Birthday Cake and Bodies

by Agatha Frost

  Julia pulled Jessie into her side for a quick hug. The teenager wriggled away, dark strands of her hair slipping out of her hood.

  Julia was about to ask if Dot was still waiting outside, but she heard a soft sniffle float in her direction. She looked at Jessie, who seemed to have heard it too.

  “Wait here,” Julia ordered.

  “Fat chance,” Jessie said, sticking to Julia’s side. “You jump, I jump.”

  “Isn’t that a line from Titanic?”

  “Your DVD collection sucks,” Jessie said, her cheeks flushing. “It’s infecting my brain!”

  They walked out of the sitting room side by side. Julia looked around the entrance hall, but she could not see where the sniffle had come from. Just when she was about to give up hope, she heard it again.

  “It came from that door,” Jessie said, nodding to a white door concealed in the side of the staircase. “What’s in there?”

  “No idea,” Julia said with a shrug, never having noticed the door before. “Shall we find out?”

  They walked slowly towards the door, another sniffle drifting from underneath. Julia wrapped her hand around the cold brass doorknob, twisting it carefully.

  She pulled on the door, light pouring down a concrete set of stairs leading to what she assumed was the basement. The smell of must and damp drifted up, along with an ice-cold draft.

  “Hello?” Julia called into the dark, her voice bouncing off the walls and back at her.

  There was a rustle of paper and another sniffle. Julia headed down the stairs, the freezing air gave her goosebumps. She reached the bottom with Jessie hot on her heels. A single light bulb hung from the low ceiling. It illuminated Dawn, who was resting against one of the stone walls, her hands behind her back, tears streaked down her face.

  “It’s freezing,” Jessie whispered, her hot breath turning to condensation in the air. “What are you doing down here, lady?”

  “I needed a minute on my own,” she whispered back, paper rustling behind her back. “It’s been a rough night.”

  Dawn stared into Julia’s eyes, the single light bringing out the red in her strawberry blonde hair. Instead of being fashionably straight like when Julia had first met her, it was frizzy and draped across her face. Her bright pink nose twitched as she sniffled, tears streaming down her face. Julia found it odd that she was not even attempting to wipe them away.

  “She’s hiding something,” Jessie said, pointing at the grieving mother. “What’ve you got there?”

  “It’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head, clearly scared of Jessie. “Honestly, it’s nothing.”

  “If it’s nothing, show us,” Jessie demanded, jumping forward with her hand out. “C’mon. I’m turning into an ice cube down here!”

  Dawn pushed herself into the wall even more, her head shaking. She looked past Jessie to give Julia an imploring look. Before Julia could do anything, Jessie launched herself at Dawn.

  “Jessie!” Julia cried, watching in disbelief as Jessie performed an impressive restraint on the woman’s shoulders, making her drop the paper in a heartbeat. “Get off her!”

  Jessie scrambled to pick up her prize. When it was in her hands, she ran across the basement, squinting into the dark.

  “’To Dawn,’” she read aloud. “’I’m so sorry to do this to you. After reading this, you’ll understand. I hope you don’t hate me too much, it’s just –’”

  Dawn shoved Jessie and snatched the letter back, ripping it clean in two. Jessie held her torn half away from Dawn, but Julia had seen enough. She grabbed the piece of paper from Jessie and passed it back to Dawn, who immediately backed away towards the staircase, her face twisted in disgust.

  “I’m sorry,” Julia said. “Jessie is just -”

  “What’s wrong with you people?” Dawn cried, stumbling backwards up the first step. “You’re animals!”

  With her torn letter in her hands, she turned and ran back up to the house, tripping every couple of steps.

  “Jessie,” Julia said, crossing her arms. “There are better ways to uncover secrets than attacking people.”

  “I didn’t attack,” Jessie muttered, looking down at her shoes. “She could have been holding a knife. It was self-defence.”

  “A knife made of paper?” Julia asked, arching a brow. “Where did you learn that shoulder trick, anyway?”

  “Billy taught me.”

  Jessie’s expression suddenly dropped, as though she had just remembered about Billy for the first time since entering the manor. Julia wrapped her arm around Jessie’s shoulder, and they walked up the stairs side by side.

  Frozen to the core, Julia was glad to close the basement door. Jessie shrugged her arm off before pulling out her phone. She stared blankly at the screen, which had a picture of her and Billy as the background, the countryside behind them. They were both grinning from ear to ear, their cheeks pushed together.

  “I took this the day before he told me about the army,” Jessie said. “We walked out to Burford and had a picnic. It was freezing, but I didn’t care.”

  To Julia’s surprise, Jessie began to sob. She did not try to hold her tears in, nor did she try to wipe them away. Instead, she pushed her face into Julia’s shoulder and tucked her hands tightly around Julia’s waist. Nine months down the line, this was a first for Julia.

  “It’ll get easier,” Julia whispered, stroking Jessie’s hair as she fought back her own tears. “I promise.”

  “I don’t want it to get easier,” she sobbed. “I don’t want him to go.”

  Julia had no idea how to reply. She had seen many of Jessie’s moods, from her lows to her highs, but she was not sure she had ever seen her so vulnerable and honest. Knowing nothing she could say would make a difference, Julia hugged tighter, resting her head on Jessie’s hood.

  When she finally pulled away, Julia let her go into the downstairs bathroom alone to clean up. She wandered down the hall to the arch leading into the sitting room, jumping back a step when she saw the back of Ethan’s head, his lips pressed against Dawn’s as they clung to each other on the ornate red and gold couch.

  “I promise, it’ll get easier,” Ethan said after pulling away and hooking his finger under his wife’s chin. “I should know.”

  Julia crept back carefully, not wanting to intrude on the private moment. She waited by the downstairs bathroom, listening as Jessie forcefully blew her nose. The study door opened, catching her attention. Barker stepped out, followed by who she at first thought was Theo, until she saw the nose bending to the left of his face.

  Julia’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when she realised she had not just seen Ethan kissing his wife, but Theo kissing his sister-in-law. Her eyelids flickered, but all she could do was smile weakly ahead at Barker and his brother as they hugged by the study door.

  “Jessie,” Julia whispered out of the corner of her mouth, knocking on the door. “Hurry up.”

  When she was satisfied the upstairs bathroom was empty, Julia pulled Jessie inside and locked the door behind them. She walked over to the freestanding bath in the middle of the large, elegant room, her mind whirring.

  “This is where they pee?” Jessie said, looking around the huge space. “It’s bigger than my bedroom!”

  “I saw Theo kissing Dawn,” Julia blurted out, unable to contain it. “Not Ethan. Theo.”

  “Okay?”

  “Dawn is Ethan’s wife,” Julia said. “I thought I saw Ethan kissing Dawn, but then I realised it was Theo.”

  “But they’re twins,” Jessie said, crossing her arms and frowning at Julia like she had lost the plot. “How can you tell them apart? They looked pretty identical to me, and you do need your eyes testing.”

  “Who did you say Barker was interviewing when I first woke up?”

  “Ethan.”

  “I saw Ethan coming out of the study while Theo was in the sitting room kissing Dawn,” Julia explained. “Ethan has a crooked nose, Theo doesn’t.”

  Jessie
looked like she was about to ask another question, but her eyes suddenly widened, and her jaw dropped as her focus drifted past Julia to the window. Julia turned to see what had caught her attention, her stomach turning when she spotted it.

  “Gran?” Julia cried as she stared into the eyes of Dot, who was inexplicably hovering in front of the window, the blanket tied around her neck like a cape. “What on Earth are you doing?”

  “She’s a witch!” Jessie cried. “I knew it!”

  “Can you let me in?” Dot’s muffled voice called through the closed window, her breath steaming up the glass. “It’s cold.”

  Julia yanked on the stiff frame, tugging it up far enough for Dot to crawl through. Metal clattered under her feet as she squeezed through the gap with Julia and Jessie’s assistance. When she was firmly inside, Julia peered out of the window and stared disbelievingly down at the tall ladder leaning against the manor.

  “Found it in the shed,” Dot announced proudly as she straightened out her tight curls in the mirror. “Told one of the officers I saw someone in the woods, and the boy was silly enough to believe me.”

  “What are you doing here?” Julia whispered as she dragged down the window. “You’re not allowed.”

  “Jessie is!” Dot cried, looking at the teenager in the reflection of the mirror. “If she is, I am. I was beginning to think the strangler had taken her, so obviously, as her sort-of grandmother, I had to come looking for her.”

  “And you couldn’t use the door?” Jessie asked with a smirk. “Like I did?”

  “Barker and his brother were in the kitchen. I knew he would tell me to go away, so I thought on my feet.”

  “And climbed an unsecured ladder in the pitch-black up to a window you didn’t even know was unlocked?” Julia said, somehow not even slightly surprised. “I’m not going to say another word.”

  “I saw the light turn on when I was carrying the ladder across the garden,” Dot said. “It was either the bathroom, or your father’s bedroom, and I would have rather taken my chances scaring someone on the toilet than having to listen to Katie squawk and squeak at me.”

  When she was satisfied with her hair, Dot pulled herself away from the mirror, untied the blanket, and perched on the edge of the bathtub. She crossed her legs, rested her hands on her lap, and stared expectantly at Julia.

  “So?” she cried. “Fill me in! Who are the suspects? What have you uncovered? I assume the killer is still lurking the halls because I haven’t seen anyone leave yet, aside from you and Barker on your little walk.”

  “I thought you were asleep?”

  “I wanted you to think I was asleep,” Dot said, winking playfully. “First rule of surveillance is to always keep everyone on their toes. I knew you’d try and convince me to go if you thought I was awake, and I was providing a very useful service out there. The killer could have fled at any moment!”

  “Well, maybe you should get back to that,” Julia said, putting her arm around Dot and leading her to the door. “Because you can’t stay.”

  “Julia South!” Dot cried, pulling away and resuming her place on the edge of the bathtub. “I am your grandmother! I demand to know what is going on. My mind has been whirring out there. The silence isn’t fun.”

  “It’s better than word association,” Jessie muttered under her breath as she climbed into the large bathtub behind Dot. “You might as well fill her in, Julia. She might be able to figure it out.”

  “Exactly,” Dot said with a stern nod as she turned back to Jessie. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve ever said.”

  “I say smart things all the time,” Jessie fired back, her eyes narrowing on Dot. “You’re just never there to hear them.”

  “I’m sure,” Dot said with a strained smile as she turned back to Julia. “Suspects?”

  Julia exhaled heavily, realising she had nothing to lose. It was not like she had it all figured out on her own.

  “First, we have Casper and Heather.” Julia began to pace across the black and white tiles. “I think they gave some money to Luke, but I’m not sure why or how much. It’s connected to his job making apps.”

  “Making what?” Dot asked, her head recoiling.

  “Apps,” Jessie said.

  “What’s apps?” Dot asked, turning to Jessie. “Is it some kind of new drug?”

  “They’re in phones,” Julia explained. “Think games and social media.”

  Dot blinked heavily, still none the wiser. Julia shook her head to let her gran know it was not an important detail in the story.

  “Then there’s Conrad and Bella,” Julia continued. “Bella is Theo’s daughter. Theo is Barker’s brother and is also Ethan’s twin brother. We’ll come to him later.”

  “Conrad was having it off with Luke,” Jessie jumped in. “Luke’s the guy who was strangled.”

  “Conrad is Bella’s boyfriend,” Julia said, halting her pacing to make sure her gran was following. “They’re famous on the internet. That part, I don’t understand either.”

  “Says he’s got one hundred and ninety-eight thousand followers here,” Jessie said after tapping on her phone. “Look.”

  Julia squinted at the number, which was above a line with an email for businesses to contact him regarding ‘engaging sponsored content’. Below that, Julia could see three pictures. The first was a picture of Conrad wearing nothing but tight, black underwear, standing in the middle of a nicely decorated apartment. The second was a picture of Conrad and Bella kissing, Peridale Manor behind them. Bella was wearing the same clothes she had on when asking for directions in Julia’s café. The last picture was a blurry shot, but Julia could not make it out. She looked at Jessie for an explanation, who consulted the phone, tapped the picture, quickly turning it into a video.

  “Something awful has happened,” Conrad said, tears in his eyes, a black and white filter over the video. “Someone close to us has been murdered, and the police are keeping us hostage at Peridale Manor. Spread the word. I finally understand what police brutality feels like!”

  Conrad then turned to Bella, who had been sobbing in the background the whole time. The video ended and looped back to the beginning, forcing Jessie to tap off it and back to the layout of the pictures and follower numbers.

  “Ugh,” Jessie cried. “What awful people.”

  “Police brutality?” Julia echoed through an unimpressed laugh. “What does that even mean?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessie said, scrolling down on her phone. “The top comment says #FirstWorldProblems and the next one says #YourWhitePrivilegeIsShowing. Some people are taking it seriously though. #SaveConradandBella. Fifty-two thousand people have viewed the video. That’s impressive.”

  “Well, he seems like a twerp,” Dot said with a final nod. “And they looked like they were hiding in a cupboard. So, he’s the one who was having it away with the victim, but that’s his girlfriend?”

  “Yes,” Julia said, impressed that Dot was keeping up. “Then we have Dawn, Ethan, and Theo. I just saw Theo and Dawn kissing.”

  “But you said they were twins,” Dot said, her eyes crinkling at the sides. “How could you tell?”

  “One has a crooked nose,” Jessie announced. “One doesn’t.”

  Dot tapped her finger on her chin for a moment as she absorbed the information.

  “Money and revenge,” she said after a moment of silence. “The only reasons to kill someone. It was either the uncle and aunt, or the crying video couple.”

  “Or Luke knew something about the affair,” Jessie added. “Maybe they were trying to silence him. I acquired a letter written to Dawn. It seemed like an apology or something. I only read the first few lines.”

  “Or it’s something else entirely,” Dot suggested, her finger tapping harder. “Do you have any clues?”

  Julia pulled her phone out of her pocket and flicked to the picture of the mystery fleshy blur.

  “Why do you have a bottom on your phone, Julia?” Dot asked as she held the phone at arm
’s length, her head tilting. “How rude!”

  “Told you,” Jessie said. “Butt cheek.”

  Dot swiped her finger dramatically across the picture and landed on the picture of the footprints on the carpet Julia had taken.

  “This person has one foot,” Dot said, tilting her head even more.

  “What?” Julia took her phone back and examined the picture she had yet to look at. “How can you tell?”

  Dot snatched the phone back and double-tapped on the screen, something she must have seen someone else do because she did not own a mobile phone.

  “One foot,” she said again, her voice rising. “What is that? Paint?”

  “Lotion,” Julia corrected, sitting next to her gran and leaning into the picture. “Oh, wow. You’re right. I hadn’t given that picture much thought.”

  “Why aren’t you concerned that a one-footed man is walking around the place?” Dot cried, passing the phone back. “That’s like something out of a horror movie!”

  “Because I know who the one foot belongs to,” Julia said, tapping the phone against her chin. “And he failed to mention that he’d visited his nephew’s bedroom.”

  9

  Julia opened the bathroom door, surprised when she came face to face with Hilary. The housekeeper was wearing a white nightie; her surprisingly long hair flowed freely across her shoulders, and her eyes were free of the usual liner. From the look on her face, she was just as surprised to see Julia.

  “Oh,” she grunted, looking past Julia to Dot and Jessie. “I won’t ask.”

  “We were discussing suspects,” Dot exclaimed before shoving past the housekeeper. “Nice nightie.”

  Hilary pursed her lips as she stared down at Dot, somehow looking less menacing without her usual prim and proper exterior; she almost looked human.

  “We’ll get out of your way,” Julia said, looking at the door to Casper and Heather’s room over Hilary’s shoulder.

  Julia and Jessie shuffled past the housekeeper, who walked into the bathroom after them. Instead of closing the door, she headed straight for the medicine cabinet to search through the bottles. A frustrated sigh let Julia know she could not find what she was looking for.