Says the biggest gossip in the village.
Ironically ironic irony.
“I don’t even have to hear your thoughts to know they’re rude.” Marnie saluted Motts with her cup. “Anyway, I overhead Hugh mentioning the number you found. So I imagine Perry already knew, and I don’t need to say anything to him.”
They meandered through the village. It was early enough tourists hadn’t invaded yet. Motts sipped her coffee, watching Marnie enthusiastically greet everyone they met on the way.
“Isn’t it exhausting?” Motts asked when they’d rounded the corner and found themselves alone along the lane by the harbour. “All these people saying hello?”
“Not at all.” Marnie shook her head emphatically. “I’d be lost if I didn’t have a little chat with everyone. Gets me ready for the day.”
“Bizarre.”
“We can’t all be introverts.” Marnie tapped her cup against Motts’s. “The world would be a quiet place if we were.”
What’s wrong with that?
“It’s closed.” Motts stared at the O’Connell’s warehouse in confusion.
“Not closed. Looks abandoned. See all the rubbish by the bins?” Marnie gestured toward the side of the building. “How odd.”
The windows were shuttered and doors locked with a chain and padlock. No vehicles in the car park. The local fishermen tended to be up bright and early, so the icehouse was as well.
“I’m calling my Perry.” Marnie fumbled with her cup and bag before finally finding it. “Can you toss this in the rubbish for me?”
Motts took the cup and her own toward the rubbish bins. “Maybe they’ve gone fishing? Hughie mentioned the brothers had a boat.”
“No one’s out fishing this morning. They’re waiting for the tide to change.” Marnie tested one of the doors. “Locked up tight.”
Motts dropped their cups into the recycling bin. She frowned at the dumpster beside it. It definitely ponged a bit; to be expected given the fish, the docks, and the rubbish. Trash tended to smell. What’s that? “Marnie.”
“What?”
When Motts didn’t respond, Marnie stepped over to join her. They stared at the overflowing dumpster. Bags of rubbish both filled and lay around it. None of the refuse seemed to be connected to the warehouse itself; clothing and other personal items spilled out of a few of the bags.
“Strange thing to be hanging out of an icehouse dumpster.” Motts gestured to a coat sleeve dangling from underneath the lid. “I can understand them throwing it away. It’s a hideous combination of mustard yellow and pea soup green, but why here?”
“Amy O’Connell owns a coat like this. I’d bet my shop on it.” Marnie was feverishly typing a message on her phone. “She wore it last week, in fact. Strange, given how boiling the weather’s been recently. Perry said not to touch anything.”
“I imagine he wondered why we were over here.” Motts knew the local inspector would have a few words for them. She stepped closer, trying to get a better view of the coat. Her stomach churned instantly upon peering into the dumpster. “Oh. Bugger.”
“Motts?”
“Amy’s still wearing her coat.” Motts held on to her breakfast by the skin of her teeth. She pulled her shirt up to cover her nose. “You might want to call Perry, not text him.”
“Motts. Oh, sweet Jesus.” Marnie spotted the lone finger visible from the coat sleeve. “Come away from there.”
“Well, I suppose this takes her off my suspect list. Or does it?” Motts wondered what had led to her being thrown away with the rubbish. She stared intently at the items visible in open trash bags. Dolls. “These were in the O’Connell cottage. This makes no sense whatsoever.”
Ashby does have a reason to dislike Amy.
Then again, so do her sons and almost everyone in the village.
While Marnie spoke animatedly on the phone with her husband, Motts inspected the side of the building more carefully. No CCTV cameras. Convenient. A spot of oil and tyre tracks drew her attention on the far end of the dumpsters, out of view of the village.
Motts bent down to touch the oil by the dumpster. She grimaced at the greasy texture on her fingers. “Still damp.”
“What are you doing?” Marnie had pocketed her phone. “Perry said to move away from the building. They’ll be here as soon as they can.”
“Don’t the police do this at crime scenes?” Motts tried to wipe the oil off on a napkin from her pocket. “I wonder if they can trace what vehicle left this.”
Was Amy’s body dumped here to point toward Jasper or Mikey to frame them?
Or out of convenience? It can’t be a coincidence she’s here with all of her dolls. Someone was at her cottage.
“Where are you going?” Marnie glanced up from her phone when Motts started up the street.
“I want to see if Amy’s vehicle is at her cottage.” Motts jogged by her. “Won’t be long.”
Making her way through the village to the long stairs leading up to the row of cottages on the west side of Polperro, Motts climbed up the steps as quickly as possible. She felt a strange sense of urgency. Teo will definitely say this is a terrible idea.
Motts had no intentions of going inside the cottage or even close to it. She only wanted to see if anything had changed on the outside and if any vehicles were parked outside. “I’ll keep out of sight. I’ll be perfectly fine.”
Why am I talking to myself?
On a scale of bad ideas, Motts thought this probably ranked below allowing Vina to teach her how to tango but over having River cut her hair. Neither had been the best decision. The haircut had been particularly disastrous.
She’d worn a hat for most of that summer holiday.
If I were brave, I’d sneak right up to the cottage.
From her vantage point down the lane, Motts couldn’t see any vehicles parked at the O’Connell home—neither Amy’s nor the delivery van. Neither Jasper nor Mikey was anywhere to be seen.
I could knock on the door or peer in the window under the guise of being concerned for Amy.
Great plan.
Also, a terrible idea.
Motts dithered at the top of the stairs for a full two minutes. Maybe I should text Teo? He’ll come to investigate with me. She reached into her pocket for her phone, only to freeze when a hand clamped down on her other wrist. “Mikey.”
Mikey had definitely seen better days, with his wrinkled and dirty clothes that had a strange smear on one sleeve. He grabbed desperately on to her arm. “Why are you up here again? It’s not safe.”
“Pardon?” Motts tried to wiggle free from his hold. “Safe from what?”
“You saw the body.”
“I did find your grandmother.” Motts struggled to keep calm. She knew from experience panic didn’t often show on her face. “You already knew about that.”
Vina and Motts had once tested her pulse and blood pressure during various situations and levels of stress. Despite drastic changes in both, it never showed on her face. And then she’d gotten tired of being her own guinea pig, and they’d given up on the experiment.
“Not her. My mum.”
I found her too.
Am I a body magnet?
“Right.” Motts had tucked her hand into her pocket, absently touching her phone. She missed her old mobile with the buttons. It was harder to make an emergency call on a touchscreen without seeing it or using voice activation. “Well, since it’s not safe, I should go. We should go.”
“Too late.” Mikey’s gaze seemed drawn to something or someone behind her. He stepped around in front of her. “He’s seen us.”
“He?” Motts already knew the answer to her question. Jasper. Were they both involved in killing their grandmother and mother? Hadn’t Teo ruled out Mikey? What about Ashby? Was he telling the truth? “What happened?”
“Not now. Let me talk to him.”
“What’ve I told you about sticking your nose in my business?” Jasper caught up to them quickly. “You were supposed to sod off out
of Polperro.”
What?
Jasper tried to push his brother out of the way. “And you. Nosy bint. Where’s my sodding necklace? It’s mine.”
“Jas,” Mikey pleaded.
Motts glanced between the siblings. Jasper began screaming at his brother. She wondered if they’d notice if she crept down the stairs away from them. I should’ve stayed home in my pyjamas with Cactus and Moss.
Trying to inch closer to the top of the steps, Motts’s movement was halted by Jasper. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt, yanking her backwards. The ice pick in his hand caught her full attention.
Random choice of accessory.
Icy insidious insertion isolates injuries.
Maybe focus on the potential double murderer and not another alliteration.
Jasper glanced sharply over his shoulder when a villager from a nearby cottage called out a morning greeting to them. “We should get into the house. And you’re going to sodding tell me where my nan’s necklace is.”
“I’d rather stay outside. Lovely summer weather. It’s good for you.” Motts tried to shift away from him, but his iron grip on her didn’t loosen. “Why don’t I buy you both coffee?”
“Walk. Or I’ll leave you bleeding here on the walk for everyone to see.” Jasper pressed the ice pick against her side. “Quit drawing unnecessary attention. I’ll shove this through your heart.”
“And the ice pick isn’t going to garner attention?” Motts muttered. She leaned away from the sharp point. “Is this how you killed your grandmother?”
Oh yes, it’s the perfect time to ask him about this.
“I never killed the old bint.” Jasper nudged her again, forcing her to continue down the lane. “Mum did. I only disposed of the body.”
I’m sorry.
What?
The creepy cottage of dolls had transformed into a shell of itself, from suffocating with lace and trim to hollow and empty. Jasper had been busy. Motts could understand why the dumpster by the warehouse had been overflowing.
Shelves lay empty where dolls had been. The living room was devoid of anything but the bare bones. No paintings on the walls. Cushions were taken off the furniture. The carpet had been stripped off the floor, leaving scarred wood underneath.
It felt cold and barren, like the mausoleum where her great-grandparents were buried. Motts had no interest in being interred. She tried to keep on the opposite side of the room from Jasper, putting as much space between them as possible.
“Your skills at home improvement are… unique.” Motts shifted over to the window. It, like everything else, seemed freshly scrubbed clean. “The eau de bleach is particularly strong.”
Two brothers, an ice pick, and a pineapple have a standoff.
Jasper held the ice pick loosely in one hand. “We can’t let her leave. But first, where’s my necklace?”
We?
“The police have it. You’ve grabbed the wrong person.” Motts glanced between the two brothers, wondering if she’d been wrong about Mikey. “Did you both kill your mum?”
“No.” Mikey flinched as if physically assaulted by her question. “Kill Mum? I couldn’t stand the woman, but I’d never hurt her or anyone else.”
“Why didn’t I drown you when I had the chance?” Jasper spat at his brother. He gestured wildly with his weapon. “Mum hated you for your choices. Always swanning about with your boyfriend.”
Shifting to the right slowly, Motts gripped the chair, watching the two brothers shouting at each other. She considered her options. Dying was most certainly not on the list.
“Why can’t you ever do what you’re supposed to? Just like Mum and Nan. Always making me do all the sodding work while you get a share of the money for sitting on your arse.” Jasper lunged at his brother. “We should’ve started with you.”
Swinging the chair around, Motts cracked Jasper across the head. He dropped like a felled tree, collapsing onto the coffee table. Mikey darted forward to snatch the ice pick.
Motts eyed him warily. “I’m calling the police.”
“I’ve already texted Hughie.” He went over to place the ice pick high up on a shelf. “Now it’s out of reach. Maybe you can relax? I’m not going to kill you.”
Motts grabbed her phone to send a text of her own. She wasn’t surprised to see multiple missed messages and calls. “I imagine they’ll be here sooner rather than later.”
“I—”
A sudden crash cut Mikey off. Motts didn’t need to look down the hall to know one of her stalwart police friends had kicked the door in. She glanced over at Mikey, who was pinning Jasper to the floor.
“They’re going to yell.” She leaned heavily against the wall, trying to catch her breath with the rush of adrenaline slowly dripping away. Teo made it to her first. “Definitely the shouty face.”
“What were you thinking?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“What were you thinking?”
Motts stared blankly up at Detective Inspector Ash from her spot on the grassy cliff across from the cottage. She’d been asked the same question by Teo, Hughie, and now Perry. “Tiny holes through the heart aren’t any better than large ones.”
Perry chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re not wrong. Terrified my Marnie half to death. She barely made any sense when she called me. We couldn’t get over from Looe fast enough.”
“Why were you in Looe?”
“Investigating.” He shook his head when she went to probe further. “Perhaps, having captured a second murderer for us, you might restrain your curiosity until we’ve done our job?”
“I’ll do my best.” Motts shifted uneasily at the sight of Teo’s worried face. He’d been questioning Mikey in the cottage. Jasper had been taken away by ambulance with Hughie as a guard over him. She tried not to think about whether she’d seriously injured him, even if he’d been trying to kill them. “No promises.”
“Why don’t we get you home? I’m sure Cactus and Moss are worried about you.” Teo offered his hand to her, helping her up to her feet. “I wish you’d messaged me.”
“You wish I’d waited for you.” Motts shoved her hands into her pockets. It had gotten chilly as clouds rolled in off the sea. “Marnie was already calling Perry when I came up here. I never intended to run into Jasper.”
“Hello.” Hughie met them on the stairs. “Got Jasper all locked up and taken care of. Congrats, by the way, Detective Inspector. We’ll miss you.”
Motts watched Hughie continue toward the cottage where Perry was speaking with Mikey. “Why did he say congrats?”
Teo sighed. Deeply.
Motts began the descent toward the village. She kept one hand in her pocket and the other on the railing. “He said ‘we’ll miss you.’ Are you going somewhere?”
“Premature congratulations.” Teo placed a hand on her elbow to steady her on the steps. “I’ve been offered a position up in the north. Run of my own cold case department for much of Yorkshire. A promotion, in essence. Nothing’s been decided. My parents would have to move with me, and they haven’t made up their minds yet. I can’t be too far from them.”
“You never said.” Motts found herself suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline rush that carried her through the confrontation with Jasper had dripped away like a leaky faucet. “Promotions are good. Not easy to get your own unit or whatever. I’d imagine.”
“Not, it’s not. I planned to talk with you once we’d wrapped up the investigation here.” Teo gripped her elbow more tightly when she tripped on the last step. “Careful. Motts?”
“Home.” Motts had run out of words.
Shaking her head when he tried to prompt more out of her, Motts trudged toward the road leading around the village and up the opposite side to her cottage. She heard Teo muttering behind her about his perfectly functioning vehicle. Being trapped in a car in the middle of a tense conversation would’ve been beyond her ability to cope with.
“Motts?”
She closed the door to
her cottage on his question and leaned against it. The day had been too much from start to finish. Finish? It’s barely noon.
Meow.
Motts opened her eyes to smile down at Cactus, who’d come to sit on her foot. “Hello.”
Lifting her fuzzy cat into her arms, Motts went into the living room. She curled up on the chair by the window, dragging a blanket around her. Cactus shifted contently in her lap until he could see out into the garden.
What a bizarre day. What will happen to Mikey with his brother arrested and his mum gone? And where’s Ashby run off to?
And when is Teo going to run off?
Is a promotion running off?
Mott sank down further into the cushions, pulling the blanket up to her nose. “It’s almost anticlimactic.”
Meow.
“Okay. Maybe not anticlimactic. Almost being stabbed with an ice pick is a bit climactic. Is climactic a word we use? Climactic. Climactic. Sounds completely made up.” Motts grinned half-heartedly at her purring cat. “A meow is much less complex.”
Climactically complex climax.
Sounds like a terrible title for one of those naughty novels Vina reads.
The peace and quiet in her cottage lasted not even an hour. River and Nish arrived, using her cousin’s key to get inside. Motts knew news of the arrest would’ve swept through the village like a tidal wave.
“We brought hot chocolate and steamed buns.” River lifted a thermos while Nish carried a Tupperware container. “Mum insisted. Dad made the hot chocolate. Not sure it’s as good as yours.”
Watching with mild bemusement as her cousin and his boyfriend went around her kitchen as if they owned the place, Motts stayed on the couch. They had things under control. She appreciated their not trying to press her for information.
And they had to be curious.
She would’ve been.
Motts tucked her legs up under the blanket and gratefully accepted a mug of hot chocolate. “Teo’s moving.”
“Is he?” Nish sat on her left while River collapsed onto the cushion on her right. “Sounds sudden.”
Motts shrugged. “Jasper killed his mum.”
“His mum? You mean his nan, right?”
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