Shoes and Baby: Women Sleuth

by S. Y. Robins

  A loud bang and a shout from the other side of the wall had Milly jumping away from the couch and staring at the wall again. Right, she was going to have to be a woman and take a look. Marching over to the door before she could talk herself out of it, Milly pulled the door open, walked out on the patio, and snuck over to Davina’s door to peer in from the side, hoping her face was hidden. She didn’t see anything at first then she saw a man walk across the hallway from one room to the next. He was carrying a table from one room to the room closest to Milly’s sitting room wall. She watched for a while as he moved furniture around but didn’t take anything downstairs. Odd for a burglar to walk into a house and move your furniture around, she thought.

  Using her mobile, she called Callum as she quietly went back to her own side. Sitting in her bedroom, well away from the other apartment, but she still spoke quietly when Callum answered.

  “Hiya Callum, it’s me, Milly.” She answered his hello.

  “Hiya Milly, what can I do for ya, duck?” Milly felt special for a moment then reminded herself he called all females duck.

  “Well, there seems to be someone in Davina’s apartment moving furniture around. Do you know anything about that?” She asked, hoping he had an explanation that made sense.

  “Oh right, that’s Davina’s grandson, Thomas! I forgot to let you know he was coming. He’s taking over the business until we find something out about Davina.” Callum said with a laugh.

  “Well, you could have informed me! He nearly gave me a heart attack banging around over there!” Milly said with mock severity. She couldn’t really be mad at Callum, not with that cheeky grin and those deep brown eyes of his. She loved his eyes. Callum interrupted her reverie about his eyes with one of his deep laughs. That was just as distracting as how wonderful he smelled, she thought. Oh right, phone, she remembered as he spoke again.

  “I do apologize, Milly. It slipped my mind, bit of family trouble lately and I just forgot about it, duck. I am sorry.” His voice in her ear made Milly’s knees shaky and she wished she could talk to him on the phone more often.

  Sighing again she said, “Alright then, I’ll forgive you this time but don’t let it happen again. Is there anything I can help you with?” Was she really just flirting with him then? Had she become that bold?

  Standing up to look in the mirror she could see she wasn’t sick or anything so what had come over her? Flirting with Callum Davidson. Maybe she was just gaining confidence finally, she thought as he started responding.

  “No, but I do appreciate it, Milly. I may need some help in a few weeks but for now, I can handle it. Oh, there’s Maria, I have to go, Milly, talk to you later.” Milly could hear Maria’s snarky response to learning Callum was on the phone with her but it was cut off half-way through. Milly blushed as she heard “mooning bloody cow” and felt shame and sadness.

  Callum was back with Maria, again then. Disappointment flooded her and she berated herself for flirting with a taken man. She hadn’t known they were back together. It must have happened recently then because nobody had said at tea today. Or maybe they had known and people were starting to realize she had a crush on him so kept quiet? Either way, Milly determined she was not going to let this make her sad anymore. She had a good life, her own home and business, she was getting fitter, and she had every right to be happy. Perhaps it was time to find herself an unattached man and get a life instead of chasing after a ghost and mooning over a man she could never have.

  The next day Milly was in her shop, reading a book on her tablet, when a man came in. The man she’d seen in Davina’s apartment the night before. She wasn’t supposed to know who he was however, so she pretended just that.

  “Hello, what can I do for you then?” She asked with a smile. She’d been to plenty of shops in England where the staff didn’t smile. She was determined that nobody would get that treatment in her shop. Sometimes that proved harder than others but on most occasions it proved fruitful. She was doing well on internet rating boards even though her service had slipped a bit lately. She still served with a smile and that made people happy.

  “A cuppa please, and maybe some information? I’m Davina’s grandson, Thomas, and I’ve been going through her things, trying to find answers to what’s happened to her and I came across some pictures. I remember her talking about you over here, and thought I’d see if you knew who they all were.” Thomas had grown up in France with his parents, and Milly knew that Davina had made the trips to France to keep the family from having to travel with small children. Davina’s only daughter, Rebecca, had married a Frenchman and fallen in love with the country. Very little could drag Rebecca away from it.

  Milly once met the daughter, a long time ago, but had not seen the family since. Milly also noted that, although Thomas grew up speaking French, he spoke unaccented English. He must have learned that from his mother. Milly sat down in front of Thomas and took the stack of pictures from him.

  “Of course, here’s your tea, now let me have a look at these pictures. Ah this one, see here? That’s Jimmie Eckols. This is Callum, that’s Mrs. Andrews, oh there’s one of me with your grandmother; I’d like a copy of that.” Milly said looking up with a smile. Going back through the pictures Milly listed off various people but stopped when she got to the last picture. It showed Davina in what looked like Spain or Portugal, on a sun lounger holding hands with the man beside her, in front of a very inviting pool. The pool didn’t hold her attention for long, however, because the man beside of Davina was now Milly’s suspect number one.

  Taking the picture out of the pile and putting it on the table in front of her, Milly stared down at the picture, thinking back over the last year or so. Davina had often gone on holidays, far more often than she normally did and to places she’d normally never go to. Everyone had just assumed Davina felt confident in leaving the shop to Callum to run and hadn’t thought a lot about it. There’d been no questions about the sudden trips or the odd places. Well, not odd really, just places that Davina had never mentioned wanting to go to. They were all far away, requiring flights and several days stay. Milly looked up as Thomas spoke her name.

  “Ms. Dupont? What’s so odd about this picture? What’s startled you so? You’ve gone as white as a sheet.” Thomas declared.

  “Hmph. Well. I don’t know how to say this to you, really, duckie. This man is married; he lives here in the village. He’s often been on business trips lately but he works for an international company. Nobody ever questioned his trips. But now, thinking back, I have to guess that some of those trips included your grandmother and this picture is the proof. They were gone at the same time but as far as I know, none of the villagers ever caught wind of an affair or even suspected it or we’d all have known about it.” Milly ended on a sad note, very confused by her friend’s choice in companions.

  “Ah, I see. That is a bit awkward for you, one presumes. I am sorry to put you in a difficult situation.” Thomas apologized.

  “Oh no, love, don’t apologize to me, I’m quite sorry to tell you all of this. She wouldn’t tell me a word about the man she was seeing and I never would have guessed the man was taken. I still can’t believe it with the proof staring me right in the face. Would you mind if I make a copy of this? Detective Barnes is coming around later, and I’d like to give her a copy of it. I’m sure she’ll want to question Mr. Carpenter after seeing this.

  Milly went to bed that evening with a heavy heart. She hadn’t turned the picture over to the detectives who came in just after she closed the shop, after all. She wanted to think about it a bit more before she took that step. Milly warred with herself over whether she’d made the right decision or not. She knew that the news of an affair and possibly a murder would tear the Carpenter family apart and she’d feel as though she were to blame.

  Oh, she knew that Mr. Carpenter and Davina were actually to blame but still, she was the one that was about to hand over the picture to the police. She’d be the one that turned the man in. Many migh
t even say that Davina had deserved her fate for such an unkind act and that Mr. Carpenter only acted out of a need to protect his family, but Milly knew Davina might be a bit wild but she wasn’t cold-hearted. She hadn’t deserved to die, not at all.

  As she tossed and turned, Milly’s thoughts turned to what might have caused Mr. Carpenter to kill his lover. Perhaps Davina had threatened to tell his wife. She must have grown tired of the secrecy; the pre-dawn meetings at the barn, for Milly now suspected that it was Davina that Mr. Carpenter was meeting in the mornings, and far away trips must have finally worn Davina down. Davina had broken it off with Jimmie so perhaps she had planned on exposing the affair and Mr. Carpenter had killed her to keep her quiet.

  Then the evidence left on the counter occurred to Milly. Perhaps it had not been murder but an accident. Perhaps Mr. Carpenter then took the money and wrecked the shop to make it look like a robbery, thinking he’d be accused of murder? Oh, I’m putting too much thought into it; Milly scolded herself, punching her pillow into the shape she liked best. No doubt he pushed Davina, and if he pushed her, he murdered her. It’s as simple as that. The man is no innocent in this; I don’t care what he has to say for himself. I’ll hand over the picture tomorrow, she promised herself.

  Milly tried to hold back the tears she’d been swallowing for weeks now but finally the dam broke and great sobs filled the night air. Davina was really gone. She knew that now and any hope she had, fled when she saw that picture. A desperate man had taken her friend’s life and she was never going to hear the woman’s croaky voice again, harsh from 35 years of smoking, or see her lined face, each crack filled with the makeup Davina hoped hid her age or at least made her attractive anyway. The woman had been loud, garish, with dreadfully dyed purple-red hair cut into some kind of rock star style but she’d been sweet, genuine, and Milly’s friend. Milly had nobody else and sometimes Davina had taken the place of Milly’s dead mother. Now she didn’t even have that comfort and she felt incredibly alone as she fell asleep, tears staining her face and her pillow.

  4

  The next day Milly tensed as Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter came into the shop to get some cream cakes for his family’s evening dinner. He would often come in and purchase cakes on his way home, and lately he’d been acting very strange. Tonight he even had his wife with him. Milly hadn’t paid any attention to the man’s behaviour lately other than to think that he was distraught over the loss of his lover, but she’d dismissed the behaviour. Milly had assumed the man had taken a young woman as a lover, as most men did, it had never crossed her mind that he may have taken an older lover. She thought he’d got what he deserved and the fallout was some small punishment for his betrayal of his wife. Now she suspected he was on the verge of cracking under the pressure.

  She stared up at the balding man, unable to crack a smile or greet him. She just stared up at Mr. Carpenter, speechless and unsure what to say. Milly’s eyes darted over to Mrs. Carpenter who was staring back at her, suspicion on her face.

  “What’s the problem, Milly? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Mrs. Carpenter said sharply.

  Oh that silly line again! Milly stammered but finally answered, “No…nothing, it’s just been a long day, how can I help you?” Milly shooed Edgar out of the way, and walked to the case where the cakes were kept. Edgar had been coming down to the shops in the evenings ever since Davina disappeared. Milly had tried to make sure he couldn’t get into the shop but he’d appear there every evening, no matter what she did to keep him in.

  Edgar now jumped on the counter, hissed at the couple, and ran back to the stairs that led up to the apartment. Milly was as shocked as they were and apologized quickly, assuring the couple that she must have got his tail somehow.

  “You shouldn’t allow cats in here anyway, Milly. What are you thinking? It’s unhygienic!” Mrs. Carpenter scolded Milly.

  Looking up at Mr. Carpenter, Milly knew now that something was amiss. Edgar did not hiss randomly at people, only those he did not like. That hiss was all she needed to know about Mr. Carpenter.

  “Yes, he’s usually upstairs but he managed to escape tonight. Would you still like cakes or would you rather not?” Milly asked, hoping they’d just leave so she could get out from under Mr. Carpenter’s drilling stare. He’d grown suspicious it seemed.

  “No, not tonight but thank you. Maybe tomorrow. Come on Peter, we’ll just have some ice-cream for pudding, shall we? Good night, Milly.” Mrs. Carpenter led her husband out by his elbow but the man turned to glare at Milly before the door closed. Putting a hand to her throat she ran over to the door to watch them walk down the street and locked the door. Looking over she saw that Callum was just closing the shop and called over to him.

  “Callum. Callum, come quick!” She said in a loud whisper.

  Callum jogged the short distance to Milly’s door and walked in. “What’s the problem, duck?”

  “Nothing. Everything? Oh, I don’t know! I’m just feeling out of sorts and need some company while I shut the shop. Would you mind staying with me while I clean up?” Milly knew she sounded like a ninny but couldn’t help it; the encounter with the Carpenters had really shaken her up.

  “Of course I’ll stay with you, Milly! Silly girl, you can always ask me to stick around with you.” He chucked her under the chin and went behind the counter to make himself a cup of tea after gathering up a few last dishes from a table.

  Milly smiled gratefully and went back to doing the paperwork she’d been doing when the Carpenter’s came in. It was comforting having Callum there, not simply because he was a man but because he was also her friend. Just his presence let her know she was not alone and she was able to concentrate far better than she thought she’d be able to. She quickly finished the paperwork, put it in her own safe, and walked to the back to finish up the dishes. She found that Callum had already done them and had set the mugs up to dry.

  Seeing what he’d done Milly was almost overcome with tears, the kindness not escaping her. They may never be anything more than friends but that was good enough for Milly. Unable to control herself, Milly hugged Callum, throwing her arms around him gratefully. He held her tightly to him, seeming to enjoy the contact. Then he kissed the top of her head and set her away from him.

  “Do you want me to stick around tonight? I can sleep on one of the booths or something if you’d like?” He asked.

  “Oh! No, no I should be fine now. Just a case of nerves. And Thomas is just next door if I need him. I should be fine but thank you, Callum. Really.” She said, almost embarrassed at her emotional outburst and trying now to hide it.

  “Anytime, Milly. You’re a wonderful person, Milly, and any time you need me, you let me know. I mean it!” He said with a smile as he walked out the door. He stood there until she’d locked the door and walked up the stairs then walked away leaving Milly feeling like she hadn’t made such a fool of herself, after all.

  Late in the night, after Milly had fallen asleep reliving that hug over and over again in her mind, something woke her. She knew it was the sound of breaking glass but she didn’t hear anything now and she tried to quiet the dogs who were bouncing on her bladder. Rather than rushing down the stairs she called the police then put some shoes on and left the dogs and Edgar bouncing at the door. The dogs hadn’t reacted to the sound of the glass breaking by barking and she was happy about that. That might have alerted the intruder. Picking up a cricket bat she left at her bedside, she crept down the stairs quietly.

  Looking out into the shop she didn’t see anything except broken glass from her front window. That was going to be a costly repair she thought as she shivered from the frigid air coming in from the hole. It would have to be done though. Sneaking into the kitchen, Milly still didn’t spot an intruder and turned to flick a light on. Just as she turned, she felt a blow against the back of her head and everything went black, not even the street light penetrating the darkness of her unconsciousness.

  She awoke in the boot of a car, the car
stopping and going up what she assumed was a carpark. It was a short drive, then the car stopped again and she could hear what sounded like a garage door closing. She tried to move, to kick back into the seats, hoping she could escape her kidnappers. At least they hadn’t tied her up, she thought. Milly knew there were two because she’d heard two doors opening and closing from the front of the car. The boot opened too quickly and she stared up, her mouth gaping open as she looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter.

  “Come on, get out, Milly. You’ve brought this on yourself, I hope you realize that.” Mrs. Carpenter said sourly to Milly.

  “I have no idea what you’re on about, Mrs. Carpenter. What have I done to you?” Milly asked, hoping to buy some time for someone to come and save her. She scrabbled around the boot of the car, hoping for a tool to surprise them with.

  “Andrea, this really isn’t necessary, please stop this. Isn’t it enough that Davina’s in the back of your car? We can’t drive around town with dead women in both of our trunks!” Mr. Carpenter pleaded with his wife.

  Mrs. Carpenter turned to her husband, like a snake turning on a victim, pointing what looked like a nail gun at him. “You just keep your gob shut Peter. This is your fault, if you’d managed to keep some kind of control over your floozy this wouldn’t have happened. But no, she wanted me to know, wanted me to let you go. Well, that wasn’t about to happen was it? We need each other; I need a happy home and a happy husband to care for my children. If other people have to pay the price for that then so be it. Now, tie her up.”

  “Andrea, please, I’m begging you, don’t do this!” He asked one last time. Apparently that was one time too many because Mrs. Carpenter pulled the trigger and a nail appeared just above Mr. Carpenter’s knee. He screamed and fell to the floor as Milly watched, shocked and frozen in place.