Peridale Cafe Mystery 21 - Profiteroles and Poison

by Agatha Frost

  A wave of guilt surged through him. He’d visited the shop a few times, but he bought more books than the few he’d purchased from Debra. Tapping on his phone and having a flat brown box appear on the doormat the next day was a temptation he rarely resisted, even with Trotter’s being so close.

  “Plenty of people in the village today,” he said, following her back to the counter. “Flyers might help get some in.”

  “Not a bad idea,” she replied, scratching at her bushy black hair. “To tell you the truth, I’m glad of the quiet today. I’m a little shaken up after this morning.”

  “Nothing serious, I hope?”

  “The police carted me in to ask about Lynn’s death.” Debra slid onto her stool behind the counter and folded her glasses into a leather case. “They’re saying she was poisoned. They didn’t explicitly say they thought I did it, but that was the feeling I got. It reminded me of how they hounded me when Terry first went missing.”

  “They’ll be interviewing everyone in the book club,” he explained, glad she’d been the one to bring up the topic, “and I daresay they’ll have you in for more questioning if they don’t find concrete answers soon.” He considered his approach before adding, “Full disclosure, I’m also looking into Lynn’s death now that it’s considered a murder.”

  Debra frowned and seemed to slip into her own thoughts for a moment. Barker glanced over his shoulder and noticed Julia at the end of the romance aisle, eyes glued to a book and left ear pointed in their direction.

  “Of course,” she replied. “Private investigator.”

  “I’m still looking into Terry’s case,” he assured her. “Although, I haven’t had a fresh lead in a while. What did you tell the police about Lynn?”

  “The truth,” she said quietly, “and I may as well tell you too, as much as I’m embarrassed to admit it. They called it ‘motive’, and I almost wish I hadn’t said anything, but it’s out there now.” She sighed and scratched at her hair again, one eye closed. “Lynn was blackmailing me.”

  Behind Barker, a book slapped shut.

  “Oh, hello, Julia.”

  “Blackmail?” she echoed, joining them. “Lynn?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Debra sighed. “I’m ashamed to say I went along with it, but I didn’t know what else to do. After I hired her to clean my house, she discovered something and used it against me. I was so stunned that I didn’t take her seriously, but oh boy, was she serious.”

  “But Lynn was . . . sweet.”

  “That’s what I thought,” she continued, “but it was an act. She even threatened me with her sickly smile. I’ve been paying her two hundred a week for months. Oh, I’ve been so silly.”

  Debra walked over to the window stacked high with books. Nails between her teeth, she stared out at the strolling shoppers, but her gaze seemed to go right through them. Barker hadn’t expected to uncover a credible motive for murder during his first interview on the case, and yet one had landed right in his lap.

  “For the sake of thoroughness,” he said calmly, “do you mind telling me why Lynn was blackmailing you?”

  “It was about Terry.” She turned to face them. “I was seeing someone. A man I met on the internet. I liked him, but I called it off when Lynn found out. She saw my computer and read our emails. Private conversations. It was like poison, the way she talked about it. She made it sound so dirty. She threatened to tell Stacey, and I didn’t want her thinking I’d moved on from her father so fast because . . .” Her voice trailed off, and she looked up at the ceiling. After a deep inhale, she said, “Terry and I separated earlier this year, months before he vanished. We agreed not to tell Stacey until we’d figured out the details. She’s always idolised her father. Me, not so much. Everything I do seems to irritate her, but her father could do no wrong.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true,” Julia said.

  “I think it is.” Debra slipped back onto her stool and wrapped herself in a tight embrace. “Oh, God, I can’t believe I’m about to say this.” She took another deep inhale and let it out through pursed lips. “When Stacey was a teenager, she caught me being unfaithful. She kept it secret from Terry at my request, and I promised never to be so silly again. And I wasn’t. But Terry . . . he was an unloving man. He’d rather watch football than talk to me. I should never have asked her to keep something like that from him. I should have left him then, but I thought I could rescue things. Keep my family together. Stacey and Terry only grew closer, and I was the outsider. Even now, Stacey merely tolerates me.”

  Tears dampened her lashes as her bottom lip wobbled. Julia pulled a packet of tissues from her pocket, and Debra accepted one with a smile.

  “I paid Lynn because I didn’t want to push Stacey even further away.” Debra dabbed the corners of her eyes with a tissue-wrapped fingertip. “If she knew the truth that would be it for us. The straw to break the camel’s back. I’ve been trying to build a relationship with my daughter, not fracture what little connection we have.” She blew her nose. “I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Don’t be,” Barker said. “And thank you for being so honest. I know that can’t have been easy.”

  Debra dragged the scrunched-up tissue across her eyes again. The door opened, and a young man walked in, headphones on and a backpack slung over his shoulder.

  “I know you’re close to Stacey these days,” Debra whispered to Julia. “Please don’t say anything to her.”

  “I won’t,” she assured her, “but I think you should have a conversation with her. If she knew the truth, she might see things differently.”

  “Maybe,” Debra replied, clearly unconvinced. “She has her father’s angry streak, though. She reacts badly to things. Always has.”

  Before Barker could figure out a subtle way to ask if Stacey ever got angry enough to want to poison someone, the young man put the book on the counter. Barker bit his lip, enjoying the slight thrill of seeing the original hardback version of The Girl in the Basement. Debra glanced at Barker as though about to let the customer know he was inches from the author, but Barker gave his head a little shake.

  Between his book tour, radio tour, the TV circuit his publicist had pushed him through, he’d had his fill of adoration. The man paid and left without giving Barker a second glance.

  “I know you announced you were done with writing,” Debra said as she tossed the man’s coins into the till, “but like I said, it’s a guaranteed seller, and I’d bet a sequel would do just as well.” She leaned in, and a smile lifted her dour expression for the first time since they’d entered. “And selfishly, I really enjoyed the book. I was so looking forward to seeing what Detective Inspector Robert Greene and Julie North got up to next.”

  “She got heavily pregnant,” Julia said, rubbing a hand over her bump, “and he became a private investigator.”

  Debra chuckled, but the letters on his desk scratched at the back of Barker’s mind and he didn’t join in. Debra wasn’t the only local who had asked him to write another book, but she did own a book shop.

  “I can’t promise a new instalment,” Barker said, patting down his pockets, “but I could sign some of those new paperbacks for your customers.”

  “Really?” Debra’s face lit up. “I’d love that. I considered bringing a few to the book club, but I didn’t want to presume. Let me grab them from the back.”

  Debra hurried off, leaving them alone at the counter.

  “You saw Debra and Lynn interacting,” he said. “What were they like together?”

  “I didn’t notice any overt animosity, but now that I think about it, Debra barely acknowledged Lynn at the last meeting. Neither did Stacey. I put it down to the disappointing sighting news, but . . . could Lynn have been blackmailing Stacey for money too?”

  Money.

  Jessie needed money.

  Jessie needed money right until Lynn died.

  “How’s a dozen?” Debra walked back with a stack of books.

  “Perfect,” he replied, forcing
a smile and pushing thoughts of Jessie away for the moment. “Don’t suppose you have a fountain pen? I prefer them.”

  “Right here,” Debra pulled one out from under the counter. “Glad I’m not the only one. Can’t stand those modern ballpoints. Can’t stand anything modern, to be honest. Don’t even have a television in the house. It’s all about reading for me.”

  Barker quickly scribbled his signature in the books, the scratchy nib difficult to use. He didn’t prefer them at all, but Debra clearly did, as did his new poison pen pal.

  Once he’d signed the books, two customers came in one after the other, so Julia and Barker made their exit. From the silence between them, Barker was certain some of the same pennies had dropped for Julia as for him.

  “You don’t think she’s writing those letters?” Julia asked as they weaved through the shoppers on their way to the top of the street. “That’s why you asked for the fountain pen.”

  “Worth checking,” he said. “I think I have some samples of her handwriting in my Terry files. I’ll cross-reference them and see if they match. But Julia . . . there’s something else. Jessie. Something I didn’t mention because I didn’t want you to worry any more than you have been.” He looked around and, in a low voice, said, “Jessie asked Alfie how much money he could get hold of right before Lynn died. When I confronted her about it at Dot’s, she acted like whatever she’d needed the money for had vanished. I’d go as far as to say she seemed positively delighted to hear that Lynn had dropped dead. I didn’t understand the connection, but now that we know Lynn was capable of blackmailing people, it has to be connected.”

  “She stormed out of the café,” Julia said in a small voice, “right after Lynn walked in. She was already in a bad mood, so I assumed she didn’t want to be around people.”

  “Then there’s a very good chance Lynn was blackmailing Jessie too.” His thoughts tripped over each other as he tried to piece the puzzle together. “If that’s the case, it’s not all bad.”

  “How could our daughter being blackmailed not be ‘all bad’, Barker?”

  “Because Lynn is dead and doesn’t pose any current threat.”

  “I suppose,” she said, calmer. “But if that’s true, why was Lynn blackmailing Jessie of all people?”

  That, he couldn’t answer.

  Considering everything the three of them had been through in the years since their lives had become intertwined, he’d hoped Jessie could come to them with anything. And she did, quite often. What could be so bad that Jessie couldn’t say a word to them?

  5

  JULIA

  A dinner summons from Dot was not to be ignored, especially when it came with the promise of a ‘special announcement’. With Dot, the announcement could range from severe matters of life and death to more trivial ‘you’ll never guess what I overheard in the post office last week’, all delivered with the same panache.

  That being said, Julia initially turned down the summons. Considering everything going on around her, Dot’s disapproval at the rejection would be the least of her worries. However, she changed her mind when Dot promised Jessie had already accepted the dinner invitation. She’d intended to catch Jessie as she closed the café for the evening, but the neutral ground of Dot’s cottage felt like a safer bet for a difficult conversation.

  Not that there was an easy way to ask her daughter if a recently deceased cleaner had been extorting her, and if so, why?

  Both answers terrified her.

  Deep down, she hoped a simple misinterpretation of the situation was at fault, but even with so little to go on, the pieces all belonged to a blackmail-shaped puzzle, she was sure of it.

  “And a peppermint tea for Julia!” Percy declared as he put the final cup on the table. “First course will be served soon. In the meantime, chat amongst yourselves. I’ll help Dorothy before she—”

  “Percy?” Dot cried from the kitchen. “I need a second pair of hands in here, dear.”

  “Right you are, my love.”

  Chuckling to himself, Percy departed with the empty tray, leaving Julia at the table in the warm, softly lit dining room with Sue and Katie.

  “They make such a cute couple,” Katie said as she filed Sue’s nails. “I wonder what this announcement is about?”

  “Probably much ado about nothing,” Sue said, wincing as Katie scuffed her skin with the file. “Gives me a few hours off from the twins, though. I know it’s not their birthday until next month, but the terrible twos have definitely rolled into town.”

  “Oh, my Vinnie is the exact same right now,” Katie replied with a huff. “Your little brother is running circles around us. Your father was searching the back of his head for the mark of the devil. You have all this to look forward to, Julia.” She laughed, blowing the nail dust off Sue’s fingers before twisting open a bottle of clear polish. “What do you think it’s about?”

  “Hmm?”

  “The announcement?”

  “Oh, I haven’t given it much thought.”

  “She’s away with the fairies again,” Sue said, lips pursed. “Thinking about Lynn?”

  “It’s hard not to,” Julia replied, taken aback by her sister’s sharp tone. “The police confirmed that someone poisoned her teapot. Barker’s looking into it.” To avoid Sue’s inevitable lecture, she stopped herself from mentioning she was helping him. “But, if you must know, that’s not specifically what I’m thinking about at this very moment.” She glanced at the empty seat next to her with its cooling, milky coffee and said, “It’s Jessie.”

  “Has something happened?” Sue asked, her tone softening. “Is she okay?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Julia checked the clock on the wall. “Dot said she’d be here. I need to talk to her, but she’s doing her best to build a large wall between us right now. I shouldn’t even be here. I’m going to—”

  As Julia rose, Dot rushed through the door with a rattling silver trolley. Jiggling bowls of red soup filled the top shelf, with plates of buttered white bread slices on the bottom. Julia returned to her seat and tucked her chair under the table as much as her bump would allow.

  “Tomato and red pepper soup,” Dot said proudly as she set the bowls before them. “Not that rubbish from a tin, either.”

  “You made this?” Sue asked, sniffing the soup. “Smells really nice.”

  “I did. Got the recipe off the telly,” she replied, pushing up her short grey curls, “so if you don’t like it, blame Gino.”

  “And I buttered the bread,” Percy added.

  Rather than putting out soup and bread for Jessie, Dot left a bowl and plate on the trolley. Before sitting down, Percy turned on a small portable radio on the mantlepiece. Soft jazz filled the dining room as the couple took seats at opposite ends of the table.

  “Tuck in,” Dot said, picking up her spoon.

  “Are you going to tell us about your announcement?” Sue asked after a slurp of the soup. “Oh, this is actually really good. Well done, Gran.”

  “Thank you.” Dot scooped the wide spoon into the red liquid, pausing before it reached her lips. “And we were going to wait until after dinner, but I suppose we could tell you now. What do you think, dear?”

  “Never a better time,” he replied. “I’ll let you do the honours, my Dorothy.”

  Dot put her spoon down and fiddled with her brooch before clasping her hands on the table.

  “As you all know,” she began, “we’ve been in therapy for the last few months after the ordeal that happened on our honeymoon.”

  “Is that still affecting you, Gran?” Sue asked.

  Julia would be surprised if it weren’t. Even now, months later, she still had the odd nightmare about what they’d all gone through in Spain over the summer.

  “It’ll take more than being held for ransom and almost dying in a fire to knock me down,” she replied, her spine stiffening defiantly. “Our doctor suggested the therapy, and while I’ll admit I turned my nose up at it at first,
Percy convinced me it was worth a try.”

  “Nothing to lose, was there?” he added cheerfully. “You’d pay good money for it if you were private. And she’s lovely, isn’t she?”

  “I suppose, if not a little nosey,” Dot said without a hint of irony. “But yes, I’ll admit it didn’t do us any harm, and it was nice to talk about everything with someone who didn’t really know the situation. She gave us some perspective.”

  “And some great advice.”

  “And some good advice,” Dot agreed. “As well as some suggestions on how we could improve our lives. We’ve decided to take her up on one of them. So, with that being said . . .”

  Dot’s voice trailed off, and an excited smile tickled her thin lips. Percy grinned from ear to ear as he pushed up his round red spectacles.

  “Are you about to tell us you’re going to have a baby?” Sue asked. “I don’t think science is quite there yet.”

  “Close!” said Percy.

  Sue and Julia glanced at each other with the same trepidation.

  “How close?” Julia asked.

  “Well.” Dot paused to inhale deeply. “We’ve decided we’re getting . . . a dog!”

  Percy’s grin didn’t falter, but Dot’s smile dragged her brows down over her eyes as it turned into a frown.

  “What?” she demanded, picking up her soup spoon. “Is that it? No reaction? Aren’t you happy for us?”

  “Of course we are,” Sue said with a laugh. “It’s just . . . you know what, never mind. We’re happy for you. Aren’t we?”

  “Over the moon,” Julia agreed.

  “Not exciting enough for you?” Dot grumbled in her throat. “I’ll remember that the next time one of you tells me you’re expecting again.”

  They slurped their soup for a few minutes, the soft jazz filling the awkward space left behind by the lack of conversation.

  “I always wanted a dog,” Katie finally said. “My father would never allow it in the manor, but I guess he’s not here anymore.”

  “And you don’t live in a manor anymore,” Sue pointed out.