The young girl spun on her heels in the direction of the kitchen again.
“None for Douglas,” Emer said. “He doesn’t drink tea.”
I glanced at her husband, wondering if he would speak up for himself, but he stood still as a statue, dutifully holding the boxes, waiting for Emer to tell him his next move. I had heard of Stepford wives, but apparently Stepford husbands could be a thing too.
“Just one takeaway tea?” Erin asked, turning back around.
Presha nodded. “Thank you, Erin.”
The girl nodded and made an about-face again.
Presha folded her hands in front of her. “What do you think the historian’s assessment will be about the chapel ruins?”
“That it is an important historical site. That we have a good chance of being named a national site. Of course, to do that and preserve the ruins will require the church to raise more money.” She pointed at the box of cookies. “Carver is making a presentation to the church elders today and explaining all that will be required. Most of the elders will be there—at least the ones who aren’t working—and the biscuits are a peace offering.”
“And the church is behind this?” Presha asked.
“They will be when I explain how important it is. Carver will be there to help as well.”
I wasn’t sure how much of a help smug Carver would be.
Erin returned to the front of the shop carrying Emer’s tea.
“Thank you,” Emer said. She smiled at Presha and me. “We should be off. It’s a busy day.”
I watched Emer and her husband leave, not for the first time thinking what an odd couple they made.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Presha crossed her arms as she watched through the window as Emer and Douglas walked down the street. “I’m afraid it’ll take a lot more than shortbread to convince the church elders to spend money on the chapel ruins, especially now with the minister no longer there to champion her cause.”
“Malcolm gave me the same impression.”
She nodded. “He would know. There are many causes that the church has already committed to provide funds for. Many people who rely on the church for its support. For some, it will be difficult to save a crumbling building when there are people here and now that are in more desperate need of the help.”
I nodded. “I see your point.”
“You should know that Ian was against the chapel ruins project, not because he didn’t want to preserve that village history but because he cared deeply for the people who needed assistance from the church.”
“That sounds like my godfather.” When I said that, I thought back to the photos I had found in my godfather’s wooden box. Presha had been a close friend of my godfather’s, and she probably knew what I suspected to be true. I still wasn’t ready to say it aloud, though.
I told myself to get through the murder investigation and then worry about the box. Instead I asked, “Do you know Emer and Douglas well?”
“I know them as well as I do any young couple in the village.” Presha pursed her lips. “They’ve only lived here for two or three years. They came here from Aberdeen when Douglas took over the village lower school as head teacher. I’m not completely sure that he is happy here.”
“What do say that?” I asked.
She stared out the window as if lost in thought. “When they first arrived, he was much more animated, but it seems now he lives in the shadow of his wife. Don’t get me wrong, Emer is a wonderful person. She does much for the village and takes on many of the jobs that no one else would like, like being the head of the welcome committee.”
“Has Emer changed too in the time she’s lived here?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Emer has always been the same.” She handed a scone wrapped in a napkin to me. “Now, off with you. It’s time you go and apologize to your sister.”
“She owes me an apology, too.” I had to admit, if only to myself, that my response was a tad whiny.
“She does,” she said with a nod. “But no one should make an apology expecting one in return. That ruins it for both parties. It is better to say you are sorry and be at peace.”
I smiled. “Presha, how did you get so wise?”
“Lots and lots of mistakes, my dear. More than you could ever count.”
I wanted to ask Presha what those mistakes were, but I knew she would tell me if she thought I needed to hear about them for my own good. If not, I would never know.
Before I could reach the door, Remy Kenner stomped into the shop. “I’m here for my wife and son.”
Claudia yelped and stood up, clutching a crying Byron to her chest. Most of the other guests in the tea shop stood up as well. It was clear that no one wanted to be in the middle of the Kenners’ domestic dispute.
“You again!’ Remy pointed a calloused finger at me.
I balled my fists at my side and was ready to defend Claudia and her son if the need arose, but before I could do a thing, Kipling and Craig, followed by two of Craig’s constables, ran into the tea shop. The place was crowded, and many of the villagers, who were there that morning just to enjoy a simple cup of Presha’s tea, pressed against the wall, doing their best to stay out of the fray.
Kipling pointed at Remy. “I told you I saw him in the village, Chief Inspector.”
Remy gaped at him. “What is going on?”
Craig slapped cuffs on Remy’s wrists and then shoved him in the direction of one of his officers. “Take him back to Aberdeen.”
Kipling wrung his hands.
“You can’t do this!” Remy shouted. “Claudia, how can you do this to our family?”
Remy was out the door with the two officers.
Claudia crumbled into her seat, still holding a crying Byron in her arms. Presha hurried over to comfort the woman.
Craig looked to Kipling, who appeared to be looking for a way out of the tea shop of his own. “Kipling, you did good work, seeing Remy coming into the village and notifying my department.”
Kipling puffed out his chest, seemingly recovered from his fear from a moment ago. “I’m here to serve and protect.” He walked to the door. “I’ll go let them know at the pub that Remy Kenner has been apprehended.”
Craig shook his head. “You do that.”
Kipling left, and Craig turned to me. His face softened. “Why am I not surprised that you were here when we caught Remy?” He took a step toward me. “I have to consult with my officers about what just happened. I’ll stop over at the Climbing Rose in a little bit. Will you be there?” he asked.
I nodded wordlessly.
He touched my cheek before he went out the door. I blushed, and I was certain that everyone in the tea shop saw.
Chapter Thirty-Five
I left Presha’s not long after Craig did and went straight to the Climbing Rose. It was still an hour or so before I would open, but I thought I might as well get some paperwork done.
I walked down Prince Street and spotted my sister sitting cross-legged in front of my shop. When she saw me, she stood up quickly.
Happily, Seth was nowhere to be seen. I increased my pace.
Even before I made it to the store, she ran to me with her arms out.
I wrapped my arms around her. “It’s okay. I’m sorry that I wasn’t understanding,” I said into her hair.
“I’m sorry I was such a brat, and I should have told you about Seth a lot earlier. It just seemed like such a fairy tale, I wanted to keep it to myself.” She stepped back to look at my face but didn’t let me go.
I wiped a tear from my eye. “Let’s not talk about what we should have done or not done. You and Seth are a couple. I’m ready to move forward knowing that.”
She wiped away a tear too. “Thank you, Fi.”
Two elderly Scottish women walked by with empty shopping bags, heading in the direction of the market. “They are Americans,” one whispered to the other.
The other woman nodded. “Aye.”
I supposed that
was explanation enough for our sisterly embrace.
I wrapped my arm around Isla’s shoulder and removed the shop key from my tote bag with my other hand. “Let’s go inside to talk.”
“Yeah,” Isla said. “I wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of the street being American.” She giggled.
I smiled as I unlocked the door.
“No Ivanhoe today?”
I shook my head and pushed the door inward. “I wasn’t sure what the day would bring, so I decided to leave him at home.”
“Probably smart. I don’t think he cares much for Seth.” She smoothed her hair.
I dropped my bag on the sales counter. “Why do you say that?”
“When you left the shop yesterday and I was here alone, Seth dropped by.”
“Oh?” I said.
“Ivanhoe scratched him.”
I’d known I loved that cat for a reason. I made a sympathetic noise like I was sorry to hear that. The scratch must have explained the tear I had seen in Seth’s jeans the day before. Ivanhoe must have put a lot of force behind his swipe at Seth to tear through the denim like that. “I’m glad he wasn’t hurt.”
Isla shook her head. “No, you’re not, but thanks for saying that anyway.”
“Where did you stay last night?” I asked.
“Raj let me crash in the pub. Let me tell you, sleeping on the pub floor wasn’t that comfortable. I’m looking forward to getting back to my bed at Duncreigan.”
“Your bed?” I asked. “We’re going to have to talk about sleeping arrangements at the cottage if you plan to be there long term. We can go to Aberdeen this weekend and find you something to sleep on. Because I’m reclaiming the bed.”
She frowned. Knowing Isla, she was counting on her ability to talk me into things to get me to let her reclaim the bed as her own. It wasn’t going to work this time.
“You could have come home at any time last night,” I added. “I know I had the car, but I would’ve driven to the village and picked you up at any time.”
She nodded. “I know, but I wanted to think things through before I saw you again. I needed to come to some conclusions.”
“What conclusions?” I tried to keep the surprise out of my voice and failed.
“I do love Seth. It’s not an act.”
“I believe you, but I do think you should slow down. Get to know him before you jump in with both feet.” I had to say it. I was still her big sister.
“Fi, you and I are different. You always weigh the pros and cons of everything and still hesitate. I jump right in. Maybe my way is messier, but I don’t have regrets for not going after what I want.”
I bit the inside of my lip to hold back a smart remark. It wouldn’t have done any good, because what she said was true. We were two very different people. We attacked problems differently, and maybe, I realized, that was okay.
“I need you to respect that,” she said, sounding more like a grown-up than I had ever heard her sound.
I folded my arms. “I do respect that. I’m even a little jealous of it, but I think a little caution wouldn’t hurt.”
She nodded with a thoughtful expression on her face. “I know; that’s why I told Seth we shouldn’t call ourselves engaged just yet. Maybe we need to get to know each other a little bit better first.”
I gave a small sigh of relief.
“I do love him, though, and know I will marry him someday. I guess you can say that we are pre-engaged.” She beamed.
Being pre-engaged sounded like one of the dumbest ideas I had ever heard, but I could handle pre-engaged better than engaged. I was going to have to take it. “I think that’s wise,” I said sagely. “And I would wait until you know him a lot better before you tell Mom and Dad. There’s no reason to get them worked up this early into it.”
“Agreed,” she said. “Although I am going to stay in Scotland for Seth.”
“We can get you a cot for the cottage. You will love it.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on the cot and I get the bed?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Don’t push it, Isla. Now, let’s get ready to open the shop.”
She saluted me and went to the workroom. A moment later, she came back into the showroom with a watering can in hand and began to water the flowers.
A half hour later, the shop door opened. It wasn’t yet ten in the morning, but I must have forgotten to lock the front door.
I walked toward the door with a glass vase of pink roses in my hands. “Sorry, we’re—” I was about to say we weren’t open yet, but it was Seth. I bit the inside of my cheek.
He ducked his head. “Is it okay if I come in?”
I was happy to see that he was a tad sheepish.
My sister rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him. It didn’t irritate me to see her do it this time. Well, it didn’t irritate me as much.
“Don’t worry, sugar,” my sister said in her Tennessee drawl. “Fi and I talked it over and all is well. She understands now, and I’m going to stay with her while you and I get to know each other better.”
I wouldn’t have said that I understood, but I didn’t see it helping anything if I argued. “What have you been up to this morning, Seth?” I asked.
“I was just up at Duncreigan, actually.”
“Oh?” I wondered if oh was becoming my new favorite word.
He nodded. “I told Hamish that I dropped out of medical school and plan to get a job here in the village to be close to Isla.” He looked at my sister lovingly and then back to me. “I told him that I would do my best to pay him back for all that he’s loaned me for my education and I squandered. It might take some time, but I know it’s the right thing to do.”
“That’s so noble of you, Seth.” My sister gazed up at him with starry eyes.
He nodded. “I was thinking of applying at the school. There will be a custodian position open now that Remy Kenner has been arrested. I think I would do well at that, and it would give me time to find what I really want to do.”
I blinked at him. Remy Kenner was the custodian at the village school?
“How did you hear about his arrest?”
Seth grinned. “I stopped in the Twisted Fox on the way here, and Kipling is in there holding court about how he single-handedly brought Remy to justice. I’m sure I wasn’t the only in the pub who doubted that’s how it went down.”
“It wasn’t,” I said absent-mindedly. If Remy Kenner was as awful as they said, why had the school hired him to be a custodian around children? It just didn’t make sense.
“You might be a teacher,” Isla said.
He looked down at her again. “I do like kids.”
She beamed.
I felt my stomach drop. I didn’t know if my blood pressure could handle them talking about kids right now. I had only just accepted their pre-engagement.
“The only problem with the school job is I don’t know if the head teacher would hire me,” Seth said.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because I saw him buy drugs at the docks.” He spoke matter-of-factly.
I dropped the vase of flowers onto the floor. It shattered, and blossoms went every which way. I covered my mouth as I stared at the mess.
Isla ran around the counter to the workroom and came back with a broom and a dustpan. “Fi, are you okay?”
“I’m so sorry. I was just shocked by the news.” I stepped out of the way so Isla could sweep. “Are you sure?” I asked Seth.
“Definitely. I saw him down at the docks.”
Douglas had a drug problem. I thought back to all the times I had seen him. But how did that tie together with the murder? Poor Emer. It was no wonder she tried so hard to give the impression that everything in her world was perfect. If her husband had such a serious problem, it most certainly wasn’t.
“When was this?” I asked.
Seth winced. “I’m sorry that I said anything.”
I took a step toward him. “Answe
r my question, please.”
He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. It was the night the minister was killed, in the early evening when I was waiting for Isla. It was before she texted me to tell me that she wasn’t coming.”
“Did you see who he bought the drugs from?”
“Sure. It was Remy Kenner, the school janitor.”
Whoosh. The air went out of my lungs at that announcement. “Did Remy or Douglas see you?” I took a deep breath and waited for the answer.
“I think Douglas did, but not Remy.”
I gave a sigh of relief. As much as I wasn’t thrilled Seth was dating my sister, I didn’t want anything to happen to him. If Remy Kenner knew that Seth could testify that he was a drug dealer, Seth could be in some serious danger, even after Remy’s arrest that morning.
Seth’s eyes went wide. “You don’t think it’s connected to the minister’s murder, do you?”
“It might be,” I said. “You saw Douglas buy the drugs from Remy the night that Minister MacCullen died. The old men at the docks also saw the minister and Remy arguing at the docks that night. It would seem too coincidental if the two things weren’t linked. There’s just one problem.”
Isla dumped the dustpan of broken glass and mashed flowers into a trash can. “What’s that?”
“The police questioned Remy about the murder, but they let him go. Craig said there wasn’t enough evidence to link him to the murder. He was arrested today on domestic abuse and drug trafficking charges, not murder.” I shook my head. “In any case, I have to call Craig about Douglas. I hate to do that to Emer, but it strengthens his case against Remy. No one wants him back on the street.”
“I don’t think you need to call him,” Isla said.
I shook my head. “I have to. He needs to know all of this, and Seth, you need to talk to him too.”
“No, really,” Isla said. “You don’t need to call him because he is right there.” She pointed out the window.
Through the glass, I saw Craig walking to the Climbing Rose’s front door.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chief Inspector Craig came through the door and looked at each of us in turn. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
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