by Emily Selby
'I don't know who did what, or if it even was a murder. He came home complaining of feeling tired and sick. He had a nap on the sofa, but he never woke up. Do you know who might have wanted him dead?'
'No idea, Katie love. They've only been in town for a few months. I don't know if they had any friends or enemies. I talked to her when she came to the club meeting, last month. She brought that fancy machine for scrapbooking. She was happy for other people to use it, wasn't she? Seems nice enough, though. Who told her about the club?'
'It was me. I was going to talk to her as well during the session, but I was quite busy helping with the church fete report. It was a bit of a nuisance trying to organise people to come in after we cancelled the regular meeting.'
'I think you and Ally Baker did a really good job. Poor Miriam, she seems to have less and less time and energy for the club. I'm glad we managed to meet in November. It was important and good to have some sort of normalcy return to our club after all that happened. Oh, and by the way, I hope the body you found wasn't anywhere near the crafts room?'
'No, it was at their place. I was cleaning there this morning. By the way,' Katie added, recalling a few comments made by Jane previously. 'I think Keith was sort-of local. His parents have a company in Carlisle; he's been helping them. Do you know anything about it?'
'Starrs, ah yes. Unusual name. I think they work with Harold Bower's company. They are fitters, or something like that.'
The construction company owned by Harold Bower and currently managed by his son, Michael, was one of the biggest enterprises in the area, making the Bowers the richest people in Sunnyvale.
'Ah, that would make sense why the Starrs are living in a house in a row of uncompleted ones. It's a nice, corner plot with a big garden. I remember Jane saying something about wanting a garden.'
'I wouldn't be surprised if Keith Starr got their house at a bargain price from the Bowers.'
'It makes perfect sense now,' Katie said slowly. 'Would Michael Bower know Keith Starr?'
'If not him, Bower senior would. Harold Bower has always had a reputation for taking interest in his employees, and I would extend it onto his suppliers, sub-contractors and business partners in general. Try pumping Michael for info.'
'I'm not pumping anyone-'
'Hey, Katie,' Dorothy chuckled. 'I know you, no need to pretend with me.'
Fair enough. But how was she was going to get access to Michael? He moved in completely different social circles to Katie. Except, maybe, if she asked Chris... He and Michael were close friends. She could give her interest in buying or renting a place on the new estate as a reason for that.
Speaking of newly built and furnished houses, a memory crossed Katie's mind.
Squeaky floorboard.
Which took her to another thought, she completely omitted in her report to Jack. He should have interviewed her properly. He was becoming a little too relaxed about it. She forgot to tell him, she had left Jane by herself on two occasions. And she should probably also mention the loose floorboard. She'd ring him straight after the chat with Dorothy.
'Are you listening, Katie?' Dorothy's voice cut into Katie's thoughts.
'Yes, why?' she replied automatically, trained by the years of experience as a mother of a chatty girl.
'Because I asked you a simple question and you haven't responded.'
'Just wondering how to react,' Katie fired back.
'But it was a simple question, with no attempt to pump you for more information on your handsome inspector.'
Ah, so it was about Jack. Dorothy had been interested in Katie's growing relationship with Jack ever since the beginning. Or maybe even well before it began. But could she be trusted with a secret?
'He's in Sunnyvale, of course, today.'
'He should move here...'
'Are you saying we'll have more murders in the near future? Dorothy, I'm getting a bit worried.'
'About me?'
'No, about our town. You have the uncanny flair for predicting things.'
'Oh, I'm sorry,' Dorothy's voice became clipped and apologetic at the same time. 'When I say I'm a witch, you know I'm kidding, right?' A note of anxiety crept into Dorothy's voice.
'I hope so.'
Someone knocked on Katie's door.
'I've got to go, Dorothy. Thanks for the info.'
'You welcome. And pop in for a cup of tea soon. Just let me know in advance - I'm transitioning back to work.'
Katie thanked her friend for the invitation and hang up.
'Hello, come in,' she called out at the door.
The door opened, and the dark-skinned, smooth face of officer Celia Baxter appeared in the gap.
Katie cringed on the inside. Ever since she realised that Celia might have been jealous about her and Jack, Katie had been avoiding the young policewoman.
'There is a phone call for you, in the staff room.'
Katie got up. A call? Who from?
6
The mystery was quickly resolved - it was Jane's sister, Sarah, calling to confirm she would arrive later that afternoon and asking if Katie could help Jane find somewhere quiet and inexpensive for both women to stay. Katie promised to do so.
This made her realise that she had also promised Jane to check in with her. She briefly considered returning to the interview room with another cup of tea but offering to prepare a cuppa was too good an escape excuse if she needed one.
When Katie walked in to the interview room, a smile of relief appeared on Chris' furrowed face.
'Just checking if you're all okay,' Katie said, glancing at Jane who was now resting in an old recliner chair, no doubt dragged from Inspector Lumley's office. Chris was pacing the room. He put a finger to his lips.
'Shush, I think she's having a nap,' he said in a whisper. 'The nurse has just gone. We’re still waiting for the doctor.'
'Where is Rebecca?' Katie asked.
'She had to pop out, something to do with her little baby who is sick in the nursery. She's got Celia to cover.'
Ah, so that's why Celia was in the office. This was turning into such a weird day...
'I wanted to talk to you about something,' Katie said quietly. 'If possible, we'd better step outside.'
Chris nodded and crossed to the door. She followed him outside. He left the door ajar.
'It's not urgent, but I thought about it again this morning,' Katie started her intro. At least this wasn't a lie. 'A few weeks ago, you mentioned that you could say a word on my behalf to Michael, and maybe he can help me find something affordable to buy or rent on the new estate.'
'Michael Bower?'
Katie nodded.
Chris massaged his neck. 'No problem, I'll ask him next time I see him.'
'When?'
Chris shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. 'Where's the sudden urgency from? Do you suspect Michael?' he asked.
'Why would I?'
'Because your mind works in mysterious ways,' Chris said winking at her.
Katie covered her mouth to hide a smile. She had to focus on getting relevant information, not bantering now.
'No, I don't suspect him. However, to be honest, I'd like to ask Michael about something to do with Keith. I am just broadly considering a hypothesis.'
'You've been reading a lot of books on investigations, haven't you, lass?'
'You make it sound like a crime.'
'Yeah, because it’s my job to suspect that people are up to no good.'
Exasperated, Katie sighed.
'Honestly, how do you even function in the normal world when you can't trust anyone?'
'It comes with experience,' Chris said seriously.
Ever since the murder of Jeff Livermore, Katie could not shake off the overwhelming sense of mistrust towards anything and everything people said around her. She'd been struggling with it. She was very much looking forward to chat with Jack about it, as he had promised to help her learn how to deal with these things.
What a lovely, roma
ntic topic for their first date on Saturday...
Katie shrugged off her thoughts and looked at Chris again.
'Anyhow, when you see your friend Michael, just mention that Katie Redford would like to talk to him about finding a new home in Sunny Meadows, okay?'
'No problem, lass.'
The armchair in the interview room squeaked.
'I think you need to go back inside, Chris. Jane is waking up. And I've promised to help her sister find them both a place to stay. I'd better get on with it,' Katie said and walked back into her office.
Katie returned to her office with hundreds of little knots between her shoulder blades forming again. During the investigations for Jeff Livermore's murder she realised it was a sign of stress. She sat at her desk to identify what was happening with her. The more she thought about it, the clearer it became. Unlike with all the cases she had been involved with before, this time she didn't have a place to start. Previous suspects and victims had been somehow clearly connected to her own network, but Keith and Jane Starr seemed detached from the local community. Michael Bower seemed to be the only trail she was able to follow at this point in the investigation.
Her phone bleeped but she ignored it. She wanted to capture her thoughts before they disappeared again. She had to cure herself of being such a scatterbrain.
Katie rummaged through her handbag to find the old notebook she had been using to write down her thoughts during previous investigations. She cast her mind back to the club meeting nearly three weeks earlier, when Jane Starr came in.
She couldn't remember much apart from Jane appearing quite fragile yet enjoying the atmosphere. She was very happy showing off the scrapbooking machine, which had been a birthday present from her husband. The machine came with a collection of dies with various shapes and sizes suitable for most occasional cards. The club had been thinking about investing in something like it, ever since it became clear that card making was the most popular activity for club members.
What else happened during the meeting?
Katie chewed on her cheek, but to no avail. During the meeting, she’d been too busy with the presentation to notice anything much. She drummed her fingers on the desk.
Bummer! She wasn't going to get too far.
She put away her notebook and checked her phone. A message from Dorothy! How convenient.
'Linda’s in the shop with her grandson. At the Crafts Club meeting, she sat across from the nymph. Maybe she'll know something. I'll get her to join me for a cuppa after work, 2.30pm. Care to come along?'
Linda! But of course! Why didn't she think about talking to Linda? Not only she might have heard something useful from Jane, but Katie could ask her about her strange behaviour that morning.
She tapped on Dorothy’s number.
'Yes, I can be there at 2.30 pm,' Katie said quickly. 'Are you sure she'll still be there?'
'Garden centre before Christmas,' she replied.
'What?'
'Katie, oh, Katie...' Dorothy giggled. 'I would ask you if you had fallen in love and your mind has lost its edge, but I know you would shout at me, so I just shut up. It's indoors. We have a little Santa Grotto, lots of Christmas decorations to look at. In the lead up to every Christmas, we become a hot-spot for people with small children. Plus, we're super busy. Linda won't be out of here before two o’clock. I can assure you.'
'Thank you,' Katie said, deliberately ignoring Dorothy's earlier remark about her and Jack. 'It does sound perfect. I'll be there. And if you happen to talk to Linda before I arrive, don't let her suspect it's me collecting information.'
'Why not? What's wrong with admitting it's for you?'
'I just have a feeling Linda’s trying to avoid me.'
'I'll be discretion itself, dear. I’ll just ask her about the club meeting. Also, with Linda being on the parish council, she must have had a chat with both of them when welcoming them into the church community. I don't socialise before or after the service, but Linda does. She might have picked up some information then.'
'That sounds like a plan. See you soon.'
Katie smiled. At least she had somewhere to start her investigation from.
7
When Katie walked into the café at the garden centre, she immediately spotted Dorothy. Her friend was wearing a scarlet cardigan over her dark green work overalls. Dorothy was known for her love of bright colours. She often said it made her feel younger and more alive.
'Hello Katie,' Dorothy called out, waving excitedly at her. 'We're over here!'
Katie stretched her neck. What a relief! Linda McKay sitting opposite Dorothy with Baby Adam on her knee.
'Afternoon, ladies and young gentleman,' Katie greeted everybody.
'Good to see you, Katie,' Dorothy rose to her feet to give Katie a hug. Linda just nodded in acknowledgement.
'Linda had to stop to feed Adam, so I invited myself to join her. Fortunately, she didn't mind.' Dorothy flashed one of her cheeky grins at Linda, who flinched. Katie wondered if Linda really didn't mind.
Katie couldn't help noticing that, although Dorothy was drinking a coffee, there was only a bottle of mineral water in front of Linda.
'I'm getting a coffee. Would you like me to get anything for you?'
Dorothy shook her head.
'You're not to having anything, Linda?' Katie asked.
'No, no,' Linda replied hastily. 'I'm okay.'
'Not even a coffee?' Katie was surprised.
The end of Linda's nose turned red. Colour crept onto her cheeks. She bent over Adam to fix something in his clothes.
'I don't need any more coffee when I'm with my baby. My grandson is all the adrenaline I need. Plus, with him being so lively now, I don't want any hot drinks within his reach.'
It made sense, but it didn't ease Katie's suspicions completely. She headed for the counter. When she was back with her drink, Dorothy greeted her with a look of relief.
'I was just chatting to Linda about Keith and Jane Starr,' Dorothy said. Katie admired the skill and ease with which Dorothy conducted the conversation. 'What a tragedy! Apparently, Katie found the body.'
Linda's shoulders stiffened.
'Again?' Linda gasped. Katie froze on the spot. She hated it when Linda took on that headmistress tone. As if it was her fault she’d been tripping over so many dead bodies in Sunnyvale!
'Come on, Linda,' Katie replied, trying to keep the growing annoyance under control. 'It could have been you!'
'Me? I don't wander around finding corpses.'
'I mean,' Katie said trying for a friendlier tone, 'it's not my fault. It's just a coincidence. I was referring to your visit in the area this morning.'
The colourful book Adam had been holding dropped to the floor making a rattling noise. Linda bent to pick it up.
Bother, I'd love to see her face now.
'I don't know what you're talking about, Katie,' Linda mumbled with difficulty trying to pick the book off the floor, while holding her wriggling grandson on her lap. Was it her heavy winter clothes or had Linda put on some weight? Katie slid off her chair and picked up the plastic baby book, which squeaked. Adam squealed in response. Katie glanced at the book- it was wet. Adam must have been chewing on it.
'I think you might need to wash it first,' Katie said.
'I will,' Linda drawled. 'Just before we leave.'
'Would you prefer that I put it in the stroller, so he can't see it?'
'That's a good idea. Thank you. And if you're there, can you get a plastic car from the back pocket?'
Katie obeyed.
'Here it is,' she said passing the little red toy to Adam, who started to jump, while vigorously shaking his head and making vroom-vroom noises. 'So, what about this morning’s trip to the new estate,' Katie returned to her question. 'I saw you, walking with someone around 7.30. Didn't you see me?'
Adam pushed Katie's hand with the car away.
'Adam, please stop jumping, honey. You're hitting grandma with your head,' Linda warn
ed the boy. Adam made more incomprehensible noises, this time with the corners of his mouth down. He looked clearly unhappy. A large tear appeared on one of his rosy cheeks.
Linda bent over the boy and kissed his forehead, but Adam pushed her away. A full-blown meltdown was mere seconds away. Linda took the toy from Katie and made some attempts at attracting Adam's attention.
'Look, vroom-vroom, your little red car. It's better than the book. It makes even more noise,' she mumbled to herself with a heavy sigh. But the boy wasn't interested. He started crying quite loudly. Clearly, he wanted his book. Linda picked him up and started to sooth him.
Katie glanced at Dorothy and smiled apologetically. She stood up and grabbed the book from the stroller.
'I'll be back in a tick,' she said and headed for the bathroom. Even though her daughter was ten, she remembered very well how exhausting trips with little children could be. In the face of the cranky toddler, even the murder investigation had to be put on the back burner.
Temporarily, of course.
When she returned with the toy, Linda was up and fastening Adam into the stroller.
'Here you are, all clean,' Katie said, passing the book straight to Adam, whose round face lit with an instantaneous smile. He grabbed the book and pushed it immediately into his mouth.
'Teething again?' Katie asked Linda.
'Probably,' she replied, without lifting her head. 'I'd better go. He's getting tired. He's overdue for his nap. Thank you for your help.'
'No problem,' Katie replied, considering her options. 'Are you coming to the club meeting tomorrow?'
'I'm not sure yet,' Linda replied buttoning up her coat. The coat did look tight on her.
'See you next time, then.'
'Goodbye.' Katie waved at Adam who was still bouncing up and down chewing on his book.
Katie sat back at the table. She picked up her cup and sipped her coffee.
'What did you find out?' she asked Dorothy after what she considered a suitable pause.