Pumpkins, Peril and a Paella (A Charlotte Denver Cozy Mystery Book 4)

by Bryan, Sherri

  Lavender and Marigold turned to see seven luminous skeletons walking down the marina towards them. In their skeleton masks and black hooded wetsuits, onto which Laura Walton had expertly painted a life-sized skeleton, front and back, in glow-in-the-dark paint, Garrett and his crew prompted a volley of applause and screams from nearby children, delighted to see that skeletons really did come to life at Halloween.

  “Evenin’ Charlotte.” They stopped outside the café and Garrett pulled down his mask to give his goddaughter a hug. “Laura wanted us to stop off so you could see the costumes.” He chuckled. “I can’t tell you what a job we’ve had getting into them and getting all the right bones over all the right places ... ahem ...if you know what I mean. Lavender, Marigold.” He acknowledged the women with a nod.

  “They look amazing!” Jess appeared from inside the café carrying the paella pan, which she set carefully on the stove. “Laura’s done a fantastic job.”

  “Yeah, they’re not bad, are they?” Garrett’s eyes lit up at the sight of the paella. “Don’t suppose that’s ready now, is it?

  “No, but it won’t be long. Give it ten minutes.” Charlotte lifted the foil and took a peek underneath.

  “Okay. Will you save a plate for Laura and I, please? We’ll be down in an hour or so. She’s bringing a load of sweets from home that need to be made up into trick-or-treat bags for the kids, so I said I’d meet her in The Bottle of Beer and give her a hand.” Garrett put his mask back on. “Right, I’d better get going. See you later, ladies.”

  Lavender drained her cup of soup and picked up her broom. “Well, I suppose we’d better get on, too, Marigold. Come along, the quicker we get this snow swept away, the quicker we can join in and have some fun.”

  At that moment, a huge crowd of excited children dressed in their Halloween finery came rushing down the footpath at the side of the café, parents in tow, and congregated in a noisy crowd between Charlotte’s Plaice and the Chandlery, right beside the tall banks of ploughed snow that Lavender and Marigold had been about to sweep.

  As the children picked handfuls of snow from the top of the mounds and began pelting each other with it, Marigold said, to no one in particular, “Well, I suppose we’d better leave those until later.”

  “Yes, why don’t you, for goodness sake?” Charlotte placed the pans of punch on the stove and went back inside to fetch the toffee apples. “Why don’t you go and have some fun and come back and clear the snow later when there aren’t so many people around? I mean, it’s not like it’s going anywhere, is it?”

  Lavender and Marigold glanced at each other, their faces breaking out into wide grins. “I think that sounds like a fine idea. What say you, Marigold?”

  “I agree! I say we down brooms and enjoy ourselves for an hour or two!”

  “Fantastic! Right, give them to me and I’ll put them by the door. You can come and get them whenever you’re ready to start again. Now go and join in the party!” Jess took the brooms and shooed the women away with them.

  Charlotte rubbed her hands together. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m having a cup of punch before we get mobbed. Want one?”

  “Ooh, yes please.” Jess’s nose wobbled dangerously as she nodded her head.

  Charlotte tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a giggle. “Alcoholic or non-alcoholic?”

  “Please? What do you think?”

  Charlotte grinned as she handed Jess a cup of spiced punch.

  “Wow!” Jess clutched her throat. “No wonder they call this stuff ‘punch’ ... I feel like I have been.”

  “Is it too strong? Should I put some more apple juice in it?” Charlotte asked, anxiously.

  Jess put her hand over the top of her cup. “Don’t you dare! Now it’s gone down, it’s rather nice, actually. Very warming.”

  “Yoooohoooo, you two!”

  The two of them turned to see Ava, Harriett, Betty, Leo and Harry walking down the marina. Ava, Harriett and Betty were dressed as the Macbeth witches, and Leo and Harry, a vampire and a mummy.

  “Excellent! Love the costumes!” Charlotte clapped as they all gave a twirl to show off their outfits.

  “Well, we try. We’re not old fogies yet, you know.” Ava peeled a rubber wart from her nose and stuck it to her chin. “That’s better. I could see it out of the corner of my eye ... very distracting. I think we’re all having a plate of the Paella. Everyone? Yes? Five plates, please, Charlotte.”

  “And five cups of punch, too, please, Jess.” Harriett surreptitiously reapplied her lipstick before handing a cup of punch to Leo and toasting him with hers.

  “You’re welcome to sit at a table and eat.” Charlotte gestured to the tables set up on the terrace.

  “I think we’re okay as we are, thank you, dear. You feel more involved when you’re standing up - in the thick of the action, as it were.” Ava took a sip of punch and visibly recoiled.

  A cheer rang out as local band, Night Vigil, began tuning up for their set.

  Betty started tapping her foot but stopped shortly afterwards. She pulled a face. “They’re not very good, are they?”

  “They haven’t started playing yet, Bet. They’re just tuning up the instruments.” Harry chuckled.

  “Oh, I see. Well, hopefully they’ll improve. That’s the band Larry Hall plays in, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. They’ve always been very good when I’ve seen them.” Charlotte handed everyone a plate of Paella and a dual-purpose plastic spork.

  “Charlotte, you’re so thoughtful to have these plates with a little hole for the cup to fit in. I don’t know how we’d manage otherwise - we haven’t got enough hands for everything. And thank you for peeling the prawns, dear. They’re so much easier to eat, this way.” Ava speared a fat pink prawn with her spork.

  “Yes, excellent idea. And excellent paella. I’m having another plate when I’ve finished this.” Leo joined the ever-growing queue for a second helping as he tucked into his first. “Better get in line. Don’t want to miss out.” He mumbled between mouthfuls.

  The band struck up with their first number, a very passable rendition of Stevie Wonder’s, Superstition. Just for the evening, they’d agreed to play a set to fit in with the Halloween theme, instead of their usual heavy rock, and Charlotte grinned to see Marigold and Lavender Burridge happily bopping away in front of the temporary stage.

  “Ah, yes, I see what you mean. That’s much better.” Betty began to jig about, totally out of time with the music and quietly singing out of tune.

  “It’s going quite well, don’t you think?” Jess ladled another six cups of punch as Charlotte plated up more paella.

  “Really well. I should’ve made another pan.” Charlotte’s eyes followed the footsteps of the customers as they took their plates and found a table on the terrace. Not a cheetah in sight.

  “Will you stop checking everyone’s footprints!” Jess scolded. “Give yourself a night off from playing detective and enjoy yourself, for goodness sake!”

  ººººººº

  “That was a great set you played.” Charlotte congratulated Larry Hall as she handed him two cups of steaming punch. “Really great. I don’t think I can remember a local band being so good. Can you, Jess?”

  “No, I can’t. You were fantastic. I bet you get a load of gigs on the back of this. Your phone’s going to be ringing off the hook with people wanting to book you for their events.”

  Even under the glow of the green and purple lights, Charlotte could see that Larry Hall was blushing as he gave a very gap-toothed grin.

  “Thanks - glad you enjoyed it.” A somewhat awkward man when it came to interaction with others, Larry’s delight was obvious as he wandered off to chat with a fellow band member.

  It was almost quarter-past eleven when Lavender and Marigold wandered back down the busy marina, each with a shovel over their shoulder.

  “These’ll be much better at clearing the snow but, before we get started, is there more of that soup left?” Lavender hovered,
hopefully.

  Charlotte tipped up the pan. “Hmmm, maybe half a cup each but that’s the best I can do, I’m afraid. All of a sudden, we were mobbed with people wanting food. It was like a swarm of locusts.” She poured the soup into two cups. “You’re not going to start work again now, surely?” she asked, before disappearing inside with the empty pan.

  “We most certainly are,” said Lavender. “We gave our word that we would do the job and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re not just good for making cakes, jam and homemade ginger wine, you know.”

  “I can see that,” said Charlotte as she re-emerged to see Marigold bashing the compacted snow with the end of the shovel to loosen it from the paving stones.

  Charlotte and Jess quickly cleared up. Now they’d stopped working, the decidedly colder air was more noticeable and they began to realise how inadequate their costumes were against the cold, even with thermal underwear underneath.

  They were changing into some warmer clothes when a piercing scream rang out, causing Pippin to leap out of his basket and run to the doors, barking furiously.

  “What on earth ....?”

  Running outside, Charlotte looked through the polythene window in the centre of the awning screen. On the other side, Lavender and Marigold were clinging onto each other, Marigold’s face pressed into her sister’s jacket.

  “What’s on earth’s the matter?” Charlotte went to the end of the terrace and poked her head around the end of the awning to see what the cause of the commotion was. “Oh my God!”

  “What is it?” Jess was right behind her, rubber nose in hand. “Bloody hell!”

  Pippin followed them out and ran to the snow pile, nose to the ground.

  “No, Pippin!” As Charlotte bent to pick him up, she shuddered as she turned her face away.

  She didn’t want to look at the body at the foot of the polystyrene headstone, a blue eye of which gazed sightlessly up at them out of a face, still covered with snow and eerily illuminated by the candlelight from one of Jess’s menacing pumpkin lanterns.

  Chapter 4

  Sirens and the screech of tyres signalled the arrival of the police.

  Charlotte heard the click-clack of police issue shoes walking swiftly up the footpath and was relieved to see PC Ben Dillon and PC Fiona Farrell lead a group of officers onto the marina.

  Over the years, Charlotte had come to know Ben and Fiona well. In Nathan’s absence, they were the two officers she trusted the most and whom she knew would do everything they could to ensure that the cause of the unfortunate individual’s death be determined as quickly as possible.

  “Evening, Miss. Denver, Miss Beddington.” They nodded to Charlotte and Jess as they walked past them to the small crowd gathered around the body.

  “Okay, everyone, stand back. Stand back, please. There’s nothing to see here.” PC Dillon threw a tarpaulin over the snow pile and strung a long length of police cordon tape around it to ensure that no one got too close. “PC Milton, PC Willis, can you get a tent up here as quickly as you can, please.”

  “Oh! Oh! I feel sick!” Marigold Burridge leaned against the railings at the edge of the marina and even under the coloured lights there was no mistaking the ashen pallor to her face.

  Charlotte and Jess took an arm each and helped the woman into the café.

  “Come on. You too, Lavender. You’ve had a terrible shock.” Charlotte gently sat the sisters down.

  “I’ll put the kettle on,” said Jess. “Y’know, I have a feeling we’re going to be pretty busy for a while.” She made two cups of Charlotte’s special cure-all; hot tea, sweetened with honey and laced with a splash of brandy, and gave one to each of the women.

  “I just can’t believe that all day yesterday, that poor person’s body must have been lying out there under the snow,” Charlotte whispered as she switched on a small fan heater to keep the sisters warm. “It must have been there since Thursday night - that was the only time we had enough snow to have covered it. And I was here for ages yesterday morning on my own, just inches away from it.” She shuddered.

  PC Dillon knocked on the glass door. “Sorry to disturb. Ladies, I understand you found the body, is that correct? Okay, if you’re up to it, we need to ask you some questions. Will that be alright?”

  Staring blankly ahead, the sisters nodded.

  “Right, Miss. Burridge,” PC Dillon spoke kindly to Lavender, “you and I will go and sit over at the table in the corner and my colleague, PC Farrell, will speak with you, Miss. Burridge.” Marigold nodded soberly but panicked at the mention of her sister leaving her side.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll only be sitting over there. She’ll be back before you know it.” PC Dillon assured her.

  “The crowd out there’s getting bigger by the second.” Jess watched the proceedings from the doorway. “Nothing like a body to kill a Halloween party stone dead. Ironic, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, I can’t tell you how awful it was.” Lavender was telling PC Dillon as she wiped her arm across her face. “We were shovelling the snow pile and halfway down, I uncovered some hair. I thought it might be an animal at first - you know, a cat or something - but then we saw skin ... and that eye. Oh, it was horrible! I’m not going to sleep tonight, I just know I’m not.” She began to wail loudly and PC Dillon stopped the questioning until she’d calmed down.

  “You might as well go home, Jess,” Charlotte said, wearily. “There’s no point in us both staying here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, absolutely. I’m surrounded by police, what’s going to happen to me?” If I’m here till really late, I’ll ask one of them to take me home. Really, go on.”

  “Well, if you’re sure.” Jess didn’t look entirely convinced but she put on her coat.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Excuse me.” Jess interrupted PC Dillon. “Sorry to butt in, but is it okay for me to leave? Or do you need to speak to me too?”

  “Well, we will need to, but when we do, we’ll know where to find you. You can go for now, though.” Ben smiled briefly at his girlfriend before resuming his questioning.

  See you at home, Jess mouthed at him behind Lavender’s back before giving Charlotte a hug and slipping out quietly.

  Charlotte sat on a barstool, wishing she could call Nathan. He was only a few miles away at a hotel in St. Matlock, but the training course was residential and all the participants were required to stay until the course finished on Monday morning.

  She picked Pippin and hugged him close before settling him in his basket. “Let’s hope this turns out to be an accident,” she whispered. “I can’t bear to think there might be another murderer on the loose after all this time.”

  She put her jacket on and went out for some air. She stood away from the crowd, not wanting to get caught up in the questions and speculation.

  Leaning on the railings at the entrance to the pier, she tried to block out the babble of voices behind her. The beauty of the clear, star-filled sky and the gentle, calming movement of the boats on the water were in complete contrast to the ugliness of death, so close by.

  She gulped down a lungful of cold air and blew it out again. As she turned to go back into the café, she glanced idly up the marina and stopped dead in her tracks.

  It was just a silhouette but the stance was unmistakeable. If there had been any doubt at all in her mind, the slight limp that was always evident in cold weather would have given away the identity of the man walking towards her.

  She sighed with relief.

  Nathan was back.

  She ran all the way up the marina and threw herself into his arms. “I’m SO glad to see you! Can I kiss you, or am I not allowed because you’re the Chief Inspector and you’re working?”

  He smiled and shook his head. “I haven’t seen you for almost five days and you want to know if you can kiss me? You’re damn right you can!” He took Charlotte in his arms and kissed her for all he was worth.

  She held him close. It was
so good to have him home.

  “You know what’s happened, I suppose?” she asked, when they broke apart.

  “Yep, that’s why my training course has been cut short. I had a call from the Super, asking me to get back asap.”

  As they walked back to the café, arm in arm, the coroner met them from the other direction. “Evening, all. Let’s have a look at this body, then.”

  “I’ll see you in a while.” Nathan followed the coroner into the tent which had been erected over the body.

  “The Chief’s back.” Charlotte told PCs Dillon and Farrell when she went back into the café. “He’s with the coroner.”

  “Can we go now?” Lavender asked. “We’ve told you everything we can.”

  The officers nodded. “Yes, thank you both. You’ve been very helpful, considering the terrible shock you’ve had. We’ll be in touch if we need any more information.”

  Lavender nodded and took Marigold’s arm. “Come on, Mar. Let’s go home and have some cocoa with a little shot of something stronger in it. I think we’re still in shock.”

  As the sisters made their way out, Nathan came in to the café, his face grim.

  Oh no, I know that look. Charlotte’s heart sank.

  The mood was lightened somewhat by Pippin jumping out of his basket and jumping on Nathan’s shoelaces as soon as he saw him.

  Nathan bent to pick him up and ruffled the fur under his chin.

  “PC Farrell, PC Dillon. Can one of you find out where SOCO are, please, and tell them to get their backsides down here asap.

  “We are now dealing with a murder investigation.”

  ººººººº

  “Have you any idea who the victim is?” Charlotte peered out of the doors to where the coroner was making arrangements for the body to be removed.

  He didn’t tell her everything about a case, but Nathan trusted Charlotte not to share anything he did tell her with anyone else.