Peridale Cafe Mystery 18 - Cheesecake and Confusion

by Agatha Frost

  “I’ve had forty years to think about this.” Hilary let out a small laugh as she bowed her head. “I loved your father, probably more than a housekeeper should. Without Vincent, this is just another dusty old house, and I’m not even well enough to clean it anymore. I don’t know how many years I have left, but I have a pot of savings, and I’m determined to find what enjoyment I may from these remaining years. A not inconsiderable pot, thanks to your father allowing me to stay here for free for so many years.”

  “But…” Katie’s bottom lip gave way to tears. Brian whisked Vinnie away. “You’ve been here my whole life.”

  Hilary chuckled as she hobbled over to Katie. She cupped Katie’s puffy face in her hand and smiled softly before saying, “Oh, Katie, my dear. We’ve never really liked each other, have we?”

  Katie looked offended for a moment, but her tears gave way to laughter.

  “No,” Katie shook her head, Hilary’s palm still on her cheek. “We haven’t, have we?”

  “You’ve been a spoiled brat since the day you were born,” Hilary continued, her soft cupping turning into a weighty tap on the cheek. “And I despised you for most of them. But motherhood suits you well. I’ve almost grown to like you.”

  “I almost like you too,” Katie said before grabbing Hilary into a tight hug. “Have a fun life, Hilary. You deserve it. As the last surviving Wellington, you’re dismissed.”

  “I quit,” Hilary replied with a chuckle. “You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to say that.”

  Hilary allowed Katie to hug her for a moment more, fidgeting away just in time for the taxi to pull up outside and beep its horn.

  “Right, that’s me.” Hilary stiffened up as she lifted one of the cases. “Brian, you can carry my other case to the car. I’m not making two trips. The stairs were quite enough.”

  Brian nodded, returning Vinnie to Katie’s waiting arms. Hilary paused at Vinnie, leaning in and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before hobbling off with her case. Julia considered offering to take it to the taxi for her but was fairly certain Hilary’s pride wouldn’t let her accept. Given how poorly their last interaction had gone, Julia was stunned when Hilary stopped dead in front of her. After staring straight ahead for a moment, Hilary turned and pinned Julia to the spot with her black-lined, bulging eyes.

  “You were right,” Hilary said without blinking. “I was cruel to that girl, and I’ve been cruel to many others. I can’t change the past, but I can change how I shall be in my new life.”

  “Goodbye, Hilary,” Julia said, giving her a genuine smile. “Please, go and have a great life.”

  “I think I shall,” Hilary said as she walked to the door. “I might write, I might not. I’ll see how I feel.”

  Hilary left through the open front door. She paused on the doorstep as if about to turn around to get one last look at the place, but she didn’t. Head high, she headed straight to the taxi and let the driver take the case from her.

  After Hilary was comfortable on the backseat and her second case was in the boot, the driver set off. He reversed out of the spot before spinning the car towards the top of the lane. They stood on the doorstep and waved, but Hilary’s gaze never wavered, fixed on the back of the seat in front of her.

  “I think I need to go to bed.” Katie kissed Vinnie on the cheek. “Babe?”

  “Good idea.” Brian put an arm around Katie and their son, guiding them inside. “Thank you for everything, Julia. We are dreadfully sorry for involving you in this mess.”

  “That’s what family is for,” Julia replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow. There’s a stack of cheesecakes in the fridge from earlier if you’re hungry. I bet they’ve set by now.”

  “Cheesecake sounds good,” Katie replied. “Goodnight.”

  Katie and Brian retreated into the house, leaving Julia and Alfie on the doorstep. Julia turned, stomach sinking when she didn’t see her car.

  “It’s still on Dale’s cottage lane,” Julia said with a groan.

  Alfie headed to his bike and passed her the second helmet. “Then I think it’s time for one last ride.”

  Tempting as the thought of confronting Dale at his cottage was, Julia knew it wouldn’t achieve anything. Things were as settled as they were going to get, and all she could do was hope that one day, Dale was stupid enough to commit another robbery and not get so lucky.

  She followed Alfie, intending on stopping at her cottage, but when it came into view, the lights were off, and Barker’s car had gone. She trailed Alfie towards the village green, right up to Dot’s cottage. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or worried to see Barker’s car outside.

  “Julia!” Dot cried, throwing the door open as Julia parked. “Where have you been? Why haven’t you been answering your phone? What are you wearing?”

  “It’s a long story,” Julia said as she closed her car door. “Is Barker here?”

  Dot nodded awkwardly. “He was driving around outside looking for you after he got back, so we whisked him in off the streets. We didn’t want anyone to tell him about your current … situation.”

  “Does he know?” Julia asked as she jogged up the short garden path to the front door. “Gran, does he know?”

  Dot didn’t have time to answer. Barker stepped out of the sitting room into the hallway, and the dumbfounded look on his face told Julia everything she needed to know.

  “You’re pregnant,” he said.

  Julia gulped and nodded.

  “I tried to tell you,” Julia began as Barker hurried towards her. “I kept trying—”

  He cut her off with a kiss. Cupping her face between his hands, Barker gazed down at her, his eyes locked on hers.

  “You’re pregnant,” he repeated.

  “I’m sorry, Barker, I wanted to tell you but—”

  “I don’t care,” Barker interrupted again. “I don’t care about any of it. You’re pregnant, Julia. We’re going to have a baby.”

  A grin spread across Barker’s face, and she couldn’t help but reflect it. All her reasons for not telling him seemed impossibly foolish now. This was the exact moment she had been missing.

  “We’re going to have a baby,” Julia repeated, the statement suddenly feeling entirely and magically real.

  “C’mon, Alfie,” Dot said, looping her arm through his. “Let’s give these soon-to-be parents some peace and quiet. Very soon, they’re not going to know what the concept means.”

  Dot and Alfie retreated into the sitting room. Dot even closed the door behind them, which was doubly shocking, as dearly as her gran loved eavesdropping.

  “I thought you’d be upset,” Julia said softly, her head resting on his chest. “I should have told you.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Julia,” Barker repeated, and he sounded like he actually meant it. “I’m glad I found out when I did. It’s exactly the news I needed to hear right now.”

  Sensing something was wrong, Julia remembered his meetings and asked softly, “How did it go in London? Did you sort things out?”

  “We sorted things out.” Barker nodded. “We decided it would be best if we parted ways before things turned too sour. We came to an agreement that will terminate my contract.”

  “An agreement?”

  “They’ll let me keep the advance for the second novel, and they will let me have the book back.” Barker paused. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with it. I might approach another publisher, I might not. I might delete it and pretend none of it ever happened. But right now, I don’t care. We’re going to have a baby, and I can be right by your side the whole time. No more meetings in London, no more days and nights locked in the dining room writing, no more creative mood swings. Just you, me, and our baby.”

  Barker rested his hand on Julia’s stomach, and even though their baby was – according to one of the leaflets from the doctor’s – currently no bigger than a seed, she already felt the bonds of their little family forming.

  “You could always get your job at the
station back,” Julia offered after a silent moment of cuddling. “Or follow Jessie’s advice and become a private investigator.”

  “A PI?” Barker arched both brows. “Hmmm. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “I think she was joking.”

  “I know.” Barker nodded, his gaze drifting away. “Something to think about for another time. What do we do now?”

  “Right now?” Julia repeated, already rising. “We go home, snuggle up in bed with a movie, and fall asleep before it’s halfway through.”

  “Sounds perfect.” Barker stood. “Should we tell your gran?”

  “She’s probably listening with a glass up against the wall,” Julia said as she headed to the door. “Night, Gran. See you tomorrow.”

  “One more thing,” Barker said as they walked down the path in the chilly night. “Why are you dressed all in leather?”

  Julia laughed and shook her head. “Ask me again tomorrow.”

  17

  Exactly one week after his death, Julia attended Vincent Wellington’s funeral. Almost every face in Peridale turned up, and Julia didn’t care about their motives. In Katie’s eyes, they were all there to say goodbye to her father. Seeing so many people when she arrived lit up her face.

  The funeral lacked the usual shock and sadness Julia was used to. Nobody seemed surprised by news of Vincent’s death, and even Katie held herself together, only crying on the final line of her well-delivered eulogy. When the funeral ended, Julia walked out with Barker, Dot, Percy, and Sue, and they waited in front of St. Peter’s Church for Katie and Brian. They finally emerged, with Father David by their side.

  “Lovely service,” Julia said to Father David.

  “One of the best,” Barker added.

  “It really was,” Katie said, resting a hand on Father David’s arm. “Thank you.”

  “If you ever need God’s advice, or just a shoulder to cry on and a bad cup of tea, you know where to find me,” Father David said as Katie backed away. “I’ll leave you to your family.”

  Julia immediately noticed the change in Katie. For the first time since her father’s death, she looked relaxed, like she had finally found some peace.

  “Great job on the eulogy,” Dot said, almost giving Katie a smile. “Fantastic words. We’ll wait for you at the wake. C’mon, Percy.”

  “Yes, dear.”

  “Gran, before you go,” Julia said. “I still haven’t had a chance to read that meditation book you gave me last week. Do you want it back?”

  “Oh, I got bored with that, dear!” Dot pursed her lips and pushed at her curls. “There’s only so many ‘ommms’ one can do before one is all ‘ommm’ed out. You can be too enlightened, you know. It seems kinder to stumble around in ignorance with the rest of you.”

  Dot and Percy left, and Sue along with them, leaving Julia and Barker alone with Katie and Brian.

  “We’ve put the manor on the market,” Katie said. “Cross your fingers someone with £1.4 million strolls by and sees the sign.”

  “£1.4 million?” Barker’s eyes widened.

  “It’s worth a lot more,” Brian said, “but there’s a lot of damage, and we want a quick sale. The estate agents seem to think we’ll have a lot of interest, so there’s hope.”

  “What will you do in the meantime?” Julia asked.

  “Find somewhere to rent,” Katie said, twining her hand with Brian’s. “We’ve worked out a real budget this time. Together. With the money from the antiques barn, we should be able to rent somewhere nice until the manor sells. Even then, half the profit will go to the debtors. Now that my dad is gone, we’ve finally got all the paperwork, and the debt is even worse than we realised.” She sighed, then brightened. “Still, we’re going to get through this! I’m going to finish my online nail course and start making money. That’s why I started it in the first place.”

  Brian pulled Katie in. “Show Julia what turned up on the doorstep this morning.”

  Katie reached into her black handbag and pulled out a small, silver pocket watch.

  “It was my father’s,” Katie explained as she clicked it open. “It was taken with everything else. Dale or Leon must have left it for me.”

  Leon, Julia was certain. While Dale might have liked Vincent once upon a time, compassion wasn’t one of his virtues outside of his proud vegetarianism. Though Julia didn’t like Leon for the part he played, he didn’t seem as malicious as his uncle.

  “I want a cuddle with my baby,” Katie said, pulling away from Brian. “Is he still at the café with Jessie?”

  “He should be,” Julia said as they set off. “Can you make sure she’s got all the food across to the pub for the wake? There’s somewhere I need to be.”

  “Where are you going?” Barker asked.

  “Fern Moore.” Julia checked her watch. “I shouldn’t be too long. Dad, do you have what I asked for?”

  “Julia!” Louise called through the cloud of pink balloons in the courtyard in the middle of Fern Moore Estate. “You came!”

  Louise hurried over and handed Julia a pink balloon. A baby boy about Vinnie’s age balanced on her hip.

  “I was surprised to get your invitation,” Julia said as she pinched his chubby cheeks, “but I was glad to come.”

  “You care,” Louise said with a shrug. “You cared more than anyone outside of this estate about what happened to Samantha. You cared enough to tell me the truth. You were right. I shouldn’t be wasting my life in a shop when I have dreams. I have an interview tomorrow for a job in social care. Might not get it, but I need to try.”

  “That’s amazing,” Julia said. She looked up and saw hundreds of people lining the balconies of all the levels, with pink balloons in hand. “I’m so proud.”

  It wasn’t long before someone on one of the upper floors announced through a megaphone that they were going to release their balloons in memory of Samantha Wicks on the count of three. When the girl reached the end of her countdown, everyone, including Julia, released their balloons.

  The cloud of pink floated out of the estate and into the open sky, drifting away in all directions. The sheer, simple beauty of it made Julia cry. Louise gave her a quick one-armed hug before pulling away and looking at her son.

  “I need to get Jermaine to my mum’s,” she said as the crowd started to disperse around them. “My shift starts in ten minutes, and until I find something better, I can’t afford to lose this job.”

  “That’s wise,” Julia said as she reached into her handbag. “But just in case, here’s a cheque for what my dad owes you.”

  “I told you, I don’t want your money.”

  “It’s not mine.” Julia nodded at the cheque as she handed it over. “Look at the name. It’s from my father. He plans to pay every person to whom he owes money, but I told him you had to be his first priority.”

  Louise stared down at the cheque and finally smiled.

  “Thank you,” she said as she stuffed the cheque into her pocket. “Some more good news. Did you hear about that kid the police arrested?”

  “No.”

  “People have been talking about it all morning,” Louise said, shifting Jermaine on her hip. “I guess our two communities have different gossip channels. The police have arrested a lad from Riverswick. He’s been charged with killing Samantha. He admitted to stealing the car and hitting her. He said he panicked and didn’t know what to do, so he drove off and left her there. It won’t bring her back, but at least she can rest now.” Louise waved and backed away. “See you around, Julia.”

  “I hope so,” Julia said with a smile. “Look after yourself.”

  Julia left Fern Moore happy to have some closure. She would never forget the unfortunate Samantha, but at least she could sleep knowing the person responsible was locked away.

  She returned to the village, and instead of going straight to the wake at The Plough pub, she continued on to her café. When she pulled up outside, she saw Jessie inside, but she wasn’t alone. Billy was there with
her, and they were hugging tightly. Julia gave them a moment, wondering if they had sorted things out. When she saw the tears on their faces as they pulled away from each other, she knew the opposite had to be true.

  Uncertain what to do, Julia climbed out of the car and walked to the front door. She waited until Jessie noticed her and nodded that she could come in. Billy and Jessie forced laughs as they wiped away their tears.

  “All right, Mrs S,” Billy said. “How’s it going?”

  “I was about to ask you the same question,” Julia replied as she closed the café door behind her. “Is everything okay?”

  “It’s great,” Billy said, wiping away his tears again. “I just came to say goodbye.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Joining the army,” Billy said, inhaling and puffing out his chest. “I need to get out there, spread my wings, and figure out who Billy is without Jessie. I can’t do that here, and I have nothing else to stay for. I never wanted to be a builder, Alfie knows that. He said I was crap anyway. Peridale was never my home before Jessie. I was always just another Fern Moore kid, and I don’t intend on going back there.”

  “You Fern Moore kids aren’t so bad,” Julia said, pulling Billy into a hug. “I’ll miss you, Billy.”

  “I’ll miss you too, Mrs S,” Billy said as he hugged her tight. “And I’ll miss your cakes, too.”

  “You’ll come back to visit, won’t you?” Julia asked, holding Billy at arm’s length. “You’re not going away forever.”

  “I’ll come back.” Billy turned to Jessie. “Only if you want me to.”

  "‘Course I do, you stupid idiot.” Jessie dragged Billy in and clung to him like it would be the last time. “Now go and show the world what Fern Moore kids are really made of.”

  Billy pulled away. He gave Jessie one last kiss before turning and walking straight for the door. He paused outside, but unlike Hilary, he stopped and turned back. They ran at each other again, meeting in the middle, their tears bursting free. Ten seconds later, they pulled apart as though nothing had happened. Billy was out of sight before the door even hit the frame.