by Sherri Bryan
“Likewise, Charlotte, likewise. And thank you for looking after my Olivia. She’s told me all about how good you’ve been to her.” Penelope settled herself in the driver’s seat. “Right, seat belt on,” she said, in her booming voice. “Are you sure you don’t need a piddle before we set off?”
“Mum, I’m forty-seven years old.” Olivia rolled her eyes and looked out of the window to hide her embarrassment.
“Forty-seven, schmorty-seven,” retorted Penelope. “You’re still my little girl. Well, we’ll be off then. See you all soon.” She drove away, tooting her horn and waving madly from the window.
“Nice woman,” said Ava. “Quite eccentric.”
“Yes, isn’t she?” Charlotte giggled, then rubbed her back, wincing with pain.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s just trapped wind, I think.”
“Are you sure, dear?” said Ava, looking excited.
“Yes, I’m sure. It doesn’t feel anything like the last time, so I doubt very much it’s the baby.” Charlotte looked at the sky, which was rapidly filling with dark clouds. “Come on, let’s get in the car before we get soaked.”
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The heavens opened again just as Charlotte arrived back at home.
“Come on, you two. If we make a dash for it, we shouldn’t get too wet.”
“I’m done worrying about it, dear,” said Ava, picking her way carefully through the puddles. “My hair’s beyond redemption but I’m going to be amongst friends who won’t care what I look like, so I’m not bothered.” She bent to fuss over Pippin and Panda who’d run to the door to meet them. “You’re not taking them out for a walk in this rain, are you?”
“No way,” said Charlotte. “They can use the garden until it eases off a bit. I took them out the other day when the rain was really heavy and the puddles were almost as deep as the dogs are high, and there was no way I could have carried both of them. I thought they were going to have to swim home. And I almost went over on my ankle when I stepped off a kerb into a hole I couldn’t see because it was underwater.” She gave the dogs a cuddle, hung up her coat and put on her slippers. “Right, Molly, go and give your room a quick tidy and I’ll come up and check the bunk beds have got clean linen on them. Then I’ll get dinner on the go. Won’t be a sec, Ava.”
“What can I do, dear? How about I light the fire and make us a nice cup of tea?”
“That’d be lovely,” said Charlotte. “I think I’ll have a peppermint one, see if I can get rid of this indigestion. And there’s some cake in the tin if you want some. We won’t be eating for a few hours.”
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Charlotte rubbed her stomach and blew out a deep breath. “Didn’t Olivia look fabulous in her dress?”
Ava nodded as she held a match to the pile of logs. “Honestly, if I hadn’t have known it was her, I’d have walked past her in the street, she was unrecognisable. All those years she’s shuffled around with a permanent scowl, and hair and clothes that wouldn’t have looked out of place in one of those zombie movies.”
She stepped back from the flames and put the guard in front of the fireplace. “There, that’s better. We’ll be warm and toasty in no time. Come on, doggies. There’s a rug for two here with your names on it.”
Pippin and Panda bounded in from outside, shook themselves, and settled down in front of the fire.
“I meant to tell you,” said Ava, filling the kettle. “Harriett saw Monique Hathaway last week. She’d just checked out of The President and was on her way to London to see an old friend who she thought might need her help; something to do with the police asking questions about something that happened years ago, so she was going to stay with her. She seemed much happier, Harriett said.”
“That’s good,” said Charlotte, chopping onions and wiping her eyes. “I suppose you saw the news in yesterday’s paper about Larissa Reece? What do you suppose will happen with the cookery school now that she’s being investigated for benefit fraud?”
“No idea,” said Ava. “Although I’m sure she only owned up to it because she thought the police would take it further once Roman’s murder investigation was over if she didn’t. Maybe the benefits office will show her some leniency? If she gets a fine, she may be able to carry on working at the school, but if she gets a prison sentence, who knows? In the meantime, I suppose Gavin will carry on running the school with the other staff.”
She checked her hair in the mirror and grimaced, flipping through a recipe book as she waited for the kettle to boil. “I wonder what she meant when she was asked if she regretted what she’d done, and she said she only had one regret in her life, and it wasn’t the benefit fraud?”
Charlotte shrugged, and leaned against the kitchen counter, rubbing her back.
“D’you mind if I put the TV on for a minute?” said Ava. “I want to see if the weather forecast will give me some idea of how long my hair’s going to resemble a bird’s nest.” She flicked on the TV, just in time to catch the last item on the news, and pointed excitedly at the screen. “Look! It’s a picture of Izzy!” she said, turning up the volume.
“Joseph Shelton, the brother of Izzy Davenport, the woman accused of murdering television personality and food critic, Roman Haley, was seen arriving at his mother’s home earlier today, where he spoke briefly to our reporter, Toni Finlay. What can you tell us, Toni?”
“Well, Patricia, Mr Shelton has taken emergency leave from his job as an Entertainments Manager on a cruise ship, and will be taking his mother, Lara Buckingham, back with him. When I asked him how his mother was, he said she was at her wits’ end, but coping as well as can be expected, under the circumstances.
“He said his sister’s arrest has deeply affected the whole family, but wasn’t prepared to say anything else on the matter, apart from asking for privacy from the press as his family come to terms with the situation. If I manage to speak with him again, you’ll be the first to know but until then, back to you in the studio, Patricia.”
“Thank you, Toni. And now, the weather for the week ahead…”
“I’m glad he was able to come home,” said Charlotte, after the forecast. “His mum must be feeling dreadful, so it’s good she’ll have him with her.” She sprayed the kitchen with lime tea and parsley room spray. “And if it hadn’t been for this stuff, it would never have occurred to me that Izzy might have been involved in what happened.
“If it had been a more common scent, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. It was only because it was so unusual that I thought not many people would have it, so it struck me that there might be a connection between her and Gordon. I could never have known the extent to which she was involved, though, especially as I’d already convinced myself that it was Roy who’d killed Roman and was trying to do the same to Olivia.”
“You know, it just goes to show, you never really know what people are like, do you?” said Ava. “Izzy seemed perfectly well-adjusted to me, but nothing could have been further from the truth. All that trauma with her uncle, the breakdown of her parents’ marriage, and her own divorce, was just too much for her. I can’t help but feel a teensy bit sorry for her. So much pressure on a young girl turned her into a homicidal maniac.”
She shuddered. “And when I think of what the police found at her house after they arrested her, it gives me the chills. All those letters she’d written to Roman since she killed him, telling him she’d be making sure Olivia, her dad, her ex-husband, and Gordon’s wife would be joining him soon. Seems like she had a hit list of everyone she held a grudge against. Thank God she was stopped before she went on a killing spree.”
“Well, she won’t be able to hurt anyone else now,” said Charlotte. “Although it’s Gordon I feel sorry for.” She tipped chopped onions and garlic into hot oil and their scent wafted up into the kitchen. “I know Olivia said she’d like to help him out with practical stuff that’ll make his life easier, if she can, but I bet he’s going to miss having Izzy around. Whatever she
did, she looked after him for years, and she’s still his family.”
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Two hours later, while Ava was snoozing in front of the fire, Olivia arrived, the taxi which brought her sending a spray of water all the way from the kerb to the front door as it drove off.
“It’s like a disaster movie out there,” she said, untying the hood of her anorak which was fastened tightly under her chin. She hung up her coat and glanced in the mirror at her pale face. “I would have loved to keep my makeup on, but I didn’t want Roy to see it, so I wiped it all off in the car on the way home. I kept my hood up, though, so he didn’t see my hair. I’d like to try to keep that looking presentable till the end of the day, at least.” She took another peek at herself before following Charlotte into the living room. “Funny, I’ve never been a big fan of mirrors, but I haven’t been able to stop looking in them today.”
The screech of excited laughter and the thundering of three sets of footsteps on the stairs signalled the arrival of Molly and her friends, Erin and Esme, in the living room.
“’lo, Oliver,” said Molly, breathlessly. “Mummy, when will dinner be ready, please?”
“Are you hungry?”
Three heads bobbed up and down.
“Well, I’ve only got to cook the pasta, so you three can eat in about fifteen minutes, and we’ll eat later. That okay?”
“’kay.” Molly turned to her friends. “Come on, let’s get back to the dancing till it’s ready.”
More laughter and whispers accompanied the thundering of three sets of footsteps up the stairs. A door slammed and the muted sound of music and giggling started up again.
Ava stretched in the armchair. “Oh, hello, Olivia. I must have dropped off.” She squinted at her watch. “Good heavens, it’s half-past six. Honestly, what sort of dinner guest am I? I all but invite myself round, and then I fall asleep.” She pushed herself out of the chair, the leather creaking as it relaxed. “Can I help with anything, Charlotte?”
“No, but you can get yourself a glass of wine, or a cup of something, and get something for Olivia, while I get the kids’ dinner on the go. You know where everything is. And, Olivia, the ‘something borrowed’ box is on the table, if you want to take a look through it. And can someone get the door, please? It’ll probably be Jess.”
Ava opened the front door to see Harriett and Betty outside, looking like drowned rats. “What on earth are you doing here?” she said, ushering them in.
They stood on the doormat, water dripping from them into a puddle around their feet. “We went on that trip to the candle factory and we were on our way to lunch when the coach got stuck in some mud,” said Betty, shaking the rain from her plastic hat. “That was four hours ago.”
“The driver had to call the AA to get us out,” said Harriett, shivering. “And then, to top it all, he couldn’t even take us all the way home, because he had a call from his office to tell him there’s a tree blocking the main road, so he’d have to take the long way round.”
“And goodness only knows how long that would take in this weather,” said Betty. “So we got off the coach when it dropped some people off outside The President, and thought we’d wait it out here until the rain eases off a bit.”
“Is that alright with you, Charlotte?” said Harriett. “You seem to have a houseful already.”
“Of course it’s alright.” Charlotte beckoned them in. “The more the merrier. Come upstairs and get out of those wet clothes—you can change into something of mine and I’ll put your things in the dryer. And if you haven’t had any lunch, you must be ravenous. Come on, let’s get you something dry to wear and then I’ll make you a sandwich. Or you can have some tea and cake, if you prefer.” Charlotte looked around the room. “Look, on second thoughts, why don’t you all stay for dinner? You too, Olivia. The weather’s disgusting, but it’s warm and dry in here. What d’you say?”
Betty, Harriett and Olivia exchanged glances.
“Are you sure we won’t be imposing?” said Betty.
“Are you sure you’ll have enough?” said Harriett.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” said Olivia.
“Oh, good grief! Talk about dither!” said Ava, throwing her hands in the air. “I’m setting three extra places, and that’s final!”
Chapter 23
Jess arrived half an hour later to find Olivia and Ava looking through the box of mementoes, Betty and Harriett chatting in front of the fire dressed in Charlotte’s clothes, and Molly, Erin and Esme sitting around the kitchen table, discussing the merits of putting Cheddar cheese on top of your spaghetti sauce, as opposed to Parmesan.
“I like Cheddar,” said Molly, slurping up a strand of spaghetti between her lips. “Parmesan smells like feet.”
“Not if you get the actual cheese, like Mummy does,” said Erin. “It’s quite nice. It’s only the dried stuff that smells like feet.”
“Well, I don’t like either,” said Esme, sticking a spoon into a jar of mayonnaise. “I like this on my spaghetti.”
She shook a white blob onto her plate, sending Molly and Erin into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.
“Mayonnaise on spaghetti? Eeeewwwww!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes and held out her arms. “Welcome to the madhouse!” She laughed and pulled Jess into a hug. “It’s good to see you,” she said. “There’s a few extra for dinner—I hope you don’t mind?”
“Course I don’t,” said Jess, kicking off her shoes and dropping a kiss on top of Molly’s head as she passed by to taste a mouthful of spaghetti sauce from the pan on the hob. “Mmm, that’s delicious. God, the weather’s vile out there. Talk about April showers.” She put the bottle of wine she’d brought with her into the fridge and poured herself a glass from the open bottle on the counter. “Everyone seems to be playing very nicely together in there,” she whispered, nodding towards the living room. “It’s like Olivia’s had a personality transplant.”
“I know, it’s great, isn’t it?” Charlotte grinned and took a gulp of her tea. “Shame it’s taken a tragedy and all these years for us to get to know the real Olivia. She was saying just now that being with Roy’s done wonders for her confidence. It’s amazing how she’s blossomed since she’s had someone telling her how great she is for just being her, rather than because she’s an amazing chef. D’you know what I mean?”
“Mummy, can we get down from the table, please?” said Molly.
“Yes, poppet. Just rinse your plates off and put them in the dishwasher, will you? And then you can take some strawberries up with you, if you want. They’re in the pink tub in the fridge.”
Charlotte and Jess sat down at the vacated kitchen table. “Did Ben get in touch with you?” asked Charlotte. “When I spoke to Nathan, he said he was trying to get through.”
Jess nodded. “Yeah, I spoke to him about an hour and a half ago. They were halfway home and stopping off for something to eat at a motorway service station. He said he thought they’d be back between nine and ten.” She listened to the rain battering against the kitchen window. “Although it might be a bit later if this weather doesn’t ease off.”
Charlotte called through to the living room. “Alright with everyone if we eat in about half an hour? Yes? Good.” She rinsed her mug under the tap and flicked the kettle on again. “Right, I’m just popping to the bathroom. Back in a sec.”
Jess took her wine through to the living room. “Have you found anything you fancy, Olivia?” she said, squeezing onto the couch next to Ava.
“I think I like this.” Olivia held up a diamond teardrop necklace. “Charlotte said she was going to wear it on her wedding day, but she ended up wearing her Dad’s crucifix instead.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” said Jess, nodding. “I’d forgotten about that. Gosh, that was an emotional day. I was surprised any of us had any tears left by the end of it.”
“It was a wonderful ceremony, wasn’t it?” said Ava. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to such an upliftin
g wedding.”
Charlotte reappeared in the doorway, her face as white as a sheet. “I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but…”
Jess was out of her chair in a second. “What’s up?”
“I think I need to get to hospital.” Charlotte bent forward with the force of a contraction. “Owwwww!”
Everyone else got to their feet and began to rush around like headless chickens.
“You’ll have to drive her!” said Ava, throwing Charlotte’s car keys at Olivia.
“What? No I won’t, I can’t drive!” said Olivia, throwing them back. “You’ll have to drive.”
“What do you mean, you can’t drive?” said Ava, with a look of astonishment. “You’re an Executive Chef, for goodness’ sake!”
“Surprisingly, being able to drive isn’t one of the criteria for producing five-star cuisine,” retorted Olivia, giving Charlotte a sideways look of sheer panic.
“But I’m used to an automatic, so I can’t drive a car with a manual gearbox,” said Ava. “If I get my pedals mixed up, I could kill us all.”
“Well, what are we going to do?” said Betty, wringing her hands and looking concerned in Charlotte’s furry, pineapple-print onesie.
“We all need to calm down, that’s what we’re going to do,” said Harriett, authoritatively, in a pair of Winnie the Pooh pyjamas. “And I don’t know why you two are arguing about who’s going to drive, because Jess has her car here. You did drive here, didn’t you?”
Jess shook herself and nodded. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. Yes, I drove here. My car’s outside. Thank goodness I’ve only had a sip of wine.”
“Okay,” said Harriett, taking charge. “Charlotte, you go with Jess, Ava, and Olivia, and Betty and I will keep an eye on the girls and the dogs. And I’ll go and get your case from upstairs. Is it still in your bedroom? Right, action stations, everyone, Operation Baby Costello is underway!”
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Despite Molly’s protests, Charlotte wanted her to stay at home.
