Death Takes A Trip (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 5)

by Larkin, Gillian

Cain had just finished his third helping of dessert when Julia received a call from DI Clarke. She finished the call and said to Cain, “We can go and see Nina now. She’s been asking for us.”

  Dad said, “It’s a bit late, isn’t it?”

  “It’s only eight. We probably won’t be able to stay long. Cain, do you want to come with me?”

  “Yes, of course.” He stood up and said thank you to Julia’s mum and dad for tea.

  Julia’s mum beamed at him. “You are more than welcome, Cain. It’s nice to receive a thank you for all the hard work I’ve done.”

  Dad wrinkled his nose. “Didn’t this food come out of the freezer? Wasn’t it all pre-made?”

  “Indeed it did. But who do you think took it out of the freezer and put it in the oven?” Mum asked.

  Julia decided to take that moment to leave. She kissed her parents and said an extra loud thank you to Mum. Mum pretended to swipe her with a tea towel. “Off you go before I make you wash up.”

  Julia and Cain arrived at the hospital a short while later. Julia’s heart sank as she realised that the last time she’d been here Douglas had been at her side. She forced the sad feeling away and pasted a smile on her face. She wouldn’t be any help to Nina looking so miserable.

  They were directed to the same ward as before. There were only two visitors at the side of Nina’s bed - DI Clarke and Doris. Julia’s breath caught as she walked closer. Nina seemed to have shrunk into the bed, her face was nearly as white as the pillow case. Even her black hair appeared paler.

  Nina spotted her and held out a shaking hand. She croaked, “Julia, Cain, thank you for coming to see me. Here I am again.” She forced a smile.

  DI Clarke stood up and took Julia to one side. “Keep an eye on her, will you? We should have kept a closer watch on her. She should never have gone to that shop on her own.”

  Was it Julia’s imagination or did he look guilty?

  The inspector turned back to Nina and said, “I have to go now. Thank you for giving me a statement.”

  “That’s okay. I hope I haven’t got Mildred into trouble. I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

  Julia heard Doris tut from her sitting position.

  The inspector lifted a hand in farewell and actually smiled at Nina.

  Julia took the seat that DI Clarke had vacated. Nina’s hand was still outstretched. Julia took it and was shocked to find it was so cold. Cain sat at the other side of the bed.

  In a surprisingly gentle voice, Doris said, “Nina, do you want me to tell Julia what happened? You look like you’re at death’s door. No offence.”

  Nina gave a small nod.

  Doris turned to Julia and said, “Despite me trying to convince her otherwise, Nina decided to pay Mildred a visit. She got past those pathetic policemen outside by wearing a disguise. She wore some of my clothes, including a headscarf. Didn’t those policemen register that I, the real me, had just popped out to the shops? They should have been suspicious about seeing me, I mean Nina, again so soon.”

  Cain leant forward and said, “Perhaps they thought all old women look the same.” He hesitated then added, “No offence.”

  “None taken, lad. Well, Nina went into the charity shop just as Mildred was getting ready to close it. I’m telling you Nina’s side of the story, bear this in mind. Nina said Mildred wasn’t pleased to see her and tried to close the door in her face. Nina shouted out that she wanted to talk about the will. Mildred flung the door back and gave Nina a piece of her mind.” Doris shook her head. “I’d like to give that Mildred a piece of my mind! Mildred called Nina a few names, Nina won’t tell me exactly what she said, she’s too much of a lady. Mildred calmed down when Nina said she wanted to sign over Douglas’ property to Mildred. She calmed down even more when Nina said she was sure it was what Douglas would've wanted.”

  Nina said quietly, “I could tell how much Mildred loved him.”

  “It was a weird sort of love,” Doris said. “Apparently, Mildred started acting all friendly with Nina then. She said she was very busy in the shop and would love a hand if Nina could spare the time.”

  “I don’t like where this is going,” Julia said.

  “No. Anybody else would have told her where to go, but not Nina. She asked how she could help. Mildred said there was some stock down in the cellar and could Nina nip down and get it for her.”

  Cain gasped. “The sneaky thing!”

  Doris went on, “Nina remembers opening the cellar door and reaching for the light. She felt someone push her and down she went. All the way down to the bottom of the cellar. The door was closed behind her, leaving her in darkness. Nina had just enough strength to phone the police.”

  Nina added, “I can’t remember anything after that. Until I woke up here again.” A sob caught in her throat. “When I first woke up I thought I was here after my first fall and I thought that … Douglas was on his way to see me.”

  Julia felt her eyes stinging. She moved closer to Nina and hugged the frail woman. Nina sniffed and said, “I’m such a nuisance. I’ve got a habit of falling down stairs.”

  Julia released her. “That’s hardly your fault.”

  Nina shook her head. “I’m sure Mildred didn’t mean it, she must have been a bit angry.”

  “She did mean it!” Doris spat out. “She meant to kill you, like she killed Douglas. You’re lucky you didn’t break anything.”

  “Where’s Mildred now?” Nina asked.

  “She’s been arrested,” Julia said.

  “For pushing me down the stairs?”

  Julia waited for a moment and then said, “Yes, for that. But I think she’s been arrested for killing Douglas too.”

  Nina withdrew her hand. Her chin wobbled. “I think I’d like to be alone now. Thank you for coming to see me.”

  Doris gave Julia a curt nod and said, “Come on, she needs her rest. Bye, Nina, love. We’ll come back to see you tomorrow.”

  Nina didn’t reply. She closed her eyes.

  Julia and Cain said goodbye too and then walked out of the hospital with Doris. Doris said, “That poor woman. What has she done to deserve this? She was starting to feel stronger after Douglas’ death but now … I’m not sure she’s going to get over this.”

  “Is there anything we can do?”

  Doris nodded. “Talk to your inspector friend, find out if Mildred has been charged with murder. If she has then at least Nina can put that behind her. Nina needs company. I’ll get in touch with everyone and make sure they visit her.” Doris sighed and Julia realised how tired she looked.

  Julia said, “Would you like a lift home in my small and smelly car?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  After Julia dropped Doris and Cain off at their respective homes she headed for her own home. She was surprised to find DI Clarke waiting for her at the front door. She was even more surprised to hear what he said.

  “Mildred Hepplethwaite wants me to visit her?” Julia asked. “Why?”

  DI Clarke shrugged. “That’s for you to find out. Maybe she wants to make a full confession. She’s denying that she had anything to do with Douglas’ death or Ms Sapphire falling down the stairs.” He coughed and continued. “To be honest, you’d be doing me a favour. She won’t speak to me until she’s spoken to you. Can you call by the station tomorrow?”

  “Of course,” Julia replied.

  The inspector strode away without saying another word. Julia called after him, “You are more than welcome!” Her eyes narrowed as she watched him drive away. Was that a smile on his face?

  Julia let herself into her house.

  What on earth did Mildred want to say to her?

  Chapter 24

  Julia had to face a dilemma the following morning. She really wanted to see Mildred, but she also had cleaning work to do.

  As she voiced her thoughts in the car to Cain, he came up with a solution. “Why don’t you drop me off at the canal side apartments and I can work on my own? I know what work n
eeds doing in each apartment.”

  Julia said, “I don’t know.”

  She saw Cain stiffen out of the corner of her eye. He said, “You don’t trust me, do you?”

  “Of course I trust you! And I’m more than happy to leave you there. My clients know about your background and they’re delighted with your work. They’ve all commented on how clean their windows are since you started working with me. Which is a bit insulting for me, to be honest.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “It’s not fair on you. You shouldn’t have to do all that work on your own.”

  “You used to do it on your own. And didn’t you say that your plan is for me to have clients of my own one day?”

  “I hate it that you remember everything I say. Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll drop you off then I can go to the police station. I’ll have my phone on at all times, ring me if there’s any problems.”

  Cain nodded. “I like it when you nag. You sound like my mother. Well, the mother I wish I had.”

  Julia gave him a quick smile and said, “I don’t nag.”

  She drove to the canal side apartments, gave Cain the keys and cleaning equipment, and then headed to the police station.

  DI Clarke was waiting for her at reception again. Julia didn’t even ask how he knew she was on her way. She said, “Can I see Mildred now? Is she locked up?”

  “She is, but I’m going to take you into one of the interrogation rooms, Mildred will join you there. I’ll be standing behind the one-way mirror.”

  Julia said, “Will she be handcuffed?”

  “Are you afraid she might attack you?”

  “Yes. She’s a big woman.”

  DI Clarke nodded. “She is. There will be an officer in the room with you. This way.”

  Julia was taken into a room. She looked towards the large mirror at the side of the room. Her scalp prickled. She didn’t know if the inspector was standing there yet but she felt as if she was being watched. Julia sat down on a hard metal chair and waited. A minute later Mildred was led into the room by a policewoman. The policewoman indicated for Mildred to sit down, then the policewoman stood behind Mildred, hands clasped at her front.

  Julia saw that Mildred looked tired. She supposed it was hard to sleep when you had a guilty conscience. Mildred wasn’t saying anything, she was just staring at Julia.

  Julia broke the silence by saying, “DI Clarke said you wanted to talk to me. By the way, Nina is fine.”

  Mildred made a noise that sounded like a grunt. She said, “I couldn’t care less about her. I wish she’d broken her neck. She’s a stupid woman, with her stupid name and fancy ways.”

  Julia made to stand up. “I haven’t come here to listen to insults about my friend.”

  Mildred sighed and said, “I can’t help it. There’s something about that woman that irritates me.” Mildred looked towards the mirror. “I’d like to state that I didn’t kill Douglas Pedley. I loved him, I would never hurt him.” She turned back to Julia. “I wanted to ask you a favour. You can say no if you like.”

  “Go on,” Julia said.

  “It’s Cat. She’s at my house. She can’t get out, I haven’t got round to getting a cat flap yet. She’ll be hungry. Can you go and see her? Maybe take her to your house?”

  “I’m not sure about that.”

  “Cat belonged to Douglas, not me. You’d be doing it for him,” Mildred pointed out.

  It was hard to argue with that reasoning so Julia said, “Okay, I’ll look after her. How will I get into your house? Have you left a spare key with any of your neighbours?”

  “No. I don’t get on with my neighbours. My keys were taken off me at the front desk when I was brought in yesterday. Do you think the police will let you have them?”

  Julia looked over to the policewoman who shrugged slightly.

  Julia said, “I’ll ask DI Clarke. Was there anything else?”

  Mildred stood up and said, “No. I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again, I didn’t kill Douglas.”

  She walked towards the door, the policewoman took her by the arm, opened the door and led Mildred away.

  Julia stood up. What was it with people and good manners? Had everyone forgotten how to say thank you? She walked through the same door and almost bumped into DI Clarke. He dangled a set of keys in front of her. He said, “That wasn’t a productive conversation, was it?”

  Julia took the keys. “That was hardly my fault. Do you want to come with me to Mildred’s house or do you trust me to go on my own?”

  DI Clarke began to walk down the corridor. He said, “We’ve already been to Ms Hepplethwaite’s house, looking for anything that might help us with our enquiries. I’ve attached a note of the address to these keys.”

  Julia gave an exasperated sigh as she followed him. “Didn’t anyone notice Cat? Didn’t anyone think to take her to a cat shelter or something?”

  They reached the reception area. The inspector stopped walking and turned to Julia.

  “There’s no need to use that tone with me, Ms Blake. I didn’t go to Ms Hepplethwaite’s house, I don’t know if anyone saw the cat. I want those keys back when you’ve finished.” He turned on his heel and strode away. He called back, “And you can stop bothering me with accusations about Adams Construction!”

  Julia shook her head and muttered to herself, “And what am I supposed to do with Cat?”

  Chapter 25

  Julia drove to Mildred’s house. It was a mid-terraced house and looked in good repair. Julia wasn’t sure what she was going to find when she opened the front door. She told herself not to be silly, the police had been there yesterday and they hadn’t found any dead bodies hidden away, or anything like that. Julia hesitated before she pushed the door open. Mildred could have hidden dead bodies in her cellar or under the floor boards. Julia stepped into the house anyway.

  “Cat!” she called out. She didn’t want to spend a minute more in this house than she needed to. It was a dark house, both in colour and in feeling. Julia shivered. Had Mildred planned Douglas’ death whilst sitting on that sofa? “Cat!” she called more urgently. She almost jumped out of her skin as someone rapped at the front door.

  A man shouted out, “I know you’re in there! I’m not going away until you open this door!”

  Julia recognised the voice. She flung open the door and stared into the angry face of Kirk Adams. “What do you want?” she said to him.

  He took a step back in surprise but soon recovered his composure. “Who the hell are you? Where’s that Mildred woman? I want a word with her.” He tried to look over Julia’s shoulder.

  Julia folded her arms and said, “Mildred isn’t here. I’m collecting her pet.”

  “I don’t believe you. Move out of the way, I bet she’s hiding inside. Shift!”

  “No. Stop shouting, Kirk Adams, I’m not deaf.”

  Confusion crossed his face. “What? How? Who the hell are you? Tell me!”

  Julia raised a hand and said calmly, “I’m not telling you anything until you calm down. Mildred isn’t here, she’s at the police station. She’s been arrested for murder.”

  The anger disappeared from Kirk’s face. He rubbed his chin. “Blimey. I wouldn’t have thought she was capable of that. Mind, she’s a big lass.”

  “What do you want to speak to Mildred about? Perhaps I can take her a message?”

  “Can’t we talk inside?”

  “No. Say what you have to, or go away,” Julia said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. There was no way she was going into an empty house with a thug like Kirk Adams.

  Kirk looked to his left and right. He said, “Me and Mildred had a deal.”

  “She was going to sell you the land that belonged to Douglas. Yes, I know about that.”

  Kirk’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about that? Anyway, I’ve found out that she doesn’t even own the land. She lied to me. I’ve lost money on making plans for that land. She owes me.”

&nbs
p; Julia shook her head. “She was supposed to inherit Douglas’ land. She only found out recently that it went to Nina.”

  “Nina? Nina who?”

  Julia realised she’d said the wrong thing. “Doesn’t matter who she is. It’s not Mildred’s fault that you’ve lost money.”

  Kirk took a step forward and raised his fist. Julia swallowed. Kirk hissed, “You will tell me who this Nina person is. That land belongs to me and I’m going to get it, no matter what.”

  He was suddenly yanked backwards. He fell to the ground and looked up in astonishment. A dark-haired woman in a business suit looked down at him. She said cheerfully, “I think it’s time you left. Or shall I practise some more of my martial arts moves on you?” She flexed her fingers. “I’m a bit rusty. I could do with a work out. What do you say?”

  Kirk Adams got to his feet and raised his fists. The woman jumped forward and aimed a hand at his stomach. Kirk collapsed with a howl of pain. The woman said, “Would you like some more?”

  Kirk stood up shakily and addressed Julia. “This isn’t over,” he snarled. “I’ll find Nina, and I’ll make her sell that land to me!” He stormed away, holding his stomach as he went.

  Julia looked at the woman. She had short hair and a clear complexion. She could be in her thirties or forties, it was hard to tell. Brown eyes twinkled back at Julia. Julia said, “Are you my guardian angel? Thank you for saving me from Kirk.”

  The woman laughed and moved closer, her hand outstretched. “No one’s ever called me an angel before. I’m Helena Blossom. And you’re Julia Blake. Pleased to meet you.”

  Julia took Helena’s hand and shook it. “First of all, what a lovely name. And, secondly, how do you know mine?”

  Helena said, “I’m a private investigator. It’s my business to know everybody else’s business.”

  “Who hired you?”

  Helena nodded towards the house. “Mildred Hepplethwaite did. I’d be happy to tell you why. I understand that you’ve been making your own investigations into the death of Douglas Pedley.”

  Julia nodded. “Would you like to come in? I spoke to Mildred this morning, she’s been arrested. Did you know that?”