The Peridale Cafe Cozy Box Set 2

by Agatha Frost

  “Sit down,” Dot said, offering a chair to Julia. “Doesn’t look like we’re going to get served anytime soon. This place is run like a sinking ship!”

  At that very moment, a flustered young woman with rosy cheeks pushed through a door on the far side of the room. Her frizzy mousy hair flew free of the bun on top of her head, and her baggy apron was stained in flour and various sauces. It was a look Julia knew all too well.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled, her accent English, like Mary’s. “I’m not used to serving. Orange juice and coffee?”

  “Tea,” Dot snapped, not seeming to notice the girl’s stress. “And it better not be the cheap stuff!”

  The girl dropped four tea bags into an already filled teapot, and placed it in the middle of the table with shaky hands. Julia attempted to give the young girl a smile, but it was either unwanted or unnoticed. Knowing how stressful a kitchen could be without the proper support, she hoped it was the latter. She could remember many times in her café’s early days when she had been so overwhelmed that she had regretted ever opening.

  The girl pulled out a notepad and scribbled down their breakfast orders. Dot ordered a full Scottish breakfast, making sure to mention the tattie scone and sautéed mushrooms specifically. The girl seemed relieved when Sue asked for corn flakes and Julia asked for poached eggs on toast. The sound of a full Scottish breakfast intrigued her, but she decided she would leave that for a day when she wasn’t likely to cause the girl, who didn’t look a day over nineteen, a breakdown.

  “It’s a good job we haven’t paid for this,” Dot whispered under her breath as the girl walked away. “Could you imagine?”

  “Give her a break, Gran,” Julia replied. “It’s not easy doing it on your own. Charlotte said it was a skeleton staff at the moment, remember?”

  “Skeleton staff?” Dot cried, craning her neck to look at the girl before she vanished back through the doors with her trolley. “She looks very much alive to me, sweetheart.”

  “It means they have the bare minimum working,” Sue added, a little colour returning to her cheeks after a sip of tea. “It’s what we do at the hospital during the late shifts and on days like Christmas.”

  “Well if this is the skeleton, I’d hate to see the ghost staff,” Dot said through pursed lips. “Although, the lady in the spa is a miracle worker. I feel twenty-five again!”

  To demonstrate, Dot cracked her neck and stretched out her arms. Julia laughed and glanced at the large windows, the view taking her breath away once more. She didn’t care about the skeleton staff or the empty dining room, or even the ruckus that had welcomed them yesterday. Nothing could ruin the next five days of total relaxation.

  There was a loud bang, and the doors opened again, making them all jump. The cook hurried back with their food, along with a rack of golden toast and a dish of yellow butter. When Julia smiled at her this time, she seemed to notice and smiled back, appearing relieved that breakfast was over for the morning.

  “Thank you,” Julia made an effort to say while their eyes briefly met.

  “You’re very welcome, miss,” she said with a small nod before hurrying back through the doors again.

  The doors banged again, causing Dot to slop baked beans down the front of her white blouse. She pursed her lips tightly and let out a long sigh through her flared nostrils as she dabbed at the stain with a napkin. Julia and Sue caught each other’s eyes and shared a little grin.

  Julia’s eggs were poached to perfection, and Dot didn’t complain once about her breakfast, which both sisters knew was a good sign. Sue barely touched her corn flakes, instead choosing to move them around the bowl while staring at them with a curled lip as though she was looking into a bowl of rotten eggs.

  A third bang made them all jump, so much so that Julia spilt her tea in her lap. She dabbed up the tea with a napkin as she looked to the door, but the young cook didn’t appear, and the doors were still in their frame.

  “What was that?” Julia asked as she dried her jeans.

  “Sounded like a gunshot,” Sue whispered.

  “Deer hunting is very popular around Loch Lomond,” Dot exclaimed before reaching into her bag to pull out her guidebook. “Let me find the chapter. It’s a fascinating read.”

  Julia glanced out of the window, but she couldn’t see anybody on the bank ahead, despite the gunshot, if that’s even what it was, sounding relatively close.

  “I didn’t know they had deer in Scotland,” Sue said as she pushed her mushy cereal away. “I think the pool is calling this morning.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Julia agreed as she screwed up the tea-soaked napkin and tossed it onto her plate. “Let’s stack these up. Make the poor girl’s job a little easier.”

  As Julia and Sue made the breakfast dishes as neat as possible, Dot flicked through the pages of her tiny book, clicking her fingers together when she landed on the section about deer hunting.

  “Ah, here it is!” she exclaimed, straightening her back before reading aloud. “’Red deer hunting is a very popular sport in Scotland, particularly in the months of August and September’.”

  “But it’s only the end of May,” Sue said.

  Her gran opened her mouth to continue reading, but a piercing woman’s scream echoed through the empty dining room. Dot turned to look at the doors to the kitchen, but Julia was sure it had come from the opposite direction.

  “What was that?” Dot cried. “This place is a shambles! I’m going to be sure to call Tony Bridges and let him know -,”

  “Quiet, Gran,” Julia whispered, holding up her hand. “I can hear a woman crying.”

  Julia stood up and followed the sound through the dining room and back along the corridor that had taken her there in the first place. The sobbing grew louder and louder, pulling her back towards the entrance hall. Julia hurried along the corridor, and burst through the heavy doors with Sue and Dot hot on her heels.

  Julia’s hand drifted up to her mouth when she saw Mary crouching over Henry, who was lying in a pool of blood and shattered pieces of wood. He was in the same place Mary’s clothes had been the day before. Julia hurried forward and rested her hands on the woman’s shoulders as she looked up at the landing. Just as she suspected, there was a huge chunk of the mahogany bannister missing where the man had fallen. Julia looked down at the man’s body. When she noticed the blood pouring from his chest, she knew she had just discovered the source of the mysterious bang.

  “He’s been shot!” Mary wailed. “I was looking for him at the reception desk, and he just flew over and landed right here. He’s dead!”

  “Did you see who did it?” Julia whispered urgently. “Is there another way to get downstairs without being seen?”

  “This is the only way,” she sobbed. “Oh, Henry!”

  At that moment, Charlotte appeared through the doors that led to the part of the castle where their sleeping quarters were. She walked in, her eyes instantly landing on her father. Instead of screaming out, she stared down at the body, before hurrying over to the reception desk to pick up the phone.

  “Police,” she said quickly down the handset as she held it to her face, her eyes wide as she continued to stare at her father. “Please, come quickly.”

  Julia left Mary’s side and tiptoed up the sweeping staircase. She looked at the broken bannister, and then through the open door into what she assumed was Henry’s bedroom. There was no murder weapon, and nobody else in sight. She took a step into the room and checked behind the door, making sure not to touch anything, but it was in vain; the room was empty.

  Edging as close to the broken bannister as she dared, she stared down at Henry’s body, wondering how the murderer had managed to flee without passing Mary. She had to stop herself from checking all of the other closed doors along the hall, deciding that was a job best left to the police. Knowing there was nothing else she could do yet, she pulled Mary away from her husband’s body and comforted her at the bottom of the staircase.

 
While the grief-stricken woman sobbed against her shoulder, Julia pulled her in close and listened for the sirens.

  Chapter Four

  Julia stared out of the window of the sunroom as the sun set on the loch. She attempted to focus on a man and child fishing in the distance, but the image of Henry’s body was still fresh on her mind.

  “How long are they going to keep us in here?” Dot moaned as she paced back and forth. “It’s been hours!”

  “They’re going to interview everybody in the house,” Julia explained calmly. “Including us.”

  “But we didn’t do anything!”

  “Then you’ll have nothing to worry about,” Sue added. “I don’t see why they couldn’t have made us stay in the spa or the pool room. It’s an entire day of our trip wasted.”

  Julia looked sympathetically at her sister and smiled reassuringly, not sure how to tell her that the owner’s murder was likely to put an end to their free trip. She decided it was better if she came to that conclusion on her own. She looked out at the water as pink and orange stained the horizon. It was beautiful, but it was a sunset she couldn’t enjoy.

  The shy young cook, who Julia had learned was called Blair, appeared in the doorway holding a fresh tray of tea and cakes. Julia gratefully took the tray from her, replacing the one she had brought in two hours ago.

  “Do you know what’s happening?” Dot asked, a little kinder than she had spoken to her earlier in the day. “I feel like they’re not going to let us leave.”

  “I’ve just been interviewed,” she said nervously, her fingers fumbling with the strings on her apron. “Told them I was in the kitchen the whole time. Men in white coats have been crawling all over the castle.”

  “Forensics,” Julia mumbled, almost to herself. “Have they taken his body?”

  “I think so, miss,” Blair said with a quick nod.

  “I’ve told you, it’s Julia,” she said with a kind smile. “Did you bake these? They look delicious.”

  “Lemon drizzle cupcakes, miss – I mean – Julia,” she said, her voice soft and cheeks flushing at her own correction. “I’ve never seen a dead body before, but I walked past it when I took a tin of shortbread up to Charlotte. It’s her favourite and I thought it might cheer her up. I think the poor woman is in shock. She hasn’t said a word.”

  “Death can do that,” Julia whispered, again to herself. “Although I did find it peculiar that she didn’t call for an ambulance as well as the police. It was like she just assumed her father was already dead.”

  “Did you see the poor fella?” Dot mumbled through a mouthful of cake. “Oh, Julia! This girl might rival you. Delicious, Blair. Where was I? Oh, yes! The man was clearly dead. He had a huge chunk missing out of his -,”

  Blair sniffled, and a flow of silent tears delicately streamed down her youthful cheeks. Julia wrapped a hand around her shoulders and pulled her into a little hug. It hadn’t struck her that the girl had just lost her employer. From what Julia had seen of Henry, she hadn’t very much liked the man herself, but she knew everybody had different sides to them.

  “Why don’t you sit down and enjoy your cakes?” Julia offered. “You’ve been rushed off your feet all day.”

  “No can do,” Blair said quietly, quickly wiping her tears away as though they were forbidden. “I’ve got to clean the kitchen for Charlotte and Rory’s dinner.”

  “Rory?” Julia asked.

  “Charlotte’s brother and Henry’s – his son,” she choked on the words before turning and hurrying off.

  “Poor mite,” Dot said as she plucked another cake from the tray. “She’s a fragile one. She’ll toughen up with age, but I can’t imagine it’s very pleasant seeing any man like that. Oh! This one has a jam filling!”

  Dot tore open the cupcake and strawberry jam dribbled down her fingers. Dot licked it up and tossed the second cake into her mouth without a second thought. Julia was sure they were lovely, but her stomach wouldn’t settle long enough to eat. She began to pace back and forth by the window as the light faded from the sky forcing the sconces to do their job. She was itching to know what was going on, and she desperately wanted to know what had happened.

  “You’ve got that look in your eyes, Julia,” Sue said sternly with a shake of her head. “I don’t like that look.”

  “What look?”

  “The look you get right before you wade into something,” Dot replied for her. “It’s like when a bull sees red.”

  “It’s the waving of the flag that entices the bull, not the colour,” Julia corrected her as she continued to pace. “Bulls are actually colour-blind. It could be a green flag or a red flag, and the bull would still charge.”

  “Well, murder is your flag,” Dot said as she poured herself a cup of tea. “And this castle is waving it in front of you!”

  Julia wanted to deny it, but her gran was right. She had been trying to piece things together ever since the police officers had chaperoned them into the sunroom and told them not to leave. Who had hated Henry so much that they would want to shoot him? Where did they get the gun? Why now?

  “Evening, ladies.”

  Julia stopped in her tracks and turned to see a fresh-faced young man standing in the doorway. He had sandy blonde hair, which was slicked back off his smooth and shiny forehead. His overpowering sweet aftershave filled the room, turning Julia’s stomach further. Just from his demeanour and suit, she knew he was with the police.

  “Detective Inspector Fletcher,” the man said as he flashed a badge, his Scottish accent soft and barely noticeable. “Jay Fletcher. May I have a seat?”

  Julia motioned to the seat she had been sitting in earlier. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and stared down at the man, waiting for some grand revelation. Instead, he frowned down at the cakes, and then up at Dot, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat as she bit into another cake. Jam dribbled down her chin and onto her already stained blouse.

  “I know you ladies were together in the dining room when Henry McLaughlin died so this won’t take long,” he said as he pulled a pad from his jacket pocket. “I just want to know your account of things, in your own words.”

  “Aren’t you a little young to be a DI?” Dot said. “You’re fresh out of Pampers.”

  The handsome young man smirked and shook his head. It was clear it wasn’t the first time he had heard that. Julia wouldn’t have guessed the man had even passed his thirtieth birthday yet.

  “I assure you, I’m more than competent,” he said sternly, his charismatic smile still plastered across his face. “Who wants to go first?”

  “We were eating breakfast in the dining room alone,” Julia started, taking a step forward. “Blair, the cook, was coming in and out, serving us. We heard the gunshot, and we thought it might be deer hunters, but we realised it was out of season. Then, I heard Mary scream and I followed the sound of her crying to the entrance hall. We stayed by her side until the police arrived. Do you know who murdered Henry?”

  “It’s my job to ask the questions,” he said with a small laugh. “I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Julia South,” she said quickly. “This is my gran, Dot, and my sister, Sue. But it was murder, right? He was shot in the chest. I can’t see that being an accident.”

  “We’re not ruling anything out.”

  “A wound like that must have been from a pretty powerful gun,” Julia said, her eyes glazing over as she stared down at the cakes in the dim light. “It didn’t sound like a handgun. There was too much echo. Too much of a bang. Besides, if deer hunting is popular here, you would expect people to have rifles of some kind. Unless you have very long arms, it’s almost impossible to shoot yourself in the chest with a rifle, unless you cut the end off, but don’t most people go for the head if they want to end their own life? No point prolonging it, and doing it so publically where you can possibly fall and break through a bannister.”

  Julia met the DI’s eyes, and he stared at her, a mixture of disbelief and suspici
on filling his young face. She suddenly remembered she wasn’t in Peridale anymore, and this wasn’t Barker.

  “You seem to know a lot, Miss South.”

  “She’s an astute woman,” Dot exclaimed proudly. “Assisted on many murder cases back home.”

  “And where is home?” he asked, his pen hovering over his paper.

  “Peridale,” Sue said. “The Cotswolds. Beautiful little village.”

  “Peridale?” he echoed, tapping the pen on his chin. “Sounds familiar. Think I heard about a DI down there who was suspended for letting some baker run his murder investigation. Funny how quickly those kinds of silly things get around. Wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Julia?”

  “No,” she lied.

  “We all had a good laugh about that up here,” he said, shaking his head with a smirk. “Wouldn’t get that happening up in Scotland, I’ll tell you that.”

  Julia’s cheeks burned brightly, and she looked down at the floor, avoiding his eyes. She turned and stared through the windows, but the sun had completely fallen out of the sky, so all she could see was her own reflection looking back at her in the glass. Behind her, she noticed the DI standing up, taking one of the cakes as he did.

  “Since you’re checked in until Monday morning, I’d like you to stick around,” he said as he peeled the wrapper off the small cake. “I’m satisfied that you’ve told me all you know, for now, but I can’t have you leaving the country, can I?”

  “They’re keeping the spa open?” Julia asked, quickly turning around.

  “Charlotte thinks it is for the best,” he replied. “We can only advise. They have paying guests checking in before the weekend, and they can’t afford to lose the business. Call me if you think of anything else, ladies.”

  He passed Julia a business card, popped the cake into his mouth, looked each of them in the eyes, and then turned and sauntered slowly down the hallway and through the double doors at the end.

  “He doesn’t know a thing,” Julia said quickly as she turned the card over in her hands before pocketing it. “If he suspects the three women with concrete alibis, he’s grasping at straws.”