Dotty Dreads a Disaster

by Diane Ezzard

  “It would be easier to do a list of who liked him.” Dotty frowned.

  “Oh dear, well, let’s change our tack here. Who had a motive, and who had the opportunity to kill him?”

  “From what I hear, he recently got divorced. His ex-wife may be a prime suspect. It’s usually someone known to the victim that carried out the crime.” Kylie smiled.

  “You’re sounding more and more like Miss Marple every day, Kylie,” Rachel said.

  “What about your auntie Flo, Kylie? She was upset when he disqualified her cauliflower and asparagus.” Dotty raised her eyebrows and looked across at her friend.

  “Oh, come on, you don’t mean to tell me Auntie Flo would bump someone off over vegetables.”

  “She was angry when I saw her in the competitor’s tent. They virtually had to restrain her when Nigel walked through.”

  “Still, it’s a bit far-fetched.”

  “True, but as you said yourself, when we’re brainstorming, we shouldn’t discount anyone. Isn’t that right, Rachel?” Dotty winked at Rachel who flashed a big beaming grin across her face and nodded.

  “I don’t think we’ve got much more at this stage. Dotty. If you speak to Millie and find out who was in the vicinity at her soup stand. Somehow, someone sneaked poisonous mushrooms into her soup and talked Nigel into having some. Kylie, if you check out your auntie Flo. I’ll tackle the other two judges and we’ll find out more about what nasty Nigel got up to when he was alive. Someone must know something.”

  “It’s a scary thought,” said Kylie, “but we have a murderer in our village.”

  Chapter 5

  Dotty met up with Millie the following day. She wanted to chat with her about the fair while everything was still fresh in her mind. It was a windy spring day, yet mild enough to meet in the park. Dotty wrapped up well, zipping up her dark green Barbour jacket. She popped on a matching green beanie hat and took Winnie along. It meant Winnie got a walk out and Dotty felt good having her poodle there. She hadn’t realised Millie also owned a dog, and she had brought along Schmeichel, her Great Dane. The two women, canines in tow, approached the rendezvous site. Millie wore a cream woollen coat with a blue and black scarf around her neck. Her flat knee-high black boots made her look sophisticated.

  Dotty guessed that things wouldn’t go to plan. Her trusty dog had been her companion long enough, so she knew when something wasn’t right. She watched as the hairs of Winnie’s coat stood on end. Then her tail started rotating, not the usual friendly wag, more like a helicopter blade going round and round. Winnie looked about to pounce. The two dogs barked. If Millie and Dotty wanted the meeting to be private, then the disturbing sounds coming from their dogs put paid to that. Millie tugged on the lead.

  “Schmeichel, come here. There’s a good dog.” Size-wise, Winnie was no match for Schmeichel. It wasn’t since she was a puppy that Winnie had attacked another dog, but today she did her best to harass the bigger animal.

  “Winnie, behave yourself.” Dotty had never seen her poodle get so agitated before. Eventually, both animals calmed down, but when everything seemed relaxed, and the two women weren’t looking, Winnie nipped at Schmeichel’s leg.

  “Winnie, you naughty dog. I’m so sorry, Millie. I don’t know what’s got into her today.” Millie didn’t look too pleased but was too nice to say anything. After both dogs were restrained and tied to fencing far enough apart to avert an altercation, the women could finally discuss the tragedy.

  “What shall I do, Dotty? This murder will affect my business. No one will buy anything off me now if they think I might poison them. It’s a good job it’s not my only income but I rely on the extra I get from the soup stall.”

  “If it weren’t so serious, it would be laughable. I mean, the idea that you would try to kill people in that way is unthinkable. My friends and I will help all we can. I don’t like to see anyone going through something as awful as this. I can’t imagine what it must be like.”

  At this, Millie started to cry. The two dogs looked on, both with cocked heads. Dotty passed Millie a tissue.

  “I know it’s painful for you to talk about but in order to help, I need you to remember everyone who came to your stall before Nigel was served.”

  “What, you think someone put something in my soup to frame me?”

  “Well no, I hadn’t considered that, but it is a possibility. Is there anyone who doesn’t like you?”

  “Only my ex, Royston but he’s too stupid and incompetent to be devious.”

  “Who else was in the vicinity at the time?”

  “The police asked me this. I remember Flo Whiteside coming over. She wanted to try a sample but then bought nothing. Some people are like that, you know, they just want all the freebies they can get. They don’t realise the hard work that goes on behind the scenes trying to make a living.”

  “Tell me about it. I have the same problem. Was anyone else around?”

  “Christine Beckley, one of the other judges came over asking to see my insurance certificate. I was annoyed about that. I’d sent everything to them online, and they said they couldn’t find it. Then after that, let me get this right.” Millie looked up to her right. “Yes,” she nodded. “I asked Judith Hastings to mind my stall while I nipped to the loo.”

  “Judith, as in Nigel’s ex-wife?”

  “That’s right.”

  “That’s very interesting.”

  “Did you serve mushroom soup to anyone else?”

  “Only Delphinia’s son. I can never remember his name.”

  “Winston,” Dotty prompted.

  “Yes, yes, of course, Winston. He had some soup but brought it back pretty sharpish.”

  “Why, what was wrong with it?”

  “He said there was a fly in it.” Millie put her hand on her heart. “You know, God must have been looking after me that day. If he hadn’t brought his soup back, I may have killed half of Billingshurst but after that incident, I threw the batch away. Ironically, I didn’t want Nigel to get wind of it and close me down for not complying with health and safety. He was a stickler for his rules and regulations.”

  “Don’t I just know it. It’s a shame there’s no CCTV in the area. Can you think of anyone else who may have witnessed anything, especially around the time when you went to spend a penny?”

  “No, they were the only people I remember seeing close by. I wouldn’t like to think of any of them being capable of killing Nigel.”

  “But someone did, and they had to have the opportunity to carry the dastardly deed out. From what you said, by disappearing for five or ten minutes, you could have given a carte blanche golden chance to someone on a plate.” The two women looked at each other and nodded.

  Millie’s skin had gone ashen, anaemic-looking. This whole incident had taken its toll. Her striking green eyes were almost devoid of colour, like a leaf with its last gasp of chlorophyll. Even though her black hair was tied back, the contrast of its colour against her pale skin made her appear more ghostly. By the puffiness under her eyes, Dotty imagined the poor woman wasn’t getting much sleep. She had been through the wringer.

  Dotty didn’t believe for one minute that Millie was involved. It didn’t take an expert to realise that after looking at her appearance. She wondered whether she ought to say as much to either of her two policemen friends, Wayne or Dave. Somehow, she didn’t think they’d be too happy with her interference. She couldn’t call on her dad either. Now, he had retired from the force, he was more interested in playing golf than fighting crime. No, if Dotty helped Millie, she would have to solve this one herself with support from her friends. From what Millie told her, the number one suspect now had to be Judith Hastings.

  “Thanks for the chat, Dotty.”

  “No, thank you. If you think of anything else that will help, get in touch. Plus, any more suicidal thoughts ring me, even if it’s the middle of the night. Do you promise?”

  “I promise.”

  As they parted to go their separate
ways, Dotty went to hug Millie. At that moment, Winnie started barking. Dotty turned to see what the noise was about. Schmeichel spotted a rabbit and chased after it with Millie taking tight hold of his rein. Schmeichel’s speed was too much for Millie though and she caught her foot on a branch and toppled over. Not wanting to let go of her dog, she was pulled along the ground. Unfortunately, after the recent bout of rain, the terrain was soft and moist. Dotty gasped wide-eyed at the sight of Millie being dragged through the mud.

  Dotty’s hand went over her mouth. For once she was speechless as Millie came to a halt and got up out of a slimy puddle. Her cream coat was ruined. She looked like she had a mudpack on her face. Dotty wanted to laugh but knew how insensitive that would be.

  “Schmeichel, how could you?” Millie threw his lead to the ground in disgust. “Look at the mess! Poor Millie really was having a bad old time of things.

  Chapter 6

  Tracking down Judith Hastings wasn’t as easy as Dotty expected. Eventually, she got her address from the electoral roll. Her house was within walking distance from Dotty’s home, so she had a stroll down the lane with Winnie in tow.

  Judith Hastings stood in the front garden of her property. She wore wellington boots and gardening gloves and had a trowel in her hand. There were no signs of her doing anything with it. Dotty stood on the pavement watching her over the Hastings’ fence. She took in the smell of freshly mown grass.

  “Get that wretched beast away from me,” Judith shouted so loud, all the neighbourhood could hear.

  “Come here, Winnie. There’s a good girl.” Dotty patted her dog and turned to the woman she had been searching out for the past week. “She won’t bite, she’s well trained.” Dotty secretly crossed her fingers. “I wanted to pass on my condolences, Mrs Hastings.”

  “Don’t give me that. You probably hated Nigel as much as the rest of those wolves who were after his blood.”

  “No, I didn’t know him that well.”

  “So, what are you doing here then? Have you come to have a good old gloat at my misery?” Dotty frowned.

  “No, of course not. I’m sure this must be a difficult time for you. You can’t have had it easy when you were with him. By all accounts, he was a difficult man to be around.”

  Judith and Nigel had lived in one of the larger pre-war semis since their fifth wedding anniversary. That was a long time ago now and although Judith had wanted to modernise the home and put an extension on, it hadn’t happened. Her mind was already ticking away with how best to spend Nigel’s money when probate came through.

  The ink was only just dry on her divorce papers and the bottom line was, she wasn’t happy with the settlement she received. On the other hand, Nigel had been forced out of the marital home by the decree absolute. He reluctantly moved in with Mrs Kelsall, one of their neighbours, as a lodger, three weeks previously. A “for sale” sign hung in the Hastings’ garden but Judith hoped that could be taken down now. She had no intention of selling the property she lived in for half her life. All this information, Dotty gleaned from her nosey neighbour, Betty Simpson. She was now hopeful that meeting Judith Hastings in the flesh, she would find out more.

  “No one has any idea what I went through with that man.” Judith looked up to the sky which threatened rain. She shook her head.

  “I genuinely am sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine how difficult things must be for you right now. If there is anything I can do to help, just know that the offer is there.”

  Judith’s face softened. She thought for a moment, then turned to Dotty.

  “Well, there is something. I’ve got that many people coming over at the moment. I’ve got the police taking up my time, then there’s the vicar to talk to about the funeral service, whenever that may be. The estate agent has to come back because I’m taking the property off the market. There’s no way I could contemplate selling up now this tragedy has happened. It would be far too stressful for me and lead me into an early grave. My doctor said as much when I saw him last. I’ve had lots of friends and family passing on their condolences. This place feels like Grand Central station right now, with the comings and goings. Anyway, what I wanted to ask was, would you be a darling and get me a few groceries? I am chained to the house today because of the visitors I’m expecting including the TV man.”

  What Judith failed to mention was that the TV man wasn’t coming to carry out any repairs, he was bringing a brand new, state-of-the-art TV. Judith had promised herself one with her settlement money, ever since filing for divorce.

  “I don’t mind. Anything I can do to help. As I said, you must be going through a tough time and I want you to know that I am thinking of you.”

  “That’s very kind of you, dear. If you pop through and wait in the hall while I get my list ready. Don’t bring your dog in though. I’m allergic to dog hairs.”

  Dotty tied Winnie up to the post in the porch and walked into the house. She followed Judith into the large kitchen. There was pine everywhere from the French dresser to the cupboards, chairs and tables. Even the shelving was pine.

  “I know what you’re thinking, how outdated it is.”

  “Not at all, I was admiring the view out of your window.” Dotty was good at telling little white lies. It came naturally to her. Judith looked out the back window at the vast garden and nodded.

  “Nigel was a typical accountant. He was so tight-fisted. We never had the kitchen updated in all the years we’ve been here. The only reason he let me have a new washing machine was because the old one broke. I’ve dreamt of a new luxury kitchen for years, so now I’ll get my wish.” She smiled and looked around the room. Both sets of eyes circled around then came to a stop on the kitchen table. There, spread out was an array of paperwork. Judith noticed Dotty’s frown. “I must apologise about the mess. I went yesterday and picked up Nigel’s mail from Mrs Kelsall’s. That’s why the paperwork is out. I’ve been sifting through it all. After about an hour of looking at that lot,” she said wafting her hand towards the pile of letters, “I’d had enough and decided the garden needed me more and the bank statements could wait. It was never my forte. The thing was Nigel was a member of every club going. He didn’t believe that any of them could run properly without his involvement so there’s a lot to get through.”

  Dotty heard that Nigel was on lots of committees. She glanced at the letters sprawled out on the table. There was one from the Horticultural Society, another from the Billingshurst Beekeeper’s Club and the third one she spotted wasn’t an organisation she had heard of before – the White Brethren Society. The reason she noticed that one was because the paper was of a cheaper quality than the others, plus the note had been handwritten. The details were obscured from view. She didn’t envy Judith having to sort that lot out. It never dawned on her up until that point, how much was involved with someone’s passing. The life they left behind didn’t just stop. It had to be sorted and finalised.

  Dotty wondered if there were any clues in amongst that paperwork to give any indication why Nigel was killed. Whilst she would have offered to help with the paperwork, she thought it may sound too obvious and look like she was prying. She would have to tread carefully. There were plenty of questions she wanted to ask Judith but for now, she would settle for shopping for groceries for her. She would bide her time. After all, this woman could be a potential killer.

  Chapter 7

  Kylie arranged to see her auntie Flo. They were quite close, and Kylie normally called at least once a month. She felt guilty of late because she’d been so busy, she hadn’t seen her in a while.

  “Yes, do come over, dear. It’s ages since we had a good old chin wag. It’s about time we put the world to rights. I can tell you about my new little business venture.” Flo laughed. Kylie didn’t think from her friendly tone that she sounded like a murderer, but she knew she must keep an open mind.

  The way Flo dressed you would never guess she was in her late sixties. Her cropped brown-tinted hair was gelled to give it heig
ht. She wore smart jeans with a tear at the knee. Her light brown bomber-style leather jacket set off her tanned face which was courtesy of a tube of St Tropez. Her brown jumper and matching neck scarf completed the ensemble. Kylie admitted her style made her look far younger than Uncle Chris. He also wore jeans, but his were falling off and showed off his builder’s crack at the back – not a pretty sight. He nodded at Kylie then continued reading his paper. The two women went through into the conservatory. Kylie couldn’t help but get a whiff of a stench coming from the house that didn’t smell legal.

  “So, you’ve set up a new business. That’s exciting, Auntie Flo.”

  “Yes, it is rather.” Flo smiled and clapped her hands together. Kylie waited to hear more.

  “Are you going to tell me about it?” They sat on the cream-coloured sofa facing each other.

  “Well, it started with my arthritis.”

  “Your arthritis?” Kylie frowned.

  “That’s right, dear. I was in an awful lot of pain. I can’t tell you how bad it gets. It’s debilitating. Sometimes I haven’t been able to move out of the house for days.”

  “Oh, that’s awful. I never realised it got so bad.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “No.”

  “I found the solution.”

  “Tell me more.”

  “A mate of Chris’s down the pub suggested I try cannabis, so I smoked a joint and bingo, it did the trick.”

  “Right,” Kylie’s mouth gaped open. Not wanting to look too surprised by this revelation she gulped and tried to continue a normal conversation. “I heard there is something in cannabis to help reduce pain, that’s why they recommend cannabis oil.”