by Agatha Frost
“You’re writing a book?” Shilpa exclaimed. “How wonderful! Am I in it?”
Barker smiled awkwardly at her, his cheeks blushing brightly. Shilpa looked expectantly at him, but he was saved from answering when Dot burst through the café door clutching a magazine.
“Have you heard the news?” she cried.
“Here we go again,” Julia whispered. “This is all sounding strangely familiar.”
“Look at this!” Dot slammed the latest copy of Cotswold Gardening Magazine on the counter, which sported the headline ‘Macarons and Mayhem’. “They’ve made us sound like idiots! There’s hardly anything in here about flowers. It’s all about how dysfunctional we are and how people should avoid our village! Look!”
Dot flipped through the magazine and landed on a page which showed Emily slapping the macaron out of Dot’s hand. Julia was in the back of one of the pictures, her mouth gaping open as though she were catching flies.
“You said you wanted to be in a magazine.” Julia was barely able to contain her grin. “Enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame, Gran.”
Dot flared her nostrils and snatched up the magazine. She hurried out of the café, slamming the door as she went. Julia finished serving Barker and Shilpa, and slipped through the beaded curtains into the kitchen. A tray of perfect macarons looked up at her from the middle of the counter.
“Where did these come from?” Julia asked. “These things are going to haunt me forever.”
“I made them,” Jessie said with a casual shrug as she washed the dishes in the sink. “Wanted to see if they were as difficult as you said. I don’t know what all the fuss was about.”
Julia bit into one of the macarons. She was more than a little surprised at how delicious and light the French dessert was.
“These might be better than mine,” Julia mumbled through a mouthful.
“They are better than yours,” Jessie said, flashing a grin over her shoulder. “I made them.”
Julia tossed a tea towel in Jessie’s direction before slipping back into the café. She stood behind her counter and stared out at the peaceful village green. The birds fluttered by while chirping their musical notes, the sun beamed high in the sky, and the hum of lawn mowers drifted in from a distance, bringing with it the pleasing scent of freshly cut grass. Everything was as it should be once again in Peridale. Julia did not know how long it would last, but for now, she was going to enjoy it.
The End
The next and 8th book in the series, Fruit Cake and Fear, is OUT NOW! Click here to buy your copy, or turn the page to read the first chapter now!
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!
The next and 8th book in the series, Fruit Cake and Fear, is OUT NOW! Click here to buy your copy, or turn the page to read the first chapter now!
About This Book
Released: August 30th 2017
Words: 47,000
Series: Book 8 - Peridale Cozy Café Mystery Series
Standalone: Yes
Cliff-hanger: No
A storm hits Peridale with disastrous effects. Barker's cottage is destroyed, forcing him to move in with Julia, but she has more to worry about than him leaving his socks around and not putting the toilet seat up. Julia is shocked when the storm also uncovers a secret basement underneath her cafe and even more shocked when she finds the body of a teenage girl who has been missing for twenty years.
The cold case team rushes in, pushing Julia out of her cafe and leaving her to unravel the truth of the past one thread at a time. When she realises the girl, Astrid, was the daughter of Evelyn, the eccentric B&B owner, Julia vows to piece together the events that led to Astrid being trapped in a basement for decades. How did the girl die, and more importantly who killed her? Julia hunts for clues to a case the village had almost forgotten about so she can bring Evelyn the peace she deserves, but will she be able to do it in time before somebody she loves suffers a similar fate?
Fruit Cake and Fear - Chapter 1 Sneak Peek
“Happy Birthday, Julia!” Evelyn exclaimed as she handed over a lilac envelope. “I made it myself. I hope you like it.”
Julia paused making a pot of tea to accept the card with a grateful smile. She looked at Evelyn’s handwriting, which was as eccentric and unique as her personality. This was the sixth card Julia had received so far from her customers, but Evelyn’s was the first that had been handmade.
“That’s so kind of you.” Julia ripped open the envelope. “I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble.”
Julia slid the textured card out of the envelope, looking down at its bizarre design with an unsure smile. Instead of the usual message of ‘Happy Birthday!’, Evelyn had opted for a system of random lilac dots, which were connected by glittering gold lines.
“It’s your astrological birth chart,” Evelyn said eagerly as she leaned over and peered at the intricate design. “Each dot shows the position of the planets during their orbit of the sun at the exact time and date of your birth. It’s the key to unlocking your personality!”
“It’s beautiful,” Julia said, her heart swelling. “This is so thoughtful.”
“It’s creepy,” Dot, Julia’s gran, mumbled from the table nearest the counter, pausing before sipping her tea. “How did you know the exact time and date of Julia’s birth, Evelyn? Been digging through her bins?”
“All birth records are public,” Evelyn said as she shifted her blue turban, which had a matching brooch in the centre. “I’m also wearing your birthstone colour, sapphire, to celebrate your special day. Sapphire was once thought to guard against evil and poisoning.”
“Planning on getting poisoned today, Julia?” Dot called over Evelyn’s shoulder.
Julia shot her gran a look that she hoped read ‘behave’, but she knew it would be in vain. Dot was a fierce woman who had a razor-sharp tongue and a lightning-quick mind, even if she did have a heart of gold underneath it. When it came to Evelyn’s eccentric ways, her patience was as thin as it got.
“It was traditionally a favourite stone of priests and kings,” Evelyn continued, undeterred by Dot’s comments. “It also symbolises purity and wisdom, and you’re the purest woman I know.”
“I wish it was my birthday every day,” Julia said with a chuckle as she opened the card to read Evelyn’s sweet message. “You’re too kind. I’ll treasure this.”
“I’ve loaded this with the energy of the universe,” Evelyn said, reaching into her silk kaftan to pull out a sapphire crystal. “You’re never more powerful than on the day of your birth, but it’s also when you’re most susceptible to the negative frequencies in the ether. Make sure to keep safe, and maybe get home early today. I sense a terrible storm is coming, and I’d hate for you to get stuck in the café on your birthday.”
“Or maybe she heard the weather report this morning?” Dot mumbled through pursed lips as she pushed up her curls. “What a load of codswallop!”
“I must go,” Evelyn said, glancing over her shoulder at Dot with a strained smile. “I have guests checking into the B&B in an hour, and I still haven’t burned sage in the rooms to cleanse the energies of the last guests. You know how it is.”
Evelyn bowed before swishing around, the silk of her kaftan floating behind her as she headed to the door, one eye trained on Dot as she left.
“Why can’t she predict useful things?” Dot sighed as she topped up her teacup before dropping in
two cubes of sugar. “I’d love for her to guess my lottery numbers, or the day I’m going to die.”
“You want to know when you’re going to die?” Jessie, Julia’s young lodger and café apprentice, said as she came out of the kitchen with a fresh batch of red velvet cupcakes. “That’s grim.”
“I want to make sure I’m wearing my best clothes,” Dot said casually as she adjusted the brooch holding her stiff blouse collar in place. “Who wants to get hit by a bus wearing socks with holes in them?”
Julia chuckled as she looked over Evelyn’s card again. She looked down at the arrangement of the planets as they would have been thirty-eight years ago, and she thought about her mother giving birth to her under those planets. She was not sure she believed in energies and spirits like Evelyn, but Julia never felt more connected to her mother than on her birthday.
“Well, I have this crystal from Evelyn, so I shouldn’t get hit by any buses today,” Julia said as she clutched the jagged piece of blue glass. “I wonder if she’s right about that storm.”
“They said something about it on the television this morning,” Dot said. “Some nonsense about a serious weather warning, but when are they ever right about those things? If I constantly wore my raincoat every time they predicted rain, I’d be sleeping in the thing! They’re about as useful at predicting the weather as Evelyn is the future!”
“She might be right,” Jessie said as she peered out of the café window. “It’s getting quite dark out there.”
Julia glanced at the clock. It was not even lunchtime, but Jessie was right about it being unusually dark for the time of day.
“I must dash, love,” Dot said after draining her cup. “I’ll see you tonight for your birthday dinner.”
Dot shuffled out of the café with a wave of her hand and hurried across the village green towards her small cottage. Before she slipped through her front door, she looked up at the darkening sky and shook her head.
“It’s all people are posting about online,” Jessie said as she scrolled through her phone. “They’re saying it’s the worst storm the Cotswolds has seen in twenty years.”
“And on my birthday too,” Julia mumbled, glancing at the clock again. “Let’s hold out for now. It might just pass right over us.”
Jessie looked up at the sky again as the clouds gathered, before shrugging, and stuffing her phone back into the pocket of her baggy jeans. She grabbed one of the cupcakes from the tray on the counter and crammed it into her mouth.
The bell above the door rang out, and Julia’s oldest friend, Roxy Carter, hurried into the café, followed by a gust of wind that ripped the door out of her hand, slamming it in its frame.
“It’s blowing a gale out there!” Roxy cried as she flattened down her flame red hair. “It’s all the teachers have been talking about since this morning’s meeting. We’re sending the kids home early to be safe, and we haven’t done that since the bad snow two years ago.”
“Maybe one of Evelyn’s predictions will come true for once,” Jessie said with a smirk as she began to sweep the already clean café floor. “I suspect we’ll see pigs flying past the window in the next ten minutes.”
Roxy laughed as she unzipped the large handbag on her shoulder. She reached inside and pulled out a white envelope and a book.
“I had no idea what to get you for your birthday, so I’ve put a voucher in the card.” Roxy handed over the envelope with an apologetic smile. “But, I did find this. I thought it might put a smile on your face.”
Roxy placed the book on the counter, and Julia recognised it in an instant.
“Our yearbook!” Julia exclaimed as she looked down at the ‘Hollins High School Class of 1995’ front cover. “Where did you find this?”
“Mum was going through some things in the attic. She’s got it in her head that she wants to put her spare bedrooms on Airbnb now that she’s alone in that big house, even though she hates people touching her things. Can you believe our school was doing yearbooks before it was the ‘cool’ thing? I swear the only reason we did it was because of that American exchange program some of the teachers went on when we were in Year Seven.”
“I think that’s the only reason they called our end of year disco ‘the prom’,” Julia said with a chuckle as she picked up the book. “It didn’t take away from the fact it was in the school gym with the world’s cheapest buffet and a CD player instead of a DJ.”
Julia flicked through the pages, her high school memories flooding back. She had been on the yearbook team with Roxy, and it had been their job to gather all of the photographs and stories from their classmates and teachers, and assemble them in the book. Their school’s ancient computers had not been capable of putting together a yearbook, so they had done everything by hand, before photocopying the pages, laminating them, and binding them with a spiral.
Julia flicked through the dog-eared plastic pages, landing on a grainy picture of a school trip to London they had taken in Year Ten. Teenage versions of Julia and Roxy grinned up from the mists of time in front of Buckingham Palace, along with some other girls from their year with whom they had since lost contact.
“It makes me feel relatively ancient,” Roxy said with a sigh as she assessed her reflection in a small compact mirror. “When did we get so old?”
“Speak for yourself,” Julia said, tossing her curls over her shoulder. “I like to think I’m getting better with age.”
“Like a fine wine?” Roxy suggested.
“Or cheese,” Jessie added.
“Cheese gets mouldy eventually,” Roxy said as she snapped the mirror shut. “I was lying in bed with Violet last week, and she said the lines around my eyes looked cute. Cute! I never even knew I had them. You’re lucky Barker isn’t younger than you because I feel myself hurtling towards forty at lightning speed and it’s terrifying me.”
“Well, my life has never been better,” Julia said, smiling at Jessie over Roxy’s shoulder as she took the mirror from her friend. She lifted it up to her makeup-free face and creased up her eyes. “Although you’re right about the lines.”
“Violet said they were experience lines,” Roxy scoffed as she took back the mirror and dropped it in her handbag. “I’ll see if she’s saying that when she gets to our age. Do you remember those awards that we all had to vote for?” Roxy flicked to the back pages of the book. “I got Most Likely To Be Famous because I was convinced I was going to be discovered and asked to be a pop star. Another couple of years and I totally would have been asked to be in the Spice Girls.”
“You really are old,” Jessie mumbled as she shuffled past with the brush. “They’re so retro.”
“Retro?” Roxy cried, her cheeks flushing. “You kids could learn a bit about Girl Power! Has it really been that long?”
“Well, we left school twenty-two years ago,” Julia said as she found her own award. “And I got Most Likely To Be A Baker. Took me long enough, but I got there eventually.”
“Feels like twenty-two minutes sometimes,” Roxy said wistfully as she stared into the corner of the room. “Treasure your life, Jessie. It will whizz by in the blink of an eye.”
Jessie looked down her nose at Roxy before shrugging and carrying on with the sweeping. Julia turned to the next page, which contained surly portraits of all their teachers. It had been so long, Julia had almost forgotten most of their names. As she scanned the vaguely familiar faces, she suddenly realised she was now a similar age to most of them.
“Can I keep this for a couple of days?” Julia carefully closed the book of memories and held it to her chest. “I haven’t seen mine since I moved back from London.”
“Keep it,” Roxy said, holding her hands up as she dragged her handbag back over her shoulder. “My mum has a whole box of them. I got lumbered with the ones nobody wanted to buy, which was quite a lot. It will give you something to read tonight when the storm hits.”
“I hope we don’t flood like last time.” Julia peered through the window as increasingly
darker clouds drifted in from a distance. “Gran had sandbags piled up to the top of her door and had Amy Clark hand her food through the window because she refused to come out until it stopped raining.”
“Dot is insane,” Jessie said as she swept past them again. “Actually insane.”
“I should get going,” Roxy said as she glanced back at the window. “Since I’m finishing work early, I thought I’d buy some ice cream and wine, and have a movie night with Violet.”
“Pretty Woman?” Julia asked.
“You already know that’s the first thing we’re watching,” Roxy replied with a wink. “I think Violet hates the fact that she now knows the film word for word, and she’d never even seen it before she met me.”
“I sympathise with Violet,” Jessie mumbled.
“We used to watch that film every weekend when we’d have sleepovers at your house,” Julia said, the memory warming her. “Remember that time we were quoting the lines along with the film, and your sister, Rachel, filmed us and showed it to that boy you had a crush on?”
“He never spoke to me again,” Roxy said, pinching between her eyes as she laughed softly. “Maybe that was for the best.”
“Let me make you a latte for the road,” Julia said, already grabbing a cardboard cup from under the counter. “I think it might be the last coffee I make today if the clouds keep rolling in.”
Julia quickly made Roxy her usual latte and bagged up a chocolate brownie for her on the house. When she left, Julia leaned against the counter and flicked through the memories as the sky outside continued to darken.
“I never had a yearbook,” Jessie said as she turned her head upside down to look at the pictures. “Never even finished school.”
“It’s all a bit silly,” Julia said when she noticed the tinge of sadness in Jessie’s voice. “Look at this. This girl here wrote ‘I will miss you so much, Julia!’, and I haven’t spoken to her in more than twenty years.”
