The Peridale Cafe Cozy Box Set 4

by Agatha Frost

  Dot tossed her head back and laughed more as Percy scrambled on the floor to pick up his scattered cards. As she turned to look at him, her eyes drifted to Julia’s. Dot immediately looked away. Julia and Jessie jumped out of view, but it was too late; they had been spotted.

  “Do we go over?” Jessie whispered. “I’m so confused. That’s Dot. Dot doesn’t date. She’s like … one-hundred-and-twenty-something.”

  “Let’s leave them to it.” Julia linked arms with Jessie and pulled her to the exit. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my gran over the years, it’s to expect the unexpected. There’s no predicting that woman.”

  They walked towards the exit, and even though Julia wanted to be happy for her gran, she couldn’t help but remember what Flora had told her about Percy and Gloria. She hoped it would come to nothing, but the knowledge nagged at the back of her mind. Leaving the restaurant, they rejoined Barker on the pavement.

  “Dot is in there on a date!” Jessie cried, clapping her hands together. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I need to text Alfie. He’s never going to believe what his landlady is up to.”

  Jessie pulled her phone and keys from her pocket and hurried over to her car. Barker passed Julia the contents of the pink envelope.

  “A £10 gift card to Pet Planet.” Julia turned the wedding present over in her hands. “How … thoughtful?”

  “I sense we’ve just been re-gifted.” Barker turned it over and pointed out the expiry date. “It expires in three days.”

  Julia tucked the gift card into her bag, grateful all the same. They climbed into the back of the car. Jessie, who was too busy texting on her phone, had yet to notice the yellow parking ticket stuck to the outside of the front window.

  Chapter Nine

  Julia couldn’t believe a year had passed since her baby brother’s birth. It felt like only yesterday that her father and his young wife, Katie, had revealed they were expecting a baby, and even less time since Vinnie’s dramatic entrance in the early hours of the morning the day after Barker’s ill-fated thirty-ninth birthday party.

  To spend the afternoon at Peridale Manor celebrating Vinnie’s first birthday with a family tea party was a surreal experience, especially because Julia had spent most of her life exclusively being an older sister to Sue. She had yet to fully wrap her head around having a rambunctious and cheeky one-year-old brother almost four decades her junior.

  Despite her initial reservations about her father having an infant at his age, it was impossible not to love Vinnie, especially now that he was growing into his own personality. Watching him wobblily walk around the party gurgling sounds that almost sounded like words melted her heart and made her excited for the day she could sit down and converse with him.

  A notable absence from the party was Dot. Julia had a good idea where her gran was, and, more importantly, whom she was with. After leaving the party with a bag of tissue-wrapped cake slices, Julia dropped Jessie and Barker at home and drove into the village. The moment she parked outside Dot’s cottage, the heavens opened and rain mirroring that of her wedding day crashed down from the darkened sky. Knowing a gap wasn’t likely to come, Julia grabbed the party bag and sprinted for Dot’s front door.

  Even though Dot rarely gave Julia the courtesy of knocking when she visited, Julia banged on the door as the rain soaked her to her bone. She only waited ten seconds before grabbing the handle. The door opened, but bounced back in its frame, the chain lock stopping her getting any further.

  “Gran?” Julia cried through the gap. “It’s me!”

  A stretch of silence followed before Julia heard movement and whispering within the cottage.

  “I’m not feeling well, dear!” Dot called back from what sounded like the sitting room. “You get yourself home.”

  “I’m soaked!” Julia began to shiver on the doorstep. “Let me in!”

  It took Dot almost a minute to take the chain off the door to let Julia in. Dot appeared flushed from rushing around, and even though she was still in her nightgown, she certainly didn’t seem sick.

  “You were missed at the party.” Julia held up the bag. “I brought you some cake.”

  “Party?” Dot wrinkled her nose before snapping her fingers. “Shoot! Today was Vinnie’s party! I’m sorry, dear. When you get to my age, the days all blur into one. I haven’t quite wrapped my head around suddenly having a third grandchild.”

  “I thought you were ill?”

  “That too.” Dot’s cheeks reddened further as she forced a false smile. “Well, thank you for dropping by. I really must get back.”

  “Back to what?”

  “To being ill?” Dot fiddled with her gown’s buttons as her eyes darted to the closed kitchen door at the end of the hall. “What’s with all the questions?”

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in for some warming tea?” Julia motioned to her soaked dress. “I’m freezing.”

  Dot pursed her lips and squinted down at Julia, and it became instantly apparent that they both knew what was going on. Still, Julia wanted to test her gran and see how far she could push things before she finally started being honest.

  “Take a seat in the sitting room.” Dot motioned to the door. “I’ll make you a cup of your favourite.”

  Julia nodded and waited for Dot to head to the kitchen, but it was clear she wasn’t going to move until Julia was in the sitting room. Julia conceded and walked in, and Dot slammed the door right behind her. Julia listened as her gran hurried to the kitchen, also closing that door behind her.

  Perching on the sofa, Julia brushed her wet curls out of her face and scanned the room. At first, nothing looked out of place. A teapot and a plate of leftover toast were on the table, and the TV was on the local news but muted with subtitles. After a second, Julia noticed the second teacup. She stood up and touched them both; still warm.

  “Here you go!” Dot announced as she entered the sitting room. “A cup of tea.”

  Julia wrapped her hands around the cup and let it warm her as she settled into Dot’s couch. Dot hovered in the corner before sighing and perching on the arm of the armchair by the fire. Her knee bounced up and down as she stared at Julia’s tea. Julia blew on the surface and took a small sip before placing it on the coffee table. Dot sighed audibly.

  “Been up to anything fun lately?” Julia asked, clasping her hands together.

  “Fun?” Dot blushed again, her eyes widening. “Erm, not really, dear. Unless you count drawing my pension? Nothing outside the usual routine. How about yourself?”

  “It was Barker’s birthday last night. We went out for a quiet meal.”

  “Oh?” Dot’s voice wobbled. “How lovely.”

  “I saw the most peculiar thing while I was there.” Julia leaned on the chair’s arm and stared deep into her gran’s eyes. “There was a woman who looked exactly like you. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a twin sister.”

  Dot’s fake smile remained for a second, and Julia thought she was going to continue going along with the fun, but she sighed, rolled her eyes, and relaxed.

  “I knew that was you.” Dot pursed her lips. “My long-distance vision has always been exceptional. You’ve caught me.” She stood, walked over to the sitting room door and opened it. “Percy! You can come out now.”

  The kitchen door opened and the short, bespectacled, bald man shuffled out. He smiled uncertainly at Julia as he made his way into the sitting room.

  “Good afternoon,” he said to Julia. “What terrible weather we’re having. Looks like you got caught in it.”

  “She knows.” Dot wafted her hand. “She saw us at the restaurant last night. I told you The Comfy Corner was a bad idea!”

  “Actually, I’ve had my suspicions for a while,” Julia revealed. “You’ve hardly been subtle.”

  Dot almost looked disappointed that her romance hadn’t been as secret as she clearly thought. Percy blushed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Dot slid down into the armchair and Pe
rcy took the position leaning against the chair’s arm. They made such an unlikely couple, and yet their contrasts oddly suited each other. Whereas Dot was tall and slender with her neat and put-together style, Percy was short, with mismatching clothes. He wore black and white chequered trousers held up by red braces, a corduroy waistcoat over a blue shirt, and a pink and yellow bow-tie. His bifocal glasses, which made his pupils twice their natural size, were perfect circles with red frames. He closely resembled a circus clown’s clumsy sidekick.

  “I just wanted a little fun, dear.” Dot shrugged. “You don’t get many opportunities at this age to experience these things. Romance is a young person’s game. After your grandfather died, I swore I’d never court another man again, but where did that get me? I’m eighty-four! As much as I’d like to pretend that I’m going to live forever, I know I’m not. I could die in my sleep tonight, and where would—”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Julia jumped in, holding up her hands. “I’m happy that you’re doing something that makes you happy. You didn’t need to hide it from me.”

  “And what about the rest of them?” Dot cast her hand to the window. “The gossips! What would they say? They’d call us foolish! Courting at our age? We should be crawling towards our graves, not reliving our youth.”

  “But it has been fun, Dorothy!” Percy grabbed her hand and kissed it. “You’ve made me feel more alive than I have since my Joyce passed. You’re a vivacious woman with more life in her than any girl of twenty-two!”

  Dot smiled so sweetly at Percy that it melted Julia’s heart. Julia hadn’t imagined her gran wanting love, and she felt silly for never considering that Dot might like one last great love affair in her twilight years.

  “How did you meet?” Julia picked up her tea and sipped from it.

  “At the choir. It was my first meeting. Percy came up to me and pulled a bunch of flowers out of his pocket. I thought he was utterly ridiculous, but I liked that. It made me laugh. I invited him over for tea and we realised we had a lot in common.”

  “Like?”

  “Well, singing for one,” Dot said, looking up at Percy with adoring eyes. “And he appreciates the old movies and music that I love. There are so few people left from my era who value the old ways. There’s nothing wrong with a sprinkle of theatrical spirit every now and then!”

  “And we both take a keen interest in the community,” Percy added. “We like to know what’s going on. Keeping our fingers on the pulse is very important.”

  “You mean gossiping?”

  “I am not a gossip!” Dot cried. “I believe in the free flow of information. It’s important to know who you’re living around! Unsavoury characters are hiding in plain sight, ready to jump out and ruin your life at any moment. Your pursuit of all these mysteries has taught us that Peridale is crawling with insalubrious folk! It’s better we keep the news flowing, so everyone has a fair shot.”

  “Nicely put, Dorothy.” Percy patted her hand. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  It was clear to see they were somehow made for each other. It almost made Julia want to forget that she had added Percy to her list of suspects. For the sake of her gran, however, she couldn’t discount the information.

  “Have you found anything more about Gloria’s murder during your active interest in the community?” Julia asked tactfully.

  “Tell her, Percy!” Dot exclaimed, slapping him on the knee. “I’ve meant to call you all morning, but we got swept up in our conversation.”

  Percy straightened up and wiggled his bowtie with a pleased smile. Much like Dot, he seemed to feed off ‘the free flow of information’.

  “After our splendid date at The Comfy Corner—did you try the pigs in blankets pie, Julia?” He waited for her to nod. “Quite delightful, wouldn’t you say? Mary and Todd really are geniuses in that kitchen!”

  “Stay on track, dear,” Dot prompted.

  “Right you are!” He nodded. “This is why we work so well. My mind tends to wander, but Dorothy here is as sharp as a knife! Now, where was I?” Percy tapped on his chin before snapping his fingers. “Ah, yes! After our marvellous dinner last night, we retired to The Plough for a late-night tipple. You know how Dot is fond of her sherry, and I don’t mind a finger of whiskey of an evening. Truth be told, I was having such a fun time I didn’t want to leave this one’s side so early.”

  “Bless you, dear.”

  “You’re most welcome.” Percy kissed Dot’s hands. “After our beverages, I walked Dot home, and we bid our goodnights. I was going to walk home to my flat on Mulberry Lane when I realised I didn’t have my keys with me. I knew I had probably left them at the pub or the restaurant, but it was also a possibility that I had dropped them at the church. I hadn’t needed them all day, so I didn’t quite remember when I had last had them. With the church being the closest, I started my search there. Letting myself in, I walked up to Father David’s vestry. I was about to knock when I realised he was on the phone. Now, it’s not in my nature to eavesdrop, but if I happen to hear something I’m not supposed to, that’s out of my hands.”

  Percy paused as he gathered his thoughts. He wiggled his bowtie before hooking his thumbs through his braces.

  “Now, I can’t be sure of the exact context of what I heard, but I know the words I heard.” Percy inhaled deeply. “Father David was giving his bank details to someone over the phone. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about that, is there? I might be a dinosaur, but even I know it’s easier to pay for things over the phone these days.”

  “Get to the point, dear.”

  “Right you are.” Percy wagged his finger. “Now, after he had finished giving his card details, he said something that made my ears prick up.”

  “And that was?” Julia prompted.

  “His exact words were, ‘And are you sure that’s it? The £2000 debt is entirely paid off?’, and then he said his goodbyes and hung up.” Percy clapped his hands together. “That’s it! Father David appeared to be paying off a debt over the phone.”

  “Suspicious, don’t you think?” Dot shuffled to the edge of her seat. “A man of God racking up a debt that large? How could he possibly owe that much money to someone?”

  “It’s not against the law to owe money,” Julia said, unsure how to absorb the information. “It could have an innocent explanation.”

  “It could, but does it?” Dot lowered her voice and looked around. “How well do we really know the man? Yes, he’s served this village for decades, but what do we know of him outside the church?”

  “Being private doesn’t mean he’s up to no good.”

  “And I’d usually agree.” Percy shook his head. “But, considering everything that has happened with Gloria’s death, it seems like odd timing, don’t you think?”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “Well, I think that Father David somehow profited from Gloria’s death.” Dot’s eyes lit up as she spoke. “He took something of value from her and murdered her to cover his tracks!”

  “Father David?” Julia forced a laugh. “This is all very far-fetched!”

  “Stranger things have happened,” Percy said. “Don’t let the robes fool you!”

  Julia pursed her lips. Normally, it was bad enough having to contend with Dot’s outrageous ideas, but having Percy there only added fuel to the fire. Like the bonfire, they had let their thoughts burn wildly out of control.

  Julia was about to turn the conversation back to Gloria, and Flora’s claim that Percy and Gloria had once dated, but the front door opened.

  “That’ll be Alfie,” Dot said as he glanced at the clock. “He said he was nipping out to grab some lunch an hour ago.”

  Julia heard Alfie’s deep chuckle, which was quickly followed by a girlish giggle. She wondered if it belonged to Jessie, but she wasn’t the type of girl who giggled. Julia looked to Dot for an explanation, but her gran only shrugged. Leaving her tea on the table, Julia stood and crept to the door. P
opping her head around the door frame, Julia was surprised to see Alfie and Skye kissing in the hallway, both completely soaked from the rain. Julia cleared her throat.

  “Julia!” Alfie cried, wiping his mouth after pulling away from Skye. “You got caught in the rain too?”

  Skye tucked her wet hair behind her ears as she smiled awkwardly at Julia. Even with running makeup and her hair plastered to her head, she was beautiful. In the light of Dot’s hallway lamp, Julia thought she bore a striking resemblance to Keira Knightley.

  “I’ll make you that cup of coffee I promised,” Alfie said, resting his hand on Skye’s arm. “Go and wait in the sitting room.”

  “I’ll make the coffee,” Julia offered, sensing her moment to finally get the beauty alone. “Skye, do you mind helping?”

  Skye looked at Alfie as though waiting for him to protest Julia’s offer, but when he didn’t say anything, she turned to Julia and flashed her pretty smile. Julia peeled Skye away from Alfie’s side and into the kitchen. She closed the door behind them.

  “Terrible weather we’re having,” Julia remarked, glancing out the kitchen window into Dot’s overgrown garden. “Won’t be too long before that rain turns to snow.”

  “I was on my way to Rita’s,” Skye explained as she mopped her hair with one of Dot’s tea towels. “I didn’t get very far. I bumped into Alfie on Mulberry Lane, and he invited me back here for coffee.”

  “You two seem quite smitten with each other.”

  “I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes, am I?” Skye asked. “Because if I am, I—”

  “Not at all!” Julia insisted, giving the young beauty a smile she hoped would relax her. “Alfie is like family to me. I care about his happiness. You seem like a nice girl.” She put the kettle on its base and flicked the switch. “You said you were on your way to Rita’s? I get the feeling she didn’t invite you around. I sat in on the choir meeting the other day. You two didn’t exactly seem friendly.”

  “I wanted to make sure she meant what she said about training my voice to reach its full potential.” Skye leaned against the counter and watched as Julia retrieved cups from the cupboard. “If you were at the meeting, you saw what she did to Flora. I needed to know I hadn’t let my aunt walk out for nothing.”