Bread, Dead and Wed

by Sherri Bryan

  Charlotte nodded. “I think it was more a case of them having knowledge of each other, rather than actually knowing each other, if you know what I mean, and that’s only because they both worked in the food industry. But, yes, that’s about the measure of it, although Gordon said he didn’t hold a grudge.”

  Nathan’s eyebrow shot up. “Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?”

  “Maybe, but I believe him.” Charlotte punched her pillow to get comfortable. “Mind you, there were a few seconds while we were talking about Roman that Gordon looked absolutely furious, but that’s hardly surprising. I suppose talking about him must have dredged up all kinds of emotions.”

  “You always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, don’t you?” Nathan leaned over and kissed her. “Which is only one of the reasons I love you so much.”

  “If you’d seen him, you’d have believed him, too,” said Charlotte. “He’s into forgiveness in a big way and if you really want to forgive someone, you have to let go of any resentment towards them, see? You can’t forgive someone if you’re holding a grudge against them, can you?”

  “Perhaps not,” said Nathan, “but I think I’ll stick to good old-fashioned detective methods to establish guilt, if it’s all the same to you. I mean, if we believed everyone who pleaded innocence because they’d forgiven anyone who’d ever done them wrong, there’d be criminals running around willy-nilly. We’d never get any of them off the streets.”

  Charlotte shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m just giving you my opinion.” She yawned. “Bear in mind, though, that Gordon Buckingham is an invalid. He’s pretty much confined to his house, he’s in pain, he has trouble walking and, most of all, he wasn’t even in St. Eves when Roman was murdered. Hardly fits the profile of the person you’re looking for, does it?”

  “No, but it’s new information, and another lead for us to investigate,” said Nathan. “And, you’ve got to admit, it’s very strange that the one person who has every reason to hold grudges against Olivia and Roman, is the one person who claims not to.”

  Chapter 15

  “How long will you be on crutches?” asked Charlotte.

  “Dr. Talbot said I should be back on my feet again in a couple of days. I just need to rest my foot for a while,” said Betty.

  “How on earth you managed to sprain your ankle in these, I just don’t know.” Ava picked up one of Betty’s very sensible rubber-soled shoes by the lace, and held it at arm’s length as if it was radioactive. “They’re as flat as pancakes.”

  “I know, but I was on my way to the clubhouse and I forgot my lucky bingo pen, so I turned back to get it and I moved, but my foot sort of stayed where it was. It’s the rubber soles, see? They’ve got such a good grip. My ankle made the most sickening noise; I thought I was going to pass out.”

  Betty’s face paled. “Thank goodness Harriett was home and heard me calling out, or I don’t know how long I’d have waited for help. Most of the residents were in the clubhouse, you see. Actually, do you mind if we change the subject? It makes me feel queasy to think about it.”

  “Of course we don’t, Bet,” said Harriett. “I’m just glad we could help. It’s at times like this that I’m glad we live so close by.”

  Betty patted Harriett’s arm. “That casserole you brought in last night was delicious, by the way. And I haven’t had homemade rice pudding in years.”

  “And you won’t have to worry about your dinner for the next couple of days, either,” said Charlotte. “I’ve made you a chicken and asparagus pie, with potatoes and vegetables, and some chocolate crunch. I’ll put them in the fridge, shall I?”

  Betty nodded. “Oh, thank you, Charlotte, you’re a sweetheart. Yes, please, love. And would you mind making us a pot of tea while you’re in the kitchen? Maybe we could have a slice of chocolate crunch to go with it?” She put her foot on a stool and let out a sigh. “Aaah, that’s better.”

  “Did Izzy come over to see you before she left?” asked Harriett.

  Betty nodded. “We had a lovely afternoon. I showed her all my dad’s old teapots, and we chatted for hours. She was telling me she had to take a course to qualify as a tea taster before she could become a buyer. Not just anyone can do it, you know. Her job sounds fascinating.”

  “Really?” said Ava, faking a yawn. “I imagine it must have been an absolutely riveting few hours, talking about tea and looking at old pots.”

  “Actually, it was,” said Betty, ignoring Ava’s snipe. “And she gave me a lovely present before she left. She gets so many free samples and gifts from her tea suppliers, she makes them into goodie bags for her friends and family.

  “Some of the more unusual things aren’t really to my taste, though, so I only took what I knew I’d use and I put the rest aside for you, Charlotte. As a tea lover, I thought you’d appreciate them.” She pointed to a bag on the counter. “Didn’t you say Nathan’s having trouble sleeping? There’s a box of flavoured tea bags in there, and there are some lemon balm ones amongst them. They’re very good for insomnia, apparently.”

  “That’s fab, thank you—and maybe the tea bags will help. I’ve been giving him camomile tea, but it doesn’t seem to be working. He’s been coming home late, falling asleep and then waking up after an hour.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me,” said Betty. “He must have a million things going round in his head. Speaking of which, how’s the investigation going?”

  “Don’t ask,” said Charlotte. “It’s frustrating him no end, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they find the murderer. I hope so, anyway.”

  “There are plenty of suspects, though, aren’t there?” said Ava. “My money’s on Gavin. He’s the tutor I told you about, Bet. He’s a nasty piece of work.”

  “Just because you don’t like him, doesn’t mean he’s a killer,” said Charlotte.

  “You weren’t there, dear,” said Ava, taking a dainty bite of chocolate crunch. “You didn’t see the way his eyes followed people around the room, locking onto them like a heat seeking missile before it blows something to pieces. He was very intense and quite creepy. I told the police to keep an eye on him.”

  “Talking of creepy, Roy’s another one who can’t keep his eyes to himself,” said Harriett.

  “Roy?” said Ava, her little finger making an appearance as she lifted her teacup. “He’s such a lovely young man; why on earth would you say that?”

  “He might seem like a lovely young man, Ava, but that’s what people who are hiding something want you to think. They want to lull you into a false sense of security and then, when you least expect it, they move in for the kill.” Harriett looked knowingly around the coffee table.

  “I thought you said you liked him?” said Charlotte

  “Well, I don’t dislike him,” said Harriett, “but if I found out tomorrow that he was responsible for Roman’s murder, I wouldn’t be surprised. Nice enough on the surface, but those staring eyes of his give me the shivers. I noticed them during the tasting session when they were stuck on Olivia like a magnet.”

  “That’s exactly how I feel about Gavin,” said Ava. “I wouldn’t want to bump into him on a dark night, that’s for sure.”

  “I doubt there’s any chance of that happening,” said Betty, with a chuckle. “I’m sure the feeling’s completely mutual.”

  Ava threw her a sarcastic smile as she stirred her tea. “Haha, very amusing.” She gave Charlotte a look that said, I can’t keep this gossip to myself for a moment longer, then said casually, “By the way, we went to see Gordon Buckingham yesterday. You know, the chap Olivia threw through the window.”

  “You didn’t!” said Betty, a slice of chocolate crunch coming to a grinding halt halfway to her mouth.

  Ava nodded. “Olivia wanted to apologise to him. Better late than never, I suppose.”

  “What’s he like?” asked Harriett.

  “Very pleasant,” said Ava. “Isn’t he, Charlotte?”

  She nodded. “He seems like a really nice guy
. Very genuine.”

  “Izzy and I were chatting about him when she came round,” said Betty. “She read out the story in The Herald while I was making lunch—we were both in tears, just thinking about what that poor man had been through.”

  “Yes, it was upsetting to read, wasn’t it?” said Charlotte. “He seems to be getting on with his life, though, and he’s got his carers and his sister. His sister wasn’t very good-humoured, but you can hardly blame her for wanting to kick Olivia in the shins, which she actually did.”

  “I thought she was awful,” said Ava, her nostrils flared, “standing there in the middle of the street, screaming like a fishwife.”

  The ringtone of Charlotte’s phone sounded from the depths of her handbag but the call cut off before she could answer it.

  “Anyone important, dear?” asked Ava.

  “It was Olivia. I’ll call her when I get home.”

  ____________

  “You’ll never guess!” said Olivia, when Charlotte called her back later. “Gordon Buckingham and his witch of a sister have only agreed to come to St. Eves after all!”

  “Oh, that’s great! I have to say, after your encounter with her, I didn’t think they’d be coming anywhere near.”

  “Gordon said she took a bit of persuading but she eventually agreed. I’m over the moon. I’ve already been on the phone to the hotel and organised everything. And I’ve told Simon to look after them.”

  “When are they coming?” asked Charlotte.

  “They’re arriving next Thursday and staying until after breakfast on Saturday. They said they’d prefer a mid-week break because Lara works a second job stocking shelves at a supermarket on Saturday and Sunday nights.”

  “I can tell how much this means to you,” said Charlotte. “I’m really pleased they changed their minds.”

  “Not as much as I am,” said Olivia. “Look, I have to go, ‘cos I’ve got some stuff to do, but I really feel like my life’s about to change. Don’t ask me why, but it’s about bloody time! I’ll speak to you soon.”

  ____________

  “Everything alright, Ben?”

  “I’ve found something on Larissa Reece, Chief.” Ben pulled a chair up to Nathan’s desk and put a file down in front of him.

  Nathan read through the pages before closing the file with a grim expression. “I assume this is one of the ‘nasty little secrets’ Roman was referring to on the tape? I don’t know why people lie about stuff like this. It’s obvious we were going to find out about it sooner or later.”

  Ben nodded. “You think it’s a motive for murder?”

  Nathan shrugged. “I’d be less inclined to think it was if she’d been honest with us from the start but now…” He picked up an envelope Ben had put on the table. “What’s this?”

  “It was in one of the boxes of Roman’s tapes that Carl’s been going through,” said Ben. “He gave it to me last night.”

  Nathan upturned it and two photographs fell out. They were both of Larissa and a man; one showed them embracing on the doorstep of a house, the other, taken through the window, showed them kissing passionately.

  “Who’s the guy?”

  “No idea,” said Ben. “But if Roman was interested enough in the photos to keep them, there must have been a pretty good reason. I’m sure Monique must know who he is, but I’d prefer to hear it from Larissa.”

  “I agree,” said Nathan. “Let's get her in for questioning.

  ____________

  "What's this about?" said Larissa, warily.

  "I'd like you to clarify a few things," said Ben. "For instance, how you met Roman Haley."

  "I think I already told you, didn’t I? I was working at a restaurant called The Moonbeam, with Gavin, and Roman used to come in to eat sometimes. I used to make a sorbet he liked, and he asked to meet me one day. We got chatting, and that was it."

  "I see. And then he asked you to work for him?"

  "Yes. Well, he asked if I wanted to help Gavin run his cookery school. He asked Gavin first, but he wanted me on board, too."

  Ben nodded. "And how long did you work at The Moonbeam?”

  “Er, I think it was around six years.”

  "And before that?”

  Larissa's eyes flickered left and right. "Why do you need to know that?”

  “If you could answer the question, please?”

  “I worked for an outside catering company."

  “So you worked for an outside catering company before you started working at The Moonbeam?” said Ben. “Sorry to labour the point, but I need to be sure I’ve got the facts right.”

  Larissa nodded.

  “I see. It's just that I've been making some enquiries and according to what I've been told, while you were working for the outside catering company, you slipped and hurt your back at an event seven years ago, after which you started claiming invalidity benefit because you were unable to work. Is that right?"

  Larissa nodded. "Yes, that's right."

  "I see. And when did you stop claiming benefits?"

  Larissa dropped her gaze to her lap and said nothing.

  "You see, Miss. Reece, according to the records I've found, you started claiming benefits after you hurt your back seven years ago, and you continued to claim them until Roman Haley employed you last year. There’s no record of you working anywhere in between… at The Moonbeam or otherwise.” He scratched his head with the end of his pen. "You can understand why this is puzzling me.”

  “You know, don't you?” Larissa started to cry; great, heaving sobs that shook her whole body. "I thought that with Roman dead, no one would ever need to find out. Please don’t tell anyone. I could get a huge fine, maybe even go to prison.” She hunted for a tissue up her sleeve and blew her nose.

  “Look, why don’t you just tell me the truth?” Ben got a glass of water from the dispenser and put it down in front of her. “We’ll find out everything anyway, we always do in the end.”

  Larissa took a sip of water before picking bits off her tissue and dropping them into her lap. “After I hurt my back, I couldn’t work, so I went on benefits. I'd never claimed for anything before, and it was such a big lump of money that when I was well enough to go back to work, I didn’t want it to stop.

  “I knew it was wrong, but when I was offered a long-term job at The Moonbeam that paid cash in hand, I took it because I knew it was unlikely the benefits office would be able to trace it. I worked there for six years, taking a wage and claiming invalidity benefit. Whenever I had to have my injury assessed to see if I was fit enough to go back to work, I just faked it. It’s not difficult to fake a back injury, you know.” She blew out a heavy sigh. “Before I came to St. Eves to work for Roman, I was claiming for just about everything I could. I was up to my eyeballs in benefit fraud.”

  “And did Roman know about this?” asked Ben.

  Larissa nodded.

  “And that’s the secret he knew that you didn’t want anyone to find out?”

  She started sobbing again, harder this time. “It’s part of it, yes, but it’s not the worst of it. It was my sister… my sister and her husband.”

  “What about them?”

  Larissa pulled another tissue from her sleeve and looked up through damp eyelashes.

  “Go on,” said Ben.

  She sighed. “A few years ago, my sister got sick. She was so ill, we didn’t know if she would pull through. It was difficult for all of us, but her husband didn’t cope with it very well at all. You know how some people can’t handle illness, or being in a hospital, even if they’re just there to see someone else? Well, that was Aaron. Sandy was in hospital for months, but he made every excuse not to visit her.

  Larissa blew her nose and took a deep breath. “Anyway, all this was happening around the time I started working at The Moonbeam. Aaron used to come in and sit at the bar, rather than go to the hospital, and then he’d take me back to my place at the end of my shift. I’m not proud of what happened… when I think of it now, it di
sgusts me.”

  “And what did happen?” said Ben.

  “We had an affair.” She put her head in her hands. “We didn’t mean to, but once we were in it, neither of us wanted it to stop. I had no idea that Roman even knew about it, though, or the benefit fraud, until I’d been working for him for a couple of months. He told me he knew everything, but said if I was always loyal to him, he’d never tell anyone… but if I wasn’t, he’d make sure I paid.”

  “When I asked him what he meant, he said a call to the Benefit Fraud Hotline would be all that was needed for them to start an investigation, and an anonymous letter to my sister, along with some photographs Monique had taken, would put her in the picture about what Aaron and I had been up to while she’d been in hospital.

  “Roman didn’t make idle threats, so I was petrified. It was bad enough that he said I could go to prison for claiming illegally for so long, but the thought of Sandy finding out about me and Aaron was so much worse. It would have broken her heart.” Larissa raked the curls off her fringe and fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks. “The thought of her knowing what we’d done was unbearable.”

  “What did you think when you found out Mr. Haley knew about your relationship with Gavin Doyle?” asked Ben. “Did it concern you?”

  Larissa’s ponytail bobbed up and down as she nodded. “What do you think? As soon as I found out he knew, I guessed it would only be a matter of time before he made good on his threats. I don’t mind telling you, I’ve never been more relieved than I was when I heard the news he was dead.”

  “I imagine it must have been a weight off your mind when you realised he wouldn’t be revealing your secrets after all?”

  “You can’t imagine,” said Larissa. “And I was lucky that someone else got rid of him first, because if they hadn’t, I would have killed him to stop Sandy finding out about me and Aaron.” She dried her cheeks and fixed her eyes on Ben’s. “You may think I had motives to kill Roman, and you’d be right, but you have absolutely no proof that I did.”