Donald's Death (Cara Daniels Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Gillian Larkin

Cara felt the world slow down as she realised too late that she should have placed an empty basket under the ball dispenser. The baskets were helpfully stacked at the side of the dispenser, Cara should have spotted them.

  But she hadn’t. She broke out in a cold sweat as one hundred balls shot out of the dispenser and onto the floor. Cara stuck her hands out uselessly to try to catch them but the balls flowed over her hands like a waterfall. The golf balls went everywhere. They rolled into nearby bays, they ran along the corridor, they tumbled towards open doors.

  It wasn’t long before everyone noticed what was going on. Cara was aware of people shouting as she scrambled around on the floor trying to pick up the balls. She reached for an empty basket and started to throw them in.

  A pair of shiny brown shoes appeared in front of her. Cara didn’t want to look up, her cheeks were already burning, she didn’t need any more embarrassment.

  A voice boomed out, “What the hell are you doing! You damned idiot! Look what you’ve done! Stupid amateurs, you shouldn’t be allowed in here!”

  Cara was forced to look up. A red-faced man glared down at her. Cara muttered, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise. I’ve never been to a golf range before.”

  “That’s obvious! Look at the mess you’ve made. You should be banned immediately.” The man called over his shoulder, “Donald Ackroyd! Get yourself out here this minute!”

  Cara stood up, she was shaking. She should have stayed at home. People didn’t shout at her at home. She looked down at the ground, unable to meet the man’s stare.

  She looked up when she heard Gran’s voice. Gran stood next to the man, a grim look on her face. In a firm voice she said, “I’ll thank you to not speak to my granddaughter like that. She’s made an innocent mistake, that’s all. If you step out of the way then I can help her to pick the balls up.”

  The man’s nostrils flared. “She shouldn’t be allowed in here! This is a place for professionals. Do you know who I am?”

  “No,” Gran replied. “Do you know who I am?”

  “What?” The man looked flustered for a moment. “No, why? Should I?”

  “There’s no reason why you should know me, and there’s no reason why I should know you. That makes us even. Please shift out of the way.”

  The man looked from Cara to Gran, and then back again. He muttered something under his breath and then stormed away.

  Cara said, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise I had to put a basket underneath. I thought it was like a drinks machine, you know, the ones where a cup appears before your tea shoots out.”

  Gran smiled. “Don’t worry. Balls flying out of these machines happens more times than you’d think. People usually only do it once. Let’s get these balls picked up.”

  Cara lowered herself to the floor again and started to collect the balls. She jumped as Donald Ackroyd handed her some. She looked up into his smiling face. He said, “I see you’ve met our golf dispenser! It happens all the time. It’s my fault, I’ve been meaning to put a large sign up warning people to put a basket underneath.” He looked towards the far side of the bays. “And I believe you’ve met Gregory Templeton, he was the one who was shouting at you a minute ago. I saw him on the CCTV in my office. I must apologise for his behaviour, his ego is far bigger than his manners. I’d better go and have a word with him.”

  Cara collected the rest of the balls with Gran and took them into Gran’s bay. Gran poured them into a box next to a tee. The tee descended into a hole and then returned with a golf ball perched on it.

  Cara nodded. “That’s clever.”

  Gran said, “Keep an eye on that man who shouted at you. He’s got quite a temper. And you’d better get out of this bay before I accidentally whack you with my club.”

  Cara stood on the outside of the bay. She watched Gran for a moment as she swung her golf club and made contact with the ball. The ball soared through the air. Gran nodded and said, “Not bad.”

  Cara looked towards the end bays. Donald Ackroyd was nodding as he listened to Gregory Templeton talk. Gregory’s arms were flailing about as he tried to make his point. Cara jumped as Gregory jabbed a finger in her direction. She felt the heat return to her cheeks. Was Donald Ackroyd going to throw her out?

  After a minute of waving his arms around Gregory seemed to calm down. He waved a hand at Donald as if dismissing him. Donald walked away from Gregory’s bay and towards Cara. He winked as he passed and said, “It’s all sorted out now. He’s calmed down.” He walked through the door that led to the reception area.

  Cara watched Gran for a few more minutes. She thought about what had happened to her this morning. Was Donald Ackroyd really in danger of being murdered? Was Gregory Templeton a possible murderer? Was he going to hit Donald over the head with his golf club at some point soon?

  A quiet determination came over Cara. She’d spent so much time in front of her computer over the last few years that she’d forgotten how to deal with people. She wasn’t sure how she could prevent Donald’s death but she could start by talking to one of the possible suspects.

  She told Gran what she was going to do. Gran told her it was a good idea. Cara took a deep breath and then strode towards Gregory Templeton’s bay.

  Chapter 5

  Gregory stopped in mid-swing when he saw her. “Not you again! What do you want?”

  Cara forced a smile on her face. “I wanted to apologise. I’m sorry if my foolishness caused you any inconvenience, I didn’t mean to disrupt your practice. I’ve been watching you. You’re very good. Are you a professional golfer?” Cara took in his jumper and trousers, he certainly dressed like a professional.

  Gregory’s chest puffed out. “I can see how you’d think that. I like to call myself a semi-professional. I’m not up there with the big guys but I soon will be.”

  Cara considered his age, he must be in his late fifties. He’d better hurry up if he wanted to be with the big guys.

  Gregory went on, “You’re probably wondering what a big star like me is doing at such a small driving range like this.”

  Cara nodded. The thought hadn’t entered her mind.

  He said, “I’m doing the manager a favour by being here. I’m a local celebrity and people love watching me practice. I bring in more customers. It can be annoying sometimes when I have to stop and sign my photographs, but what can you do? It’s the price of stardom. Would you like a signed photo? I carry spares with me.” He reached into a bag and then shoved a large glossy photo of his grinning face into her hands before she could say yes or no to his offer.

  “Thank you,” Cara said, trying not to look directly at the scary photo.

  “Keep that safe, it’ll be worth something one day soon. Thanks for chatting, it’s always good to meet a fan. You can go now. I’ve got a competition this afternoon and I need a little more practice on my swing.” He turned away from her.

  Cara held the photo at arm’s-length as she walked back to Gran. Gran took a step back when she saw the photo. “That’s enough to give a child nightmares. What’s your impression of Gregory Templeton? Do you think he’s capable of murder?”

  Cara placed the photo face down on top of Gran’s bag. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought of people in that way.”

  “You will do, but we’ll talk about that later. Cara, have you got a zoom facility on your phone?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Don’t look now but I think I saw something to the right of the driving range out there. Look casually. Can you see that part of the main golf course to the right of the fence? There’s a man hiding in the bushes there. Can you pretend to take a photo of me and then zoom in on him?”

  Cara nodded. “I feel like some sort of spy. Just a minute, I’ll get my phone ready.”

  Gran struck a pose with her golf club in the air and Cara made a show of pretending to take a photo. She took a photo anyway because Gran looked so good. Cara used the zoom. She took a photo of what she’d seen and then showed it to Gran.

&nb
sp; Gran frowned. “That’s the young lad who came in late, Jason. What’s he doing hiding in the bushes? And why is he using binoculars? I can’t see that it’s part of his job, can you?”

  Cara shrugged. “Maybe it’s something to do with security. Perhaps he’s keeping an eye on the customers.”

  “I don’t like the idea of being spied on.”

  “But we’ve just spied on Jason,” Cara pointed out.

  “That’s different,” Gran said but didn’t explain why. She picked up her handbag. “Right, I’ve finished here. I enjoyed that. Let’s go to that little café area near the reception desk. I think it’s time we had a latte.”

  “Are we going to do some more spying?” Cara asked with a grin on her face.

  Gran tutted. “I prefer to call it surveillance.”

  Cara followed Gran as they walked towards the reception area. Gran put her clubs back into the customer’s golf club basket and then walked over to the reception counter. Emma greeted her with a smile again and said, “Did you enjoy yourself?”

  “I certainly did,” Gran said. “It’s a lovely place. Have you worked here long?”

  Emma nodded. “About five years. It fits in nicely with looking after my son. Mum and Dad look after him when I’m at work. Oh! Sorry! I didn’t mean to launch into my life story. Was there anything else you wanted to do today? The golf course is lovely, you could have a round or two.”

  “Maybe another time. If I need to book golf lessons for my granddaughter here, who should I speak to? I’ve already spoken to your manager, Mr Ackroyd. Would he be able to help?”

  “Yes, but he’s only been here a few months. He’s still learning the ropes himself. He’s a great boss. He always makes sure the staff are happy, always asking about our families. It’s nice to have a manager who treats you like a human. Oh! There I go again! Sorry.”

  Gran smiled. “That’s okay. I like hearing about people. Where do we go to order coffee?”

  “I’ll do it for you. I organise everything from behind this desk. Tell me what you want and I’ll bring it over.”

  Donald Ackroyd called out, “No you won’t! You should have gone home three minutes ago, Emma. Off you go, your little boy will be waiting for you. I’ll see to the coffee.”

  Emma smiled at Gran. “See what I mean. I hope to see you both again soon.”

  Donald walked behind the reception area, put his hands on Emma’s shoulders and steered her away. Emma headed towards the staffroom.

  Gran gave Donald their order. He said, “Sit yourselves down. I’ll bring your coffee over.”

  Gran and Cara sat at a table a short distance away from the reception desk. Cara said quietly, “Gran, that line around Donald, I think it’s got thicker. What does that mean?”

  Gran said, “It means that he’s closer to death.”

  Cara’s mouth felt suddenly dry. She didn’t know what to say. She looked over at Donald Ackroyd. He was singing happily to himself as he filled a latte cup with frothy milk. He had no idea he was about to die soon.

  Chapter 6

  Donald brought their coffees over, still singing to himself. He called out goodbye to Emma as she walked towards the main door, her handbag slung over her shoulder.

  Donald returned to the counter.

  Cara said, “Do we have to stay and watch him all the time? Won’t he get suspicious if we stay here all day?”

  “I’m going to get an update from Edward soon, see if the time frame has changed again.” Gran studied Cara for a moment. “Are you feeling okay? You look a bit peaky.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel. I don’t like the idea of someone being murdered, but I do want to help you prevent it. I’m worried I won’t know what to do when Donald confronts his murderer. Do we rush in? Phone the police?”

  “Every situation is different, leave that to me. Stop staring at him, he’ll know something’s wrong.”

  Cara tore her gaze away. “I can’t help it. I’m all tense, waiting for some madman to leap out and attack him.”

  Gran nodded towards the big windows that looked out onto the car park. “Focus your attention out there, a madman, or woman, could arrive at any minute.”

  Cara said, “I hope you’re joking about that.” She looked out of the windows. “I can see Emma driving away. That’s a nice little car she’s got.”

  “You should get yourself a car, you need to get out more,” Gran said.

  “I don’t need to go out, you can have everything delivered these days.”

  “You’ve told me that once. What about going to see your mum and dad, a car would make that easier. They miss you, they don’t live that far away. When did you last see them?”

  Cara shifted in her seat. “I’ve been busy. Anyway, I can get three buses to their house.”

  “A car would be better. I’d be lost without mine. You’ll need one if you’re going to help me. We’ll talk about that later.”

  “I wish you’d stop saying that. What do you need to talk about later?” Cara asked.

  Gran didn’t answer. She put her cup down and said, “Look, it’s that Jason lad again. At the far side of the car park. He’s with one of those hoody teenagers.” She shook her head. “Why does he need his hood up on such a lovely day?”

  Cara narrowed her eyes. “It looks like Jason’s handing him something. Jason looks shifty, he keeps looking back over his shoulder towards this building. What do you think he’s up to?”

  “Up to no good, I should imagine. Shall we go for a little stroll outside, have a look at the golf course? We could walk past Jason and his friend.”

  Cara jumped as a voice boomed out. Gregory Templeton strode towards her, his chest puffed out, a look of self-satisfaction on his face. “There you are! I forgot to give you my business card.” He slapped a card on the table. “Sign up to my newsletter and I’ll let you know what’s going on in my life. I’ve also got one of those social media profiles, details are on the card. Log on and you’ll see how I’ve done at the competition this afternoon. Don’t message me direct, I don’t have time to connect with fans when I working. Cheerio!”

  Gran tutted as he walked away. “Look at how he struts! Hang on, he’s heading towards Donald. He’s talking to him.” She made a clicking noise with her tongue. “Now he decides to talk quietly! I can’t hear a word he’s saying.”

  Cara looked closer. “Look at Donald’s face, he looks frightened. I wonder if Gregory is threatening him over something.”

  Gran picked up Gregory’s card and waved it at Cara. “Can you log on to his social site? I’d like to keep on eye on that man.”

  Gregory leaned over the desk and planted a heavy hand on Donald’s shoulder. Donald sagged under the weight. Cara and Gran heard Gregory say, “Remember what I’ve said. You don’t want to cross me.”

  Gregory walked out of the building, strutting as he went.

  Cara said, “If Gregory is going to be the one to kill Donald how on earth will we stop him? He’s much bigger than us.”

  “You don’t have to be big to be strong. I can take care of myself, I’ve had to learn how to. You will too, we’ll …”

  “Talk about it later,” Cara finished for her. “Look, Donald’s reading a message on his phone, he doesn’t look happy.”

  Gran nodded towards the door. “And here’s someone else who doesn’t look happy. It’s young Jason. He looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but here.”

  Donald called out, “Jason, I have to go out. I’ve got an emergency at home.”

  Jason shrugged. “So?”

  “So, I have to leave you in charge. It’s only for ten minutes. Margaret should be here soon. Do you think you can manage?”

  Jason shrugged again.

  Donald shook his head in despair. “You’ll have to manage. Get round here and try not to break anything.” He held up his phone. “My neighbour is threatening to break all my windows. He said he’s going to kill me. He’s always threatening to do that. I’d better go home and calm h
im down.” He came out from behind the counter and rushed out of the main door.

  Cara’s heart thudded in her chest. “Gran! What do we do? I’m not ready to see someone being murdered!”

  Gran casually stood up. “Panicking won’t achieve anything, try to remain calm. We’re going to follow Donald. Come on.”

  Cara’s hands shook as she stood up and pushed her chair in. Her legs felt weak as she walked at Gran’s side towards the main door. Her fear was temporarily forgotten as she heard Jason talking on his phone. He said, “Yeah, he’s gone. The coast is clear. We’ve only got ten minutes.”

  Gran heard him too. She shook her head. “I hate it when everything happens all at once! Quick, Donald’s already driving away!”

  Chapter 7

  Cara was surprised at how quickly Gran ran towards her car, she had trouble keeping up with her. Gran was driving away before Cara even had her seatbelt fastened.

  Gran said, “There’s a little tablet device in the side pocket of my handbag. Take it out, find the app that’s got a number plate symbol on it and tap it.”

  Cara did so. “Now what?”

  “Type in Donald’s plate number. Can you still see his car? He’s in the one two cars ahead.”

  Cara waited for a curve in the road so that she could see Donald’s number plate on the back of his car. She typed it in. “An address has come up, and so has Donald’s name. Is this even legal?”

  “No. There’s no time to worry about that now. Read the address out.”

  Cara read the address. Gran nodded. “I know where that is. It doesn’t matter if we lose him in traffic, we know where he’s headed.” She gave Cara a brief look. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think I’m discovering a new Gran. You’ve been leading a double life. Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

  “I’ve plenty to tell you, later. Cara, I didn’t want this job, I didn’t want to see angels. They kept bothering me until I agreed to do one job for them. Once I’d done that first job I knew how important it was and so I agreed to taking on more jobs. I’ve learnt a lot along the way.”