Julia looked over to where Deborah Paignton was standing. She was now at the book stall. Poor Imogen seemed to be wilting under her stare. Why was she so scared of Deborah?
Julia walked quickly away from the stall and down the corridor. Deborah’s door was ajar. Julia knocked anyway just in case someone was inside. No one answered. She pushed the door open and stepped into the office.
She took in her surroundings. Very neat and tidy. The desk was uncluttered, the chair was pushed up to the table and there was a coaster placed on the table. Julia gave a nod of approval. She liked it when people used coasters. She moved closer to the table. She sniffed. She could smell beeswax. She loved that smell. Had it been one of Seth’s jobs to clean in here? If so, he’d done a thorough job. Julia sniffed again and smiled.
She almost dropped the bottle of blackberry wine as someone said, “Can I help you?”
She turned around. Deborah Paignton stood in the doorway, her arms folded. Her face showed no memory of a smile.
Julia held the bottle up. “I was just bringing your prize in.” She reached into her pocket and pulled an envelope out. “And my invoice.”
Deborah nodded. “Thanks. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d doubled the amount following my outburst yesterday.”
“I did think about it,” Julia admitted.
Deborah sighed and dropped her arms. “I really am sorry about your friend.” She rubbed her forehead and winced. “This job is getting to me. I want everything to be perfect. As soon as I recognised Cain I panicked and thought about him mixing with children. Of course, he’s been nowhere near any children. Not that I’d need to worry if he was. Lesley gave me the full facts about him the minute everyone left.” She rubbed her head again.
Julia said, “Are you okay?”
“Just a headache. I get them often. I’ve got some painkillers in my drawer. I’ll take a couple, let them get to work, and then go back into the hall. Thanks for bringing that wine in. Could you put it on that coaster please? I hate getting rings on this desk. It belonged to my dad, he used to let me polish it with beeswax every week. Don’t laugh but I still do that now!”
“I love the smell of beeswax.” Julia placed the bottle on the coaster and propped her invoice against the bottle. She turned back to Deborah and said, “Can I get you anything? A cup of tea? Coffee?”
Deborah winced as she smiled. “You could pull down the window blind for me. Thank you.” She walked to her desk, sat down and reached into a drawer.
Julia went over to the window. Deborah had the same view of the main gates that Seth had from his room. Julia reached for the blind string. Oh! There was that little bald man again! What was he doing now? Julia looked closer. Was he actually using binoculars? Yes! What was he looking at? If he wanted to come to the fair, why didn’t he just walk in instead of standing at the gates looking suspicious.
Julia pulled the blind down and was about to ask Deborah if she knew who the man was, but one look at Deborah’s pinched face stopped her. She’d ask her later when her headache had gone. Julia raised her hand in farewell as she headed towards the door. Deborah gave her a small smile of gratitude and then popped a couple of tablets into her mouth.
Julia closed the door quietly behind her. She felt guilty. Maybe Deborah Paignton wasn’t that bad after all.
Julia didn’t have time to raise the matter of the bald man with Lesley either as she returned to their table. The tombola stall was overrun with eager-faced children holding their money out. Julia ran over to the table and gave Lesley an apologetic smile. They were soon rushed off their feet by enthusiastic customers and the prizes on their table began to disappear.
When there was a lull in customers Lesley said to Julia, “There are some more prizes under the table. Would you mind getting them? I’m alright getting down, it’s the getting back up that’s the problem!”
Julia reached under the table and grabbed a box of goods. When she stood back up she was confronted by the grinning face of Spider-Man. Julia dropped the box on the table and began to laugh. “Cain! Is that you? I didn’t know you liked Spider-Man.”
Cain put his finger to his painted red lips. “Shh! I’m in disguise. I don’t want that head teacher shouting at me again.”
“She won’t do. She’s told me she’s sorry for shouting at you. Aren’t you a bit old to have your face painted?”
“I’ve never had my face painted before,” Cain said. “Anyway, wait ’til you see your dad’s face.”
“Speak of the devil and he shall appear!” Dad announced as he walked up to the table.
Julia blinked. “The Hulk? Really?”
Dad raised his fists dramatically and said, “Don’t talk to me, puny human!”
Lesley began to laugh. “Your dad is so funny. No wonder your mum smiles so much.”
Dad nodded. “My Kathleen is a very lucky woman. I like to remind her of that fact on a daily basis.”
Julia folded her arms and looked at the painted pair. She said, “Did you plan on having your faces painted?”
Dad gave her an innocent look. “Of course not, it was a spur of the moment thing. Wasn’t it, Cain?”
Cain nodded. “A spur of the moment thing.”
Julia said, “Then why are you wearing a green jumper, Dad, and why is Cain wearing a red and black T-shirt? It’s a bit of a coincidence that those colours match your face paint.”
Dad held up a hand and tried to look indignant. “I don’t care for your accusations, Ms Blake. If you carry on in that manner we won’t show you our matching tattoos.”
Julia felt her eyes rolling. “I hope they’re temporary tattoos.”
“Course they are. Your mum would kill me if I got a real one. We only came in out of the lovely sun to ask if you and Lesley would like some lunch. There’s a couple of food stalls outside. One has delicious burgers and the other has boring jacket potatoes.”
Julia frowned. “Lunch?” She looked at her watch. “When did it get to twelve o’clock?”
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Lesley said. “Ray, I’d love a burger but my tummy will only have an argument with me half an hour after eating it. A jacket potato sounds good, thank you. Let me give you some money.”
Dad shook his head. “No, it’s my treat. Julia, a burger for you? With all the trimmings?”
Julia gave a pretend sigh. “Oh, if you insist.”
“I do insist. Come on, Cain, we’ve got a mission to complete.”
Cain nodded. “Watch out for danger, Hulk, I can feel my spidey-senses tingling.”
Lesley laughed again. Julia shook her head and smiled as the superheroes walked away. It was good to see Cain smiling.
Lesley stopped laughing. She nudged Julia and said, “Oh no, here comes trouble.”
Chapter 7
An older man with a round face and a round body limped towards them. He beamed as he got closer and raised his hand. “Hello there! How’s the fair going?” He looked down at their table. “You must have had a good morning, you’ve hardly any prizes left. I’ll have a go anyway.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved a pound coin.
Julia smiled as she took his money. “It’s good to see you Barney. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without your stick.”
Lesley folded her arms and gave Barney a tight smile. Julia frowned at her expression.
Barney dipped his hand into the tombola drum and pulled out some tickets. He said, “I do feel lost without my stick.” He counted out five tickets and put some others back. He continued, “Did you know, Julia, that I can’t call myself a lollipop man any more? I have to refer to myself as a school crossing patrol office.” His face wrinkled. “It doesn’t sound as friendly.”
Julia tutted. “We all have to be politically correct these days. Have you got a ticket with a zero or a five at the end?” Julia glanced at Lesley who still had the same forced smile on her face. What was wrong with her? Lesley and Barney Samson had known each other for years, they were great frien
ds.
Barney scanned the tickets. He grinned and held one up. “Aha! I’ve won!”
Julia took the ticket, located his prize and handed it over to him.
Barney chuckled. “I’ve always wanted a pirate colouring-in book. And it has stickers too! Would you keep it to one side for me please? I noticed that people are having trouble crossing the road outside school. I know it’s not an official school day, and I shouldn’t be working, but I’ll nip out for a bit and help people across the road. We don’t want any accidents.”
Lesley finally spoke, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Barney. I don’t think Deborah would approve of that.”
Barney handed the pirate colouring-in book to Julia and said, “I’ve done this before on a school fair day. People appreciate it. I think I can stand the wrath of Deborah Paignton! I’ll get my stick from Seth’s room. Is Seth around? I haven’t seen him yet.”
Lesley and Julia shared a quick look. Lesley said, “He’s not here today. Barney, I really don’t think you should get your stick, you shouldn’t be working today.”
Barney waved a hand at her. “Stop worrying, Lesley! The safety of our children and parents is more important than anything else. I’ll let myself into Seth’s room, I’ve got my key with me.”
Lesley looked as if she was going to say something else but Barney had already walked away.
Julia said to Lesley, “Is something wrong between you and Barney? Have you had an argument?”
Lesley shook her head. Her chin trembled and tears appeared in her eyes. She moved closer to Julia and said, “He’s going to be sacked on Monday, he doesn’t know yet. It’s all part of Deborah’s plan to improve the school. She doesn’t see why we should pay for Barney’s services when we can have a zebra crossing installed instead.” She wiped a tear away.
Julia frowned. “But Barney’s been at the school forever! He’s so popular with everyone. Always smiling, always helpful, no matter what. She can’t sack him!”
“She can, and she will. She told me her plans a few days ago. Oh, Julia, I feel such a traitor! How can I make small talk with Barney knowing that he’s going to lose his job. It’ll break his heart.”
Julia looked over to Seth’s room. Barney came out, waved his traffic-control stick at her cheerfully, locked the door and then limped away. Julia’s heart felt heavy. First Seth leaving, and now Barney was going to be fired. What was happening to this lovely school? Who was going to be next?
Lesley tried to smile. “He’s been here for over thirty years. We’ve had so many chats over that time. I don’t know how the school is going to manage without him.”
Julia and Lesley were silent as they thought about Barney Samson.
Their silence was broken as Dad and Cain sprinted over to them. Dad called out, “What’s wrong with you two? The looks on your faces would turn milk sour.” Without waiting for an answer he thrust a jacket potato towards Lesley and a large burger towards Julia. “Can’t stay!”
Cain almost threw napkins at them. “We’re going to watch the Irish dancing display! They’re starting outside in a few minutes! I’ve never seen real people doing Irish dancing before!”
Dad grabbed Cain’s arm and said, “Quick, Spidey, we don’t want to miss anything. They let me join in last year, they might let me do it again, I was brilliant at it.”
Cain grinned. “Awesome! I’ll join in too!”
Julia shook her head and watched the duo race away. Her attention was caught by something happening at the book stall. Imogen was standing behind her stall, a frightened expression on her face. The customer that seemed to be causing the concern was the bald-headed man that Julia had now seen twice. What was he saying to Imogen to frighten her so?
Julia turned to Lesley and was just about to ask her if she knew who the bald-headed man was, but she never got the chance. Deborah Paignton stormed into the hall and over to their table. Her face was flushed with anger. She raised a finger at Lesley and hissed, “Who told Barney Samson that he could work today! I can see him from my window, bold as brass, helping people across the road! How dare he? This isn’t a school day. Did you say it was okay?”
“I … I …” Lesley stammered. “I tried to tell him not to.”
Deborah threw her arms up. “Useless! I have to deal with everything myself!” She marched away.
Julia swallowed the ball of anger that had appeared in her throat. Any previous sympathy that she’d felt for Deborah Paignton evaporated. She bit into her burger and bit off far too much.
Julia was halfway through her burger when Barney returned to the hall. His steps were slow and his back was bent. He took a few steps towards them and said sadly, “She’s sacked me. She’s actually sacked me. In front of everyone too.” He shook his head, turned around and headed towards the main corridor.
Julia swallowed the burger that was in her mouth and called out, “Barney!” He didn’t reply. Julia turned to Lesley. “I can’t believe she’s just sacked him! In front of everyone too. How can anyone be that mean?”
Lesley looked down at her half-eaten jacket potato. “Deborah Paignton is more than capable of being that mean. I’m sorry, Julia, I can’t eat this. I’ve lost my appetite.”
Chapter 8
The mood was subdued at the tombola stall as the fair began to wind down. Lesley tried to be cheerful with the customers but Julia could see how much of an effort it was for her.
It was nearly five minutes to 1 o’clock when a cheerful Cain and Dad returned to the hall.
Dad had an armful of books. “Look, Julia, more cookery books for me. Some of them look familiar, I might have earlier editions at home.” He gave her a bright smile. “You can never have too many cookery books!”
Cain held up a plastic bag. “I’ve won a goldfish!” he proudly declared. “It only took me five tries. I think I might call him Buster.”
“Excellent name,” Dad said. Dad looked from Julia to Lesley. “What’s wrong with you two now? You don’t look very happy.”
Lesley gave him a tight smile. “I think we’re just tired, I know I am. We’ve sold everything on our stall. What was the Irish dancing like?”
Dad pulled a face. “It was okay, they wouldn’t let us join in.”
Cain added, “They were probably afraid you were too good for them, Ray.”
Dad nodded his head slowly. “You’re probably right. Oh! You two missed some action outside with Deborah Paignton. Shall I tell you what happened?”
“No, thank you,” Lesley said.
“Yes!” Julia said.
Dad went on, “She was having a chat with that lollipop man, Barney, at the roadside. Barney walked away but Deborah was approached by some angry-looking people. They were shouting and jabbing their fingers in the air.”
“We couldn’t hear what they were saying so we moved closer, didn’t we Ray?”
“We did, Cain. It seems the angry people were residents who were complaining about the noise and all the cars parked outside their houses. Oh! You should have heard some of the swear words they were coming out with! Cain had to explain some of them to me.”
“I did,” Cain said proudly.
“Anyway, Deborah didn’t shout back, she was quite calm and apologised for the inconvenience. She was standing there ages with them. I thought one of them was going to hit her at one point. We were all ready to rush in and rescue her, weren’t we Cain?”
Cain nodded. “Just like real superheroes.”
Lesley said, “Is Deborah okay now?”
Dad nodded. “The residents seem calmer, she’s still out there now. I can’t stand here listening to you women chatting, I’ve got some clearing up to do. I promised Julia’s mum that me and Cain would put the stall tables away.”
Cain handed the plastic bag to Julia and said, “Will you look after Buster please? Be careful with him.”
Julia took the bag and placed it carefully on the shelf behind her. She’d put Barney’s pirate colouring book there earlier. Speaking
of which, where was Barney?
Dad and Cain walked away. Lesley looked at her watch and said, “It’s one o’clock, the fair has officially ended.” She smiled down at the empty table. “I’m glad all the prizes have gone, less work for us to do.”
Imogen walked past with a box of books. She nodded at their table and said, “Well done! We didn’t manage to sell all our books, I’ll put these in Seth’s room and take them to a charity shop at some point. I’ll be back in a moment for your takings.”
“Okay,” Lesley said. She turned to the money box and had a quick shuffle through. “I hope we’ve done well, I hope Deborah is pleased with today’s takings from everyone.”
Julia retorted, “She should be pleased! Everyone has worked really hard to make the fair a success.”
Imogen returned to their table and collected their money. She said, “I’ve got everyone else’s. I’d better get the money into the safe in Deborah’s office. Is she in there?”
“I’ve no idea. The last I heard, she was having an argument with the residents on the street.”
Imogen shook her head. “Again? They find any reason to complain about this school.” She headed towards the corridor where Deborah’s office was. She returned a few minutes later. “Deborah’s still outside by the school gate. It looks like the parents are talking to her now. I’ve put the money in a drawer in her desk so she can put it in the safe later. Right, I’d better start on the tidying up.”
Lesley held her hand up. “You’ll do no such thing, Imogen Walters! You’ve done enough. Go home and see that lovely family of yours.”
Indecision crossed Imogen’s face. Julia said, “I’m staying to help, and so are my dad and Cain.”
Imogen gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you. I’m going to say yes before you change your minds! See you later.” She strode away with a smile on her face.
Lesley shook her head. “She does far too much for the school.”
A Fair Murder (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 6) Page 3
