Chocolate Swirls and Murder

by K E O'Connor

  Saracen simply nodded in response.

  I hurried back into the pub and caught Elspeth’s attention as she served a customer.

  “Hey, Holly,” she said. “What will it be?”

  “No time for a drink. I wanted to see if you remembered a guy hitting on you during the afternoon of the food fair. Were you here?”

  She laughed. “All day. And when you’re as gorgeous as me, you get hit on all the time. Although they’re usually only after a free drink and not this splendid body. Give me his description.”

  “He was just in here,” I said. “Dark hair, leather jacket, stubble. A bit scruffy, but handsome in his own way.”

  “I remember him,” she said. “He called himself Ricky. There’s a guy who doesn’t like taking no for an answer. He figured himself as some kind of hotshot and must have used a dozen chat up lines. He was kind of amusing for the first half an hour, but it got boring. I shut him down. He stayed by the bar and hung out, dropping a line or two now and again to see if he could soften me up.”

  “What time did he arrive?”

  “I can’t say for certain, but it was around three o’clock. It wasn’t that busy, and I notice when a new face comes in.”

  “What time did he leave?”

  “He was here until about seven in the evening. Why do you ask?”

  “I’m just checking something out,” I said as I pushed away from the bar. “Thanks.”

  “Next time, buy a drink,” she said. “Information’s not free around here.”

  “I’ll get a double.” I gave her a quick wave and headed out the door.

  Saracen was sitting on a bench, his head in his hands.

  I hurried over to him. “Ricky’s alibi checks out. It wasn’t him.”

  He sucked in a breath and nodded.

  I sat next to him. “Are you sure you’re okay? If you’re not feeling well, we can do this another day.”

  “I feel perfect.” He rolled his shoulders and swiped the sweat off his head. “What next?”

  “We move on to Dennis Lambeth,” I said. “If Ricky’s telling the truth, Pete and Dennis got into a fight. Maybe Dennis was out for revenge. He could have crept up on Pete and decided to finish the job. And it makes sense when I think about it. When I saw the body, there were several of Pete’s pies smashed around him. That makes this killing personal. Someone hated what Pete did. Dennis fits that perfectly.”

  “And Pete was putting Dennis’s business at risk,” Saracen said. “He decided to put a stop to that.”

  It was looking more likely that Dennis was now in the frame for this.

  All we needed to do was find him and get him to talk.

  Chapter 11

  I tried back in the pub to see if anyone had seen Dennis, but there was no sign of him.

  There were only two streets that had stores in Audley St. Mary, and we checked them all and asked the owners if they’d seen Dennis.

  He’d been seen around the village first thing this morning, but there were no recent sightings of him.

  I entered the lobby of Audley Hotel and went to the reception desk.

  Bella Aldrin stood behind it and nodded a greeting when she saw me. “Can I help you with something?”

  “I’m trying to find out if you’ve got a Dennis Lambeth staying here,” I said. “I need to ask him some questions.”

  “Questions about what? We don’t usually give out guests’ details.”

  I didn’t know Bella well and wasn’t certain if bribing her with cake to get information would work. “I don’t need to know which room he’s in, I just want to know if he’s staying here.”

  “That should be okay. Let me check.” She typed information into the computer in front of her before nodding. “He has a room here.”

  “Can you call his room and see if he’s available?”

  “No can do. There’s a do not disturb message on his line. And I’ve not seen him all day. He didn’t come down for the complimentary breakfast, and I haven’t seen him walk through the lobby, but I’ve not been here all day. Is it urgent? You can leave a message with me. If I see him when he comes down, I can pass it on.”

  It was strange that Dennis was hiding. It suggested he had a reason to keep a low profile.

  I wrote down my phone number and name. “Can you pass this to him? I’d like to talk to him. It’s very important.”

  “Will do.”

  A commotion outside had me turning. A small crowd had gathered around something on the ground.

  I hurried outside to take a look. As I pushed through the crowd, my eyes widened. Saracen lay flat out on his back, his arms splayed out around him.

  Jenny Delaney, a local resident, stood in the crowd. “Don’t say you’ve hit someone else with your bike, Holly.”

  “I was nowhere near him. And the bike’s at the castle. Did anyone see what happened? Did he get hit by something?”

  “I saw,” a woman with bright red hair said. “He sort of swayed a bit and fell backward. No one was near him when it happened.”

  I knelt beside him. “Saracen! Are you okay?”

  He didn’t respond. His skin was pale and clammy, and his forehead was dripping with sweat.

  I’d exhausted Saracen. I’d dragged him around for hours trying to interview suspects and hadn’t looked after him. I shook my head as I felt how rapid his pulse was. He was a grown man; he could have said if he needed to take a break.

  “What’s wrong with him?” a man in the crowd asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “I thought he looked a bit pale earlier, but he said he was fine.”

  “He’s got too many layers on,” the red-haired woman said. “You need to get that shirt open.”

  My fingers hovered over the buttons, but Saracen wouldn’t want his no doubt fine physique exposed to the tourists visiting Audley St. Mary.

  “Has anyone called for an ambulance?” Jenny said.

  The crowd murmured, but no one came forward.

  I tapped Saracen’s cheek lightly, but he didn’t respond.

  I’d just pulled out my phone to get help, when he sat upright with a groan, his eyes flashing around the crowd.

  Saracen leaped up and raised his fists as if expecting trouble.

  I jumped in front of him and held my hands up. “There’s no need to panic. Nothing bad happened. You don’t need to fight anyone.”

  He grunted, his tight gaze darting around. “What was I doing on the ground?”

  “I, um, well, I think you just fainted.”

  His gaze shot to me and his eyes narrowed. “I never faint.”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” I said, hoping I wouldn’t have to dodge those enormous fists looming in front of me.

  “What are all these people doing here?” he asked.

  “Trying to help,” I said.

  He lowered his fists, swayed from side to side, and fainted again.

  Something was terribly wrong with Saracen. Rather than phoning for an ambulance which could take a while to arrive, I dialed Rupert’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Rupert, it’s Holly. I need your help.”

  “Holly! Whatever’s the matter?”

  “It’s Saracen. He keeps fainting. Any chance you can bring the family doctor into the village? I can’t move Saracen. He’s splayed out on the ground outside the hotel.”

  “Is he sick?”

  “He must be unwell. Please hurry.”

  “Of course. We’ll be right there.”

  I shoved my phone back in my pocket and looked around at the growing crowd. “Someone get water and something comfortable for him to rest his head on. It’s probably best we don’t move him.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” a man said as he stared down at Saracen as if he was an interesting historical relic to be studied.

  Several people dashed into the hotel and came back with bottles of water and folded towels, one of which I carefully placed under Saracen’s head.

/>   “Maybe it’s the flu,” someone in the crowd suggested. “He looks like he’s running a temperature.”

  I splashed water on a towel and dabbed his forehead. He was very hot.

  “He’s overheating,” the redhead said. “I really think you should take his clothes off.”

  I compromised by shrugging him out of his jacket and pushing his sleeves up.

  It only seemed like a few minutes had passed before a black SUV screeched to a stop beside us. The crowd parted, and Doctor Michael Evesham and Rupert appeared.

  The crowd murmured their surprise at seeing Lord Rupert, but he barely noticed them, his focus on Saracen.

  The doctor nodded at me before kneeling next to Saracen. A tall lean man in a black suit and sunglasses also appeared out of the SUV and did an excellent job of crowd control, dispersing everyone in a matter of seconds. I’d seen him around the castle a few times, but we’d never spoken. He was called something like Drayton or Dravel.

  “What’s wrong with Saracen?” I asked Doctor Evesham.

  Doctor Evesham was an attractive middle-aged guy with shoulder-length dark hair. “I suspect he’s not managing his condition.”

  “Condition?” My eyebrows shot up. “He’s sick?”

  The doctor lifted his arm, inspected his wrist, and tutted. “I knew he wouldn’t wear it.”

  “What’s he supposed to wear?” I asked.

  “His alert bracelet.”

  “What does the bracelet alert people to?”

  “If Saracen insists on hiding his condition, I’m not at liberty to tell you.” He shook his head. “I suggested he use it until he got things stable, but, of course, he didn’t want to tarnish the tough-guy image.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “Is there anything you can do?”

  “Of course. He’ll soon wake up.”

  “Is he always going to have this ... problem?”

  “Not with the right diet and medication. I’ve even had some patients who’ve completely reversed this condition. You can live with it easily so long as you’re sensible and don’t overindulge in the things you shouldn’t.”

  Rupert took my arm and helped me to stand. We stood back as Doctor Evesham treated Saracen.

  “Did you find him like this?” Rupert asked.

  “Yes. He was waiting for me while I was asking questions about suspects in Pete’s murder,” I said. “I kept thinking that he wasn’t looking too good, but he insisted there was nothing wrong.”

  Saracen groaned, and his eyes opened. For a second, he looked alarmed, then let out a sigh when he saw Doctor Evesham.

  “I warned you something like this would happen,” the doctor said.

  “I’ve been feeling fine,” Saracen said. “All of a sudden, I felt woozy and hot.”

  “Because you haven’t been following the diet I recommended,” Doctor Evesham said. “You can only play this game so long before something breaks. Let’s get you back to the castle. Then we’re going to have a long talk about your health and whether I should recommend you take a leave of absence from your position.”

  Saracen grunted but allowed Doctor Evesham to help him to his feet and guide him toward the SUV.

  He looked over at me and ducked his head. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  “Of course you didn’t,” I said. “If I’d have known you were unwell, I’d have taken better care of you.”

  His top lip curled. “I’m not an invalid.”

  “Enough stalling,” Doctor Evesham said. “I want to hear all about how you think you’re the only person who can cure yourself without the right intervention.”

  Saracen sighed. He pulled the SUV keys out of his pocket.

  “No driving.” Doctor Evesham plucked them from his hand.

  He scowled at the doctor.

  “I can drive the SUV back,” Rupert said.

  “Good idea.” Doctor Evesham handed him the keys.

  We headed in a small convoy back to the castle. I went with Rupert while everyone else went in the SUV with Saracen.

  “Do you know what’s wrong with Saracen?” I asked him.

  “No clue. He looks ghastly, though. Really pale and sweaty. I hope it’s not contagious. I don’t want you to get sick.”

  “From what Doctor Evesham alluded to it’s nothing catching.” I still wanted to know what had gone wrong.

  Once we arrived back at the castle, I hurried out of the SUV and followed the doctor as he led Saracen to his private apartment in the same complex as mine.

  I walked in without an invitation and stood with Rupert as we waited to see how Saracen was doing.

  Doctor Evesham came out of Saracen’s bedroom and closed the door behind him. “There’s nothing to worry about. He’ll be fine. I think the worst thing that’s been damaged is his ego.”

  “Is it okay to talk to him?” I asked.

  “After the tongue lashing I’ve given him, I’m sure he’ll appreciate a friendly face,” Doctor Evesham said.

  “I’ll show you out.” Rupert led him to the door.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly,” I said.

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Doctor Evesham said.

  Rupert returned a moment later. “Shall I come with you to see Saracen?”

  “I’ll speak to him on my own to begin with,” I said. “He must be feeling embarrassed that you saw him collapsed on the ground. He’s supposed to be your protector.”

  “I won’t hold that against him,” Rupert said. “Give him my best and tell him not to worry about a thing. I’ll leave you to it.”

  I waited until he’d gone, before knocking on the bedroom door and pushing it open.

  Saracen sat on his bed, his shoes off and his white shirt untucked. He glanced at me and looked away. “I really screwed the pooch on this one.”

  I settled on the end of the bed and smiled at him. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong with you? Doctor Evesham was tight-lipped, so I’m none the wiser.”

  He sighed and pulled at a loose cotton thread on his cuff. “Diabetes.”

  “Oh my goodness!” I clamped a hand over my mouth. “And I’ve been feeding you all that cake.”

  “I could have said no.”

  “I feel terrible. I made you sick.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. I was being stubborn. I thought the diagnosis was wrong.”

  I shook my head. “It seems you’ve got a sweet tooth that’s as bad as Campbell’s.”

  “Probably worse,” Saracen said. “I didn’t want to admit I had a problem. There’s a history of diabetes in my family, but I work out and I’m in good shape. I figured I’d be fine. It turns out, I was wrong. And what a way to reveal that to the world.”

  “Did you have any symptoms before you fainted?”

  He shrugged. “I may have done. Actually, I was feeling lousy. I knew the symptoms, but I thought I could fight through them.”

  “You should have said something to me,” I said. “What do I need to do if this happens again?”

  “There’s not a chance of that. The doctor’s just ordered loads more tests and put me on bed rest until my blood sugar is stable.”

  “I bet you’re going to love that,” I said.

  “It’s my own stupid fault.”

  “But you’ll be okay?” I asked.

  “So long as I keep away from all your delicious food and cut out the alcohol. The doctor reckons I’ll be fine. He even talked about some new diet they’re trialing that reverses type two diabetes. It sounds intense, but I’m willing to give it a go if I can get rid of this condition.”

  “If you need any help with recipes, just let me know,” I said. “Does the condition usually get this bad so quickly?”

  “Again, that’s my fault. I knew something was wrong and deliberately skipped my last check-up a month ago.”

  “That maybe wasn’t the smartest thing to do,” I said.

  “Yeah, I’m known for my biceps, not my brains.”

  I smiled at him. “
I think you have an excellent brain.”

  He grinned, but it slid from his face. “Holly, I can’t lose my job. I love what I do. Please don’t tell Campbell. Hands up, I lied on my last review. I said I had no new medical conditions. He won’t let me work for him if he knows I’m sick.”

  “Saracen, you’re great at what you do. You terrify the life out of me the way you skulk around the castle and protect the family. This doesn’t need to stop you from doing your job and doing it really well.”

  His shoulders slumped. “What if Campbell doesn’t think that? I could be out of a job. Who’d want to hire me?”

  “A lot of people,” I said. “There was one determined woman in the crowd when you fainted who wanted to see you without your clothes on. If all else fails, you could get a well-paid job as a naked butler.”

  He snorted a laugh. “If it comes to that, I’m turning up my heels and going out using death by doughnuts.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t get that far. Listen, I’m not going to say anything to Campbell, but I think you should. He’ll understand, but you need to be honest with him. And if the doctor’s right, you can get your blood sugar stable and maybe even reverse this condition, and then everything’s good.”

  “Yeah, I should come clean. I’m really sorry, Holly, but I won’t be able to help out with any more of this investigation. You’ll have to do this on your own.”

  I blinked and nodded. It wasn’t ideal, but that was just the way it had to be. Campbell was away dealing with an emergency, and Saracen was too sick to help. There was no way I’d force him out of bed to be my sidekick. Or was I his sidekick?

  I pulled back my shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure out who killed Pete. And when I do, we can celebrate the victory together.”

  “With some no sugar, tasteless dessert.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “I’m sure I can do better than that.”

  Chapter 12

  I was up early the next morning and scrolling through the internet, researching type two diabetes. There was a wealth of information online, and I was amazed to read that Doctor Evesham was right. There was an opportunity to reverse the condition with the right diet.