Cupcakes and Casualties (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 11)

by Agatha Frost

  "Who would have known?" Dot muttered with a slight smirk, no doubt already trying to figure out who she was going to call first with the gossip. "How the mighty have fallen, eh?"

  Deciding now was not the right time to pry, Julia put her car into reverse, spun around, and set off back towards the village. During the drive, she glanced at Harold through the mirror, but he looked like he had nothing left to give. When they pulled up outside the B&B, Dot jumped out and immediately scurried back to her cottage.

  "I'll help you in with your bags," Julia said as she pulled her keys from the ignition. "Evelyn is a friend of mine. I'll make sure she looks after you."

  With the black bags in hand, they walked up to the B&B. After ringing the musical doorbell, Evelyn's grandson, Mark, answered the door. He was dressed as though he was about to head out, in skin-tight ripped black jeans, a hooded denim jacket, and a t-shirt for a band Julia did not recognise. His black hair was straightened over his eyes, which were circled in his usual liner.

  "Good evening," Mark said shyly as he looked down at the bags in their hands. "Do you need a room?"

  "Just a single," Julia explained. "Harold needs somewhere to stay for tonight."

  "You're in luck," Mark said as he pushed the door open. "We only have one room available."

  As Julia followed Harold into the sweet-scented hallway, she realised the empty room had likely belonged to Shane. She wondered why she had not asked to look at the place before, not that she expected she would find anything left behind that the police had not already seen, and that Evelyn had not cleaned up.

  "First door on the first floor," Mark said as he passed a key to Harold. "Nan is just in the bath, but I've made a note of you, so you can pay tomorrow morning. Breakfast is at half eight, and complimentary tarot readings are at nine.”

  Harold accepted the key before heading up the narrow staircase to the first floor. He walked straight up to the first door, unlocked it and headed inside. Still holding one of his black bags, Julia hurried up after him, hovering on the spot where Shane had pinned Alfie against the wall.

  "Is this what my life will become?" Harold sat as he looked around the eccentrically decorated room. "B&Bs and going broke?"

  Julia closed the door and put the bag with the others. She turned on the bedside lamps before closing the curtains for him. She sat on the edge of the bed and patted next to her for him to join her.

  "I thought you made good money from coding?" Julia asked as she looked around the room, which was decorated with clashing earth-tone prints and trinkets from around the world. "You can survive without Candy. I've been there. I know what it's like to start all over again."

  "Did your divorce bankrupt you?" Harold asked as he took his glasses off to rub between his eyes. "I know Candy. She's going to come after everything I have. She'll hide the little money she has left, and she'll find a way to take the clothes off my back. She won't stop until I'm left with nothing."

  "Is that why you've stayed with her for all this time?"

  Harold shrugged as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. He looked at Julia with a sad smile, letting her know there was more to it than that.

  "I really did love her," he whispered, his voice cracking. "For all her faults, I loved her. When I found out about Shane, I was broken. She went out during the day on Valentine's Day to meet up with the builder to talk things over, and she never came home. I knew what she was doing. When she came back, I tried to confront her, and she left. I just went to bed and ignored it. She went out again the day after and met him here at the B&B. I waited outside until she came out, and it was obvious what they had done. I wasn't even surprised. But when I told her that I knew, something changed within me. I didn't want to just sit down and take any of this anymore. I fought back, so she slapped me hard, and then she ran out. Since that day, I kept pushing back and fighting my corner, and she didn't like it. Tonight, she finally got to feel what it was like to be in my shoes. I was the one shouting at her, and she didn't like it. She kicked me out and started throwing my clothes out of the window. I bet she thought she was trying to teach me a lesson, but I'm done. We're over. I'm not covering for her anymore. Did you know I was her alibi the night of Shane's murder? I told the police she was at home with me all night. They found her DNA all over him, and they had it on file after she was caught shoplifting an expensive necklace last year. She begged me to lie for her, so I did. She wouldn't tell me what she’d really been doing, but I knew by that point. I think she thought I was oblivious to it all, but I knew everything. I told them we were at the manor all night in the bedroom while I was working. I showed them my work log, so they could see the timestamps, but that only covered me. The truth is, she left around half five, and she didn't come back until the early hours of the morning. I don't know what she was up to. I can't even say she didn't kill the man. Maybe it would be better for me if she had. She can't take all my money from behind bars."

  "Do you think she would be capable of something like that?" Julia asked carefully, her heart racing. "Capable of murder?"

  Harold stared into her eyes, a sad smile on his face.

  "I don't know that woman," he replied flatly. "I don't know what she's capable of."

  Heavy footsteps raced up the staircase, shaking the floorboards in the bedroom. They ran along the hallway, slamming a door behind them. Julia looked at Harold and then down at the bags. She knew he would land on his feet somehow, and she definitely knew his life would improve without Candy in it.

  "I think you should tell the police you got your alibi wrong," Julia said. "Even if she's innocent, establishing a real timeline might lead them to the real killer. Tell them you mixed up the days and you're sorry. You're not going to get in trouble."

  Harold nodded that he would as he slid his glasses back on. When he looked up at Julia, she saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

  "Why are you so nice to me?" Harold asked. "You barely know me."

  "Because I once had a Candy in my life too," Julia said as she looked down at her pearl engagement ring. "And now I have a Barker. Find your Barker, Harold. You deserve it."

  Leaving Harold to settle into his new room, Julia walked towards the door. When she heard the heavy footsteps walking back across the hallway, she paused and listened for them to pass.

  "I don't care," she heard a familiar voice say as they hurried past. "I need money, and I need it now! Do you want me to go to the police about what I saw you doing with Shane? I'm sure they'd want to speak to you if I did, and I know you don't want that."

  Julia pulled open the door and watched Alfie hurry down the stairs, a large black bag slung over his shoulder. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he paused and listened to the person on the other side of the phone.

  "I don't care what you're going through," he snarled down the phone. "Get whatever you can together and meet me at the building site in half an hour. I'm leaving Peridale tonight."

  Alfie ended the call and stuffed his phone into his pocket. Julia could not help but fly down the stairs after him, blocking the front door before he could reach it.

  "Where are you going, Alfie?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Why are you in such a rush?"

  "Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be," Alfie said with a heavy sigh. "I'm leaving Peridale tonight, and Jessie is coming with me. I'm all she has, and we're going to see the world together."

  "Has she agreed to that?"

  "We talked about it tonight," Alfie said, his dark eyes staring deep into Julia's. "I realised I needed to seize the day. Spending time alone with her tonight, I realised how much I'd missed. We need to do this. You've done a great job with her, but it's my turn now. I can make up for not being there for all those years. I need to."

  "Who was that on the phone?" Julia asked. "Who are you blackmailing?"

  Alfie gritted his jaw, and for a moment, Julia was not sure what he was capable of. Even though fear bubbled deep inside, she held her ground and did not move.
r />   "Please, Julia," Alfie whispered, his eyes begging her to move. "You don't understand."

  "No, it's you who doesn't understand," Julia snapped back. "I've known Jessie for a year, and you've known her for a couple of days. Peridale is her home, and she won't agree to leave it just because you say so."

  "She already has."

  The shock of Alfie's confession loosened Julia's arm enough for him to push past and open the door. She looked on dumbfounded as he ran to his motorbike. Without putting on a helmet, he sped off into the village.

  "What a lovely surprise!" Evelyn called from the top of the stairs as she walked down in a fluffy dressing gown, a towel holding back her wet hair. "Can I interest you in a cup of tea?"

  Julia stared dead ahead at the reception desk at the end of the hall as her mind raced. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled Jessie's number. It rang and rang, but there was no answer.

  "Jessie, it's Julia," she said after the voicemail signal beeped. "Please call me. Don't leave things like this. I love you."

  Julia pushed the phone into her pocket and then pushed her fingers up into her hair.

  "What's happened, dear?" Evelyn cooed as she hurried over to wrap a hand around Julia's shoulders. "Come and sit down. You look like you've just had the worst news of your life."

  "I think I might have," Julia replied, her voice not sounding like her own.

  Evelyn led her into the dimly lit sitting room and placed Julia on the couch in the middle of the room. Without saying another word, Evelyn scurried off to the kitchen, no doubt to make them a pot of tea.

  Julia stared at the wooden tarot boxes on the coffee table, unsure of what was happening. She felt like she was in a nightmare, stuck to Evelyn's couch and unable to move. She forced herself to stand up and she turned to the door, but her brain would not function. Where was Jessie and was she really about to leave her?

  Her mind emptied when her eyes wandered to something hanging from a string next to the door. Just like they had at the building site in the rain, the plastic-covered red roses called to her, drawing her in.

  "Evelyn?" Julia called. "Where did you get these roses?"

  Julia crept towards them, the buds crinkled, and the plastic stained with water marks. Hidden between the stems, Julia spotted a ruined piece of card, the ink and paper now one gloopy mess.

  "Oh, I found them in the outside bin," Evelyn replied as she hurried into the room with a rattling tray of tea. "It's amazing what people will throw away these days. Probably an unwanted Valentine's gift, but I was drawn to them, so I hung them up to dry out. I do love dried flowers, don't you? I didn't want to disrupt the plastic until they'd dried out fully. They were quite soggy."

  "What day did you find them?"

  "Oh, let me think," Evelyn said as she tapped her chin. "It was night time, and I was putting out the rubbish from the day. I'd waited longer than usual because of the terrible rain we had that day, so it was quite late. I pulled the flowers out, and I looked up at the sky. I remember thinking how beautiful the moon was. It was a waning crescent with - Oh, I don't know - fifteen to seventeen percent visibility? I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but I think it was a Sunday."

  "You got all that from the moon?"

  "Oh, no, dear," Evelyn said with a chuckle. "I remember making a tofu roast for dinner, and I had quite a lot to throw away. Turns out builders aren't too fond of my non-meat menu. Yes, the Sunday with the rain."

  Julia knew exactly what day she was talking about. It was the day she had visited the manor for a playdate between Pearl, Dottie, and Vinnie, and the same day she had caught Alfie staring into the rain at the building site where she later spotted the elusive roses.

  "I know who did it," Julia whispered, her eyes widening as she stared at Evelyn. "How could I have missed this? Of course, it all comes down to the flowers! I know who murdered Shane and Harriet."

  "Who, dear?”

  "Valentine's Day!" Julia said quickly, her mind slotting the pieces together at lightning speed. "It wasn't who bought the flowers, it was who received them. I need to go."

  "But I made tea!"

  "And I'm sure it's delicious," Julia said as she hurried to the front door. "Another time, Evelyn. Thank you! Thank you so much!"

  14

  Julia sped through the village, only slowing down as she passed the building site. When she saw that whoever Alfie was planning to meet was not there yet, she continued up to her cottage.

  A light drizzle began to fall as she climbed out of the car. It felt like an omen of what was to come, but for now, Julia pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. The lights in her cottage were on, but Alfie's motorbike was not outside.

  "Jessie?" Julia cried as she burst through the door. "Jessie, are you here?"

  Barker appeared in the dining room door, already in his pyjamas.

  "I've been trying to call you," Barker said. "Where have you been? I was starting to get worried."

  Julia checked her phone, and once again it was on silent. She shook it before tossing it onto the side table.

  "I think it's broken," she said as she looked desperately around the cottage. "Where's Jessie? Has Alfie already come? Barker, please tell me -"

  "Where's the fire?" Jessie said as she pulled open her bedroom door. "I'm right here. What's going on?"

  Julia wasted no time grabbing Jessie in a hug. She did not want to let go, but Jessie wriggled away like Mowgli the one time Julia had tried to bath him.

  "Alright, cake lady," Jessie said as she looked down her nose. "Chill out. Are you sure you're not going through menopause? You're acting super weird lately."

  "You're still here," Julia said as she held Jessie's arms. "He's probably coming to pick you up after he's got the money. You need to listen to me, Jessie. I know Alfie seems nice, and he is, but there's more to him than you know. He has a past - a criminal past. You can't go with him like this. You can't just run away with him because he's asked you to. You've got a life here. I don't want to lose you like this."

  Jessie looked down the hallway to Barker and then to Julia. She arched a brow as she took a step back, her hands up.

  "Woah, cake lady!" Jessie cried as she stepped back into her bedroom. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."

  "But Alfie said -"

  "Alfie said what?" Jessie jumped in. "When did you talk to him?"

  "Just now at the B&B. He thinks you're running away together. He's packed a bag, and I think he's coming to get you. He said you'd agreed to it."

  "I agreed to travel with him for a holiday," Jessie said, taking another step back. "I said it would be cool to go somewhere together, but I didn't mean right now. I'm not running away. This is my home."

  "But -"

  "But you just thought I would run away like that?" Jessie quipped, her tone twisting Julia's heart. "Don't you know me?"

  "I -"

  "And to use Alfie's past against him like that?" Jessie jumped in again. "He told me everything tonight. We went out to dinner, and he told me every gritty detail. It's not like I had a clean record before coming here. Would you use that against me if you needed to? I thought you were better than that."

  "Julia was just worried about you," Barker said, stepping forward to join Julia by her side. "We both were. We just want the best for you. We wanted to know what Alfie's intentions were."

  "His intentions?" Jessie forced a laugh as she shook her head. "You don't have to do this. I don't need you to play the parent game, I just need you to be real with me. I'm eighteen in a couple of months. I'm not a little girl. I've just found out I have a brother and you both jump on him like Mowgli on catnip? He's not perfect, but am I? Look at that locket, Julia. I came into your life by breaking into your café. What if this was flipped and Alfie was your foster son? Would I have been the villain because I'd done bad things? Not cool, guys. Not cool at all."

  Julia felt herself shrinking into invisibility. She rested her hand on the locket, knowing ev
erything Jessie had just said was right.

  "I just don't want to lose you," Julia said, the words choking her. "And I - I was worried that -"

  "I'm not going anywhere," Jessie whispered, stepping forward and pulling Julia into a hug. "Just calm down, okay? If Alfie wants to run away, then that's what he wants to do. He knows where I live. I'm not running away from the thing I've been looking for since I was a kid. Alfie is my brother, but you two are - you're -"

  "Barker and Julia," Barker jumped in. "The two adults who should trust you a little more to make grownup decisions."

  "I like that you worry about me," Jessie said, her voice retreating to that of a little girl. "But you can trust me. I'm not as reckless as you think I am. I wouldn't throw all of this away to see the world, and if I did ever go out there, I'd do it with a return ticket already booked."

  "I'm sorry," Julia said, the words catching in her throat. "Can you tell I'm still trying to get to grips with this parenting thing?"

  "Yes," Jessie said with a chuckle. "But the less you try, the better you are at it. What was the rush, anyway? Alfie only dropped me off fifteen minutes ago. I doubt he was zooming back to whisk me away. He could have done that earlier."

  Julia checked her watch, the meeting deadline for Alfie's blackmail victim creeping closer.

  "I think I know who killed Shane and Harriet," Julia said carefully. "I'll explain everything, but I think I'm going to need both of you to help."

  Twenty minutes later, Julia walked alone to the building site down the lane. The metal structure looked less like a house than ever, but she assumed that was the intention behind the design. Even in the dark, it was an ugly structure that had no place in Peridale, especially when she remembered who owned the land.

  She checked her watch; she was right on time. When she reached the edge of the garden wall, she hung back, blending into the shadows behind a lamppost. Orange light flooded the concrete and metal space as the rain pattered softly from the jet-black sky. As expected, her main suspect was waiting in the middle of the structure, their head protected from the downpour by a hood.