by Agatha Frost
“You’ll never guess who I just saw in lover’s corner,” Barker whispered to her. “You said Rita Bishop had red curly hair, wore black turtlenecks, and was about forty-five?”
“I did.”
“Then I think she’s here on a date with a man at least half her age.” Barker pulled himself under the table and poured himself a fresh glass of wine. “I recognised him from somewhere, but I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Oh.”
“If you’re going to have a look, you might want to hurry.” Barker glanced through the door and nodded at Mary. “I think they just asked for the bill.”
Julia watched as Mary punched some numbers into a calculator before scribbling on a piece of paper and slipping it into a leather wallet. Excusing herself from the table, Julia left the snug and followed behind Mary as she walked towards lover’s corner, where she always seated people she thought were on dates.
When Julia spotted the back of Rita’s head, she was surprised Barker had recognised her from her description. She was dressed as lavishly as she had been during the emergency choir meeting the day before, this time with a black fur shawl replacing the cardigan. The man she was with had white blond hair and fair skin and couldn’t have been any older than twenty-five. It took Julia a second to realise where she recognised him from.
While the man settled the bill, Rita pushed away from the table and walked towards the lady’s bathroom. Julia waited for a moment before following. She lingered by the sinks while Rita locked herself in a stall. When the toilet flushed, Julia turned on the tap and washed her hands.
The stall door opened, and Rita sauntered out with as much confidence and arrogance as she had radiated at the church. She positioned herself at the sink next to Julia and stared ahead at her reflection without giving Julia so much as a second glance. After washing her hands, Rita flicked the water from them, not seeming to care that she splashed Julia’s arms. She dragged two blue paper towels from the dispenser, dried her hands, and dropped the towels on the floor.
“Rita?” Julia called before the woman left the bathroom. “From the choir?”
“Yes?” Rita stared down at Julia, her red lipstick twisted into somewhat of a smile. “Can I help you?”
“I was at the meeting yesterday.” Julia grabbed a paper towel and dried her hands. “My gran is a member. Dot?”
“Ah, yes.” Rita nodded, arching a brow. “The new oldie. She can’t sing a lick, but she’s making up the numbers. The young fella she comes with has a fantastic voice though. I can’t wait to work with him. Alan, or something?”
“Alfie,” Julia corrected her. “He’s my daughter’s brother.”
“So, your son?”
“She’s adopted,” Julia explained. “There’s only a decade between Alfie and me.”
“Interesting.” Rita looked Julia up and down. “How modern. You look older. Your dress looks like it was pulled from an old war movie. Bizarre. Very bizarre, indeed.”
Julia could have said many things about Rita’s over-the-top outfit, but she bit her tongue. She wondered if the new choirmaster ever spoke without ladling out insults to everyone she encountered.
“I’m sorry about your friend’s death,” Julia said, choosing her words carefully.
“My friend?”
“Gloria.”
“Right.” Rita chuckled as she shifted her weight on her feet. “I wouldn’t exactly have called her a friend, but that’s life, isn’t it? You live, you die, the end.”
“I heard she was murdered.”
“She was?” Rita fanned a yawn out of her mouth as she checked her watch. “Is this going anywhere, dear?”
“It was during my wedding. You probably don’t recognise me in this … bizarre dress.”
“That was you?” Rita looked Julia up and down again and tittered. “You certainly scrubbed up well, didn’t you? You look like an entirely different person. Shame it ended the way it did. Is there a point to this little chat?”
Julia inhaled deeply, not wanting to rise to Rita’s bait. Did anyone ever dare to challenge the sizzling redhead about her attitude?
“Do you have any idea who would have wanted to kill Gloria?” Julia asked, folding her arms. “I heard it was one of the choir members.”
“You heard that, did you?” Rita rolled her eyes before narrowing them on Julia. “What did you say you did for a living?”
“I didn’t. I run the café in the village.”
“Oh, that little place.” Rita cocked her head to the side. “Bless you. I’ve never been in. Doesn’t look like my sort of establishment. Why are you so interested in Gloria’s death?”
“I’m just curious,” she lied.
Rita seemed to consider her thoughts for a moment, a smirk pricking up the corners of her lips. She shrugged, raising her brows as her smirk broke free.
“I will say this.” Rita turned to the mirror and fluffed up her hair before turning and pulling on the door. “These things have a habit of coming out when the dirty laundry is aired, and I shouldn’t think it will take too long for that to happen. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my son will be waiting for me.”
Rita left the bathroom. Julia screwed up her paper towels and tossed them into the bin before picking up the ones Rita had discarded on the floor. She turned to the mirror and stared at her 1940s-inspired teal dress.
“It’s not bizarre,” she said to herself with a firm nod. “I like it.”
She hurried back to her table. The food had been brought out, and everyone had already tucked in. Julia shuffled under the table and picked up her knife and fork.
“The blond guy she was with was Alec Bishop,” Julia whispered to Barker as she sliced into her pie. “He was the photographer and videographer we hired for the wedding.”
“That’s where I know him from!” Barker snapped his fingers. “He was floating around the B&B all morning taking pictures of everything. Did Rita give you anything?”
“I think she knows what happened to Gloria.” Julia wrinkled her nose as she replayed what Rita had said. “She made some weirdly-worded comment about dirty laundry being aired when I asked if she knew who would have wanted to kill Gloria.”
“Dirty laundry? What do you think she means by that?”
“I don’t know. Something.” Julia lifted the first mouthful of food to her lips, but she paused. “I need to figure out what she knows, and I have a feeling she isn’t the kind of lady who likes to share.”
“Maybe you could go through her son?” Barker mumbled through a mouthful of pie. “He might be easier to get through.”
“Was he at the wedding?”
“Yep,” Jessie butted in, leaning across the table. “I saw him at the side. He was taking pictures the whole time. You know you’re not whispering, right? I can hear every word you’re saying.”
Deciding to leave the topic until later, Julia tucked into her pie and focused on the meal at hand. They drained the free bottle of wine and ordered a second, and then a third. A birthday cake Julia had given to Heather to bring came out at the end, with forty candles decorating the top. Barker blew them out and then cut into the double chocolate fudge cake, which he proclaimed was the best she had ever made.
After paying the bill, they left the restaurant at nine. Casper and Heather were ready to leave Peridale and drive back home in their bright orange Volkswagen camper van.
“I do wish we could stay a little longer,” Heather said as she hugged Julia. “I hate that we’re leaving so soon after what happened.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Barker assured her. “We’ll be fine.”
“If we could afford to stick around, we would,” Casper explained as he hugged Barker with his free arm. “Evelyn is lovely, but her rooms are pricey, free tarot reading or not. Look after yourself, kiddo.”
Casper hobbled over to the van and climbed into the passenger seat. Heather went to follow but stopped and snapped her fingers.
“I almost forgot to give you this
!” She reached into her handbag, pulled out a small pink envelope, and passed it to Julia. “Your wedding gift. And before you say anything, just accept it. I have no use for it.”
“But we didn’t get married.”
“So, save it for when you do.” Heather cupped Julia’s cheek and gave it a soft pat. “Stay safe and look after him. He might be forty, but don’t let that fool you. He’ll always be a baby in my eyes.”
With one final wave, Heather climbed into the van, and they set off.
“My phone!” Jessie cried as she patted down her jeans. “I think I left it on the table. One second.”
Jessie darted back in the restaurant, leaving Julia and Barker on the pavement. Julia looked down at the envelope. It was the only gift they had received; the others no doubt having already been returned. She turned it over in her hands, unsure what to do with it. As though he could sense her reservations, Barker plucked the envelope from her hands and ripped it open.
“Julia!” Jessie cried, running out of the restaurant. “You need to come and see this!”
Before Julia could ask any questions, Jessie grabbed her and dragged her through the door. She pulled her into the middle of the restaurant and pointed her at lover’s corner. Rita and her son were long gone and had been replaced by two people who actually looked like they were on a date.
“Is that Dot?” Jessie laughed disbelievingly. “Holding hands with a man? What is happening to the world?”
Percy and Dot held hands across the table, a candle flickering between them. Percy pulled one hand away and reached into his inside pocket. Julia and Jessie exchanged startled looks and clung to each other as he pulled out a box. Julia breathed a sigh of relief when she realised that Percy was holding a carton of playing cards.
He shuffled the deck in his hands before offering them to Dot. She plucked one out, looked at it, and put it back. He waved his hand over the deck, shuffled the cards another time, and presented her with a card. Dot tilted her head and shook it. Percy looked disappointed and placed the cards on the table. He split them into two piles and attempted to merge them together like they did in casinos. The cards flew in every direction, causing Dot to laugh in an airy tone Julia had never heard before.
Dot tossed her head back and laughed more as Percy scrambled on the floor to pick up his scattered cards. As she turned to look at him, her eyes drifted to Julia’s. Dot immediately looked away. Julia and Jessie jumped out of view, but it was too late; they had been spotted.
“Do we go over?” Jessie whispered. “I’m so confused. That’s Dot. Dot doesn’t date. She’s like … one-hundred-and-twenty-something.”
“Let’s leave them to it.” Julia linked arms with Jessie and pulled her to the exit. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my gran over the years, it’s to expect the unexpected. There’s no predicting that woman.”
They walked towards the exit, and even though Julia wanted to be happy for her gran, she couldn’t help but remember what Flora had told her about Percy and Gloria. She hoped it would come to nothing, but the knowledge nagged at the back of her mind. Leaving the restaurant, they rejoined Barker on the pavement.
“Dot is in there on a date!” Jessie cried, clapping her hands together. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I need to text Alfie. He’s never going to believe what his landlady is up to.”
Jessie pulled her phone and keys from her pocket and hurried over to her car. Barker passed Julia the contents of the pink envelope.
“A £10 gift card to Pet Planet.” Julia turned the wedding present over in her hands. “How … thoughtful?”
“I sense we’ve just been re-gifted.” Barker turned it over and pointed out the expiry date. “It expires in three days.”
Julia tucked the gift card into her bag, grateful all the same. They climbed into the back of the car. Jessie, who was too busy texting on her phone, had yet to notice the yellow parking ticket stuck to the outside of the front window.
9
Julia couldn’t believe a year had passed since her baby brother’s birth. It felt like only yesterday that her father and his young wife, Katie, had revealed they were expecting a baby, and even less time since Vinnie’s dramatic entrance in the early hours of the morning the day after Barker’s ill-fated thirty-ninth birthday party.
To spend the afternoon at Peridale Manor celebrating Vinnie’s first birthday with a family tea party was a surreal experience, especially because Julia had spent most of her life exclusively being an older sister to Sue. She had yet to fully wrap her head around having a rambunctious and cheeky one-year-old brother almost four decades her junior.
Despite her initial reservations about her father having an infant at his age, it was impossible not to love Vinnie, especially now that he was growing into his own personality. Watching him wobblily walk around the party gurgling sounds that almost sounded like words melted her heart and made her excited for the day she could sit down and converse with him.
A notable absence from the party was Dot. Julia had a good idea where her gran was, and, more importantly, whom she was with. After leaving the party with a bag of tissue-wrapped cake slices, Julia dropped Jessie and Barker at home and drove into the village. The moment she parked outside Dot’s cottage, the heavens opened and rain mirroring that of her wedding day crashed down from the darkened sky. Knowing a gap wasn’t likely to come, Julia grabbed the party bag and sprinted for Dot’s front door.
Even though Dot rarely gave Julia the courtesy of knocking when she visited, Julia banged on the door as the rain soaked her to her bone. She only waited ten seconds before grabbing the handle. The door opened, but bounced back in its frame, the chain lock stopping her getting any further.
“Gran?” Julia cried through the gap. “It’s me!”
A stretch of silence followed before Julia heard movement and whispering within the cottage.
“I’m not feeling well, dear!” Dot called back from what sounded like the sitting room. “You get yourself home.”
“I’m soaked!” Julia began to shiver on the doorstep. “Let me in!”
It took Dot almost a minute to take the chain off the door to let Julia in. Dot appeared flushed from rushing around, and even though she was still in her nightgown, she certainly didn’t seem sick.
“You were missed at the party.” Julia held up the bag. “I brought you some cake.”
“Party?” Dot wrinkled her nose before snapping her fingers. “Shoot! Today was Vinnie’s party! I’m sorry, dear. When you get to my age, the days all blur into one. I haven’t quite wrapped my head around suddenly having a third grandchild.”
“I thought you were ill?”
“That too.” Dot’s cheeks reddened further as she forced a false smile. “Well, thank you for dropping by. I really must get back.”
“Back to what?”
“To being ill?” Dot fiddled with her gown’s buttons as her eyes darted to the closed kitchen door at the end of the hall. “What’s with all the questions?”
“Aren’t you going to invite me in for some warming tea?” Julia motioned to her soaked dress. “I’m freezing.”
Dot pursed her lips and squinted down at Julia, and it became instantly apparent that they both knew what was going on. Still, Julia wanted to test her gran and see how far she could push things before she finally started being honest.
“Take a seat in the sitting room.” Dot motioned to the door. “I’ll make you a cup of your favourite.”
Julia nodded and waited for Dot to head to the kitchen, but it was clear she wasn’t going to move until Julia was in the sitting room. Julia conceded and walked in, and Dot slammed the door right behind her. Julia listened as her gran hurried to the kitchen, also closing that door behind her.
Perching on the sofa, Julia brushed her wet curls out of her face and scanned the room. At first, nothing looked out of place. A teapot and a plate of leftover toast were on the table, and the TV was on the local news but muted with subtitles. After a seco
nd, Julia noticed the second teacup. She stood up and touched them both; still warm.
“Here you go!” Dot announced as she entered the sitting room. “A cup of tea.”
Julia wrapped her hands around the cup and let it warm her as she settled into Dot’s couch. Dot hovered in the corner before sighing and perching on the arm of the armchair by the fire. Her knee bounced up and down as she stared at Julia’s tea. Julia blew on the surface and took a small sip before placing it on the coffee table. Dot sighed audibly.
“Been up to anything fun lately?” Julia asked, clasping her hands together.
“Fun?” Dot blushed again, her eyes widening. “Erm, not really, dear. Unless you count drawing my pension? Nothing outside the usual routine. How about yourself?”
“It was Barker’s birthday last night. We went out for a quiet meal.”
“Oh?” Dot’s voice wobbled. “How lovely.”
“I saw the most peculiar thing while I was there.” Julia leaned on the chair’s arm and stared deep into her gran’s eyes. “There was a woman who looked exactly like you. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a twin sister.”
Dot’s fake smile remained for a second, and Julia thought she was going to continue going along with the fun, but she sighed, rolled her eyes, and relaxed.
“I knew that was you.” Dot pursed her lips. “My long-distance vision has always been exceptional. You’ve caught me.” She stood, walked over to the sitting room door and opened it. “Percy! You can come out now.”
The kitchen door opened and the short, bespectacled, bald man shuffled out. He smiled uncertainly at Julia as he made his way into the sitting room.
“Good afternoon,” he said to Julia. “What terrible weather we’re having. Looks like you got caught in it.”
“She knows.” Dot wafted her hand. “She saw us at the restaurant last night. I told you The Comfy Corner was a bad idea!”
“Actually, I’ve had my suspicions for a while,” Julia revealed. “You’ve hardly been subtle.”
