A Sweet Murder

by Gillian Larkin

  Grace came to a halt at Frankie’s open door. His bed was empty. Grace called out for him on the landing, there was no reply.

  “He hasn’t come home, the dirty stop out,” Pearl appeared at her side.

  Panic grabbed Grace. Please let him be all right! She grabbed her phone and rang his number. A cheerful Frankie answered on the second ring.

  “Yo! Sis! How ya doing?”

  “Never mind me! Where are you?” Grace exploded.

  “I’m still at the club, having a crazy time! Come down, I’ll introduce you to everyone,” Frankie said, laughter in his voice.

  “What do you mean, you’re still at the club? It’s eight o’clock in the morning! Did you sleep there?”

  More laughter from Frankie. “Chill out! I haven’t been to bed, I don’t need to. I’m running high on life!”

  Chill out! Chill out!

  Grace grabbed her phone tighter. She tried to control her anger. “Frankie, you need to come home, we’ve got a business to run.”

  “Okay, okay! Stop nagging. I’ll set off now. Get a life, Grace!”

  He rang off, Grace bit back the hurt. Why did he have to talk to her like that?

  “Don’t let him get to you, he’s an idiot. He’ll learn,” Pearl said.

  Grace gave her a small smile. “I was wishing yesterday that he’d be able to see you too, then you could give him a good telling off. I wouldn’t even mind if you swore at him.”

  Pearl smiled. “I would do too, I know some words that would make your ears turn blue! Forget about him for now. I’ve got something to tell you, I know how Connie died.”

  “Was she murdered?”

  Pearl nodded. “She was.”

  Chapter 23

  Connie appeared at that moment and sank heavily onto the bed. She raised sad looking eyes to Grace. “It’s true, I was murdered. I think I’ve been trying to block it out. Pearl said that’s why I kept leaking all that grey stuff, I wanted to stop my thoughts.”

  Pearl sat down next to Connie and patted her hand. “Come on, Connie, tell Grace all about it.”

  Grace sat down on the Flamingo chair and waited.

  Connie reached into her pocket and put a sweet in her mouth.

  Grace jumped slightly and touched her cheek. “That’s strange, I can taste what you’re eating. Strawberry bomb? I love those.”

  “Me too. Sorry about that, I’ll try not to eat any more, it’s a habit.” Connie stared to one side of Grace as if deciding how to begin.

  “Get on with it,” Pearl said.

  Connie began. “I died in the bath. Which is strange because I hardly ever have baths, I prefer having a shower.”

  “How exactly did you die? Did you drown? Did someone hold you under? Sorry to ask these questions,” Grace said. She recoiled as she felt Pearl glare at her.

  Pearl pointed a finger at Grace and said, “What have I told you about being wishy washy? You need to be direct, stop caring about what people think, you’re not responsible for their thoughts.”

  “I’ll try,” Grace said. “Sorry, that was a bit wishy washy. You don’t have to stare at me like that, Pearl! I said I’ll try.”

  Pearl looked away from Grace, her lips pressed together.

  Grace sat up a bit straighter and said, “Connie, why did you decide to have a bath that day?”

  “I didn’t, it had been run for me. I don’t know who by, all my children had access to my house, they were free to come and go. The bath was waiting for me when I got back from work. It looked so inviting, there were lit candles around the side. I don’t know where the candles came from, I never bought them. There were even bowls of sweets on the shelf next to the bath. I thought someone had done a kind and thoughtful thing for me, it would be rude not to get in. I checked around the house first, there was no one there except me.”

  Grace nodded. “So, you got in the bath. What happened then?”

  “Nothing, I had a good soak and helped myself to the sweets. I felt great, I suffer from arthritis and the bath was making me feel wonderful. I filled it up with hot water a few times. It was when I stood up to get out that I had problems. I felt sort of woozy, like I’d stood up too quickly. I remember looking down at the water and putting my hand on the wall to steady myself. My other hand must have been outstretched because I felt ...”

  Connie looked into the distance, Grace saw the strawberries on her dress fade. “Pearl! She’s doing it again! Can you stop her?”

  Pearl shook her head. “We’ll let her be this time. I know what happened next. Her hand touched somebody, or rather somebody grabbed her. They twisted her arm and shoved her towards the tap end of the bath. Connie remembers hitting the back of her head on the taps, she can’t remember the pain, thank goodness for that. But, this is the awful bit, this person who was in the bathroom lifted Connie back up and flung her into the taps again – and again.”

  Grace’s hand flew to her mouth. “That’s awful! Poor Connie. Oh, Pearl, why would someone do that to her?”

  Pearl shrugged. “That’s for you to find out.”

  Grace looked at the frozen Connie, no wonder she was blocking the memories out. She said, “There must have been a lot of bruises on her head, surely the doctor must have suspected something?”

  “It depends on the doctor, they could have been at the back end of a long shift, it could have been someone different to the family doctor, those travelling locums that they have now. We don’t know who discovered the body. Who was it, and what did they tell the doctor? Maybe they gave such a reasonable explanation that the doctor didn’t think Connie’s death was anything other than an accident. You’ve got a lot of questions to ask. Look, she’s coming round now.” Pearl moved over to Connie. “Connie, it’s okay, I’ve told Grace everything, you don’t have to say anything else.”

  Connie gave Pearl a grateful look.

  Grace was about to speak when she felt something peculiar. She shifted in the chair. No, it was still there, a hot sensation on her bottom. And it was getting hotter.

  Grace yelped and jumped to her feet. She put her hands on her bottom and turned to look at the chair.

  “What’s wrong with you? Got ants in your pants?” Pearl said.

  “That chair, it got hotter and hotter.” Grace put a hand out over the chair. “I can feel heat coming from it, that’s strange.”

  Pearl stood up and examined the chair. “Perhaps it’s trying to tell you something. Can you touch it?”

  Grace gingerly lowered her hand. She touched the seat. “It feels warm here, not too hot. Hang on, it gets warmer towards the back of the seat.”

  Grace moved around to the other side of the chair and put her hand on the back of the seat. She flinched and said, “It’s definitely warmer here.” She got down on her knees and peered at the back of the seat. “This seat is quite thick. Pearl, do you suppose there’s a hidden drawer or something?”

  “Don’t know, give it a bash.”

  “I can’t bash it, it’s an antique!” Grace exclaimed.

  Pearl looked down at Grace and raised her eyebrows. “I’m going to change your name to Wishy Washy Wendy. Give it a bash.”

  Grace made her hand into a fist and thumped it against the back of the seat.

  “Harder! Be a man about it!”

  Grace thumped the seat harder. A pain shot through her hand, she bit down on her lip.

  Connie joined them, her face lit up. “The drawer! Of course! I’d forgotten about it! You don’t need to thump it, reach underneath, there’s a button, press it.”

  Grace did so.

  The back of the seat slid open a few inches. Grace pulled it out. “There’s something in here.”

  In a proud voice Connie said, “That’s the original recipe book, the one that Alfred brought with him from Poland. I’d forgotten all about it! I found the secret drawer when I was a little girl. That recipe book must be worth a lot of money now!”

  Grace stood up, she looked at Pearl. Pearl gave her a slight nod.
Grace said, “Did any of your children know about this book?”

  Connie smiled. “Yes, Della knows, she said she’d never tell anyone about it.”

  Chapter 24

  Della.

  Grace had another reason to suspect her now. Grace picked the book up. She found a plastic wallet on a shelf at the side of Frankie’s room and carefully placed the book inside.

  “What are you doing that for?” Connie asked.

  Grace considered whether or not to say anything, but then decided she should. “Della knows about this book. For all we know it could be worth thousands, or even millions. That would be reason enough to kill you.”

  “Never! Della wouldn’t kill me, she loves me!”

  Grace surprised herself by the hard tone in her voice. “Somebody killed you, and I think it’s somebody you know. You showed yourself to me for a reason, you want justice. I’m going to confront Della with this book and see what her reaction is. In fact, I’ll show it to Lucinda and Vincent too, they might know it exists.”

  Connie looked down at the floor. “You’re right, I suppose. Please take care of the book.”

  In a softer voice Grace said, “I will.”

  Pearl added, “If Della was after the book wouldn’t she look in the chair? She didn’t need to kill Connie for it.”

  “Maybe she wanted to sell it without Connie knowing. Connie, would you ever sell this book?”

  “Never! It’s part of our history!”

  Grace looked at Pearl as if to say, ‘There’s your answer’.

  “Good morning, Grace! Where are you hiding?” a voice hollered out.

  The two ghosts and Grace looked towards the open door. Pearl said, “Is that Frankie? What’s he shouting for?”

  They heard a thudding on the stairs along with a song that Frankie was attempting to sing. He burst into the room, his arms wide. He grinned at Grace and pulled her into a bear hug.

  “Get off!” Grace muttered, her face squashed against his shirt.

  He released her. Grace took a few steps back from him. He said, “Isn’t it a wonderful morning! Can you believe I’ve been up all night? I knew my body would get used to it.”

  Unbeknownst to Frankie, Pearl was inches away from his face, she was standing on tiptoes and peering into his eyes.

  Grace narrowed her eyes, something wasn’t quite right. “Are you going to bed now? Shall I open the shop?”

  Frankie waved an arm in the air. “No need, little Sis, I’m all fired up. I don’t feel tired at all, I’ll deal with the shop. Take yourself off for the day, buy some make-up.”

  Pearl turned around to Grace and snapped, “He’s taken something! Some sort of drug, I can see it in his eyes. I always knew he was an idiot but this takes the biscuit.”

  Grace looked closer at Frankie’s eyes, they did seem unnaturally bright. She said, “Frankie, do you remember those black sweets that you mentioned, the ones that people were eating at the club?”

  “I do remember! In fact, I bought some last night, they’re amazing, they’ve given me a real boost of energy. I’ve got some left.” Frankie reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, brown paper bag.

  “Who did you buy them from? What have they got inside them?” Grace said in a calm voice.

  Pearl yelled out, “Drugs! That’s what’s inside them. He probably did a dodgy deal somewhere, in the toilets or outside in a dark alley!”

  Frankie opened the packet and looked inside. “I bought them off a woman, she was going round the club with them, everyone was buying them. The woman said they were liquorice sweets mixed with herbs, she said they were organic and totally natural, she said they were non-addictive. Which is good because I can’t stop eating them.”

  Grace put her hand out to grab the bag but Frankie dodged to the side. He opened the bag and shoved a small, dark sweet into his mouth. Grace shot forward and grabbed the bag.

  “Hey! Give them back!” Frankie cried out. “Get your own!”

  “Which nightclub did you get them from?” Grace asked.

  Frankie folded his arms and stuck his lip out. “Not telling you.”

  Pearl pointed to a stamp on Frankie’s hand. Grace gave her a small nod. The stamp showed the name of the nightclub – The Black Panther. She’d never been in but she knew where it was.

  “I think you’ve had enough for now, and I think you should lie down,” Grace said.

  “You can think what you like,” Frankie retorted.

  “Give him a slap! Knock some sense into him!” Pearl yelled out.

  “Please yourself, I’ll leave you to it,” Grace said, trying not to sound hurt.

  Frankie opened his arms and grinned at Grace. He smiled and said, “Let’s not fall out, life is too short. You have a day off and I’ll look after the shop. I’ve loads of energy!”

  Frankie subjected her to a wet kiss on the forehead before winking at her and then running out of the room. They heard him bounding down the steps.

  “Well!” Connie said. “I never would have thought that he’d be daft enough to get involved with drugs.”

  Grace’s head snapped to the side. “For all we know your darling Della could have sold these to him!”

  “Grace! There’s no need to talk to Connie like that,” Pearl said. There was a slight pause then she added, “Although I was thinking the same thing. Let’s have a look at those sweets.”

  Grace opened the bag as if expecting a bomb to go off. She picked up a black sweet. “It looks like a liquorice twist but it’s fatter. Look, there’s a red seam running through the middle, I wonder if that’s the herb part of it.”

  “Herb, my arse! It’s probably cannabis, or crack cocaine,” Pearl said. “What have you spotted now? Speak up!”

  Grace closed her hand around the sweet and looked away from Connie. She said, “There’s a letter stamped on the side of it. It’s a letter ‘F’.”

  Connie’s voice sounded full of sadness as she said, “F for Flamingo.”

  Chapter 25

  “This might have nothing to do with Della, it could be anyone at the factory, anyone could get access to the ingredients,” Connie said, a hopeful note in her voice.

  Pearl looked at Grace and said, “You know what you have to do, don’t you?”

  Grace nodded. “I’ll have to go to the nightclub myself. I haven’t been to one for years, I don’t even know what people wear in those places.”

  “Very little, going by what I’ve seen on the news,” Pearl added. “I don’t want to see you dressed like that, Grace, make sure your dress covers your dignity.”

  “I can’t go to the nightclub until tonight so I may as well question Vincent, Lucinda and Della. I can show them the recipe book, see how they react.”

  “See if you can come back later and tell me how you got on,” Pearl said. “But if I don’t see you before you go to the nightclub promise me you’ll take care, don’t let anyone take advantage of you.”

  Grace said goodbye to the old ghosts and headed down the stairs. She had the recipe book and Frankie’s sweets in her handbag. She decided to go out of the back door, she didn’t want Frankie asking for his dodgy sweets back. She picked up the van keys and went out through the kitchen. She headed towards the van. She almost dropped the keys as someone said, “Well, this is a turn-up for the books. What’s going on?”

  “Connie!” Grace’s hand flew to her chest. “You must be attached to the recipe book, not the chair.”

  Connie looked around the yard.“Is that a good thing? Does that mean I can come with you?”

  “It does. Perhaps you can help me too.” Grace opened the driver’s door and climbed in. Connie floated through the passenger door and sat down. She smiled. “That was strange feeling. Where are we going first?”

  Grace took her phone out. “I think I’ll try to see Lucinda first. If she’s out on the road we might be able to meet up somewhere.”

  Grace had to speak to Lucinda’s answering service. She left a vague message but said s
he needed to speak to Lucinda urgently, that it concerned the family business.

  “Let’s go and see Vincent at the factory,” Grace suggested. She suddenly winced and looked at Connie. “Are you eating lemon sherbets? I don’t like those, never have. I think they must be the only sweet that I don’t like.”

  “Sorry, I’d forgotten that you could now taste my sweets. Let me see what else I’ve got in my pocket. Chocolate toffees?”

  Grace nodded. Two seconds later the buttery taste filled her mouth. It was all well and good tasting Connie’s sweets - but was she gaining the calories too? Grace hoped not, she’d had to put on her Christmas trousers this morning, the ones she saved for the huge Christmas meal that Frankie insisted on cooking for her. Grace smiled, he used to insist on cooking that meal for Mum and Dad when they were alive, they all used to put on their special trousers in readiness for Frankie’s feast.

  Connie spoke, “You look happy.”

  “Just thinking about my family. Is there a shorter way to the factory or should I use the main road?” Grace asked as she pulled out into the traffic.

  “The main road is fine. You can tell me about your family, if you don’t mind. It’s better than me turning grey with worry every five minutes.”

  Grace was happy to talk about her family as they drove along. It made her feel warm and she loved to talk about Mum and Dad. Connie nodded and said, “I think they came to the shop once! Your mum told me your name and I remember thinking what a lovely name you had. I remember your brother now too. Well! Isn’t that funny? We’ve met before. Oh look, we’re here already.”

  Grace pulled into the main car park and soon found a space. She turned the engine off and said to Connie, “I won’t be able to talk to you in front of other people. When I’ve helped other ghosts and needed to tell them something I’ve typed a text on my phone and shown it to them. I might do that with you, if that’s okay.”