Shortbread and Sorrow

by Agatha Frost

  Julia glanced out of the window, but she couldn’t see anybody on the bank ahead, despite the gunshot, if that’s even what it was, sounding relatively close.

  “I didn’t know they had deer in Scotland,” Sue said as she pushed her mushy cereal away. “I think the pool is calling this morning.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Julia agreed as she screwed up the tea-soaked napkin and tossed it onto her plate. “Let’s stack these up. Make the poor girl’s job a little easier.”

  As Julia and Sue made the breakfast dishes as neat as possible, Dot flicked through the pages of her tiny book, clicking her fingers together when she landed on the section about deer hunting.

  “Ah, here it is!” she exclaimed, straightening her back before reading aloud. “’Red deer hunting is a very popular sport in Scotland, particularly in the months of August and September’.”

  “But it’s only the end of May,” Sue said.

  Her gran opened her mouth to continue reading, but a piercing woman’s scream echoed through the empty dining room. Dot turned to look at the doors to the kitchen, but Julia was sure it had come from the opposite direction.

  “What was that?” Dot cried. “This place is a shambles! I’m going to be sure to call Tony Bridges and let him know -,”

  “Quiet, Gran,” Julia whispered, holding up her hand. “I can hear a woman crying.”

  Julia stood up and followed the sound through the dining room and back along the corridor that had taken her there in the first place. The sobbing grew louder and louder, pulling her back towards the entrance hall. Julia hurried along the corridor, and burst through the heavy doors with Sue and Dot hot on her heels.

  Julia’s hand drifted up to her mouth when she saw Mary crouching over Henry, who was lying in a pool of blood and shattered pieces of wood. He was in the same place Mary’s clothes had been the day before. Julia hurried forward and rested her hands on the woman’s shoulders as she looked up at the landing. Just as she suspected, there was a huge chunk of the mahogany bannister missing where the man had fallen. Julia looked down at the man’s body. When she noticed the blood pouring from his chest, she knew she had just discovered the source of the mysterious bang.

  “He’s been shot!” Mary wailed. “I was looking for him at the reception desk, and he just flew over and landed right here. He’s dead!”

  “Did you see who did it?” Julia whispered urgently. “Is there another way to get downstairs without being seen?”

  “This is the only way,” she sobbed. “Oh, Henry!”

  At that moment, Charlotte appeared through the doors that led to the part of the castle where their sleeping quarters were. She walked in, her eyes instantly landing on her father. Instead of screaming out, she stared down at the body, before hurrying over to the reception desk to pick up the phone.

  “Police,” she said quickly down the handset as she held it to her face, her eyes wide as she continued to stare at her father. “Please, come quickly.”

  Julia left Mary’s side and tiptoed up the sweeping staircase. She looked at the broken bannister, and then through the open door into what she assumed was Henry’s bedroom. There was no murder weapon, and nobody else in sight. She took a step into the room and checked behind the door, making sure not to touch anything, but it was in vain; the room was empty.

  Edging as close to the broken bannister as she dared, she stared down at Henry’s body, wondering how the murderer had managed to flee without passing Mary. She had to stop herself from checking all of the other closed doors along the hall, deciding that was a job best left to the police. Knowing there was nothing else she could do yet, she pulled Mary away from her husband’s body and comforted her at the bottom of the staircase.

  While the grief-stricken woman sobbed against her shoulder, Julia pulled her in close and listened for the sirens.

  4

  Julia stared out of the window of the sunroom as the sun set on the loch. She attempted to focus on a man and child fishing in the distance, but the image of Henry’s body was still fresh on her mind.

  “How long are they going to keep us in here?” Dot moaned as she paced back and forth. “It’s been hours!”

  “They’re going to interview everybody in the house,” Julia explained calmly. “Including us.”

  “But we didn’t do anything!”

  “Then you’ll have nothing to worry about,” Sue added. “I don’t see why they couldn’t have made us stay in the spa or the pool room. It’s an entire day of our trip wasted.”

  Julia looked sympathetically at her sister and smiled reassuringly, not sure how to tell her that the owner’s murder was likely to put an end to their free trip. She decided it was better if she came to that conclusion on her own. She looked out at the water as pink and orange stained the horizon. It was beautiful, but it was a sunset she couldn’t enjoy.

  The shy young cook, who Julia had learned was called Blair, appeared in the doorway holding a fresh tray of tea and cakes. Julia gratefully took the tray from her, replacing the one she had brought in two hours ago.

  “Do you know what’s happening?” Dot asked, a little kinder than she had spoken to her earlier in the day. “I feel like they’re not going to let us leave.”

  “I’ve just been interviewed,” she said nervously, her fingers fumbling with the strings on her apron. “Told them I was in the kitchen the whole time. Men in white coats have been crawling all over the castle.”

  “Forensics,” Julia mumbled, almost to herself. “Have they taken his body?”

  “I think so, miss,” Blair said with a quick nod.

  “I’ve told you, it’s Julia,” she said with a kind smile. “Did you bake these? They look delicious.”

  “Lemon drizzle cupcakes, miss – I mean – Julia,” she said, her voice soft and cheeks flushing at her own correction. “I’ve never seen a dead body before, but I walked past it when I took a tin of shortbread up to Charlotte. It’s her favourite and I thought it might cheer her up. I think the poor woman is in shock. She hasn’t said a word.”

  “Death can do that,” Julia whispered, again to herself. “Although I did find it peculiar that she didn’t call for an ambulance as well as the police. It was like she just assumed her father was already dead.”

  “Did you see the poor fella?” Dot mumbled through a mouthful of cake. “Oh, Julia! This girl might rival you. Delicious, Blair. Where was I? Oh, yes! The man was clearly dead. He had a huge chunk missing out of his -,”

  Blair sniffled, and a flow of silent tears delicately streamed down her youthful cheeks. Julia wrapped a hand around her shoulders and pulled her into a little hug. It hadn’t struck her that the girl had just lost her employer. From what Julia had seen of Henry, she hadn’t very much liked the man herself, but she knew everybody had different sides to them.

  “Why don’t you sit down and enjoy your cakes?” Julia offered. “You’ve been rushed off your feet all day.”

  “No can do,” Blair said quietly, quickly wiping her tears away as though they were forbidden. “I’ve got to clean the kitchen for Charlotte and Rory’s dinner.”

  “Rory?” Julia asked.

  “Charlotte’s brother and Henry’s – his son,” she choked on the words before turning and hurrying off.

  “Poor mite,” Dot said as she plucked another cake from the tray. “She’s a fragile one. She’ll toughen up with age, but I can’t imagine it’s very pleasant seeing any man like that. Oh! This one has a jam filling!”

  Dot tore open the cupcake and strawberry jam dribbled down her fingers. Dot licked it up and tossed the second cake into her mouth without a second thought. Julia was sure they were lovely, but her stomach wouldn’t settle long enough to eat. She began to pace back and forth by the window as the light faded from the sky forcing the sconces to do their job. She was itching to know what was going on, and she desperately wanted to know what had happened.

  “You’ve got that look in your eyes, Julia,” Sue said sternly with
a shake of her head. “I don’t like that look.”

  “What look?”

  “The look you get right before you wade into something,” Dot replied for her. “It’s like when a bull sees red.”

  “It’s the waving of the flag that entices the bull, not the colour,” Julia corrected her as she continued to pace. “Bulls are actually colour-blind. It could be a green flag or a red flag, and the bull would still charge.”

  “Well, murder is your flag,” Dot said as she poured herself a cup of tea. “And this castle is waving it in front of you!”

  Julia wanted to deny it, but her gran was right. She had been trying to piece things together ever since the police officers had chaperoned them into the sunroom and told them not to leave. Who had hated Henry so much that they would want to shoot him? Where did they get the gun? Why now?

  “Evening, ladies.”

  Julia stopped in her tracks and turned to see a fresh-faced young man standing in the doorway. He had sandy blonde hair, which was slicked back off his smooth and shiny forehead. His overpowering sweet aftershave filled the room, turning Julia’s stomach further. Just from his demeanour and suit, she knew he was with the police.

  “Detective Inspector Fletcher,” the man said as he flashed a badge, his Scottish accent soft and barely noticeable. “Jay Fletcher. May I have a seat?”

  Julia motioned to the seat she had been sitting in earlier. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and stared down at the man, waiting for some grand revelation. Instead, he frowned down at the cakes, and then up at Dot, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat as she bit into another cake. Jam dribbled down her chin and onto her already stained blouse.

  “I know you ladies were together in the dining room when Henry McLaughlin died so this won’t take long,” he said as he pulled a pad from his jacket pocket. “I just want to know your account of things, in your own words.”

  “Aren’t you a little young to be a DI?” Dot said. “You’re fresh out of Pampers.”

  The handsome young man smirked and shook his head. It was clear it wasn’t the first time he had heard that. Julia wouldn’t have guessed the man had even passed his thirtieth birthday yet.

  “I assure you, I’m more than competent,” he said sternly, his charismatic smile still plastered across his face. “Who wants to go first?”

  “We were eating breakfast in the dining room alone,” Julia started, taking a step forward. “Blair, the cook, was coming in and out, serving us. We heard the gunshot, and we thought it might be deer hunters, but we realised it was out of season. Then, I heard Mary scream and I followed the sound of her crying to the entrance hall. We stayed by her side until the police arrived. Do you know who murdered Henry?”

  “It’s my job to ask the questions,” he said with a small laugh. “I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Julia South,” she said quickly. “This is my gran, Dot, and my sister, Sue. But it was murder, right? He was shot in the chest. I can’t see that being an accident.”

  “We’re not ruling anything out.”

  “A wound like that must have been from a pretty powerful gun,” Julia said, her eyes glazing over as she stared down at the cakes in the dim light. “It didn’t sound like a handgun. There was too much echo. Too much of a bang. Besides, if deer hunting is popular here, you would expect people to have rifles of some kind. Unless you have very long arms, it’s almost impossible to shoot yourself in the chest with a rifle, unless you cut the end off, but don’t most people go for the head if they want to end their own life? No point prolonging it, and doing it so publically where you can possibly fall and break through a bannister.”

  Julia met the DI’s eyes, and he stared at her, a mixture of disbelief and suspicion filling his young face. She suddenly remembered she wasn’t in Peridale anymore, and this wasn’t Barker.

  “You seem to know a lot, Miss South.”

  “She’s an astute woman,” Dot exclaimed proudly. “Assisted on many murder cases back home.”

  “And where is home?” he asked, his pen hovering over his paper.

  “Peridale,” Sue said. “The Cotswolds. Beautiful little village.”

  “Peridale?” he echoed, tapping the pen on his chin. “Sounds familiar. Think I heard about a DI down there who was suspended for letting some baker run his murder investigation. Funny how quickly those kinds of silly things get around. Wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Julia?”

  “No,” she lied.

  “We all had a good laugh about that up here,” he said, shaking his head with a smirk. “Wouldn’t get that happening up in Scotland, I’ll tell you that.”

  Julia’s cheeks burned brightly, and she looked down at the floor, avoiding his eyes. She turned and stared through the windows, but the sun had completely fallen out of the sky, so all she could see was her own reflection looking back at her in the glass. Behind her, she noticed the DI standing up, taking one of the cakes as he did.

  “Since you’re checked in until Monday morning, I’d like you to stick around,” he said as he peeled the wrapper off the small cake. “I’m satisfied that you’ve told me all you know, for now, but I can’t have you leaving the country, can I?”

  “They’re keeping the spa open?” Julia asked, quickly turning around.

  “Charlotte thinks it is for the best,” he replied. “We can only advise. They have paying guests checking in before the weekend, and they can’t afford to lose the business. Call me if you think of anything else, ladies.”

  He passed Julia a business card, popped the cake into his mouth, looked each of them in the eyes, and then turned and sauntered slowly down the hallway and through the double doors at the end.

  “He doesn’t know a thing,” Julia said quickly as she turned the card over in her hands before pocketing it. “If he suspects the three women with concrete alibis, he’s grasping at straws.”

  “You shouldn’t have let him know so much,” Sue said, her eyes strained with concern. “You made it sound like you were involved, or even guilty.”

  “I was just piecing together the obvious,” Julia said, shrugging dismissively and turning back to the window. “I didn’t tell him anything he shouldn’t have already figured out hours ago.”

  “Do we have to stay here all night?” Dot asked as she unpeeled her fourth cupcake.

  “I would expect we were the last on his list of suspects to interview,” Julia said, already heading for the door. “After this amount of time, I’d say forensics are likely to have everything they need.”

  Dot stuffed her handbag with the rest of the cakes, sipped the last of the tea, and hurried through the door and down the corridor. Sue was more hesitant, not taking her eyes away from Julia as she walked towards her.

  “You’re up to something,” Sue whispered when they were face to face. “I know you.”

  “I’ll follow you up in ten minutes,” Julia said, nodding for her to follow their gran. “I want to offer my services to Blair. If we’re here for the next five days, I don’t want to sit around getting pampered now that a man has died.”

  Sue nodded that she understood, but Julia could see the disappointment flickering in her eyes. Julia gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug.

  “We’ll still have sister time,” Julia reassured her.

  Sue smiled and dropped her head before hurrying along the corridor towards the double doors, where Dot was waiting for her. Julia smiled and waited until they had left, before turning to the dark dining room and darting in between the tables towards the door at the end of the room.

  Without hesitation, she pushed through the doors and into another dark room. When her eyes adjusted, she noticed a large dumbwaiter elevator, which told her the kitchen was in the basement. She spotted a narrow stone staircase, and hurried towards it, not wanting to waste a second.

  The steps were steep and cold, and they wound in a spiral, leading her deep into the island. When she reached the bottom, she pushed on a small door, fluorescen
t lights instantly blinding her.

  Blair was by the sink, washing the dishes while the radio played pop music next to her. Julia looked around the kitchen, surprised by how modern it was. Some serious money had gone into the equipment, and it made her a little jealous that her café’s kitchen wasn’t anywhere near as well stocked. She took a couple of steps forward before clearing her throat.

  It wasn’t her intention to startle Blair, but she understood why she did. The girl spun around, and a white plate slid from her pink rubber gloved hands and shattered against the exposed stone floor.

  “Sorry,” Julia said, hurrying over and picking up the biggest shards of porcelain. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay,” Blair said with a small laugh as she rested her hand on her chest. “I’m just not used to people coming down here. It’s been pretty quiet ‘round here recently.”

  Julia spotted a dustpan and brush next to a mop bucket in the corner, so she swept up the mess she had caused so Blair could carry on with her job. The girl smiled gratefully down at her.

  “Your accent doesn’t fit in here,” Julia said as she tossed the shards into the bin. “English?”

  “Blackpool,” she said with a nod. “Moved up here for this job. There wasn’t much going on back home, and I couldn’t resist the idea of working in a spa.”

  “Have you baked long?”

  “My whole life,” she said, her cheeks flushing. “It’s the only thing I’m good at. My mum taught me.”

  “Mine too,” Julia said. “She died when I was a little girl, but she passed on a lot of her knowledge.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Blair whispered, dropping her face. “You bake?”

  “I own a café.”

  “A café?” Blair remarked, smiling shyly through her stray strands of hair. “That’s my dream.”

  Julia returned the girl’s smile. She had sensed they were similar, but she hadn’t realised how much they really had in common.

  “That’s part of the reason I came down here,” Julia said, stepping forward and leaning against the counter. “To offer my services.”