Death Takes A Trip (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 5)

by Larkin, Gillian

  She made her way over to the counter. A large woman glared at her and said, “Yes? What are you buying?”

  Julia took a step back and bumped into Cain. She wasn’t expecting such a deep voice to come from a woman. The woman had coarse grey hair, cut short. She had large facial features and didn’t appear to be wearing any make-up. From the amount of cats embroidered on her knitted jumper it was clear to see that she liked cats.

  The woman eyed the bags that Julia now held up, her eyes narrowed. “Are those clothes clean? We haven’t got time to fling them in the washing machine.”

  Julia nodded.

  “Are they in good condition? We don’t want to be sewing holes up and putting buttons on shirts.”

  Julia nodded again. She was beginning to regret bringing her clothes in, she didn’t realise charity shops could be so fussy.

  The woman sighed and nodded towards an open door at the back of the shop. “Take them to the storeroom. Nina will take them from you.” She paused and a look of disgust crossed her face. “If she’s not having another break. I don’t know why she bothered to come in today.”

  Julia said thank you and headed towards the open door. At her side, Cain whispered, “Was that a man or a woman?”

  “A woman.”

  “Are you sure? She’s got a little moustache.”

  “I saw her name badge, it said Mildred.” Julia stopped at the door. “Should we go in? Call out for Nina?”

  Cain looked back over his shoulder. “That Mildred person is staring at us. She’s making me nervous. Shall we go in?”

  Julia did so. “Oh, it’s like the land of plastic bags in here. Blimey! I’m glad I don’t have to go through all these bags!”

  They heard chatting at the far side of the room. Still holding their bags, they made their way towards the chatter.

  They found Nina sitting on a comfy-looking chair in a kitchen type area. She was surrounded by four women, all sitting around a table. Julia recognised some of the women from the hospital. Julia was pleased to see that Nina looked happy.

  Nina saw her and raised a cup. “Julia! What a lovely surprise. And Cain too. Come and sit down, have a cuppa.”

  Julia held the bags up. “We only popped by to drop these off. The woman on the counter, Mildred, told us to bring them through.”

  Julia heard one of the larger women swearing under her breath. Another said, “That woman! She could have taken them from you! Lazy cow, sitting on that stool all day.”

  Nina said, “Doris, don’t be like that. You know she does a lot for the cat charity.”

  Doris folded her arms. “I don’t know why you’re sticking up for her, not after the way she treats you.”

  Julia said, “What has she done?”

  “Nothing,” Nina said. “Put your bags down, I’ll deal with them in a moment.”

  Doris hadn’t finished. “It isn’t nothing! You offer your services here, you’ve brightened up all our lives with your constant smiling. And that miserable old trout makes you do all the hard work. You’ve only just come back to work and she sticks you in the bag room, expects you to go through all those donations! It’s not on!”

  Another woman added, “She’s jealous, that’s what she is. Didn’t like Nina being at the counter, didn’t like the way Nina worked, you know, being polite and helpful. That’s not Mildred’s way at all. No wonder she stuck you in here.”

  Nina put her cup on the table. “I’m sure Mildred wasn’t being mean, she does have her good points. It was kind of her to let me volunteer here.”

  Doris banged her fist on the table. “Nonsense! You’re the best thing that’s happened to this shop for years. I was ready to walk out before you came. Don’t you give her the satisfaction of leaving.”

  Nina smiled. “I don’t intend to leave. Thank you all, you’ve been so supportive. Let me put the kettle on, it must be my turn to make the tea.” She stood up before anyone could argue. “Oh! Goodness! My head feels strange.” She put her hand to her head.

  Cain was at her side in a moment, his hand on her back. “I’ve got you!”

  Doris stood up and shoved him to one side. “Out of the way, lad. You won’t be any use, she’ll squash you if she faints. No offence, Nina.”

  Nina tried to wave Doris away. “No, don’t make a fuss. I’ll be okay in a moment.”

  Doris’ face darkened. “I bet Mildred has poisoned your tea. I don’t trust that woman as far as I could throw her. And that wouldn’t be far.”

  Julia put her bags down and said, “Nina, shall I phone for a doctor?”

  “No, I’m fine. But I do feel suddenly tired.”

  Julia said, “Let me drive you home. My car’s just down the road.”

  Doris said, “I knew you shouldn’t have come in today. You haven’t recovered yet from your fall.”

  Nina turned to Julia. “Perhaps I should go home. Thank you, a lift would be wonderful.”

  Julia put her hand on Nina’s arm and led her away from the kitchen area. “Are you still living at Douglas’ house?”

  Nina let out a little gasp. “No, I moved out yesterday. It wasn’t right for me to be staying there, I didn’t want people to gossip about us.”

  Doris snorted. “As if we’d gossip about you! Good luck to you both, finding love at your age. No offence.”

  Julia and Cain helped Nina with her coat and handbag and then led her through the shop. Nina’s friends walked at either side of her, like security guards. Doris called out, “Mildred! Nina’s going home, she’s done more than enough for today.”

  Julia didn’t look over at Mildred. No doubt she would be glaring at them.

  Once they were in the car Nina said, “Thank you again, you’re most kind. Do you think you could drive me to Douglas’ house? I haven’t seen him all day.” She laughed. “I sound like a lovesick teenager! To be truthful, that’s how I feel. I’m so lucky to have found that wonderful man.”

  Julia shared a smile with Cain through the rear-view mirror. She was so happy for Douglas and Nina.

  Her happiness didn’t last long. And neither did Nina’s.

  Chapter 9

  Julia was the first to discover Douglas’ dead body. With hindsight she should have acted quicker and warned Cain to divert Nina. As it was, Julia was too shocked to move. From the second she had entered the house, Julia had sensed that something was wrong. Some instinct had told her to go to the stairs.

  Cain joined her. He looked down at Douglas and said, “Is he dead?”

  Julia nodded, unable to speak. She heard Nina gasp behind her. This was followed by a scream of horror.

  Cain immediately turned around and put his arms around Nina whose scream had now turned into sobs.

  Julia couldn't take her eyes off the still body of Douglas lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs. It reminded her so much of Nina and the fall that she’d had a few days before. Julia knelt down next to Douglas and closed his unseeing eyes. She didn't need to check for a pulse, it was obvious from his colour that he was dead.

  How had he fallen down the steps? The carpet at the top had been fixed. Julia looked up towards the top of the stairs. Her heart missed a beat when she saw that the carpet was sticking up again. How did that happen? When she'd spoken to Douglas recently he had confirmed that the carpet had been fixed. Julia sighed. Something wasn’t right here.

  She straightened up and turned to face Nina, who was now dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Julia put her hand on Nina’s arm and tried to lead her away from the terrible scene.

  Nina said, “What happened to him? Did his heart give up on him? Has he had a stroke? It’s okay, Cain, you can let go of me now.”

  Julia said, “I think he must've tripped up on the same bit of carpet that you did a few days ago.”

  “But that’s been fixed! I saw that it had been fixed!” Nina’s voice began to rise hysterically.

  “Did you have a good look at the carpet after it had been made secure? Did you see anything st
ill sticking up?” Julia asked.

  Fresh tears poured down Nina’s face. “Yes, I did see that the carpet was lying flat, but if it's sticking up again now, does that mean it wasn’t secured properly?” She burst into tears and Cain took her into his arms again.

  Cain let out a cry of anguish as Nina collapsed in his arms. “Help! Julia! I'm going to drop her!”

  Julia reached out and took hold of Nina who appeared to have fainted. Between them, they managed to take Nina into the living room and place her in a chair.

  “What shall we do with her?” Cain asked. “Do you have any smelling salts in your handbag?”

  Julia shook her head. “No, but I should start carrying them. Look, she's starting to come round a little bit. Nina, Nina can you hear me? Shall I call for an ambulance?”

  Nina's eyes fluttered open. “No, don't call them, I don't want to be a nuisance. Oh! My poor Douglas! I should have been here, I should have kept an eye on him.”

  Cain said, “Shall I put the kettle on and make us a nice strong cup of tea?”

  Julia gave a small shake of her head and took Cain to one side. She said, “We'd better not touch anything, just in case.”

  “Just in case of what?”

  Julia pulled Cain even further away from Nina and lowered her voice. “I'll have to call the police about Douglas. I think there’s something suspicious about his death. Douglas told me that the carpet had been fixed. And I trust the work of Joshua Bentley, he’s never let me down. I can’t see how the carpet would become unstuck on its own.”

  Cain’s eyes widened. He whispered, “Do you think Douglas was murdered?”

  Julia gave a small nod and said, “It's a possibility but don't say anything to Nina. There are some muddy footprints at the side of Douglas’ body, and a few on the stairs. They look like the ones I saw in the woods. I'll call DI Clarke and see what he has to say.”

  Cain returned to Nina's side and patted her hand. Nina dabbed at her eyes and tried to compose herself. Julia phoned DI Clarke and told him briefly what had happened. He said he'd be round as soon as possible.

  Julia walked over to Nina and said, “Do you want to go home? I can call a taxi for you.”

  Nina waved her hand and said, “No, I'll stay with Douglas. Who were you speaking to? Have you phoned for an ambulance?”

  Julia hesitated, should she tell her that she'd phoned the police? Her attention was caught by something happening outside on the road. DI Clarke was pulling up to the kerb. He'd arrived quickly. She'd have to tell Nina the truth now. “I phoned the police.”

  “But why would you do that?” Nina asked.

  Julia said, “I'm not happy about that carpet sticking up at the top of the stairs.”

  Nina pressed her lips together and nodded. Then she said, “Of course, you're going to tell the police about that so-called handyman, aren't you? It’s his fault that Douglas has fallen down the stairs! He needs to be arrested!”

  Julia didn't say anything. She walked to the back door and stepped out as DI Clarke was walking down the path.

  The tall, thin policeman with piercing blue eyes looked at her and said, “So, Ms Blake, we meet again. I believe that you came to the station recently with some wild accusations about threatening behaviour.”

  “I did, and you never got back to me,” Julia said. “And now it's too late, the man who was on the receiving end of the threatening behaviour is now dead.”

  DI Clarke’s eyebrows rose and he said, “Ah, yes, you did leave a note for me about some footprints that you found in the woods.”

  “And don’t forget about the voices that I heard, and the rock that was thrown through the window. I still have the rock if you want to dust it for fingerprints. And it hasn’t rained since I saw those footprints in the woods, you could take some impressions.”

  DI Clarke held his hands up. “Steady on there, Miss Marple, let me have a look at Mr Pedley’s body and the surrounding area first. I’ll decide if we’re dealing with a murder enquiry.”

  “I’m only trying to help,” Julia said, a note of indignation in her voice.

  “Yes, but your definition of help and mine are totally different. Who else is in the house?”

  “Cain, and Nina Sapphire. She was Douglas’ girlfriend,” Julia said. “She’s very upset. She’s convinced that Joshua Bentley, he’s the one that fixed the carpet, is at fault. She thinks you’re here to look into that.”

  “I think it’s best if we send the grieving girlfriend home. If I’m going to look into this case properly I don’t want to be interrupted by wailing and whining.”

  “You’re all heart,” Julia said.

  The inspector’s mouth rose at one side and he said, “I’ve been told on many occasions that I don’t have a heart. Lead on, Ms Blake. I trust you haven’t contaminated anything in the house.”

  Julia took DI Clarke into the house and introduced him to Nina. DI Clarke had already met Cain on a previous occasion.

  DI Clarke listened politely to Nina’s accusations against Joshua Bentley. When she paused for breath, he said, “Thank you, I will make a note of your concerns. You can leave now, I’ll be in touch.”

  Nina turned panic-filled eyes to Julia and said, “I can’t go home! I don’t want to be alone! Julia, what shall I do?”

  Julia said, “What about your friend, Doris? Could you go to her house? If you’ve got her number I’ll phone her for you.”

  “Thank you, you are too kind.”

  DI Clarke clasped his hands behind his back and waited patiently until the phone call had been made. He politely coughed when Julia said she’d phone a taxi for Nina. He said firmly, “There’s no need for you to stay, Ms Blake. You can drive Ms Sapphire to her friend’s house.” He caught her inquisitive look and added, “I’ve got everything under control here, back up is on its way. Off you go.”

  Julia could tell from his expression that there was no point arguing with him. She helped Nina to her feet and walked past him, shooting him a look to say that she wasn’t happy at being told to leave.

  Nina began a fresh bout of crying as they drove away. Julia pressed her lips together. DI Clarke wasn’t going to dismiss her that easily. Something fishy was going on here, and she was determined to find out the truth behind Douglas’ death.

  Chapter 10

  Doris was more than happy to have Nina stay at her house. “You stay here as long as you like,” Doris told her. “What a terrible shock you’ve had. I can’t believe your Douglas is dead.” She tutted. “That Joshua Bentley has got a lot to answer for, wait ’til I see him!”

  Julia interjected, “We don’t know that it was Joshua’s fault.”

  “Who else’s could it be?” Doris snapped. She turned her attention back to Nina who was lying on her sofa, a blanket tucked around her. “You stay there, Nina, I’ll make us a cuppa. You’re in shock. I’ve phoned the girls, they’re on their way round.”

  “But what about the shop? They can’t all leave at the same time. Doris, don’t let them get into trouble on my behalf,” Nina said.

  “Old Misery-guts can look after the shop herself. Where else would your friends be at a time like this? By your side of course! You’d do the same for us.”

  Nina gave her a grateful smile and said, “Thank you.” She started crying again and quickly wiped her tears away. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I was supposed to keep this a secret but … it really doesn’t matter now. Douglas proposed to me on Saturday night. I said yes, of course. He said he didn’t want to waste any more time without me and he was head over heels in love with me.”

  Julia smiled but thought head over heels was an unfortunate term to use.

  Doris clasped her hands under her bosom. “By heck! You’ve lost your whole future. It never rains does it, it pours!”

  Cain added from his seat in the corner, “My gran used to say that.”

  Doris nodded. “She was a wise woman. Have another biscuit, they need eating. Nina, that’s so sad about your engagement.”<
br />
  Nina nodded. “We were going to look for rings this Friday. And then Douglas was going to throw a small party at his house and make an official announcement.” She looked away. “I can’t believe he’s gone. I’ve only known him for a short while but he became my world.”

  Doris made a clicking noise with her tongue and muttered, “I’ve a good mind to go round and see that Joshua Bentley right now!”

  Julia said, “The police are making their enquiries. I think you’d be better staying with Nina rather than confronting Joshua. Thanks for taking her in. We have to go now, we’ve still got work to do. Come on, Cain.”

  Nina called out, “Julia! Thank you for looking after me, you’re so kind.”

  Julia blinked and said a rapid goodbye. She walked briskly out of the house. Cain jumped up and ran after her.

  As they walked down the path Cain said, “Why are we in such a rush?”

  “Because I’m about to burst into tears! And I don’t want to do that in front of Nina. I can’t stop thinking about her and Douglas together, they were so happy! And now it’s all gone.”

  “Do you still think it was murder?”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Julia said. They got in the car. “I think that Adams Construction has something to do with Douglas’ death. It can’t be a coincidence that those men were talking in the woods, and then that rock went through Douglas’ window.”

  Cain nodded. “And didn’t you say that they had building plans for Douglas’ land.”

  “Yes. Do you remember what that man in the woods said? That he’d done it before, taken care of problems. I think we need to look into the background of Adams Construction. The Internet is a good place to start.”

  “Or, we could ask one of Douglas’ old neighbours, the ones that used to live down his street before their houses were bought by the construction company.”

  “That would be ideal but where will we find such a person?” Julia paused and narrowed her eyes at Cain. “Okay, spit it out, you’ve obviously got something to tell me.”

  Cain grinned. “I wasn’t sure whether to tell you or not, it didn’t seem relevant earlier but now that Douglas is dead, I …”