Pancakes and Corpses: A Cozy Murder Mystery (Peridale Cafe Mystery Book 1)
Page 11
Dot tutted as she turned on her heels to shuffle off towards the men. Rachel appeared from her office with a phone crammed against her ear. She waved and smiled to Julia as she headed for the front door.
“So,” Sue urged. “Did you get your invitations out?”
“I did.”
“And you know who the murderer is?”
“I think so.”
“You only think so?” Sue whispered desperately. “I gave you permission to ruin my birthday party on the one condition that you were sure.”
“I found something earlier,” Julia said, pulling the screwed up piece of paper from her handbag, making sure Barker wasn’t looking over. “A police report Rachel Carter filed about William Smith. She told me they were having a secret affair, so I told her to tell the police. I don’t even think she realises it, but she’s pointed me to the murderer in the first line of her statement.”
Julia smoothed the paper out against her dress and handed it to her sister. She read over the first couple of lines, her brow furrowing.
“But -,”
“Yes,” Julia jumped in.
“So that means -,”
“It does.”
“Are you going to -,”
“Tell Detective Inspector Brown?” Julia took back the paper and folded it up as small as it would go before stuffing it back into her bag. “Why ruin the fun? Either way, he’ll have his murderer in jail and I -,”
“Will have proven Barker wrong,” Sue jumped in, finishing Julia’s sentence for her. “If you didn’t like him, you wouldn’t care so much about proving yourself.”
“I need you to do something for me later on.”
“Is it legal?” Sue asked suspiciously. “You’ve been getting up to all sorts recently.”
Julia told her what she wanted her to do, but before she even agreed to helping with Julia’s plan, the first guests arrived and Sue rushed off to greet them. Dot returned with champagne for Julia, and a small plate of buffet food that she had taken from under the foil covered plates.
“Tonight’s going to be a long night,” Dot mumbled through a sausage roll. “You know how I hate parties.”
“I’m sure tonight will be a night to remember, Gran,” Julia said softly before sipping her champagne. “You’ll see.”
An hour into the party and Julia was worried her invitations hadn’t worked. Just when she was about to call Roxy to check up on her, she walked in hand-in-hand with Violet, with Imogen trailing behind. The befuddled look on Imogen’s face told Julia that Roxy had told her the true nature of her relationship with Violet. People immediately started to stare and whisper, but neither Roxy nor Violet seemed affected.
“You made it,” Julia said as she walked across to them. “You all look beautiful.”
“Blimey, Julia!” Roxy cried. “I almost didn’t recognise you.”
Roxy was wearing a floor length, red satin dress, which beautifully complimented what looked like freshly dyed red hair. Imogen was wearing a body-hugging white wrap dress, which cut off just above the knee. Her faded hair had been curled and pinned back, and she had a white shawl wrapped around her arms. Violet was the one who had undergone the most dramatic transformation. When Julia had seen her under the black hood, she had known she was beautiful, but she hadn’t realised how beautiful she really was. Violet’s icy blonde hair was slicked back off her face, giving her striking features room to shine. She had opted for a floor-length glittering silver dress, which was low-cut in the front, and had a slit running from the bottom of her right foot, all the way up to the hip. She looked as though she had been pulled from the pages of a high fashion magazine, and Julia doubted Peridale had ever seen anything like it.
“It’s nice to see you again, Julia,” Violet said, her accent as thick as Julia remembered. “You look very beautiful.”
“Nothing compared to you,” Julia said, blushing under her makeup. “But thank you.”
“Where are the drinks?” Imogen muttered, then headed off to the table at the back before Julia had a chance to answer.
“She’s still processing it,” Roxy said when they were alone. “I think she’s mourning the loss of ever having any grandchildren. What with Rachel turning thirty-nine and still being single, I think she had her hopes pinned on me finding a nice man, and instead -,”
“You found me,” Violet beamed, kissing Roxy on the cheek. “We will give her grandchildren, don’t you worry about that.”
Julia left them alone. She was happy for them, but their new love reminded her of how things had been when she had first met Jerrad. He had promised her their love would last a lifetime, and that he would give her everything she wanted, including children. Julia tossed back her champagne, wondering why she had believed a man like him.
“Good party,” Barker said when they met at the buffet. “I was right about the night off reenergising me. I feel ready to come at this case with fresh eyes tomorrow.”
“I’m sure you’ll find the murderer in no time,” Julia said as she tossed a strawberry into her mouth.
“Is that Amy Clark?” Barker whispered, squinting into the crowd. “That woman has some nerve.”
Julia turned to see Amy Clark making her way through the crowd, which was parting like the Red Sea around her. She shuffled forward sheepishly, and when she caught Julia’s eye, she headed straight for her. It didn’t matter that Amy Clark had been released, news of her arrest would have travelled around the town, and an arrest was as good as guilty in most people's eyes.
“I knew I shouldn’t have come,” Amy whispered as she brushed down the front of her pink and blue dress. “I should go.”
“Life is too short to miss out on parties,” Julia said as she handed a glass of champagne to Amy. “Enjoy yourself. People will get bored soon.”
“Are you sure about that?” Amy said with a nervous laugh. “I’m sure people will know about my past soon, and then I’ll be chased out of the village.”
Julia couldn’t imagine anybody chasing a lady in her eighties out of the village, but she knew how scary the thought of being the subject of the villagers’ gossip could be. She had experienced that first hand.
“The only people who know about that are you, me, and Detective Inspector Brown, and we’re not going to tell anybody, are we?” Julia said, staring up at Barker with a raised eyebrow, who stared down at her confused, so she gave him a swift and sharp kick in the shin with her heel.
“No, we won’t,” Barker said. “You deserve a second chance.”
Amy thanked them both and joined the line of people queuing up at the buffet. Julia wasn’t very hungry, so she ditched the plate of food she had gathered up. Her and Barker walked out to the garden behind the gallery. Twinkling lanterns shone brightly against the ebony sky, sending a warm glow over the beautiful flowers. They sat on a bench at the bottom of the garden, enjoying the silence for a moment, listening to the chatter and the music as it floated out from the gallery.
“I misjudged this village,” Barker said after ditching his food. “It’s not what I had expected.”
“Why did you come here in the first place?” Julia asked.
“I was bored of the city,” Barker said with a soft smile. “Bored of the same crimes. I wanted a change of pace. When the idea of transferring to a small village came up, I took it with both hands.”
“And you got two murders in your first week.”
“What a welcome that was,” Barker chuckled softly. “It’s unlike any place I’ve ever been before. Despite everything that’s happened, the people here are full of so much life. My last birthday, four people turned up to my party, and they were all from work. Everybody in the village has come to celebrate with your sister.”
“I think most of them have come to see if there’s any news about the murders,” Julia said. “If gossiping was an Olympic sport, Peridale would take gold.”
“I’ve noticed that. Makes my job difficult. Half of the village know things before I do.”
“I think you’ll do just fine here, Detective Inspector,” Julia said with a smile. “It can take a while to adjust from the city, but you’ll be part of the furniture in no time.”
“You’ve lived in a city?”
“I spent twelve years of my life away from this village,” Julia said heavily. “Worst decision of my life.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here now,” Barker said.
Julia turned to look at him, and their eyes locked, as did their smiles. If it hadn’t been for the look in Barker’s eyes, she might have taken his comments as throwaway. She didn’t notice she was leaning in to kiss him until her eyes closed. Through her lids, she felt the Detective Inspector doing the same, but before their lips met, a sneeze cracked through the silence like a whip.
Julia pulled away as quickly as she had leaned in, to see her Gran tiptoeing across the grass.
“Hay fever,” Dot mumbled apologetically.
“I should be -,” Barker whispered.
“We were just -,” Julia added.
Dot smirked and turned on her heels. She shuffled back into the gallery, chattering to herself, no doubt exclaiming what a good couple they would make. Julia turned to Barker, sure that her makeup wasn’t hiding her embarrassment this time. Neither of them spoke, instead choosing to awkwardly laugh. They headed back into the gallery in silence and quickly split up.
Julia caught Rachel talking with her mother, so she moved in closer and joined their conversation.
“Have you seen Roxy?” Imogen asked. “I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot recently. I don’t know what’s gotten into that girl.”
“I haven’t,” Julia said. “Maybe her and Violet have gone out for some air?”
Imogen pursed her lips at the mention of Violet’s name, which she followed up with a heavy roll of her eyes. She walked away, leaving Julia and Rachel alone.
“She’ll get over it eventually,” Rachel said. “She’s from a different generation.”
“Love is love,” Julia said. “They look more in love than I ever was with my husband. Have you ever been in love, Rachel?”
“Do you mean with William?” Rachel chuckled. “It wasn’t love, it was just a casual thing.”
Before Julia could delve more into Rachel’s relationship with William Smith, Sue hurried over, visibly out of breath.
“Something’s happened in the other room,” Sue panted through short breaths. “I think you need to come and see this, Rachel.”
Rachel looked from Sue to Julia, clearly panicked. They both followed Sue into the other gallery, which was separated by a door labelled ‘closed for the party’. From her visit to the gallery, Julia knew the second room in the gallery contained some of the more valuable works Rachel had on display. The second they walked in, it was apparent what had happened, even though the lights were dimmed to almost darkness. The biggest painting in the centre of the main wall had been slashed right down the middle.
“The Georgia O’Keefe!” Rachel cried, clutching her hand over her mouth. “Who could have done this?”
Julia looked desperately to her sister, who shrugged.
“I came in here to make a phone call away from the noise and I just found it like this,” Sue said quietly. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. Was it valuable?”
“Priceless,” Rachel whispered, her voice choking. “I studied Georgia O’Keefe at university, and this was the crown jewel in my collection.”
Julia turned her head to look at the two halves of the slashed painting. She knew Georgia O’Keefe painted flowers, but she was struggling to see the beauty in the art. She was more accustomed to seeing the beauty in her baking.
“I’m calling the police,” Rachel said as she reached into her bag to pull out her phone. “This isn’t acceptable. This is worse than murder!”
Julia eyed to Sue to leave them alone, so Sue hurried back to the door, her heels clicking on the wood flooring. When they were alone, Rachel hugged the phone to her chest as she ran her fingers along the frayed edge of the canvas.
“It’s not even a clean cut,” she whispered. “It’s beyond repair.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” Rachel said. “I don’t understand why somebody would do this.”
Julia glanced around the empty gallery as she reached into her pocket for the paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it, her hands shaking. Rachel turned around and looked down at the paper in Julia’s hands, but she was far enough away that she wouldn’t be able to read it in the low light.
“When you made your statement to the police about your relationship with William did you tell them everything you told me?” Julia asked, keeping her voice low so the rest of the party wouldn’t hear them.
“Excuse me?” Rachel said, her face screwing up. “What does that have to do with my painting being ruined?”
“Nothing,” Julia said, passing the paper over to Rachel. “I just didn’t expect Sue to go to such extremes when I asked her to come up with a reason to get you in this room so that I could follow you in.”
Rachel looked at Julia and then down at the paper. She read through it expressionless, before tossing it. Julia watched the paper flutter down to the floor, the slither of moonlight shining in through the tall windows casting it’s shadows into the darkest corners of the room. It hit the floor weightlessly, but Julia was sure she heard it crack through the hefty silence.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you Julia?” Rachel’s features suddenly darkened as she reached into her handbag to pull out something shiny and silver. “You should have stuck to baking.”
Julia stared down at the knife and was surprised by the sudden lack of fear. She was so overwhelmed with the amazement that her theory had been correct, it blinded every other basic human emotion, but she suspected looking into the eyes of a killer would do that to a person.
“How long have you known you were adopted?” Julia asked calmly, not taking her eyes away from the shimmering blade, which seemed to be growing with every second. “Is it the same time you found out that Gertrude’s ex-husband, Frank, was your real father, and that William was your half-brother?”
Rachel slowly clapped her hands together, the knife blurring from side to side. She dropped her hand and let out a low, chilling laugh.
“You figured out all of that from my false police report?” Rachel said, glancing down to the report she had made, claiming that somebody had stolen her mobile phone. “Aren’t you a clever one, Julia South? I always thought you were wasted in that café.”
Julia spun around as Rachel circled her, the knife swaying from side to side. Taking a moment to compose her thoughts, Julia blinked slowly before taking a step back from Rachel.
“Amy Clark told me Martha Tyler came to Peridale to find peace with the village she once called home, but I think she came to find somebody she had said goodbye to thirty-nine years ago. Martha had been having an affair with Frank Smith, and I don’t doubt that she loved him, but I think Gertrude discovered that Martha was pregnant before Frank did, and she scared Martha away. Of course, I don’t know for certain that Martha was pregnant, but it’s the only thing that makes sense to me, the only thing strong enough to tear people apart and force them into making bad decisions. I suspect Gertrude knew something life changing about Martha, and she used it against her to drive her husband’s pregnant mistress out of the village, in hopes of saving her marriage. Of course, it didn’t work, and Frank married somebody else, leaving Martha to raise a baby on her own. Maybe it was too much for her to be a single parent, or maybe she couldn’t stomach the thought of raising
Frank’s baby on her own, so she gave the baby up for adoption. That baby was you. I figured that out when Amy Clark mentioned Martha’s black hair, I was just trying to figure out if you were really capable of murder. Just as Imogen and Paul Carter were looking to adopt their first child, you were brought back to Peridale. How ironic that Gertrude wanted to get rid of you, but you came back here. I would say it was a cruel twist of fate. I doubt Gertrude figured out who you were until Martha tracked you down and told you her secret before she died. I suppose it came as a shock to you that you were adopted, and you were looking for somebody to blame, and Gertrude was that woman.”
“She denied me ever knowing my real parents!” Rachel cried, tears welling up in her eyes. “My real mother and father could have been a part of my life if it wasn’t for that witch!”
“After you found out the truth about your birth, you went to Gertrude and I think you blackmailed her.”
“I wanted to make her pay!” Rachel said with a dark laugh. “She deserved to suffer!”
“Little did you know, in order for Gertrude to pay you, she used the secrets of your own family to blackmail them in return. She was lining your pockets with money from your sister and mother, but I suspect you didn’t know that at first. Of course, you were clever enough to keep all of the blackmail out of the banks, so nothing would ever be traced back to you.”
“It wasn’t until she wrote that nasty review of my gallery in The Peridale Post that I found out. She thought she could ruin my business and run me out of town, but it only made me angrier. I went to her cottage, saw the pictures of Roxy and Violet, and she told me about the blackmail. I found out the truth when I met Martha, so when I found out she was also blackmailing Imogen I put the pieces together, so I went to confront her. She said she was going to disinherit William and leave everything to me. She said she felt guilty about what she had done. Ha! I didn’t believe her. I spent a little time with my real mother, but it was too late. It wasn’t enough to make up for those lost thirty-nine years. She thought I would blame her, but I didn’t. There was only one woman I blamed. I panicked, so I picked up a knife and I drove it into her back. It was the only thing I could do! Her money didn’t make up for what she had done to me. I always knew I didn’t fit in, but I found out far too late in life to do anything about it. She robbed me of a life I should have had! Gertrude told Martha that Frank knew about the pregnancy, and that he didn’t want anything to do with the baby. She believed her and left. Frank never found out about me because of Gertrude.”