by Emily Selby
'Not much,' Dorothy replied. 'Linda spent most of the meeting either discussing the fete, or the parish council and that young vicar who's on his sabbatical here. Apparently, they're trying to convince him to cover for Rev Miller, who needs to go on sabbatical to sort out his gambling problems.'
'I thought he already did that. It's been months since we discovered the parish debts.'
Three months to be precise. Rev Miller's creative ways of addressing parish financial issues were a side effect of the investigation into Mrs Dunbar's death - the first murder mystery Katie had been involved in.
'He's done what he could. For more, he needs to go away for a few weeks. Hence the requirement for cover. But anyway, apart from that, Linda made a short comment about Jane's scrapbooking project – a journal for her husband. By the way, how did how he die?'
Katie opened her mouth and closed it as soon she realised this was one of those pieces of information she shouldn't be sharing with the public, at least not yet.
'I don't think the cause of death has been released yet,' she said slowly.
'Do you think she might have done it? Jane Starr, I mean,' Dorothy pushed.
'I cannot imagine her doing it physically, unless...' Katie paused, rubbing her upper lip to prevent herself from sharing too much too early. 'They seemed to be quite a dedicated couple. Wouldn’t you think?' she asked instead.
'As I said before, he always struck me as someone quite controlling. Caring but in an overly-possessive sort of way.'
'But when you think about it, with Jane's illnesses, difficulty in getting out and about, the fact she needed someone's help physically and emotionally, it sounds like a perfect match.'
'Sorry,' Dorothy blinked. 'I think I've lost you. Can you just speak in simple terms? Sometimes, you're just trying to be too polite.'
Katie processed what Dorothy had just said. It stung, a little. Dorothy had a talent for seeing through layers of politeness and good manners, straight into the heart of things.
'What I wanted to say, in a much nicer way, because I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt,' Katie said reluctantly, 'is that Keith was so caring, maybe even to the point of appearing controlling, because it’s exactly what she needed. She's quite limited by her ailments. She has multiple food allergies and asthma. That's why she was so keen to move out of the city, despite the fact that she would prefer to be closer to her family. And then she was diagnosed with early onset arthritis. And I think she also has chronic fatigue syndrome. She needs to rest a lot. But she is working very hard to regain independence.'
'She has just achieved it, in a sense,' Dorothy cut in. Her comment stabbed Katie like a sharp icicle.
'Okay. If you put it that way,' Katie said. 'And to be honest, it also struck me there was a lot of tension between the two of them, regarding her desire to find a way to work.'
'Jealous and controlling, if you ask me,' Dorothy said firmly. 'Every time I saw them after the Sunday service, walking out of the church, she was holding tight to his arm, looking around desperately as if trying to attract somebody's attention. She looked like a trapped bird.'
'Okay, I agree to some extent, but I think you're exaggerating, Dorothy.' Katie suppressed the annoyance growing in her. 'That's unfair. She might have just been looking for someone friendly to approach. She told me several times she felt very lonely in Sunnyvale. That she missed her family and friends in Leeds.'
'She's been living in Sunnyvale since summer. That's a good few months. Enough time to start making friends, don't you think?'
'She tried. Don't forget she did come to our meeting! And she's been talking to me.'
'Okay, Katie. Let's not get carried away. I just wanted to present my point of view and show you a different and interesting angle to this situation. I take your point that she has tried, but here we are, sitting, and talking for the first time today, trying to find someone or something that would give us any more information on Jane and Keith. And what? Have we got any more? And supposedly, you're her only friend in town and you’re the cleaning lady. Yet it's you, asking me, for more information about her. Can you see where I'm coming from?'
Katie shrugged. Dorothy's words hurt because they were true.
'Sorry, Dorothy. I am just frustrated I don't seem to be able to find out anything to begin with.'
'By the way, you've never said it was a murder. Was it?'
Katie froze. Indeed, the 'M' word had not been yet mentioned. Why did she assume it was indeed, the case?
Katie bit her lower lip. 'I'm not sure. It's just a hunch I'm following, to be honest.'
Dorothy nodded, looking away. They sat in silence for a while.
'Have you talked to Chris yet about talking to Michael Bower?' Dorothy asked after a while, turning her head to face Katie again.
'Yes, and he agreed to try. But it might take a little time. In the meantime, I'm stuck.'
'I've been thinking about it, and to be honest, I'm just as stuck as you are. Do you think Michelle might know something?'
Katie's best friend, Michelle Webb, the owner of Styles and Smiles hair and beauty salon, often had access to some local gossip.
'I can try. But I suspect it's unlikely. Jane doesn't look like a woman who goes to a beauty salon that often.'
'No, I wouldn't say so.'
Katie drained her cup and glanced at the watch. 'I'd better be going. I don't want to be late at the school gates, otherwise, Julia will get cranky. I'll keep my eyes and ears open. Maybe someone at school will know something.'
'I'll do that too,' Dorothy assured her. 'I’ll let you know I soon as I find out anything.'
8
Katie rushed out of the garden centre, keen to get back to town to avoid school pick-up rush hour. But luck was not on her side, and she arrived at the school gate just late enough to make Julia grumpy.
'Mum, I'm going to be late again! I've asked you to be on time.'
Guilt grabbed at Katie’s throat. She’d been so interested in this case, she forgot that, first and foremost, she was mum to her only daughter.
'Sorry, baby, I got stuck in traffic. The centre is only a few minutes away. If you hurry up and get in the car-'
Surprisingly, Julia dived into the car before Katie could finish her sentence.
'Are you sure you have everything for the session?' Katie asked buckling up her seat belt and checking discreetly in the rear-view mirror Julia was doing the same.
'Mum! I'm nearly eleven. Why do you never trust me?'
Because I have enough evidence to doubt some of your statements, Katie thought, but kept to herself. Last thing she needed was for her daughter to rub in more mummy-guilt.
'You have more than three months to go to your eleventh birthday,' she said instead. 'I'm asking because I want you to fully enjoy the class rather than sulk because you forgot something important. And if you have forgotten anything, I could just drop it off a little later.'
'No, I've got everything,' Julia replied reluctantly. 'Just be there to collect me on time.'
Katie gulped. She'd better not get involved in anything between now and the pickup time. Julia would not forgive her being late twice on the same day.
The best idea was probably to do some shopping, drop it off at home, return to the community centre and wait until 5 pm. She could always sit with a notebook trying to come up with new angles in the Keith Starr investigation. She should also contact Jack to check if Keith was, indeed, murdered.
Once Julia was at her class, Katie went off ticking the to-dos from her mental list. She was back from her quick supermarket trip shortly before 5 pm. Sadly it took a little longer then she’d hoped so she didn't have time to get in touch with Jack. She was dying of curiosity to see how his investigations were progressing.
She walked into the community centre through the main door. Even though it was harder to find a parking space in front of the community centre at this time of day, she preferred to use the main entrance. Otherwise she would have had to go
through the side entrance, risking some flashbacks from a previous grim discovery.
The hall was busy with people coming and going, but mostly going as the community centre staff were getting ready to leave work. She ran up the stairs composing in her head a text message to Jack. Still so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she bumped into someone.
'Careful, young lady!' a deep, male voice cut short her consideration of adding a little cross at the end of the message was appropriate at this stage in her relationship with Jack or not. Katie lifted her head and her eyes met the serious face of... Michael Bower!
'I'm so sorry, Mr Bower. I was miles away.'
'I could tell that. You almost knocked me over.'
Katie's cheeks burned.
'Sorry, I didn't want to be late. I'm collecting my daughter from the drama class upstairs.'
'They're still rehearsing. They left the door open because it got too stuffy, I understand.'
Katie pricked her ears. Was Michael also waiting to collect someone from the drama class? Weren't his children too old for to take part in an amateur Christmas pantomime?
'Are you waiting for someone as well?' she pushed onward her question. That was an excellent opportunity to collect information.
'Yes, my wife. She volunteered to help with the production.'
'I didn't know that. What is she doing?'
Michael shrugged. 'A little bit of everything, as usual in situations like this,' he said. 'It's not what she would like to do, but she's happy to help.'
Katie ran through the usual list of roles linked with a typical Christmas pantomime. Maybe it wasn't one of her most creative days, but she couldn’t picture Lisa Bower in any of those tasks. The speculation only increased Katie’s curiosity.
'There is so much to get involved with, indeed,' she said with as much positive vibe to her voice as she could add. 'I've offered to help with decorations.'
Michael leant on the stair handrail.
'That sounds reasonable. Not too hard. My wife has offered to help with music. She plays piano.'
Ah, the piano. It seemed to suit Lisa Bower much more than Pantomime Dame or Good Fairy. Let alone the pantomime cow...
'That's fantastic!' Katie said, probably with a little too much enthusiasm. 'My daughter, Julia is in the chorus. I've been hoping she's lucky enough to get some solo singing and dancing.'
'I'm sure she'll be delightful. Funny how we all still laugh at it, even though we see it every year.'
Katie couldn't agree more. Feeling that the conversation was heading somehow towards the end, Katie mustered some courage.
'Mr Bower, I wonder if Chris Fox has mentioned anything to you...' She paused hoping he would pick up the thread.
Michael gave her a curious look.
'Given the past involvement I've had with Chris and you, I imagine this wouldn't be anything I would look forward to,' he said cautiously.
Katie smiled, hoping it would look apologetic enough. She couldn't blame his worry. After all, her most recent interactions with Michael Bower had been in connection with a number of serious crimes involving Michael, his sister and his elderly father.
'No, it's nothing like that,' she said hastily. 'It's to do you with your new estate, Sunny Meadows. You see, my daughter and I would love to live there. It's a beautiful location. I was wondering if you had any houses–'
'We have a lot of houses on offer,' Michael replied with a glint in his eyes.
Katie put on the best of her smiles.
'Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy a house on the regular market. I was just wondering whether you had any special offers running?'
She left the last sentence hanging. She didn't know how to put it, so she hoped that Michael would pick up on the cue. She had never talked to anyone about giving her special treatment with anything. She felt very uncomfortable. Her discomfort was also a result of having to admit publicly, she couldn't afford a house.
Michael ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair. He sighed heavily.
'I see,' he said slowly. 'It would be helpful to know what you can afford and what you're after. Maybe we can find something that is suitable and affordable at the same time. Have you got a date to move in in mind?'
'I haven't thought about it at any level of detail. But I've been... spending quite a lot of time in that part of town lately, and just love it. It would be helpful for me to know how much it would cost, so I can consider if this is even something to work towards.'
What a sentence! Dorothy would be proud of her.
Michael wrinkled his nose.
'I'll talk to the sales manager to see what's available. We often have Show Homes that can go on sale for less. Sometimes it's when the bank forecloses on a house when the owner is no longer able to pay the mortgage. Or sometimes people contact us wanting help to sell their house for them, for various reasons. You know, death in the family, relocation for a new job, that sort of thing.'
'Would your wife's real estate agency deal with it?'
'It depends. Sometimes it's Lisa's agency, sometimes we are approached via another agency from town. But I'll let you know if I can find anything.'
'I appreciate that, Mr Bower. I wondered if Olivia Gibson was looking to sell her house now she doesn't need such a big property.'
'Yeah,' Michael said reluctantly. 'My wife has mentioned something. Good that the body wasn't found there. Dead bodies are not so good for property prices.'
Katie cringed. Should she hold off telling him about Keith? It was bound to put him in a bad mood. But this was the perfect moment to drop her bombshell and gauge Michael's reaction.
'I'm sorry,' she said slowly, staring at him attentively. 'I'm afraid the police have found a body in one of those lovely houses this morning. Have you heard about it yet?"
Michael frowned. Flash anger flashing his eyes, but he controlled it. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his long black coat.
'Another one? Who is it this time?'
'Keith Starr, if you know who I mean?' She paused waiting for his reaction. Michael’s mouth dropped open. His Adam’s apple bopped up and down. A drop of sweat glistened on his temple.
'Keith Starr?' he croaked.
'Yes. Did you know him?'
Michael unbuttoned the top of his coat and ran a finger under the collar. He looked around.
'I'm sorry, I'd like to sit down. Do you mind?' he looked at her anxiously.
'Not at all,' Katie said and pointed to the nearest bench on the first-floor landing. 'Over there? It's quiet. We shouldn't be disturbed. She ran a couple of steps up and gestured him to follow her. He pushed away from the handrail ad followed her, his steps echoing heavily.
Katie sat on the bench and Michael dropped beside her, landing with a thud.
'Keith Starr's dead?'
'Yes. Did you know him?'
'I did,' he said with a heavy voice, his head looking down. 'I know his parents and his older brother. My parents were friends with his parents. We often visited them when the boys were younger. His father, David, is a great man. Been working with our company for years. And Keith's mother has been fantastic, too. They're awesome people. I was so happy when Keith decided to finally move back into the region and help his father with the company. I got him the corner plot his wife wanted. We finished it early, before everything else in that part of the estate. And now, this...'
'I'm so sorry...' Katie repeated. She didn't know how to console Michael. He was known for his stiff upper lip approach to life, but now, he appeared to be genuinely upset.
'You must have liked him.'
'Not so much Keith. He was a bit spoilt, oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead like that, but I appreciate his parents. It was heart-breaking to see how his father was struggling to run the company well into his 70s, even though he's still sharp. How very selfish of Keith not wanting to do it for such a long time.'
Katie made a few soothing noises.
'Have his parents been
informed?' Michael asked looking at Katie over his shoulder.
'I honestly don't know,' she replied. 'I imagine the police will do it.'
Michael jerked his head up.
'The police? Why would the police have anything to do with it?' he asked sharply.
Katie grasped the edge of the bench. Bother, she hadn't realised this was a whole different type of information...
'The police are always called when there is a sudden death,' she said, choosing her words carefully.
Michael's face drained of colour. His shoulders dropped.
'Murdered?' he croaked again.
'I honestly cannot comment on that. The police are still investigating.'
Michael covered his face with his hands. He rubbed it several times. Katie touched his elbow.
'Would you like me to bring your glass of water?'
He inhaled loudly. When he pulled his hands away from please face, his eyes were glistening.
'No, no. I'll be fine. It's just such a shock. How is his wife doing?'
Katie's back stiffened. The more she got involved in police work, the less she was confident how she should behave in situations like this.
'Her sister is on her way from Leeds. They need to find a place to stay. Somewhere discreet, inexpensive and quiet. I don't know... Do you?'
Michael rubbed his cheeks. 'There is a little hotel, very quiet, on the edge of town just by the stream. It's called The Sunny Corner. It's opened recently, so it's quiet for sure.'
'I’ll look it up, thank you.'
Michael leaned forward and rested his elbows on his lap.
'Keith Starr murdered,' he said quietly. 'That is unbelievable. What’s become of this town?'
'Can you think of anyone who might have wanted him dead?'
He looked blankly at her. 'What do you mean by that?
'Someone who hated him enough to want him dead.'
Michael looked at her, confusion clear on his face.
'His parents included?'
'Was their relationship that bad?'
He blew out a breath. 'I think they both loved him dearly. After all he was, practically speaking, their only child. They had great plans for him. Sadly, he decided to take his own path. At one stage, his father considered disowning Keith, but that was long time ago. I think they're more accepting of his choices now, but they still reproach him for that.'