by Emily Selby
'As I told the police the other day, it was at 2.20 pm.'
'Did you look at the clock?'
'No, she did. She looked at her watch and was surprised that it was that late. She said she had to run.'
At 2.20 pm Phyllis was still alive, because she rang Katie at 2.25 pm. Just as DI Heaton said, it couldn't have been Vera.
'And after she'd left, you didn't see or hear anything suspicious.'
He shook his head.
Katie chewed on her cheek. The screech of a rusty gate ripped through the awkward silence. Katie and Roy looked towards the sound. A tall, slim, stooped figure pulling a chequered shopping trolley appeared on the pavement opposite.
'Good afternoon, Miss Cambridge,' Katie shouted and waved at the figure. The woman barely turned her face towards them. If she responded, it was too quiet to hear. They watched the grey-hair woman walk away, clearly heading for the bus stop further along the road.
'I wonder if she saw anything?' Roy asked quietly. 'Is she one of the local busybodies?'
'Barbara Cambridge? I don't think so. Largely keeps herself to herself.'
He nodded while making a low grumbling sound. 'I've seen her around, working in her garden. Not a very chatty type, I must say.'
'Did you see her on the day?'
Roy rubbed his beard. 'I think so. Earlier on. Must have been after lunch. She looked like now, except for the fancy shopping bag - all dressed up.'
'She volunteers part time at the library. She might have been on her way there.'
'She's a sharp one, I'd say,' Roy added. 'I've chatted with her a couple of times about garden stuff. She knows a lot about horticulture. But I had to be careful. It seems that there wasn’t much love lost between Aunt Phyllis and this lady.'
'Did they have any serious arguments?'
'Not that I know of. I'm sure Aunt Phyllis would have complained about it. She had talked about her neighbour not answering to her greetings and just ignoring her.'
'Why am I not surprised?' Katie mumbled under her breath. 'I can't imagine Barbara arguing with anyone,' she added aloud. It would be below her. She's a bit...' Katie paused not sure how to express her opinion without being too negative.
'Yeah. She makes you feel she's way above our pay grade.' he suggested.
'Did anyone have a bone to pick with your aunt?'
'Aunt Phyllis was a character. She always told you if she didn't like this or that.'
'Yes, she did have a tendency to be quite blunt at times,' Katie added, thinking back to a couple of awkward moments from her early encounters with Mrs Dunbar's cleaning preferences. 'But why would anyone want her dead? Did anything go missing? Any money or other valuables? She hinted a few times that she had some precious artwork at home.'
Roy laughed.
'Money and valuables? Nah. Sadly,' he added with a bitter tone in his voice. 'She liked pretending she had a lot of money. All that recent talk about Uncle William being a popular artist - that was part of it.'
'Your uncle was a popular artist? I didn't know—"
'He painted a little, but mainly worked with wood. He carved some sculptures and a couple of pictures for the local church. But popular?' He gave a short, rattling laugh. 'Aunt Phyllis would have loved that, though. She fancied herself being a bit special. Fair enough, Uncle William did some nice stuff, and some people wanted to buy it, but I don't think it was worth much. He had a lot of business ideas, too, but none turned out to be very successful. Wasted a lot of money. She was the one who always kept an eye on the finance. He hated her for it. Said she never let him soar. I suppose, it's a family curse.'
'A family curse?'
'Not being allowed to soar...'
'You sing quite well. Have you been able to do anything with it?'
Roy shook his head. 'No, not really. I've written some songs. Want to record them professionally. I have some followers on YouTube, but I want a professionally produced album, and don't have the money to do it.'
'Now, maybe with your auntie's death...'
'She didn't have much money to leave. Anyhow, young lady. I'm sure, I'll see you again, but I've got to go for now.'
He nodded and walked toward an old van parked on the far side of the street, close to the stream.
Once his van was out of sight, Katie considered ringing DI Heaton, but had Roy told her anything the DI didn’t know already? The police would have checked with the neighbours for sure. Was there anything deeper in it than neighbourly discord?
So many questions ran through her head. She needed to start working on them methodically. First, the parish council problem. Direction: Styles and Smiles beauty salon!
At this time on a Thursday afternoon, Michelle would be getting ready to open.
9
Michelle greeted Katie with a big smile and hugged her tightly. 'Katie, hun, great to see you, but I'm so sorry. I've got a client coming in a few minutes. It's Mrs Lee, you know, the maths teacher from my daughter's school. She doesn't like being late. But let's catch up later today. Do you have time this evening?'
Katie thought for a moment.
'Julia's staying with a friend until eight o’clock. I can pick her up a little earlier or later if needed. What time do you close?'
'Seven. I can pop in after work. Kevin's home, so I'll ring and tell him I'll be late. He'll get the kids to bed.'
'That'll be great. Michelle, one quick question,' Katie added hastily, seeing the client grabbing the door handle. This was too great an opportunity to miss. 'This Mrs Lee, is she by any chance on the parish council?'
'I think so. Why?'
'Can you discreetly ask her what's been going on at the council lately? Ask if there've been any arguments or problems with finances?'
'Why?' Michelle's big hazel eyes grew even larger.
'I'll explain everything tonight. Try to steer the conversation towards Mrs Dunbar.'
'I'll do my best.' Michelle turned to greet her customer. 'Good afternoon, Mrs Lee. Please, take a seat.'
Katie took the hint. 'I'm off, Michelle. See you tonight.'
Back in her car, Katie considered her options. With Mrs Dunbar dead, she had time on her hands. She ought to spend some of it trying to win new cleaning jobs, but she was too excited to think about this. The murder investigation was becoming more and more interesting. She would have never though her little sleepy town hid so many secrets.
The sky darkened, and the first drops of rain appeared on the windscreen, turning into an evening where people wanted to curl up on the sofa with a hot cup of tea. Michelle was a big fan of almond green tea, but Katie didn't have any at home. She headed for the supermarket.
Their local supermarket had a surprisingly well-stocked tea section. Katie grabbed a basket and trotted to the shelves. She was quite surprised to see a familiar figure standing in the aisle. It might have been a bad day for Katie Redford, the cleaner, but it was turning out to be a lucky day for Katie Redford, the amateur detective.
'Hi Vera, how are you?' Katie greeted the petite woman, wrapped in the same silver and black poncho-shawl as the last time they’d met. Her black curls were pinned up in a messy-yet-charming bun, with curly strands spilling around her face. Red lipstick glinted on her full lips, and her eyelashes were so long, Katie would swear they were casting a shadow onto her cheekbones. Or were these dark circles a result of the recent developments? One thing was sure: Vera was beautiful, and she knew how to make the most of her looks.
'Hello, Katie. You've got rained on?'
'Yes, it's raining cats and dogs now. Are you after anything special?'
'I need something calming. This whole story is wrecking my nerves.'
'I've been having problems sleeping myself. I dread closing my eyes and seeing the crime scene again.'
Vera shuddered. 'It must have been awful discovering it.'
Katie seized the opportunity. 'Yes, and on top of that, I was one of the main suspects.'
Vera turned to face Katie, her dark eyes wide
open. 'You, too? How come?'
'I found the body, and I was there at the right time. And you?'
Vera shrugged. 'Apparently, I was there at the right time, too. I went to see Phyllis about a quilling project.'
'I've heard you're making something special for the church fete. What is it?'
'I'm trying to recreate one of those ancient tea caddies. Jane Austin's style.'
'Whoa! That's a lot of work.'
Vera nodded. 'I thought designing it was bad, but now I'm really struggling to glue the elements together. The strips are so tiny.'
Katie stifled a giggle, remembering Vera's glue problems. 'They are, aren't they? Plus, that PVA glue sticks to your fingertips.'
'Tell me about it.' Vera sighed. 'It's the most annoying thing. I keep losing my temper with the stupid glue.'
'Have you tried using tweezers?'
'Yeah, but it still goes all over the place. All those swirly elements seem to have minds of their own. I can't make them behave the way I want.'
A sudden thought crossed Katie's mind.
'I'd be happy to help you glue it together. I'm pretty good at it. I'm sure there are some good videos showing how to decorate a tea caddy.'
'Haven't found anything,' Vera's smile appeared somehow artificial. 'But if you had time to help me with these... these rolls of paper, I'd be grateful.'
'Come to our next meeting. The paper crafts club meets on the second Tuesday of the month,' Katie offered, hoping Vera would decline.
'No,' Vera shook her head so vehemently, a few more curls escaped the bun. 'I don't think I'm welcome. But I'd love to get together and tackle these things. When you have time.'
Katie considered her calendar, which had just cleared a little with the murder.
'How about tomorrow?' Being so desperate to find out as much as she could as soon as possible, Katie would have suggested that night, but didn’t want to appear too keen.
'Sorry, I can't tomorrow. I'm visiting my father. But I could do it tonight. Say, six?'
Katie cringed on the inside. She was not only keen to hear what Michelle was to find out, but also dying to just sit and chat with her. Having said this, she could catch up with Michelle over the weekend, as usual. There might not be another opportunity with Vera. She'd ring Michelle and explain, and she’d be able to pick up Julia on the way back.
'That's ok. Come to the club at six o’clock. Bring your stuff. '
'Deal,' Vera gave Katie a dazzling smile, threw a packet of camomile tea into her basket and walked off.
Katie grabbed Michelle's favourite almond tea and headed for the checkouts.
Back in her car, Katie left a message on Michelle's phone, and Michelle rang back as Katie was walking into her house.
'You'll never guess what I've found out!' Michelle squeaked with excitement before Katie managed to finish her greeting.
'Before you start, have you got my message?' Katie didn't like disappointing her friends. 'I'm very sorry about it. I'll explain everything when we meet. Are you okay for a coffee on Saturday morning?'
'Sure thing, hun. No problem. I could have waited until Saturday with this news, but I thought you may want to know.'
'Is it Mrs Lee?'
'Yes! Listen. They've been arguing lots on the council. Phyllis was the main protagonist. Apparently, there has been something wrong with the finances, errors in the books. Sunny Lee didn't give me any details, but I'm sure you can find out more.'
When they finished talking, Katie dug up the phone number for DI Heaton. For a minute or so, she fought internally. Maybe her news was not important enough to be reported immediately, just at the end of the shift. Maybe, it could wait until tomorrow, until she saw him at work. She didn't want him to think her willingness to help the police find the killer was fuelled by anything other than her eagerness to bring Phyllis justice. She didn’t want him thinking she fancied him. Because, honestly, she... did. But there was no room for romance in her life at the moment. A text message seemed timely without being overly intrusive.
"Got some news about conflict on the parish council. May be relevant," she typed and hit send.
Her phone rang before she put it away.
'Thanks for your message, Katie. And thanks even more for digging some stuff up.' The DI's voice sounded even sexier on the phone. The warm, deep timbre made her knees go wobbly. Katie leant on the kitchen counter.
'No problem, Inspector. It's not much, but it may give you an avenue to explore.' She related briefly Michelle's conversations with Mrs Lee.
'You're right. This needs further investigation. I need to talk to this Mrs Lee. Can you give me her contact details?'
Katie blinked. She wasn't prepared for this. It was a bit too fast, intimidating.
'I'll catch her and talk to her about it, okay? I'm not sure she's even aware this information is being passed to the police.'
There was a silence on the other side of the phone.
'I can always go to the parish council, show my badge and demand answers to my questions,' he said calmly. 'However, I guess that may not be the best way to proceed in Sunnyvale?'
Well, at least he understood.
'No,' Katie said calmly. 'I'll sort it out.'
She thought about it for a while. The task required a little strategy. After all, Michelle collected this piece of gossip from Mrs Lee, and Katie had to talk it through with Michelle first. It was going to be a busy evening. She was really happy Julia was staying at her friend's place. Otherwise, she would have been a very bad mummy tonight.
'And, by the way, I've talked to Roy Dunbar, she told Heaton. 'He made an interesting observation about the neighbour in the house opposite, Barbara Cambridge.'
Katie related Roy's comments.
'We have briefly talked to all the neighbours, but the ones on the left side of the street weren't at home at the time of the murder. And Barbara Cambridge is another one I've not been able to get much from.'
'Why don't you ask Celia, or Chris for help?'
Yeah, why not? Why her? Not that she minded. On the contrary...
'I've asked them. They just received a standard “I didn't see anything," answer from Miss Cambridge. She says she is not interested in her neighbours' affairs and shut the door in their faces. You seem to have a flare for finding out all sorts of stuff people want to hide from the police.'
Okay, so this was the real reason. It made sense to her. Although it would hurt to know if he was asking her because he thought she was smart and observant, and well - because he liked her. But, she sighed; maybe she'd be better off not becoming too hopeful in this respect.
'Can you find out a little more about that Cambridge woman as well?' His velvety voice cut through her brooding.
Katie straightened her shoulders. She'd be all professional.
'Barbara is rather tight-lipped, but I'll find out what I can. On another note, I'm meeting Vera Bower tonight. Officially, I'm helping her with the paper quilling project she went to see Phyllis about, but I'm also hoping to get some more info.'
'Awesome news, Katie. You're a star,' the DI said. The way he pronounced her name made her knees turn a little wobbly again, but she pulled herself together.
'But, please stay safe. One of those people you're talking to might have killed Phyllis Dunbar.'
The statement hit Katie right in the face. She kept forgetting. A chill rippled down her spine.
'I will,' she said slowly.
10
After the conversation with DI Heaton, Katie rang Michelle again. By the time she convinced her friend to help with the plan Katie had conceived, it was time to go to the club.
When she reached the community hall, Vera was waiting for her by the front door. It was a cool, wet evening and Vera was wrapped up tight in another big, black shawl, this one dotted with sequins, which flickered under the street light. She carried a cardboard box.
'Sorry, I'm late.' Katie smiled, and rummaged in her handbag for the key.
'It'
s not often that I'm on time.' Vera gave a sharp laugh. 'I was late to Phyllis'. I don't think she liked that.'
'No, Phyllis appreciated punctuality,' Katie said. 'I was nearly late that day, too.'
'You know she actually scolded me for being late. I told her my watch had been playing up all day, but she just said I should have changed the battery as soon as I noticed. What a cheek!'
'Sounds like Phyllis.' Katie chuckled and stopped, realising that Phyllis had been killed and both Vera and Katie had been involved in the murder investigations.
'I need to finish by seven thirty. I have a job to go to,' Vera said.
'You're working tonight?' Katie asked, carefully monitoring her tone of voice, which needed to come across as completely natural.
'Yes. Someone's got a sick child and needs to finish early. So, I'll jump in.'
'What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?' Katie opened the door and bustled around the room, flicking the lights on and setting the table. The room was chilly and damp, so Katie turned the heating on, too. Vera put her box on the table and started carefully unpacking its contents.
'I do casual shifts as a healthcare assistant. Usually local nursing homes, sometimes hospitals.'
A hint of reluctance seeped into Vera's voice, but Katie pushed on with her questioning. If at any point Vera didn't want to carry on answering, she would no doubt make sure Katie received the message.
'You're still quite new to the area, if I'm not mistaken?' she half asked, half stated.
'Sort of,' Vera replied, her words a little more clipped. 'I was born and raised here. My family lives here, but I moved away for many years. I've only just returned.'
'Ah, is it nice to be back?'
Vera shrugged. 'It is, and it isn't.'
'I know, little town can be quite stifling. All those busybodies, and so little to do in your free time. You can get quite stuck if you don't have a car.'
'Tell me about it.' Vera snorted. 'Do you keep your quilling stuff here?' she asked, putting a wooden box on the table.