Peridale Cafe Mystery 19 - Brownies and Bloodshed

by Agatha Frost

  “I think the song is an instruction,” Sue said when the rest of the gang left the café and joined them at the poppy arch. ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’ looped back around to the beginning. “Gran’s probably getting ready to make her big entrance.”

  “Let’s not keep her waiting then,” Julia said, biting the bullet and stepping onto the carpet. “I think we’re being watched.”

  They turned to Dot’s bedroom window and the round lenses of the binoculars Julia had just noticed vanished behind the billowing lace curtains.

  Arm in arm with Barker, Julia walked down the soft yellow brick road, the uneven grass beneath the carpet leaving her footsteps unsteady. Barker accepted a glass of champagne from one of the munchkin waiters and finished it by the time they stepped off the grass road and onto the carpeted road. After looking behind to make sure everyone had made it across the green, Julia walked through the gates, the flash of a camera from a waiting photographer immediately blinding her. Julia wasn’t sure if she should try to adopt the Wicked Witch persona, but she awkwardly smiled anyway, uncertain if it even read through her heavy make-up and fake nose.

  “This is getting weirder and weirder,” Barker whispered to Julia as they made their way down the yellow aisle towards the giant wooden silhouette of the Emerald City at the front of the church. Father David wore his usual black and white robes, evidently having won a battle of wills against Dot’s theme. “Where do we sit?”

  Julia looked around for any indication of a seating plan, but the constant flashing of camera phones dazzled her. Through the lights, she recognised almost everyone; most of the village had turned out for the reveal of Dot’s theme. From the smiles, she knew this would be a Sunday service people would talk about for years to come.

  They shuffled into the first row on the left side of the church, which had a sign saying ‘The Souths’ stuck to it. On ‘The Croppers’ side, she saw Eugene the Cowardly Lion and Marley the Tin Man again, along with Tom and Helen, who wore typical wedding wear instead of costumes. After the events of last night, Julia was relieved not to see Ian’s face.

  When everyone had settled into their seats, the music cut off and the chattering stopped instantly. Father David cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention, and when all eyes were facing forward, a door opened in the hand-painted, wooden Emerald City structure. Julia and Barker glanced at each other as smoke poured through the door, filling the stage and trickling down the yellow carpet.

  Fanfare erupted, making Julia jump in her seat. Men and women dressed just like the eccentric citizens of the Emerald City marched through the door with trumpets; some taller ones had to duck. They split into two groups, each lining up on either side of the door.

  “I have no words,” Julia whispered to Barker as the fanfare came to its deafening finish.

  The smoke shifted green thanks to lights on the other side of the door, and the Wizard himself emerged through the smoke dressed in a flowing green cape, green suit, and a matching green hat. Even though his signature red frames had been switched to green ones, Julia recognised Percy through the costume immediately.

  “Welcome to the Emerald City!” he called out, a grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat’s on his face. “I hope we didn’t lose too many of you in the poppy fields. Has anybody seen young Dorothy Gale?”

  Darkness fell, leaving the church lit only by the light coming through the stained-glass windows. Julia looked back at the front doors, but they had been closed, and a munchkin stood guard on either side. The brass band started up again, startling Julia once again. This time, their tune was less celebratory and more frantic. The lights began to flash, giving Julia the impression she was twirling through the twister on her way to the real Oz.

  The music and lights cut out all at once, returning the church to comforting darkness and silence. The well-rehearsed munchkins stepped forward and opened a creaky door, revealing Dorothy Gale herself.

  “Is that Dot?” someone whispered.

  “Nah, she looks too young,” someone else replied.

  Julia squinted; her long-distance eyesight wasn’t what it had been. She made out long auburn hair parted down the middle and tied below the ears with blue ribbon, a matching knee-length dress over a white blouse, a wicker basket in the crook on her arm, and most importantly, glittery ruby red slippers over white ankle socks. Even in the semi-darkness of the church, the shoes sparkled just like the ones from Julia’s childhood memories.

  Dorothy basked in the silence before taking her first step into the church, her red shoes glowing against the yellow carpet. Bright light flooded the space. The opening bars of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ played, and Judy Garland’s distinctive voice made every hair on Julia’s body stand up.

  As Dorothy made her way down the aisle, smiling and nodding to the hundreds of guests filling the church, the audience could have heard a pin drop. Most of them clutched their phones, capturing every second of the madness.

  “What has she done to her face?” Sue whispered to Julia from further down the bench. “She looks half her age.”

  Julia squinted, but it took a couple more seconds before the picture came into focus enough for Julia to even recognise her gran in the costume. While her arms and hands looked the same as usual, something had happened to Dot’s face. Sue was right – she looked half her age. Her wrinkles were barely visible, leaving behind skin even smoother and tighter than Julia’s. If Julia hadn’t seen her gran the night before, she would have suspected she’d secretly had a facelift.

  “She looks stunning,” Julia said aloud.

  When Dot reached the front of the church, she winked in their direction before stepping up to the altar.

  “In what version of the story did Dorothy marry the Wizard?” Jessie whispered to Julia.

  “This one.”

  Dot and Percy joined hands and, for a moment, the surrounding circus settled into the purpose of the day – love. Their eyes were so connected, and their smiles so pure, it brought tears to Julia’s eyes. She thought of her own wedding day, held in the same church on Christmas Day half a year ago. The ceremony had been simple and intimate, with only close family and friends in attendance, as their earlier attempt at a grand wedding had been ruined by the choirmaster dropping dead in the middle of her solo.

  While Julia’s effort at a lavish wedding hadn’t gone as far as Dot’s, she understood Dot’s need to make this the biggest and best day it could be. Even though Julia wanted to believe her gran would live forever, a grain of sand slipped through the hourglass with each passing day. Ridiculous as Julia felt in her costume, she was happy to play along for her gran’s sake.

  Father David assumed his position between the couple, Bible in hand. Against the backdrop of the Emerald City, he delivered his opening monologue with a smile, tongue firmly in his cheek. Any other church would have laughed Dot out the door at the first whiff of her plans, but Peridale was a small village. Everyone knew everyone, and Father David was the most agreeable man around.

  “Since you’ve prepared your vows,” Father David said, softly closing the Bible after his final reading, “I’ll turn the floor over to you. Percy, or should I say, the Wizard.”

  Percy cleared his throat, his face red as he reached into his top hat to retrieve a note. He unfolded it with shaking hands and looked down at the text. His eyes darted from edge to edge before he shook his head, folded up the paper, and slotted it into his breast pocket. He clutched Dot’s hands in his, the loving smile returning at once.

  “My Dorothy,” he began, eyes already welling up, “I put my old thinker to good use trying to imagine the perfect way to express my love to you, but words failed me every time. Even now, the version I have in my pocket doesn’t seem near close enough. So, instead, I’ll say this: I can’t promise you a lifetime because I don’t have one to give. I don’t regret that I didn’t meet you sooner because we met when we needed to. Something pushed us closer, and you became the light I hadn’t realised I’d been mis
sing for so many years. We could have days, weeks, months, and if we’re lucky, years together, but right here, right now, not as the Wizard but as Percy Cropper, the man who loves the bones of you, I promise to be there through it all. Through sickness and health, poverty and wealth, until one of us must leave this world for the next. For as long as you want me, I’ll be by your side. I love you, Dorothy South.”

  Julia’s tears flowed freely, dripping off her chin with a green hue onto her black dress. She went to dab them but decided it would be best not to disrupt the make-up artist’s hard work more than she already had. Instead, she grabbed Barker’s hand and squeezed tightly. He squeezed right back, smiling at her, still handsome even as a scarecrow. In that smile, she knew Barker felt the words as deeply as she did – something she couldn’t have said before he came into her life.

  “How can I top that?” Dot turned to the crowd, rousing a little laughter. “Percival Cropper, you funny, strange, amusing, loving, little man. We lived in this same village for decades, our paths rarely crossing. When I’d see you about from time to time, I’d think ‘What an odd little man.’ And I was right, but it wasn’t until I got to know you during my brief turn in the choir that I saw your heart. I turned down your invitation for a date three times because, like you, I didn’t realise a light was missing from my life.” She paused and looked over her shoulder, her eyes running down the South bench. “I have my family. I love them more than they’ll ever know. But until I let you in, I didn’t realise what had been missing. Love, respect, companionship – they’re all words meaning the same thing, and I’ve found that in you. You don’t question my frosty ways, you don’t try to soften my edges, and you accept me for the complex woman I am. I thought my days of change were over. I’d had a good life, and I’d accepted that I had become somewhat of a witness, watching the people I love grow and evolve while I stayed the same, waiting for God to strike me down. It turns out, my book still has a few chapters left, and I can’t think of a man I’d rather spend them with. My odd little wizard, I love you.”

  Julia didn’t need to look around to know there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Even Father David, usually so composed, produced a tissue to dab his eyes.

  “Well, that was something,” Father David said with a chuckle. “Very moving, both of you. I guess that means it’s time to exchange the rings.”

  Dot and Percy had been quite adamant about breaking tradition when it came to having bridesmaids and best men, although Dot had told Julia she would have been the Maid of Honour if ‘the theme allowed.’ Julia didn’t mind. More importantly, she understood. After three weddings of her own, resulting in two marriages, Julia knew how stressful including everyone in every aspect was. Dot and Percy enjoyed being the centre of attention, and today, they had made sure the focus was entirely on them.

  In the absence of a best man, Percy patted down his pockets for the rings. From one, he produced a string of tied-together handkerchiefs; from another, a bouquet of the same poppies from the arch; and finally, he pulled the rings from the top hat.

  “Sorry, folks,” Percy said, as he handed them to Father David. “Once a magician, always a magician.”

  While Father David talked them through the final part of the ceremony, Dot and Percy once again held hands, their gazes locked. Julia found it amazing to see eyes that had seen eight decades still looking at another person as though they had never seen anything so wonderful.

  “It gives me great pleasure to call you husband and wife!” Father David cried. “Wizard, you may now kiss the bride.”

  The trumpets sprang to life, filling the church with their bombastic fanfare as Percy stood up on tiptoes to peck Dot on the lips. Without prompting, everyone jumped to their feet to applaud the happy couple. Even Jessie, who liked everyone to think she was tough, was sniffling under her mask as she beat her hands together.

  After Dot and Percy signed the marriage certificate and all the dressed-up characters posed for pictures in front of the Emerald City, everyone made their way into the bright summer afternoon, which was proving to be a hot one.

  “Straight onto the village hall for the reception,” Dot called into the crowd as people milled outside the church. “The fun is only just beginning, and I hope you’ve all brought your dancing shoes!”

  Julia’s instinct was to rush over to her gran and hug her until she couldn’t hold on anymore, but she hung back and let the couple continue to pose for pictures like lovesick teenagers.

  “That was something,” Barker said as they followed the crowd towards the village hall next door to the church. “I can’t believe how smoothly everything went.”

  Julia was about to agree, but she stopped herself when she cast her eyes back up the carpeted yellow brick road. She nudged Barker and nodded to the poppy arch, where she could make out the outline of a man in a tuxedo leaning against a wall, puffing on a cigar. She might only have met him briefly, but she didn’t doubt the man was Percy’s older brother, Ian.

  “Let’s hope he stays over there,” said Barker.

  Julia hoped so too, but the wriggling in her gut told her not to be so naïve.

  4

  Dot and Percy continued to break with the traditional routine that usually came with weddings. The drawn-out wedding breakfast and clunky speeches were scrapped in favour of immediately starting the party with a grand buffet to feed the guests. A lavish cake in the shape of Dorothy’s ruby slippers filled the centre of the buffet table. Julia had expected to make her gran’s wedding cake, but she was glad she hadn’t been asked to construct something so intricate; even her baking skills had limits.

  The Oz theme continued, transforming the hall’s drab 1970s décor into the interior of the Emerald City. The attention to detail was exhaustive, crafting a transportive experience. Aside from the floor and ceiling, no hint of the real location showed through, making Julia feel strangely at home in her costume. A full band, dressed in outfits matching the dozen munchkin waiters, played classic silver screen show tunes.

  By early evening, Julia retired from the dancefloor and sipped orange juice, content watching Eugene tear up the dancefloor with Dot and Percy, all still in full costume.

  The day had been so fun; Julia couldn’t have felt more different from the previous evening’s mood. While she had made frequent trips to the bathroom, the love in her heart suppressed any potential mood imbalances that might have threatened to bubble to the surface.

  “We should do this again,” Barker whispered down to her as they slow danced to the live singer’s rendition of ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’. “Get married, I mean.”

  “We only just got married,” Julia replied, nuzzling her face into his scratchy, straw-stuffed chest, leaving behind a green smear. “If I recall, it didn’t go so smoothly.”

  “Perhaps we should have let Dot plan it after all,” he replied with a chuckle. “If the government ever cuts off her pension, she’s got a career in party planning, that’s for sure. But I mean it. Maybe not now or any time soon, but one day we should do all this again. Maybe when our little one is old enough to be part of it.”

  The thought warmed Julia through. Maybe she was drunk on the whimsy of the day, or maybe her love for Barker ran that deep, but the idea of remarrying him one day with their baby in attendance made her want to do it all again.

  “Maybe,” she replied. “One day.”

  The slow ballad faded out, replaced by an upbeat jazz song. Though Eugene tried to make her stay, she retreated to the edges of the room to rest her feet, which weren’t used to being in heels for such long periods.

  Instead of walking over to Jessie and Alfie, who were both mask-less and stuffing their faces with sandwiches from the buffet, she walked over to Percy’s niece and nephew. Thomas and Helen had been watching the festivities from the side-lines for most of the day. If the meal at the restaurant had gone better, she might have known more about the siblings, but as it stood now, she knew about enough to fill the back of a postage stamp. />
  “Julia, right?” Thomas squinted as he looked through her green exterior. “Jessie’s mum.”

  “That’s me,” she said, glancing over at Jessie, who was attempting to throw peanuts into Alfie’s mouth. “I see you were lucky enough to avoid costumes.”

  “Oh, we had costumes.” Thomas sucked the air through his teeth. “But there was no way I was turning up here dressed like a winged monkey. I was almost relieved when I saw we weren’t the only ones given that costume.”

  “I don’t think they’d notice either way,” Helen said, nodding at Percy and Dot as they continued to dance with all the energy of twenty-one-year-olds. “I’ve been to a lot of weddings in my time, but this tops them all.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Thomas lifted his pint. “So, Jessie said you were pregnant?”

  “I am.” Julia’s hand drifted to her midsection as it always did. “It’s early days. I’m only ten weeks gone, but you can’t keep a secret like that in a village like this. Are you local? I haven’t seen you around.”

  “We both live in Riverswick,” Thomas, clearly the chattier of the two, explained. “Helen’s living with me while she figures things out. She’s going through an expensive divorce.”

  Helen smiled tightly, giving her brother a side-eyed glance as if to chastise him for bringing up the topic. Helen’s quiet and distant energy made a little more sense to Julia. She had felt much the same in those days in her mid-thirties when she was back sleeping on her gran’s sofa after her marriage went sour.

  “Are you twins?” Julia asked, wanting to change the subject. “You look almost the same age.”

  “Everyone thinks we’re twins,” Helen replied after a sip of wine. A little dribbled down her chin and onto her beige blouse; she didn’t seem to notice. “We’re not, but we are both fifty. We were born two months apart. It’s a long story.”