Ada put her cup down. Even though she was a small image on the screen, Cara could see how her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Ada said, “Perhaps you’re right. I’ve been kidding myself that I’m okay. No one wants to admit that they’re losing their mind.”
Maria pointed to Ada’s cup. “Oh, I haven’t put any milk in.” She stood up.
Ada said, “There’s a new carton in the fridge. I got it yesterday.”
Maria pulled the fridge door open wide, her eyebrows rose in mock surprise. “Ada, there isn’t any milk here. Are you sure you bought some?”
Ada looked at the fridge and burst into tears.
Maria rushed to her side and put her arm around Ada’s shaking shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Leave everything to me.”
Cara slammed her fist on the table. “Enough! Look at what she’s doing to Ada! I’m going round there. Robin, are you coming with me?”
He gave her a panic-filled look. “I can’t! Nigel needs me urgently. I have to go. Cara, stop Ada from getting hurt!”
“I intend to.” Cara stood up and marched out of the house. She flung open the fence gate and rapped on Ada’s door.
Maria answered it. She gave Cara a cool look. “Yes?”
“I want to see Ada,” Cara declared, forcing a smile on to her face.
Maria closed the door slightly. “You can’t. We’re in the middle of a family discussion.” She looked Cara up and down. “And you’re not family.”
“I’m better than family, I’m a friend!” Cara was unable to keep the anger out of her voice.
Ada called out, “Is that Cara? Let her in, I want to see her.”
Maria opened the door and hissed at Cara, “Don’t you be upsetting her.”
Cara pressed her lips together to stop the rant of abuse that she was ready to fling at Maria. She walked into the kitchen and over to Ada. “Ada, are you okay? Have you been crying?”
Ada sniffed and tried to smile. “I’m just being silly. Maria took me to a lovely residential home today. Do you want to hear all about it?”
“I’d love to,” Cara replied. She could feel the daggers of hate coming from Maria who was standing next to the kitchen door. “But first, I’d love a cup of tea. I’ll make it myself. You don’t mind if I have a decaf one, do you Ada?”
“Not at all. I wasn’t sure I’d take to them at first, they taste just like normal tea bags.”
Maria moved towards the tea bag container at the same time as Cara. Cara was prepared and she got there first. She whipped the container off the counter and held it close to her chest. Maria threw her a dirty look and moved away.
Cara soon had a cup of tea ready. She had drunk more than enough decaf tea to know that these weren’t the decaffeinated variety. The tea actually tasted too strong. Cara said to Ada, “I don’t think these are decaf. Where did you get them from? Have you still got the box?”
Maria said, “I have to phone Ben. Excuse me.” She walked into the living room.
Ada said, “Maria buys the tea and coffee for me. She’s so good to me, I don’t know what I do without her.”
Cara wasn’t able to swallow the tea that was in her throat as a big lump of fear had lodged itself there. How was she going to tell Ada what Maria and Ben were up to?
Chapter 9
Maria came back into the kitchen. She walked over to Ada and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ada, Ben’s coming over. We can talk about your future. Perhaps you should ask Cara to go, this is a private family matter.”
“I don’t mind,” Cara said.
Ada said, “Cara’s practically family. She can stay, I’m sure she’d like to hear about my future plans. Cara, if I do go into that home, will you come and see me?” Her voice broke as she continued. “And will you keep an eye on my house?”
“Of course,” Cara added. She flicked a glance in Maria’s direction and was glad that Ada couldn’t see the evil look on Maria’s face.
Cara asked Ada about the home whilst they waited for Ben. Cara wiped her palms on her jeans as she half-listened to Ada. How was she going to start her accusations? Should she ask Ada to leave the room? She was bound to be upset when she heard what her son and daughter-in-law had been up to.
Ben walked into the kitchen a short while later. He smiled at everyone. “What’s this? An afternoon tea?”
Cara quickly said, “Your mum was telling me about her visit to a residential home for the elderly.”
Ben frowned and sat down. “Why did you go there? Were you visiting someone?”
Cara saw Ada’s confused look. She decided to speak for her. “Maria took her there, she said it was your idea.”
Maria shot out, “I never said that! Ada’s confused, again.” She pointed at Cara. “Can you go now?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Cara took a deep breath. “I’ve something to say. Ada, I’m really sorry, I don’t want to upset you but I have to tell you what’s been going on.”
Ada gave a shaky chuckle. “Whatever do you mean, Cara?”
Maria moved to the seat next to Cara and gave her a cold look. “Yes, whatever do you mean?”
Cara launched into the speech she had been mentally preparing for the last ten minutes. She said she had been concerned about Ada’s health and she followed her and Maria to the residential home. She confessed to listening to their conversations, and made another confession about planting the bugging devices in Ada’s home. She finished by giving her opinion on what she thought Ben and Maria had planned for Ada’s future.
There was a deathly silence.
Ada’s face held the same confused look it had since Cara started her speech. Maria sat back in her seat and folded her arms. “What a thing to say about us! Ben, can you believe her? Can we prosecute her for spying on us?”
Ben folded his hands on the table. “Yes, we can prosecute her. Cara, bring me one of those spying devices.”
Cara pushed her chair back and walked on legs that suddenly felt as if they were made of jelly. She picked up a button-shaped object from the window sill. She put it on the table in front of Ben.
“Where did you get these?” Ben asked, his voice cold.
“I don’t want to say, it’s not important,” Cara replied. She wasn’t going to get her gran caught up in this mess.
Ben picked the device up and silently studied it for a moment. He looked over at Maria and quietly said, “Open your bag, put the contents on the table.”
Maria flung her hands up. “Are you kidding me? Call the police! Don’t listen to this nutcase! Ada, she’s making it all up.”
Ben repeated, “Open your bag. If you don’t do it, I will.”
“Fine!” Maria spat. She picked up her bag and emptied the contents onto the table.
“I didn’t know we’d switched to full fat milk,” Ben said coldly. “Mum drinks that, did you take it from her fridge? And is that the cup that I bought for Mum’s birthday? Right next to the salt and pepper pots that I got Mum two years ago.”
Ada peered at the items. “I’ve been looking for those. Where did you find them?”
Maria’s face turned red. She pointed a shaking finger at Ada and said, “You! You put them there! Everyone knows you’re going mad! That’s why Ben employs that nurse!”
Ben said, “Employing a nurse was your idea. Maria, what’s going on? What have you been doing to my mum?”
Maria swore and sat back down. “It’s not my fault! It’s all hers. I can’t stand the way you run around her! Always making her a priority. We couldn’t even move out of this lousy town because you want to be near her! So what if I’ve been playing a few tricks on her? Swapping her tea bags and putting laxatives into her food now and again! It isn’t going to kill her.”
“What?” Ben’s voice rose. “You’d better tell me exactly what’s been going on. Now!”
Maria swore again. “I just wanted her out of the way! We could have her house and her money, make a fresh start somewhere else. Then we could try for a baby.”
Maria didn’t look at him as she mumbled, “I just wanted her out of the way.”
Ben rubbed his head and turned his attention to Cara. “You were wrong about me being involved. I would never hurt Mum, I could never hurt her.”
Cara nodded. “I’m sorry for accusing you. I know I shouldn’t have got involved but …”
“I’m glad you did. Could you show me the footage that you took of Maria earlier? I’ll need it when I divorce her.” He held a hand up to silence Maria who spat yet another swear word at him. He said, “You don’t get to talk.”
Maria picked her empty bag up, grabbed her car keys and stomped out of the kitchen door.
Cara looked at Ada. She was silently crying. Cara rushed to her side. “Oh, Ada! I’m so sorry that you had to hear that!”
Ada continued to cry. Suzanne walked through the open door and took in the scene. “Have I come at a bad moment?”
“Yes, I’ll explain everything later,” Ben said. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Mum? There’s something I have to do.”
“Of course,” Suzanne pulled a chair up next to Ada.
Ben took Cara’s arm and led her outside. “Can we do this quickly? I’ve got a feeling that Maria’s going to make a run for it. I always suspected that she didn’t like Mum, but I didn’t know she hated her.”
Cara showed Ben into Gran’s office. He raised an eyebrow at the equipment there but didn’t say a word. Cara showed him where the footage was and left him to it. She wanted to check on Ada.
As she came out of the house she saw Suzanne about to get in her car. She jogged down the path to her. “Suzanne! Hi! How’s Ada?”
Suzanne put her bag in the car. “She’s sleeping. She wouldn’t stop crying and then she became hysterical. I gave her a sedative to calm her down. She’s asleep on the sofa. The sedative will wear off in a few hours.” Suzanne wobbled and grabbed hold of her car door. “Oh, I thought I was going to faint then.” She shook her head. “I’ve only had a few hours sleep over the last two days. All of my kids decided to get sick at the same time.”
Cara looked closer at her. “You do look tired. Do you want to come in for a strong coffee?”
Suzanne pointed to a flask on the dashboard. “I’m prepared. I’ll have a quick drink and then be on my way.” She got in her car and closed the door.
Suzanne didn’t look at all well and Cara was about to insist that she stay for two coffees when Robin appeared at her side.
“Cara! Quick! It’s Ada! She’s going to die in two minutes!”
“What?” Cara spun on her heel and raced up Ada’s drive. She ran into the kitchen and through to the living room. Ada was lying on the floor, her hands clasped around her throat.
“She can’t breathe!” Cara ran over and threw herself on the floor. She put her hands under Ada’s head and lifted her up. “Ada! Talk to me! What’s wrong? Robin! What can I do?”
Robin put his hand on Ada’s chest. “I can feel her life ebbing away. Cara, do something!”
“I don’t know what to do!” Cara tried to get Ada into a sitting position. Ada’s hands dropped and her breathing slowed down. “No!” Cara screamed. She laid Ada back down and raced outside. Suzanne was starting to drive away. Cara threw herself in front of her car and slammed her hands on the bonnet.
Suzanne screeched to a halt. Cara pulled her door open and shouted, “Ada! She’s dying! Quick!”
Suzanne ran after Cara. She took one look at Ada’s grey face and knelt at her side. She ordered Cara to pass her things from her bag. Cara did so and then wrung her hands as she waited. “Don’t die, don’t die,” she muttered.
Robin stood behind the sofa and silently watched the scene.
Ada suddenly gasped and made a retching noise. Suzanne rubbed her arms and talked softly to her.
“Is she alright” Cara took Ada’s hand. “Ada, can you hear me?”
Ada opened her eyes. “Good grief! What am I doing on the floor? Cara, why are you crying?” She coughed and then winced. “Oh, what have I done to my throat? Cara, are we still going to the seaside tomorrow?”
Cara wiped a tear away and smiled. “Absolutely, we can go every day.”
Suzanne turned a horrified face to Cara and said, “You’d better call the police. I almost murdered Ada.”
Chapter 10
A few hours later Cara sat on Gran’s sofa and cried. Robin passed her a tissue and then patted her head. “This is becoming a habit,” he said. “You don’t need to cry, everything has been sorted out. Suzanne is going to be alright.”
Cara wiped her nose. “Are you sure about that? I can still see the look on her face. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive herself for giving Ada the wrong medicine to calm her down.”
“She explained why she did it, she was overcome with tiredness. She knows she shouldn’t have been working.”
“She’s going to feel guilty for a long time. She told me she’s going to give up nursing and stay at home with her children. Poor Suzanne.”
Robin patted her hand and then pulled a face when he touched her wet tissue by mistake. “Ada isn’t going to press charges. She’s got too much on her mind with that Maria business. Cara, you saved Ada’s life, and you stopped Suzanne from murdering Ada, although I think it would have been classed as manslaughter. Either way, you saved her soul, remember that.”
Cara scrunched the tissue up. “But it’s always at the last minute! Why can’t I get there earlier! I’m useless!”
Robin put his hands on either side of her head and turned it towards him. “Now listen to me, Cara Daniels! You are not useless, you are doing an excellent job. And when I can be bothered to stand up and open my wings I shall let you have one of my beautiful feathers. You kept going with this job, you didn’t stop until Ada was safe! You’re like an annoying terrier dog.” His hands dropped and he looked away.
Cara grabbed his sleeve. “What’s wrong? You’ve gone all sad-looking.”
Robin turned back to her, a silver tear trickled down his cheek. He took the damp tissue from Cara and wiped it away. “It’s Nigel. He … he didn’t get there in time to save the life that he was supposed to. He’s not like you, he moves too slowly, he doesn’t get emotionally involved.” Robin sighed. “He’s feeling all sorts of emotions now. I’m not sure he’ll ever want to do any more soul saving jobs.”
“Poor Nigel,” Cara said. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. I’ll be blaming myself for a while, thinking I could have done more.” He smiled. “I’m spending too much time with you and your wide range of emotions.” He looked down at his knees. “Erm, because Nigel isn’t fit for work at the moment I told the angels in charge that you’d be happy to do more jobs.”
“Did you now?” Cara said.
Robin looked at her and gave her a weak grin. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Cara smiled at him. “Of course not, it’ll give me a chance to improve. Right, stand up and give me one of your feathers. Then go into the kitchen and get me a glass of wine. Have you seen how many bottles Gran has? I’m sure she won’t mind if I have a bottle or two.”
Robin stood up. “And what are you going to be doing whilst I wait on you hand and foot?”
Cara closed her eyes and said, “I’m resting my soul saving powers.” Her eyes sprang open as she heard the familiar beep of Robin’s watch. “Another job? Already?”
A note from the author
I’ve been writing murder mysteries for a few years now. I recently got the idea that I wanted to write stories about someone stopping murders from occurring in the first place. I realised that person would need some sort of paranormal/supernatural help to let her know when the possible murders would occur and I came up with angels. That got me thinkin
g: if you knew someone was going to be murdered soon, what would you do to stop it?
Read Cara’s other stories, you can find details of them on my website :
www.gillianlarkin.co.uk
If you sign up to my newsletter through my website you will receive 3 short stories in pdf form as a thank you gift.
You can contact me on : [email protected]
Best wishes
Gillian
A CARA DANIELS COZY MYSTERY
ADA’S DEATH
BY
GILLIAN LARKIN
www.gillianlarkin.co.uk
Front cover images by Vectorstock.com
Copyright 2015 by Gillian Larkin
All rights reserved. No part of this publication must be reproduced in any form,
without permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to any persons, living or dead, is purely
coincidental.
Ada's Death (Cara Daniels Cozy Mystery Book 5) Page 4