Parcels of Doom (Chapel End Mysteries, #1)

by Lown, Anne

  Jenny’s scalp prickled on the way home. She wrapped her jacket tighter around her and scurried along the pavement. She darted her gaze from gardens to parked cars and back again. The streetlights had already gone off, so the only illumination was from lamps outside front doors. She cursed the council and their budget cuts, then thoughts of the voodoo doll filled her mind.

  Is someone trying to scare Paul?

  Carmie had insisted he was in danger, but Jenny couldn’t think from whom; he’d only just arrived in the village. She shivered, the open sky glinting. Every sound had her flinching. She’d be a nervous wreck by the time she got home.

  Jenny looked behind her. It felt like someone was watching. She stopped to listen, straining to hear something, anything.

  Don’t be daft.

  She shook her head at her own stupidity and carried on. Then she heard it. A stone rolled, hitting others. Her heart banged, and she let go of her jacket and ran down the street.

  Please, no!

  Gravel crunched underfoot behind her. Someone gave chase, crossing a driveway to do so.

  Pounding her arms to aid her escape, she dived into her garden and fumbled for the key in her pocket. Jenny jabbed at the lock, scratching the paint when something touched her. Her chest filled with a sudden intake of breath. A hand landed on her shoulder. She opened her mouth to scream.

  “Jen, it’s me.”

  “What the hell!” she shouted in between panting gasps for air.

  “Sorry,” Scott said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She thumped at his chest with her fists as tears rolled down her cheeks. “What were you thinking, following me in the dark? Why aren’t you at work?”

  “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see you.”

  Pulling away from him, she shook her head. “No, no you don’t. We finished, remember?”

  “But, Jen, that man... I’ve heard bad things. Stay away. Please.”

  “I’ll see who I want. Now go away, Scott. Leave me alone.” Jenny turned, this time finding the keyhole in one go. She opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Please, Jen. Stay away from him.”

  Ignoring his words, she closed the door.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jenny jerked awake, inhaling a sharp breath. Her eyes barely open, she squinted at the early morning sunshine breaking through a gap in the curtains. Sleep had been fleeting. Fear dogged her dreams. Each time she was chased through the dark streets, an unknown assailant hot on her heels. She groaned, peeling her tired body from the mattress.

  Sirens sounded in the distance, the noise travelling the countryside unhindered in its journey. The hubbub of everyday life hadn’t had a chance to take over. The emergency vehicles could be anywhere.

  Jenny searched her mind to work out what day it was.

  Tuesday, thank God.

  It was her mid-week day off. She stretched her sore muscles and headed for the shower. The least she could do was pamper herself after the week she’d been having.

  The café along the high street opened over an hour ago. It did a surprising trade considering its distance from Bishop, and from what she’d heard, the food was good, and workmen used it for breakfast. She decided to go there for some company and to listen to the conversations. Gossip had spread like wildfire since Paul had arrived, so there was a chance someone might remember something they hadn’t mentioned before.

  Jenny got dressed then ambled along the road towards the café. It was in the same line of shops that housed the grocery store. She could pop in there afterwards and get something for dinner. While she approached, strobing lights reflected off the walls of the buildings. An ambulance was parked outside the pub alongside a rapid response vehicle. The pub’s door stood open, held back by a hook, the scene observed by workmen eating their bacon rolls and drinking tea.

  Inside the café the tables were empty. She placed her order at the counter—scrambled eggs on toast and a mug of tea—then sat in a window seat. The competition for such prime seating was usually fierce, but the other customers were too busy outside to put up a fight. Jenny gazed out of the window, watching the drama unfold. Her meal arrived, and she wasted no time in tucking into it, a sudden pang of hunger demanding her attention. She jumped at a noise. Carmie was standing outside and had tapped on the window before coming into the café.

  “What’re you doing in here?” Carmie asked. “Why aren’t you outside?”

  “Why? What’s the matter?”

  “Haven’t you heard? It’s Paul. He’s dead!”

  Jenny froze, a fork full of food partway to her mouth. She’d suddenly lost her appetite. “Dead? How? When?”

  Carmie sat in a seat opposite and grabbed hold of Jenny’s wrist. A broad smile spread across her face, her eyes bulging. “They found him this morning. Drowned in the bath.” The words came out in a rush.

  She shook her head. “I don’t believe it.” She’d been talking to him only yesterday. How the hell could he be dead? She stared at the tabletop, her mind not wanting to engage.

  “It’s true. Didn’t I say someone would get hurt?”

  Yes, she had. Carmie had even pointed it out to Paul when the voodoo doll had turned up. She’d tried to warn him, but he hadn’t listened. Now he was dead.

  A sudden thought struck Jenny. “Where’s Jason?”

  Carmie’s eyes narrowed. “Why, what’s he got to do with it?”

  Jenny didn’t know what to say. She’d been with Jason in the evening until he’d gone out and left her in his house alone. She’d told him about talking to Paul, about his wanting her to ask him if he was a killer. Jenny shook her head. Nothing around her seemed to matter. He hadn’t gone to see Paul, had he? She hoped not, but she had no idea where he’d gone.

  Jenny looked at her friend. “Who told you about Paul?”

  Carmie let go of her wrist. “Emma did. He’d asked her to ring before work, but there was no answer. Tracy went to the annexe and found him in the bath.”

  “And she called you to tell you all this?”

  “Yes. She’s upset and asked me to open up, so I’ve just picked up the keys.”

  Something about it seemed strange. Why would Emma be so upset? Surely she didn’t know the man? He was going to question her, nothing else. Something wasn’t right.

  A car pulled up outside the pub—DS George had arrived with his superior officer. He got out of the vehicle and surveyed the gathering crowd as he did up the top button on his suit jacket. A satisfied smile appeared on his face when he saw most of the voyeurs were looking at him.

  He nodded to a uniformed policeman. The officer stood on the other side of the police tape, making a log of everyone who entered the pub’s grounds. George’s name would be on the list with the others, recording the time they arrived. Next should be the coroner, but not many could stand around gawping all day, they had jobs to do. The workmen in the street brought back their empty mugs and then got in their vans to leave. Quickly, the café was almost empty, except for a few members of the public who didn’t seem to have anywhere else to be.

  Jenny pushed her half-eaten breakfast aside. “Do you want help in the shop for a while?”

  It seemed like a good idea. She’d be able to see the activity from the charity shop; the view was mostly the same. It’d also give her time to find the courage to go back to Jason’s house. She needed to know where he’d gone when he’d left her last night.

  “Yes, that’d be great.”

  Jenny and Carmie got up and left the café.

  Carmie fiddled with the keys. The charity shop had a grill secured with a padlock, and with her being only five-foot-tall, she needed help to roll it up. She bent down to unlock it. “What the hell?”

  Jenny stopped watching the front of the pub and turned her attention to where Carmie was crouching. The padlock was missing, and the grill was off the floor. “Do you want to call the police?”

  She didn’t answer but started to lift the grill. Jenny helped, and they man
aged to roll it up together. The door behind it was slightly ajar. Someone had broken in.

  “We’ll get the police now.” Carmie walked across the road to the policeman recording the names and spoke to him, pointing over to the shop.

  He nodded and talked into his radio. Jenny took this to mean he was calling in the incident and a police car would soon be with them. She waited for her friend to return before they entered the shop together. Nothing looked disturbed, everything was just as it always was. She was baffled. Why would someone break in and not take anything? Then Carmie had an idea and led Jenny through to the back of the shop.

  The office door stood open. Donations were piled around the room—again, nothing had been disturbed. Carmie went straight for the filing cabinet where Emma kept the paperwork. She searched each drawer in turn, but it seemed she didn’t find what she was looking for.

  Intrigued, Jenny asked, “What is it?”

  “Emma left the diary in the cabinet. The police had a look at it but didn’t want it. Now it’s gone.”

  Jenny cocked her head, raising her eyebrows. “You think someone broke in to steal the diary? That’s one hell of a risk. Who’d want to do that?”

  Carmie looked Jenny in the eye—she wasn’t messing about. “Who else? Jason, of course. He’d tried to get it from Emma the other day.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Jenny glimpsed her own face in the office mirror when Carmie had said Jason’s name. All the colour drained away, her eyes bulged, and her mouth fell open. “No, it can’t be.”

  Carmie put her hands on her hips. She clearly didn’t agree. “Why not? Were you with him? Is that how you know?”

  She shook her head. “He wouldn’t have, I just know.”

  Her friend pouted. “You want to get your act together—that man’s bad news.”

  Jenny turned away. A sinking feeling gripped her stomach. She wanted to believe he was better than this, better than breaking into a shop and stealing something he’d demanded only days earlier.

  Images of the night before flashed through her mind. The fear she’d felt when someone had chased her through the streets clawed at her throat.

  It couldn’t have been him. It was Scott, wasn’t it?

  Surely Jason would’ve called out her name, not hidden in the gardens. Now she really had to know. There was no way around it, she’d ask him herself.

  Jenny didn’t stay a moment longer, dashing out of the shop and hurrying along the path. Emotions rampaging, she didn’t want to wait in case she hesitated and changed her mind. Jason’s house came into view. He was working in the front garden, digging over one of the borders and didn’t notice her approach.

  “Jason,” Jenny spoke softly, her voice catching. She feared he’d walk inside and shut the door on her like she’d done to Scott the night before. Guilt chewed at the back of her mind at the thought of Scott. He’d tried to warn her off, but she hadn’t listened.

  Jason looked up, his lips pressed tight. He was bent over the border with the support of the fork. Some weeds came loose, and he shook the mud from their roots. “What do you want?”

  “I’ve come to talk. You disappeared last night. I didn’t know what to think.”

  “Think what you like.”

  “That’s not fair,” she said, her body tensing at his dismissive tone. “You said you’d tell me things from your side and you didn’t.”

  His narrowed gaze searched her face. He sighed, throwing down the fork. “Come through to the back.”

  Jenny followed him through the gate. In daylight, the garden seemed bigger. Two wrought-iron chairs stood over in the far corner around a wrought-iron table, the paint green and brown from moss and rust. Jenny sat on one of the chairs, not caring what it did to her clothes. She had jeans and a thick jacket on, but the day was a bit warmer than it had been earlier. She took off her jacket and slung it around the back of the chair. Jason sat in the other one and pushed a can of cola to her across the table.

  “Thanks.” She popped open the tab and took a long pull of the gaseous liquid.

  Jason popped another can but put it straight onto the table. “I’m sorry I disappeared, I shouldn’t have.”

  She nodded and waited for him to continue.

  “You hit a nerve. When Annalise died, rumours circled the village. People accused me of killing her. Even when we knew she’d drowned it didn’t stop. I couldn’t handle it so I left.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jason. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just didn’t know what to think.”

  He stared at his hands, scratching at the mud staining his fingers. Jenny watched, expecting him to react. Instead, he picked up his drink, sipped, and stared out over the garden.

  As the sun radiated a weak warmth onto their skin, a slight breeze played with the loose strands of hair escaping from Jason’s heavily teased spikes. Jenny giggled. She remembered when they’d first met. Even today, in his combat trousers and a faded t-shirt, he still resembled a new romantic from the early eighties.

  A smile fought bravely to break out on his lips, but better still, the twinkle she loved was back in his eyes. “What?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, “you remind me of a pop singer from years ago.”

  “Yeah, I know.” The smile spread. “Everyone says that.”

  He reached across the table and slipped her hand into his. They stayed like that, the magic now returned. They talked about mundane things, like Jenny’s job and what she’d been doing beforehand. She was surprised to hear he’d been a carer for a cousin, moving in with him after leaving the village. When his cousin had declined in health, he’d spent his days tending to him. Then his uncle had died and his cousin soon after, forcing the move back to Chapel End as he’d nowhere else to go.

  “Do you miss her?” It was a brave question to ask, but Jenny couldn’t help wanting to know if it still hurt to think of Annalise.

  “Yes, like it was only yesterday.”

  “Is that why you broke into the charity shop, to steal the diary?”

  “I did what?” His body jerked, and he let go of her hand. “You seem to have a very low opinion of me.”

  “I’m sorry, I just thought...” Jenny broke off, not wanting to end the sentence. She’d done it again, upset him on something she was ill-informed about.

  “You just thought it had to be me because Emma wouldn’t let me have it. Is that what she told you?”

  “No, Carmie did. I only found out today. She said you’d tried to take it from her.”

  Jason shook his head, looking sad and bewildered. He rubbed his hands over his face and stood. “It’s happening again. That damned Paul. I’m going to have a word with him and put a stop to it all.”

  “You can’t,” she said, “he’s been taken away in an ambulance. It happened this morning.”

  “What happened this morning?”

  “Jason, he’s dead.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The shock of Paul’s death took a while to sink in. Jason sat gazing into the distance, his mind clearly filled with thoughts Jenny couldn’t imagine. She could’ve kicked herself for bringing him the bad news—it wasn’t how a relationship was supposed to start. That was the funny thing—was this a budding relationship? It had more false starts than she was used to, and she’d never had a man walk out on her like he’d done. Somehow, she couldn’t let him be. There was something about him she couldn’t put her finger on, but whatever it was, it was enticing.

  Jason sprang from his chair. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

  Jenny’s breath caught. Did he mean with or without her? “Where are you going?”

  “Nowhere. Anywhere. The pub. I’ve got to find out what happened.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  She grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and put it on. Jason went into the house to retrieve his, closing the door behind him when he returned. She followed him out to the roadway and onto the path that led to the high street. Walking along, neithe
r of them spoke.

  It was after lunch, and Jenny’s tummy rumbled. She hadn’t finished her breakfast thanks to Carmie, not that she blamed her, but she’d put her off her food. It seemed stupid and selfish to be wanting a meal at a time like this. She looked at Jason plodding beside her and wondered if he’d eaten at all. “Why don’t we get something to eat?”

  The high street was busy. The closer they got, the more she could see the pub wouldn’t be open. Police were still working in the grounds, and an officer was stationed at the door. Another police car had parked in front of the charity shop, no doubt investigating the reported break-in. Jenny thought Carmie might need some help—she’d been with her at the time and should really give a statement.

  The only place to go was the café where there was a dwindling lunchtime crowd. A table stood vacated by the window, the same one she’d sat at earlier, so she returned to her seat. Jason put his elbow on the table and leant on his fist. He stared outside but didn’t seem to be watching the activity across the road. She wasn’t used to a man being so thoughtful and quiet. Scott couldn’t shut up. He had a theory on everything and liked everyone to know it. For some strange reason, she missed that. At least with him, she wouldn’t be afraid to open her mouth. Walking on eggshells was getting to be hard work.

  The woman behind the cash till looked over to see what they were doing. It was the same one from earlier who’d served her breakfast. Jenny went to the counter and ordered for them both. Two large teas with beef and tomato sandwiches. She brought them back to the table and placed one set in front of Jason. He didn’t seem to notice, so she gently touched his arm. At his backwards flinch, she jumped, spilling some of her tea. The wild look in his eyes scared her. Anyone would’ve thought she’d burnt him.

  Jenny regretted being there. She glanced around, embarrassed by his behaviour. He was more complicated than she needed, reminding her why she’d wanted time alone in the first place. She avoided the stares from the other customers, sitting in silence and eating her food. The day was going downhill; she would’ve been better off staying in the shop with Carmie.