“This is ridiculous. I’m calling the police.” Patricia started to move away, but just then Poppy shouted that she was making a run for it and darted after her with surprising speed.
Patricia yelped and started running as well.
We followed the pair into the street. Pandora was there as well, and spurred on by the excitement, joined the chase. Bradley Walsh would have been proud.
“I’ve never seen an 83-year-old woman run that fast, or Patricia that scared,” Olivia said.
“Damn, Poppy is catching up with her,” I said. “Let’s go.” We hurried after them.
Poppy closed in on Patricia and in an unflattering dive took down Patricia. As we approached them, Poppy sat on Patricia’s back with a gleeful expression. We stared at the scene, unable to speak just as Alistair joined us with some ketchup still on his chin.
“What the bloody hell is going on?” he asked.
“This. Is. Spartaaa!” Poppy shouted.
Chapter 21
I purposely spent the next morning writing in my office. I had gone to bed late, as we’d returned to the pub after Poppy’s heroic tackle. We told anyone who was there about it. Poppy deserved the attention; she had been very brave. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had missed something, and so I distracted myself with Detective’s Black murder case. I was making some serious headway now and perhaps this actual case had given me inspiration.
I had on earphones so that even Detective Black himself couldn’t disturb me, but it appeared that I didn’t need to worry about him. When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I nearly jumped up to the ceiling.
“Sorry,” Christina said after I took the headphones off. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said. “I like heart attacks. They’re so refreshing.”
She chuckled. “I was wondering, now that my morning shift is over and Susan’s back, if you want to go shopping? I was thinking I could give you that makeover.”
I truly wanted to look more like this adult version of myself, one that had it together and had style. “I would love that. Maybe afterwards you can help me decide which of my old clothes I should donate to charity.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Yes, I’m in. I love doing stuff like that. Before moving in with Alistair I decluttered my flat, and it was amazing.”
The mere mention of Alistair twisted something inside of my stomach, but I masked it with a smile. “Excellent. Let’s go.”
The first thing that Christina did was take me to a hair salon. After checking with me that I was okay with anything, she gave the hairdresser instructions, and she worked her magic. We went to a nearby town that had more clothing stores and beauty salons than Castlefield. I was pretty sure that Castlefield didn’t even have a beauty salon.
The hairdresser coloured my hair brown with red highlights and cut the bob in a sharp line, instantly improving my look. After that we went to a beauty salon where we had facials and manicures. That alone already made me feel like a million pounds. But Christina wasn’t done, and we went shopping for two hours after that. I was exhausted by the time we returned to The Wicked Bookworm with six shopping bags.
“Wow,” Eddie said when he saw me.
Christina beamed with pride, as if I were some sort of work of art that she’d created.
“Just a little makeover,” I said and put the bags behind the counter. The store was already empty, since it was almost closing time.
Susan came to the front of the store. “We’re clo—oh, wow, I almost didn’t recognise you,” she said. She looked a lot better now than she did before, and it seemed she truly was ready to get back to work. Even though she had been locked up in a shed the day before.
“She had a makeover, apparently,” Eddie said. “Not that you needed one.” He addressed the latter to me.
“Thanks, but I did. I feel more like myself. Well, not yet, I need to be wearing my new colourful clothes for that. Much better than the simple shirt and jeans.” I smiled.
“Anyway, I have to go,” Christina said. “But I’d like to have a film night with you and Nick sometime. When is he leaving?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. I guess soon.” We had been texting today, but we were good at avoiding the heavy topic of goodbye.
“What about tonight, then?”
“Okay,” I said before I could think about it too much, which was probably a good thing.
“We’ll stop by with snacks at eight.” She waved and then left through the front door, after which Eddie locked up, leaving me and Susan at the counter.
“How are you?” I asked Susan.
She shrugged. “Relieved, I guess.”
“You must miss Victor terribly, though.”
“Yes, I do. He was my soulmate.”
“And where did you guys usually meet up again?” I asked.
“It differed. Why?”
“Just curious.”
Eddie returned. “Okay, now that this nasty murder business is over, we can focus on fun things again, like not getting murdered.”
“Why don’t you guys both go home now, I’ll take care of closing up properly,” I said.
“That sounds like perfection. Have fun on your double date.” He squeezed my shoulder.
“Bye,” Susan said.
They both left through the back, and I listened to the silence.
“Maybe,” Detective Black said, “you don’t want this case to be over.”
“I hope it’s just that.” I really did want this to be over, because I had no idea how stressful it would be. Three people had already died, and I kept fearing that someone else was going to be next.
NICK CAME AROUND AT six thirty so we could have dinner at my flat first. He didn’t seem to mind or care that we were having a double date in a few hours even though we weren’t officially a couple. I was wearing one of my new outfits: a light blue dress with white flowers and a black, cropped cardigan with short sleeves. Nick seemed to like my make-over and kept touching my hair.
I’d also put on my new eyeshadow and lipstick. It meant I had to get up earlier in the morning, but I didn’t mind. It felt like it was part of my self-care routine.
“This pasta was really good,” Nick said as he finished his plate.
“Good, it’s very easy to make. Just make sure you have room for dessert. It’s cheesecake.”
He groaned. “I love cheesecake.”
“Me too.” I chuckled. “Nancy doesn’t like it too much, she’s more a fan of cherry pies and that kind of thing. She taught me how to bake.”
“I know how to bake muffins, but not much else.”
“Maybe I can tea—” my voice trailed off.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Right.”
“Right.”
“I’ve thought about this a lot,” he said.
“Me too.”
“But I can’t see any way around this. I have to go home, and you have to stay here.”
“Yep.”
“Even in the future I can’t see myself moving here.”
“And I can’t see myself moving to Wales,” I said.
“Which means that we just have to enjoy the time we have left.”
“And how long is that?”
“I’ll probably leave tomorrow,” he said.
I gasped. “That soon?”
“Sorry.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. You have a life to get back to. Really, it’s okay. I’m just happy we already have such nice memories.”
He leaned forward over the table and kissed me. We came up for air long enough to have dessert, and then we moved to the sofa where we continued to make out until it was time to prepare for Alistair and Christina’s visit. I cleaned the kitchen while Nick lit a few candles and set up Netflix. We would just find something on there. The point of this was to have fun; I wanted to be friends with Alistair and Christina.
But the closer it got to eight o’clock, the more nervous I became.
“Perhap
s despite telling yourself otherwise, you do still have feelings for Alistair,” Detective Black said, appearing in the kitchen.
I said nothing. Why did I even like him so much? Was it the idea of Alistair? Because I used to have a crush on him? Or because I felt like he had saved me from a bad day when I was a teenager?
The doorbell rang and my stomach twisted. It was too late to change my mind.
“I’ll get it,” I said to Nick and ran down the stairs to open the door.
Alistair was dressed more casually this time in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. It looked odd on him, since it wasn’t what I was used to, but I liked it. I could only hope that he’d be less serious now that he was among friends. He was holding a bottle of wine.
Christina immediately fawned over my outfit even though she herself looked gorgeous as ever in a blouse with roses and red trousers. She had a bag with what I guessed were the snacks.
Alistair stared at me for a moment.
“Do you like her new look?” Christina asked.
He glanced at her and directed his attention back to me. “Yes, but her previous look was good too.”
“Isn’t he a sweetheart?” she said to me and hugged me.
“Go on up,” I said.
Alistair came in, and we stared at each other. “You do look nice,” he said.
“Thanks.” My cheeks got warm.
“I’m glad we’re friends.” Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek, but his eyes lingered on my lips.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, me too. Go on up, I’ll follow you.”
“Right.” He smiled at me, instantly looking even more handsome.
I would have to get used to that smile of his.
I followed him up up the stairs to my flat where Nick and Christina were setting up the coffee table with popcorn, crisps, and M&Ms. I took the wine from Alistair. “I’ll pour us some.”
“I’ll help,” he said.
I could feel his eyes on me as I led the way to the kitchen. What was I thinking? I’m clearly not ready to be friends with him.
I put down the bottle and grabbed four glasses. The least I could do was try the wine. It wouldn’t kill me. Probably.
“So you and Nick are an item?” Alistair asked as he leaned against the counter.
“He is going home tomorrow. We’re just making the best of our last day together,” I said.
“And you’re spending it with us?” His posture gave off an air of insouciance, but his eyes twinkled with curiosity.
“It was Christina’s idea. Besides, I like Christina.”
“But not me?”
“I didn’t say that. But yes, you’re awful. Ugh.” I made a face as if I tasted something disgusting.
Alistair laughed.
I poured us all some wine and handed him two glasses while I took the other two. “Has Patricia confessed yet?”
“No. She’s got a lawyer, and she’ll be out on bail right about now.”
“What?” I nearly dropped the glasses.
“That’s the way it works sometimes. Unfortunately. At least Poppy got an exciting story out of it, diving on top of Patricia like that.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry I missed it.”
“Do you think she really did it?”
“Poppy? I should think so, she was sitting right on top of Patricia.”
“No, I mean Patricia.”
“She dove on top of herself?”
I glared at him, and he laughed again.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But yes, of course she did. We’re questioning her friends as well. It’s possible she used their help. They all have marriage troubles. I’m sure we’ll get some answers soon. Not all of them can afford a good lawyer. But, why are you having doubts? I thought you were convinced it was her.”
Her friends, huh? That hadn’t occurred to me. Patricia did make that joke about killing Victor in front of them. But would they cover for her now that the police was onto Patricia?
“Are you two coming?” Christina shouted. “We’re getting thirsty.”
“Let’s just have some fun and forget about murder and mayhem,” I said.
“Good idea.”
We returned to the living room and handed out the drinks. I sat in the middle of the sofa with Nick on my left side and Alistair on the right while Christina sat in the armchair. “Have we decided on a film?” I asked.
“Here’s one about Keanu Reeves as a hitman. It’s supposed to be good.”
We all agreed that was a fine enough choice and settled in to watch the film. There were a few exciting moments in the film where Alistair touched my hand. I wasn’t sure if it was to reassure me, or if he was even aware that he was doing it, but I didn’t move away. It wasn’t as if he was holding it.
“I’m judging you,” Detective Black said.
I’m judging me.
By the end of the film we’d eaten most of the snacks, and afterwards I put on the radio as background noise. Nick told Christina and Alistair some more about ghost hunting, and I admired Alistair’s restraint in showing any scepticism. Somewhere deep inside of him, he was probably rolling his eyes. He was someone who liked to be in control, so I imagined anything inexplicable was something he didn’t much care for. Christina, however, was riveted.
Alistair leaned towards me. “Can you show me where the magic happens?”
I blinked at him. “You’re the one who does magic tricks.”
He smiled. “I mean your office. I want to see where you write your novels.”
“Okay, but it’s not really special.” I got up and went into the first door in the corridor. There was a desk with scattered notebooks on top, pens and post-its, and my laptop. I had four bookcases and an armchair in the corner with the covers of all my books in poster size above it. On the other wall I had a white board with some notes about the actual murders here in Castlefield. I’d also stuck the blueprints of the hotel on the wall with tape.
“Wow. This is more like an investigation room,” Alistair said as he studied it.
“Yeah. I may have gotten a little carried away.” I rubbed my arm.
“Not at all. I mean, it shows that you care.” He paused. “I think that Victor knew that he was being spied on, even if he didn’t know it was Mr Field. It’s possible he thought his wife hired someone. I believe that’s what he wanted advice for. Nancy is respected and people turn to her for help, and you are also respected, people know you’re smart. He wanted to find out who was watching him, but he was too late. Maybe Patricia realised he was going to ask for help, or it was just bad luck and she was planning on it anyway.” He turned around to me.
“Either way, you did well,” he said.
I felt a little teary-eyed, even though I didn’t know why. “Thanks.”
“Just promise me you’ll stick to fictional cases from now on. Just to be on the safe side. Literally.”
“I think I’d prefer that, actually. Solving a real case is nothing like I would have thought. It’s very difficult.”
“Welcome to my world.” He grinned.
I looked down at my hands. “Christina mentioned something about London. About your partner.”
His whole body tensed. “She shouldn’t have done that.”
“She meant well.”
“I’m sure she did, but it’s—it’s nothing. I’m fine.” He refused to make eye contact.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but there are people who are skilled at making you see things you can’t see for yourself. Or who can put things in perspective. If you want, I can get you some names of those people and email them, and you can see which one appeals to you. When you’re ready.”
He looked at me. “You don’t have to fix or solve everything.”
“There’s nothing to fix, you’re not broken. We all need a little help sometimes, that’s all.”
Alistair touched my hair gently. “You look very beautiful. Then again, you always have.”
“Don’t turn to
mush,” Detective Black said.
I still giggled. “Shut up,” I said and shoved Alistair.
“You shut up,” he said and nudged me.
Before we would start tickling each other, I moved to the door. “Come on, let’s get back out there.”
Alistair looked disappointed but followed me out.
“Hey, there you are. Do you guys wanna play a game?” Christina asked. “What about Twister?”
The possibility of having my limbs entangling with Alistair’s, having to move over him or be pressed up aga—
“No,” Alistair and I said simultaneously.
Chapter 22
After a few innocent rounds of Texas Hold ‘Em, we called it a night. Nick and I both walked Alistair and Christina downstairs and exchanged hugs, though the men shook hands.
“That was fun,” Christina said. “We should do that again sometime.” Then her face fell. “I mean, sorry.”
Nick smiled. “No worries, but it was fun meeting you.”
“And you. Bye.” After another apologetic look, she waved and left with Alistair.
I wasn’t sure what I was feeling as we watched them go.
Nick touched my back. “That was fun.”
“Yeah,” I said and yawned.
He chuckled. “I’ll help you tidy.”
“No, that’s okay. I want to go to bed soon. If you want, you could come over for breakfast tomorrow. Would you like that?”
“Of course.” He kissed me.
“Good. Here,” I said and took an extra key out of the flowerpot outside my door. I wiped off the rest of the dirt.
“Wow. I’ve never seen anyone hide their key inside a flower pot.”
“What can I say? I think outside the pot. Wait...”
He laughed and kissed me again. “I had fun. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Bye.” I also wasn’t sure what I was feeling as I watched him go. Why did I have to have such bad luck? I finally found someone nice, and he wouldn’t stay. Then again, I did have the whole Alistair thing going on inside my heart.
I went upstairs, cleaned up all the glasses and bowls and then took a shower. I was about to go to bed and message Nick when there was a text from a number I didn’t recognise.
Prelude to Poison Page 17