” She glanced up at him. “When I did this in London, I normally brought the person a hot drink. It gives me an innocent, normal way to accidently touch them.”
“Got it.” Steele snapped his fingers at Tucker. “Go get four teas and meet us at interview room three.”
“Sir!” Tucker turned and marched away.
Steele pulled open the door and waved her through. Paige’s stomach fluttered with nerves as the long corridor spread before her. Despite her show of confidence, her whole body shook with nerves and more than a little fear. It had been a long time since she’d done this and the last time things had gone so terribly wrong.
Just get to the end of this investigation, she thought. Then you never have to work with the police or see Steele again.
It should have been a comforting thought. However, getting to the end of the investigation was the biggest problem of all.
Chapter Twelve
Pip caught up with them outside the interview room. He held a small tray containing the four teas Kieran had requested. Kieran pointed at Paige. “Give her the tray. She needs to be the one to hand the cup to Holdbrook.”
Paige scowled at him, but bestowed the most warm and beautiful smile on Pip as she took the tray from him. Kieran tamped down the irritation that gnawed at his insides. It was nothing to him if the woman preferred his Sergeant.
He entered the interview room and held the door open for Paige. She glided past him, holding the tray with expert ease. “Hello, Mr Holdbrook. I am sorry to have kept you waiting.” He smiled grimly at the thin man seated behind the desk. “I am Detective Steele,” he indicated to Pip as the young man entered the room, “This is Sergeant Tucker and Miss Saunders. She’s working with us on this case as a consultant and is simply here to observe.”
Paige smiled warmly and moved towards the man. She set the tray on the table. “I’ve brought you some tea. Did you want sugar?” She held out one of the disposable cups towards him.
Holdbrook shook his head, his eyes watery and red rimmed. “No, thanks.” He reached out with shaking fingers to take the cup from her.
“Careful, it’s very hot.” She raised her other hand and wrapped it around his as if to steady the cup in his trembling grasp. Nicely done, Kieran thought as he watched her establish a smooth contact with the man. Nothing about her gesture would raise any kind of suspicion. He could easily see she’d done this before. He didn’t want to feel impressed by her, but he grudgingly had to admit he was.
Kieran seated himself behind the desk and gestured for Paige to take a seat just behind Mr Holdbrook. Pip settled into the chair on his right and pulled out a notebook and pen. “I will try to keep this as brief and as painless as possible, but it is imperative that we move swiftly if we hope to catch the person responsible for your sister’s death,” Kieran addressed the man across from him.
Holdbrook nodded his head. “Of course. I am sorry I was unable to get here sooner. This has been a terrible shock.” He shook his head and took a sip of his tea. “I am not sure how much help I can be. I live in London, as you know. Although Jean and I stayed in touch, she didn’t share all the details of her life with me. She was a very private woman, even with her family.”
Kieran nodded. “I have reason to believe that the person that killed your sister was known to her. Can you think of anyone she was close to? Do you know of anyone who would have reason to harm her? Was she in a relationship with someone?”
Holdbrook snorted. “Good heavens, no. Jean had huge trust issues. She hadn’t dated anyone for years. Not since……….” He clamped his lips together, halting his word abruptly as he quickly directed his gaze down at the table. A flush bro
ke out over his cheeks. Kieran knew a slip up when he saw one. This guy knew something.
Kieran cocked an eyebrow. “Since?” he prompted, leaning forwards. He stared at the man with a hard unwavering gaze. He would break. Kieran wasn’t letting him out of this room until he did.
Holdbrook sighed, still refusing to meet Kieran’s penetrating stare. Instead, he fiddled with the disposable cup in his hands. “I don’t think this would have anything to do with your investigation. How do you even know that this was someone she knew? Could it have been a burglary gone wrong?” He flicked his gaze briefly to Pip, then back down to his cup. Kieran almost grinned. People always looked to Pip when they felt intimidated by him.
“We can assure you, it was no burglary, Mr Holdbrook,” Pip assured the man, smiling at him warmly. “There were no signs of forced entry at the property. Whoever did this was let into the house. Your sister knew the killer. As to what information is relevant, let us be the judge of that. We need to know everything we can about your sister. The slightest clue to her killer’s identity could be in the smallest detail.”
Holdbrook swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple dancing in his throat. He sat quietly for several moments, a silent war taking place behind his nervous gaze.
“Mr Holdbrook, we simply need all the information on Jean’s background that you can provide. That’s not so hard now, is it?” Kieran pushed, his voice uncompromising. He added a suspicious lilt to his words, narrowing his eyes at the man.
“Okay. I truly don’t think any of this is relevant, but if you insist.” Holdbrook closed his eyes briefly, his shoulders slumping. “About twenty three years ago, Jean fell pregnant. She never told us who the father was, but she seemed afraid of him.” He stared down at the tea in his hand. “I thought she wanted to keep the baby, but she insisted she couldn’t. She gave the child up for adoption, even though it seemed to tear her apart.” He shrugged. “This happened years ago. I can’t see what relevance it has to now. She had nothing to do with the father since before that child was born. He hasn’t been in her life and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have let him into her home.”
The Hindleford Killer (The Psychic Eye Mysteries Book 1) Page 7
