Doughnuts and Deception (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 3)

by Agatha Frost

  “It wasn’t even a decision,” Julia said over the second chorus of mumbled agreement. “She’s already been through enough.”

  “And that’s what makes you so great,” Tommy said. “You did them all proud. Bailey, Michael, Robert, Mac, Jerry – you did those men proud tonight.”

  A round of applause ran through the café, and Julia smiled as gratefully as she could, even if she didn’t feel very worthy of the applause.

  “How did you figure it out?” A woman asked through a mouthful of Victoria sponge cake.

  “I didn’t really,” Julia said with a sigh, her eyebrows drifting up her forehead. “I owe that to Jessie. She was looking online, trying to find some help for you guys, you especially, Tommy. She did a search for Fenton, and she came across the article about Bethany Moon’s murder just before Christmas.”

  “That was all a terrible business,” Tommy said regretfully, bowing his head. “She was a lovely girl. Frank Benton was a monster. He wasn’t one of us. He might have been homeless, but he wasn’t welcome at Fenton. We all knew what he was capable of. There were rumours. I wish I could have done something to protect that poor girl. Maybe none of this would have happened if I was firmer on him.”

  “This isn’t your fault, Tommy,” a man said, leaning over and slapping him on the shoulder. “You’ve always tried your best for us. You were right there till the end.”

  It suddenly struck Julia that none of them could really go back to Fenton Industrial Park, tonight, or ever. Now that Carl Black owned it, it wouldn’t be long before work started on his luxury apartments, and a new community of people moved in. Julia scrambled her brain for a way she could help, but like Tommy had already told her, she couldn’t help them all.

  “Frank Benton took that poor girl’s life, and they didn’t even throw the book at him,” Tommy said, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “I was there in court the day they sentenced him. They gave him life, but life doesn’t mean life anymore, does it? He could be out in fifteen years with good behaviour.”

  “That man doesn’t know how to behave,” another man jumped in. “He stole my only pair of shoes, y’know.”

  “Took my jacket,” somebody else added.

  “He took a girl’s life,” Tommy reminded them. “I’m not surprised her father was driven to the brink of insanity.”

  “Using God as an excuse!” The man jumped in again. “That’s the real crime here.”

  “Max Moon lost his faith,” Julia said, looking up at the ceiling, wondering if she had gained some in her experience tonight. “He killed those men not in the name of God, but in cold-blooded revenge. I suppose he killed Bailey to try and fix the pain, and when it didn’t work, he kept doing it.”

  “And what about the wife? She was in on it too.”

  “I believe her when she said she didn’t know,” Julia said firmly, shifting in her seat. “I volunteered at their soup kitchen not long ago, and I know she didn’t know then. I’m certain of it. She’s diabetic, and she told me a box of her needles had gone missing. I knew it was connected, I just didn’t expect that it was her husband who had taken them.”

  “What did they even inject?”

  “Potassium Chloride,” Julia said. “Or at least that’s what I think. High levels of potassium were found in Mac’s body. We’ll never know with the others, but I’m confident it was the same throughout. Of course, he strangled Jerry to death with his bare hands because Jerry wasn’t such an easy target.”

  “How could a man like that even know how to get something so lethal?” Tommy whispered, leaning across the table.

  “It’s all out there on the internet,” Julia said. “One quick search and you’ve got a recipe for murder. All you really need to do is boil down some household bleach and you’re already halfway there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was cooking it up in the soup kitchen in the dead of night while Stella slept.”

  “Frank Benton was a monster, but Max is just as bad,” Tommy said, stamping his finger on the table. “Grief isn’t an excuse for murdering five men!”

  “I agree,” Julia said with a nod. “But it does explain it, at least. There’s never an excuse for murder.”

  “I wouldn’t mind getting my hand’s around Max’s throat!” The same man jumped in. “An eye for an eye, I say.”

  Julia’s café door opened, and Barker walked in, dark bruises on his throat. She immediately jumped up, leaving the conversation before it turned nasty. She hurried over to Barker, desperate to know what his examination had discovered.

  “Light bruising and swelling,” he croaked, rubbing at his purple throat. “It will heal itself, but I will be talking like I’ve got a frog in my throat for the next couple of weeks.”

  “That’s perfectly fine with me,” Julia whispered as she pulled him into a hug. “You’re okay. That’s the main thing. Did you manage to find out what’s happening to Max and Stella?”

  “They’ve been taken to Hesters Way station in Cheltenham for questioning. It’s out of our hands now,” Barker said as he pulled away from the hug. “I do have some good news though. They found my car abandoned on a country lane, all smashed up, but they recovered what was in the boot.”

  “Small victories,” Julia whispered with a wink. “Sit down, I’ll make you a nice hot cup of honey and lemon tea for your throat.”

  Barker sat across from Tommy, and Tommy immediately shook Barker’s hand. Julia peered through the beads and chuckled when she saw her gran gasping in horror as Jessie explained everything that had happened, her hands telling most of the story. When she wrapped her hands around Dot’s throat, Julia knew she was probably embellishing a little. She didn’t doubt Jessie’s version of events would be around the village by midday. Julia wouldn’t be around to find out. For the first time since opening her café, she was putting a ‘CLOSED’ sign in the window, and her and Jessie were going to catch up on some much needed sleep, if their minds would allow.

  “I’m disbanding my neighbourhood watch!” Dot exclaimed as they thrust through the beads. “I’m clearly not up to it!”

  “This didn’t even happen in the village,” Julia reassured her jokingly. “I’m not sure your binoculars would stretch all the way to Fenton.”

  “Even so, I should have spotted the signs that you were up to something,” Dot said regretfully before kissing Julia on the cheek. “I better go and call Sue to let her know you’re okay. She’ll be worried sick sitting by the phone.”

  “Apologise from me, okay?” Julia asked. “Tell her I’ll call her later.”

  Dot nodded and waved her hand as she walked through the café, eyeing the heavily dressed men and women with suspicion as she went.

  One by one, the last remaining residents of Fenton Industrial Park went their separate ways, some of them leaving together, some leaving alone, but all of them making sure to thank Julia before they went on their way. She wanted to ask each of them where they planned to go, but she stopped herself, knowing she wouldn’t like the answers. There was one person she could help today though, and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  “Tommy, you’re coming to mine,” Julia ordered as she grabbed her jacket. “After a nice long sleep, and a relaxing bath, we’re going to figure something out for you.”

  Tommy stood up, laughing and shaking his head as he rested his weight on his stick. He walked over to the door, and Julia almost thought he was going to leave, but he opened the door and waited for them. With Barker and Jessie by her side, they walked out into the fresh morning air. She looked up at the pale sky, more grateful than ever for breathing the fresh air of a new day.

  “Are you going to join us, Barker?” Julia asked as they walked towards his cottage.

  “I think I’ll resume my bubble bath,” Barker said as he unhooked his gate. “I suspect I’ll have to run a fresh one, but I’d like to finish my soak and pretend all of this never happened. Well, maybe most of it at least.”

  He winked at her before turning
and heading towards his cottage. She knew exactly what part he was talking about, and it caused a smile to spread across her face.

  “You so love him,” Jessie whispered, jabbing her in the ribs as they walked up to their cottage. “I told you he had the hots for you.”

  Smiling up at the sky, Julia didn’t even bother denying it. She had meant it when she said she loved Barker. She didn’t know how or why, she just knew she did, and it had never felt so good to admit it to herself, possibly for the first real time in her whole life.

  When Julia returned from the shops late in the afternoon, Jessie was still fast asleep in bed. Julia’s own sleep had been cut short when Mowgli had pawed at her face, so she had decided to make use of the day after a prolonged soaked in the bath with a cup of peppermint and liquorice tea.

  “Afternoon,” Tommy said as Julia dumped the shopping bags on the counter. “I hope you don’t mind, but I used your house phone.”

  “Not at all,” Julia said as she shrugged her coat off, walking through to the hallway to hang it on the hat stand by the door.

  “She’s been out like a light all morning,” Tommy said with a gentle smile. “You can almost pretend she’s a normal kid when she’s asleep. I didn’t sleep much myself. How can you after what happened?”

  “Who did you call?”

  “I decided to swallow my pride and call my brother,” Tommy said, his fingers nervously drumming on the countertop. “I haven’t spoken to him in fifteen years, but he still had the same number. It’s the only one I know by memory. We talked a lot of things out, and I’m sure we’re going to talk even more over a couple beers, but he said I can go and stay with him and his family up in Manchester until I get back on my feet.”

  “That’s amazing news.”

  “Seeing you and Jessie together reminded me what family meant,” Tommy smiled tightly as he glanced up at the ceiling. “I’ve been hiding from mine for too long. It’s time I faced my mistakes and got my life sorted out. I have you to thank for all of this, and before you tell me it’s what anyone else would have done, it’s not. Not at all, Julia South. They don’t make them like you anymore.”

  Julia didn’t argue. Tommy’s words touched her, so all she could do was smile her thanks before filling the kettle to make him a coffee. As long as he was her guest, she would continue to look after him.

  “I’ll cover your train fare,” Julia said as she poured fresh milk into the coffee. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “I hadn’t even thought about that,” Tommy chuckled. “I suppose I’ll have to join the rest of the world and start worrying about money. I’ll pay you back when I’m sorted out. My brother thinks he can get me a cleaning job at the place he works at. Part time, but I’m not far off retirement as it is.”

  “I won’t accept a penny from you,” Julia said as she set the coffee in front of him. “Have you eaten?”

  “You’re going to make somebody a great mum one day,” Tommy said with a soft smile. “Well, I suppose you already have actually.”

  At that moment, Jessie staggered through from her bedroom, her long, dark hair matted at the side and her eyes still half-closed.

  “What time is it?” She croaked.

  “Just gone four.”

  “I slept like a log,” Jessie muttered through a yawn.

  “Us too,” Tommy said, sending a wink in Julia’s direction.

  Jessie climbed onto a stool next to Tommy, her hands instantly diving in for his coffee. He let her take it, so Julia refilled the kettle and made him a second cup.

  “I got you a present in town,” Julia said as she fished through the bags. “I know it’s not your birthday until next month, but this is separate.”

  Julia placed the mobile phone box, which had been gift wrapped in red paper with a white bow, in front of Jessie. She rubbed her eyes, and frowned up at Julia, staring down her nose in the way only Jessie did.

  “What is it?”

  “Open it and find out,” Julia whispered, leaning against the counter. “It’s a token of my appreciation for you staying awake all night and keeping watch over us.”

  Jessie forced out a yawn as she ripped back the packaging. Her eyes widened when she saw the shiny, white mobile phone box.

  “The man said it was the latest model,” Julia said, unsure of what Jessie’s reaction was. “He said all the kids have this one.”

  Jessie looked up at Julia, and then down to the box, and then to Tommy. Julia wasn’t sure if the stunned silence was a good one, or a bad one.

  “I’ve never had my own phone before,” Jessie mumbled as she opened the box.

  On top of the phone was the metal key Julia had had cut from the spare she kept under the plant pot next to the front door.

  “I thought it was about time you had your own key,” Julia said, her voice shaking with nerves. “Since this is your home now too.”

  Jessie picked up the key and clenched it in her fist. She looked up at Julia, and it become obvious she was holding back tears. They smiled at each other, and Julia let her know it was okay not to thank her verbally with a little wink.

  “You’ll be able to call me on that gadget,” Tommy said, pointing to the phone in the box. “I’m moving up to Manchester to stay with my brother for a little while.”

  “Your brother?” Jessie dropped the key onto the counter and turned to Tommy. “Manchester? You can’t!”

  “I can, and I am,” Tommy said, resting his hand on Jessie’s shoulder. “You’ve coped without me all of these months, and rightly so. Julia is your family now, and you couldn’t ask for a better mother.”

  Julia rested her hand on her chest, determined not to let another tear leave her eyes today. She had cried enough over the past twelve hours to last her a lifetime.

  “I’ll miss you,” Jessie whispered, dropping her hair over her face.

  “I’m only a train ride away,” Tommy replied, tucking her hair behind her ear. “When I’ve got my own little place and I’m all settled, you can come and visit me. Promise?”

  Jessie nodded, but she didn’t look up. Julia could tell she was silently crying under her hair. As tough as Jessie wanted to act in front of other people, when it came to her family, she was still a vulnerable girl, and they were both the only family she had. Julia made a mental note to hold Tommy to that promise. She didn’t doubt for a second that he wouldn’t try his best to keep it.

  After they finished their coffees, there was a knock at the door. Julia left Jessie and Tommy chatting in the kitchen and she hopped over Mowgli and into the hallway. Through the frosted glass panel, she made out the outline of Barker. Smiling like an excited schoolgirl, she pulled open the door.

  “Afternoon, madam,” Barker said, both of his hands behind his back. “I have a special delivery for a Julia South.”

  Barker pulled a bunch of two-dozen white roses from behind his back, and peered over the top, his eyes glittering at Julia.

  “Who are they from?” she asked playfully, a grin spreading from ear to ear as she accepted the bouquet.

  “A very charming and handsome man,” Barker said as he stepped into the cottage. “But he wasn’t available to deliver them, so you’re stuck with me instead. I have something else for you too.”

  Barker pulled a plastic bag from behind his back and Julia let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw her clothes, her purse, her phone, and her keys. She had been embarrassed asking Sue to drive her to the shops, and to pay for everything, but she was relieved to know she could pay her straight back.

  Julia took the flowers through to the kitchen and put them in a vase of water. Jessie and Tommy both smirked, glancing knowingly at each other. Barker hung back and tossed the bag onto the couch as Mowgli circled his feet.

  “Can we go somewhere and talk?” Barker asked.

  “’Talk’,” Jessie mocked under her breath.

  Julia pursed her lips at her, before turning to Barker and noticing the sudden seriousness of his expression. She put t
he flowers on the counter, blocking Jessie’s face, and walked through to her bedroom, motioning for Barker to follow.

  “Is this about Max and Stella?” Julia asked quietly as she closed her bedroom door. “Sit down.”

  Barker perched on the edge of her bed, exhaled heavily and looked up at the low-hanging beams in the ceiling, the seriousness of the bruises on his throat all the more obvious.

  “Sort of,” he said as she sat next to him, glad she had made her bed that morning. “Max is singing like a canary, telling them everything. He’s still going with the God line, but they know it’s a load of codswallop. Stella only really knows Max’s version of things, so I think they’re leaning towards her being more of an accessory, or at least attempted murder, but that depends on the judge she gets. We all heard and saw her, and the main thing is, she stopped, so I think a jury will look favourably on her. Max, on the other hand, he’ll never breathe the air as a free man again. I’ll make sure of that.”

  “I hope somebody takes over the soup kitchen,” Julia whispered, staring at the rug against her dark floorboards. “It would be a shame if the good they did do stopped now.”

  “I love that your mind goes straight there,” Barker said softly, nudging her gently with his shoulder. “I’m sure somebody will.”

  “At least it’s all over.”

  “Yeah,” Barker mumbled uncertainly.

  “You don’t sound so sure?”

  “There was something else.”

  “What?” Julia edged forward and turned to him, her brows pinching together as she attempted to read the dark expression taking over his face. “What’s happened?”

  “This isn’t your fault,” Barker said, grabbing both of her hands tightly in his. “I want you to know that.”

  “What’s not my fault?” Julia said, trying to sound firm, but her voice shaking.

  Barker inhaled deeply, glanced up to the ceiling, and then down to her, a forced smile pushing the corners of his lips up.