Birthday Cake and Bodies

by Agatha Frost

  She sat on the edge of the bed and picked up one of his limp hands. After giving Doctor Husain a look to let him know to leave them alone for a minute, she turned to Ethan and smiled down at him.

  “I heard everything,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “I thought I was dreaming.”

  “I wish it had all been a dream,” she said with a sad smile. “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

  “How do I live with myself?” Ethan asked, clenching his eyes as the tears started. “I killed my niece, and I framed her.”

  “It was an accident,” Julia reassured him. “Tell the police what happened. You never intended to kill her. You were drunk. You panicked. She was dead either way.”

  “I should never have driven.”

  “We can’t change the past.”

  “I’m no better than Theo.”

  “You are.” Julia squeezed his hand firmly. “You never wanted to kill anyone. Theo murdered Luke in cold blood, and attempted to murder you and Hilary. You’re nothing alike.”

  Ethan nodded, his lips twisting as more tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes. Julia let go of his hand and backed away from the door before the conversation drifted onto Luke. Even if Ethan had his suspicions about the paternity of his late son, it was not Julia’s place to speculate, especially since they would now never know the truth.

  “Will he live?” Barker asked the doctor when Julia returned to his side. “Give it to me straight.”

  “He suffered a considerable cardiac arrest,” the doctor said quietly. “And he took a very large overdose of beta blockers. We’ll keep a close eye on him for the rest of the night, which will be rough for him as he recovers and gets the pills out of his system. Until then, it’s a waiting game.”

  Doctor Husain smiled sympathetically at Julia before slipping past her and into the room behind the reception desk, where the nurse was sipping her instant soup, her eyes wide and blank, no doubt from the shock.

  “What now?” Barker asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

  “Take me home,” she whispered, resting her head against his broad chest as they wandered slowly towards the lift doors. “There’s only one Brown man I want to be with when the sun rises.”

  16

  Julia’s eyes did not open until close to noon, and that was only because the salty scent of bacon tickled her nostrils.

  “Morning,” Barker whispered as he set the tray on his side of the bed, which was unusually neat and tidy. “I thought I’d return the favour from yesterday morning.”

  “That was only yesterday?” Julia groaned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed, still in the same blouse she had worn all day yesterday. “Any updates?”

  “Theo has confessed to everything you suspected.” Barker sat on the edge of the bed, placed his pillow across Julia’s knee, and rested the plate on top. “But for now, all that matters is this fry-up I lovingly made. I even have the oil burns to prove it.”

  Julia wolfed down her breakfast alone while Barker watched the news on his new television in the sitting room. It was the first thing she had eaten since dinner the previous day, aside from cookies and a mouthful of birthday cake. When she was finished, Mowgli jumped onto the bed to snatch the bacon fat from her plate. She stared ahead at the mirror on her dressing table, her hair wild and bushy.

  “What a day,” she whispered as she stuffed her feet into her warm sheepskin slippers. “I can smell myself, boy, and that’s never a good sign.”

  Mowgli did not look up from chewing his bacon fat on the other side of the room.

  After a long, hot, soapy shower, Julia dried her hair, applied some mascara, and selected one of her favourite pastel blue vintage dresses. She loved the way the white trim on the hem and the neckline popped against her pale skin. It was still cold outside, but from the beautiful countryside view she had from her bedroom window, it looked like it was going to be a dry day. When she was ready to face the world, she stepped back and assessed herself in the mirror.

  “That’s better.”

  Leaving Mowgli to lick the oil and butter off her plate, she wandered into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea.

  “Where’s Jessie?” Julia asked Barker as she sipped her peppermint and liquorice tea. “Is she still asleep?”

  “She’s been at the café since eight,” Barker said, barely tearing his eyes away from his new giant TV. “She said she didn’t want to let you down.”

  “She didn’t have to,” Julia muttered to herself. “How’s Ethan?”

  “Alive,” Barker said, turning off the TV before tossing the remote onto the coffee table. “I called him this morning, and he said he was going to tell the police everything about Bethany when he gives his statement.”

  “Do you think they’ll put him in prison?”

  “Honestly?” Barker said, standing up and stretching out. The dark shadows under his eyes let Julia know he had not had as good a night’s sleep as she had. “It depends on the judge, but considering what has happened with Luke and the lengths Theo went to for revenge, I think he might escape prison. There’s the dangerous driving and the manslaughter, and then there’s the perverting the course of justice on top of that. Only time will tell. Between you and me, I’m not sure how to feel about it. Knowing he did that to Bethany after she died makes me feel sick.”

  “He was desperate,” Julia said as she stuffed her feet into her shoes. “I don’t think they were the actions of a rationally thinking man. He needs counselling above anything.”

  “Let’s hope he accepts it this time,” Barker said, kissing Julia on the forehead as he passed to grab his jacket from the hook. “He’s turned it down every time it’s been offered, all the way back to being a teenager. I thought he’d fought his demons, but I think he just got better at hiding them.”

  “I wonder where it all stems from,” Julia thought aloud as she shrugged on her pink pea coat. “I suppose mental health is never that simple, is it?”

  “I know he grew up in Theo’s shadow. Theo was the popular, funny, intelligent one, and Ethan loved his video games. Getting Dawn was the one good thing that happened to him up until that point, but as it turned out, he never even had that for real.”

  “Have you heard anything about Hilary?” Julia asked, her heart still hurting for the housekeeper. “My dad was talking about brain damage last night.”

  “She’s awake, and she can talk, so that’s something. The doctor said it was too early to rule anything out, but she’s survived. She’s lucky to be alive.”

  With Julia’s car still at the manor, they drove into the village in Barker’s. Julia was not surprised to see the café completely packed when they pulled up outside.

  “Julia! What happened?”

  “Tell us everything!”

  “Another murder in Peridale?”

  “Are you sure you want to be part of that family?”

  After an afternoon of answering questions and dispelling rumours, Julia was more than happy to lock the door at half past five.

  “You’ve just got a text message,” Jessie said, picking up Julia’s phone from behind the counter. “It’s from Brian. They’re home with the baby.”

  “Do you want to go and meet your sort-of uncle?” Julia asked with a smirk. “I’m sure he’ll be bossing you around in a couple of years.”

  “He can try.”

  Without Julia’s car, they strolled up to Peridale Manor in the dark. The police roadblock had been moved, and someone had parked Julia’s beloved car neatly next to the orange camper.

  “Julia!” Casper exclaimed when they slipped through the door without knocking. “We were just leaving, weren’t we, Heather?”

  “Yes,” she said sheepishly, both of their bags in her hands. “I owe you an apology, Julia. I was a little too firm with you yesterday, and I’ve regretted it ever since. I know you were only trying to help.”

  “It’s forgotten,” Julia said, winking at the short woman. “Do you know what you
’re going to do next?”

  “I have a feeling things will be just fine,” Casper said, his arm wobbling as he leaned his entire weight on his cane. “It turns out your father knows the fella who took my medals off me for a bad price. Called him up this afternoon and put some pressure on him. He’s already transferred me the difference to make it fair, so that’s next month’s repayment sorted. In the meantime, I’m going to take your advice about getting a lawyer. We’ve been looking on the internet, not that I understand it much. There are lawyers who do something called ‘no win, no fee’. Luke might be gone, but like you said, his company still exists, so it’s worth a shot.”

  “It certainly is,” Julia said as she took Casper into a hug. “It was really nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” Casper said, patting Julia heartily on the back with his free arm. “You’re a diamond, like my Heather. Women like you don’t come along that often. The sooner Barker puts a ring on your finger, the better!”

  Julia instinctively touched her ring finger as her cheeks blushed. She hugged Heather, who dropped the bags to squeeze Julia tightly.

  “I’m sorry you got tangled up in our family drama,” she whispered into Julia’s ear. “There were more skeletons than any of us could have ever imagined.”

  “We’ve all got them,” Julia said as she pulled away from the hug. “You’re both more than welcome in Peridale any time you want a change of scenery.”

  “You’d have us back?” Casper cried as he hobbled past her. “You really are a saint, Julia South. We might take you up on that offer one day.”

  Heather smiled her goodbyes before following her husband. Jessie held the door open for the two of them, closing it carefully behind them when they were gone.

  “And they were the normal ones,” Jessie said with a roll of her eyes. “Sweet, I guess.”

  They followed the chatter into the sitting room, where Dawn was sitting across from Conrad and Bella. The young couple was sat on opposite sides of the couch, looking in opposite directions. The moment Dawn saw Julia, she hurried over and hugged her.

  “You’re okay!” she said as she squeezed Julia tightly. “Thank God you’re okay. I was starting to worry.”

  “I’m fine,” Julia said, deciding it was not a good time to bring up the elbow to the side of the head she had taken. “And so is Ethan, by the sounds of it, which is the important thing.”

  “I visited him first thing this morning,” Dawn said as she pulled away, her hair straight and her face delicately made up like it had been when Julia had first met her. “We’re getting divorced, but we both agreed it was for the best. Our relationship had become toxic before this, but there was no way we could continue after everything. I’m going to be there for him, and we’re going to try and stay friends, but we’re parting ways. I’m going to pack up my things and stay with my sister for a while until I get on my feet. I still have my job, and I have some exciting building design projects coming up, so that’s what I’m going to focus on.”

  “I’m glad it’s going great for someone,” Conrad mumbled, his face pale and his eyes tired. “All of my big sponsorships have dropped me! Apparently, it doesn’t reflect well on them that I ‘lied’ about being held hostage, especially after the police denied the report. #ConradIsOver was trending this morning, and I’ve already lost thirty thousand followers!”

  “Jesus Christ!” Bella muttered, rolling her eyes heavily from behind her hair. “Maybe get a real job, Conrad? People have died, and my dad – my dad isn’t the man I thought he was, and now he’s going to ruin my chances of becoming a police officer.”

  “Why?” Jessie asked, folding her arms as she stared down her nose at Bella. “That’s not fair.”

  “I’ve read things online that say I probably won’t be accepted if my father is a convicted murderer,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket. “I’ve deleted all of my social apps, though. I’m not going back to that life. I’ll stay with my mum for a while and figure out my next move. Maybe I’ll go on a gap year? Travel the world and find my place in it.”

  “That sounds fun,” Conrad mumbled as he picked at his nails. “Will be good for taking pictures for content.”

  Bella huffed as she stood up, casting one final look at Conrad. To Julia’s surprise, she pulled her into a hug, and then moved onto Jessie.

  “Thank you,” she said as she squeezed Jessie, who could not have looked more uncomfortable if she tried. “You made me realise that I didn’t have to be that girl anymore. I’ll never be able to repay you. I should go. My train is setting off soon. Good luck with Billy. He’s one of the good ones.”

  With one last smile, Bella tucked her brown and blonde hair behind her ears, grabbed her bag from the foot of the stairs, and left the manor.

  “So, everyone has a plan apart from me?” Conrad wailed as he slammed himself into the couch. “My life is ruined!”

  “You’re a good looking boy,” Dawn said as she checked her phone. “You’ll land on your feet. Guys like you always do. My taxi is here. Better not keep them waiting.” Dawn walked over and patted Julia on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family, Julia. Maybe I’ll get an invite to the next family party, maybe I won’t. Either way, let’s hope it’s less like this one, right?”

  Julia nodded her agreement, smiling as Dawn grabbed her bag on her way to the door.

  “She’s pretty calm considering her son is dead, her marriage has broken down, and her fancy piece is a murderer,” Jessie said as she stared at the front door. “Maybe she’s insane?”

  “She’s coping,” Julia said, understanding the look on Dawn’s face all too well. “She’s putting on a brave face, so she doesn’t have a breakdown. I suspect she’ll be a very different woman when she gets home, but she’ll get better with time.”

  Leaving Conrad to contemplate his future in the sitting room, Julia and Jessie headed upstairs. So much had happened in the manor, Julia knew it would never feel the same again.

  “Did you and Billy come to a solution?” Julia asked as they walked towards the master bedroom, suddenly remembering seeing them holding hands in the middle of the chaos last night. “Or should I not ask?”

  “That’s what I wanted to tell you before your phone died last night,” Jessie said. “He’s staying in Peridale. He said he only wanted to join the army because he thought he had to be a man for everyone. I told him it was okay to be a seventeen-year-old for now. I’m sure a job will come up soon.”

  “I’m sure it will,” Julia said with a nod, the ‘HELP WANTED’ sign stuck to the door of her father’s antique barn springing to the front of her mind. “Life has a funny way of sorting itself out.”

  “I think I love him,” Jessie mumbled, her nostrils flaring as though she had not meant to be so frank. “If you repeat that, I’ll kill you.”

  “My lips are sealed,” Julia said, pulling a zip across her mouth and locking it at the corner. “There’s been more than enough death around here recently.”

  After knocking softly on the door, they walked into the dimly lit bedroom. Katie was sitting up in bed with Vinnie sleeping on her chest. Vincent was in his wheelchair next to the bed, his hand limply holding his daughter’s, his eyes trained on his first grandson. Dot, Sue, and Barker were crowded around the bottom of the bed, and Brian was next to Katie, staring at the baby as though he had already completely fallen in love with his new son.

  “I was wondering when you’d get here,” Barker said, pulling Julia into his side. “Have they all gone?”

  “Your family?” Julia asked, transfixed by the little baby like everyone else in the room. “They’ve gone.”

  “Then we can get back to normal,” Barker said, resting his head on top of Julia’s as he let out a long sigh. “I have all the family I need in this room right here.”

  Julia could not have agreed more. She looked at Katie and Brian, finally feeling at ease with their marriage. The similar looks on Dot and Sue’s faces let her know they were feeling the same.
Julia pulled Jessie into their hug and kissed her on the top of her head, glancing out of the window as faint flakes of snow began to drift from the chalky sky.

  “Me too, Barker,” Julia said as Jessie wriggled away, flattening her dark hair with a scowl. “Me too.”

  The 10th Peridale Cafe book, Gingerbread and Ghosts, is coming December 12th 2017! Click here to PREORDER your copy!

  BUT BEFORE THEN…

  The 2nd book in the Scarlet Cove series, Castle on the Hill, is coming October 24th! Click here to PREORDER your copy!

  TURN THE PAGE TO READ THE FIRST CHAPTER!

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  I had a great time taking you all back to Peridale, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you did enjoy the book, please consider writing a review. I appreciate any feedback, no matter how long or short. It’s a great way of letting other cozy mystery fans know what you thought about the book. Being an independent author means this is my livelihood, and every review really does make a huge difference. Reviews are the best way to support me so I can continue doing what I love, which is bringing you, the readers, more fun adventures in Peridale! Thank you for spending time in Peridale, and I hope to see you again soon!

  COMING SOON!

  The 10th Peridale Cafe book, Gingerbread and Ghosts, is coming December 12th 2017! Click here to PREORDER your copy!

  BUT BEFORE THEN…

  The 2nd book in the Scarlet Cove series, Castle on the Hill, is coming October 24th! Click here to PREORDER your copy!

  TURN THE PAGE TO READ THE FIRST CHAPTER!

  Castle on the Hill - Chapter 1

  PREORDER NOW! Coming October 24th!

  Liz Jones pulled the paint-splattered yellow wool scarf tighter around her neck, the autumn breeze whipping up around her. She hurried to catch up to her friend, Nancy Turtle, as she speed-walked ahead in the dark like an excited child.