The Peridale Cafe Cozy Box Set 4

by Agatha Frost

  “I bet they were watching her the whole time, waiting for her to take a sip.” Barker put the angel back, and they continued down the row. “And it has to be someone who knew they were meeting at the pub, which keeps it confined to those who sang at the wedding.”

  “Not necessarily,” Julia mused, looking around to make sure they weren’t being listened in on. “Remember what I told you about Skye’s lie? She told me she didn’t get to Peridale until later that evening, but I have video proof that she was here in the morning. She confronted Gloria and then vanished. Nothing says she didn’t come back to rob the place, get the arsenic, and go to the pub anyway.”

  “But then where did she go?”

  “Would you stick around if you’d slipped arsenic into someone’s drink?”

  “Good point.” Barker nodded. “So, why come back to the choir? Why not run away?”

  “That would make it obvious. And she loves singing. She wanted that solo. I doubt she cared that she killed Gloria by accident. She waited things out before paying Rita a visit to finish the job.”

  “It all makes sense,” Barker said as they turned the corner and set off up the next row of stalls. “But, realistically, it could have been any of them. If we bring all this to Christie, he’s going to pull each of them in and see whose alibi doesn’t line up for both murders.”

  “That’s if he believes us.” Julia reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out the memory stick. “Even with this footage, it’s still only a theory.”

  “A better theory than any he’s working with, I suspect.”

  “I forgot to ask how your video meeting went. Did they like the book?”

  “Oh, it went…” Barker’s voice trailed off as they turned onto the next row of stalls. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  Julia followed his eye line to the end of the row, where the remaining members of the choir were setting up a small stage area.

  “They don’t wait around, do they?” Julia muttered under her breath. “Two choirmasters dead in less than a week, and yet the show still goes on.”

  A small crowd gathered in front of the stage, no doubt eager to see what the choir were going to do in the wake of the recent tragedies. Julia and Barker lingered at the back and watched as the choir finished getting ready. Dot spotted them and waved before she pressed a button on a portable CD player. A crackly backing track for ‘O Holy Night’ played through the small speakers, catching the attention of the idle shoppers who had yet to notice what was happening. Julia wasn’t surprised when Skye stepped forward to take the lead vocals, but she was surprised, and pleased, to see that Flora had been reinstated in the choir.

  From the moment the first note left Skye’s mouth, Julia knew she was something special. Up until now, she had only heard people talk second-hand about Skye’s raw talent, but to hear it with her own ears gave her tingles. Her voice was airy, and yet it had enough power to captivate everyone’s attention. It was nothing short of angelic.

  When the song ended, everyone applauded, including Julia. She almost forgot she was cheering for her new prime suspect. The choir continued onto ‘The First Noel’, followed by ‘Away in a Manger’. They finished their set with a rousing rendition of ‘Joy to the World’. The crowd erupted as the choir took their final bow, and, from the smiles on the faces of the choristers, it was clear they had enjoyed every second of their time in the spotlight.

  The choir exited the stage, making way for a solo guitarist who looked more than a little disappointed when the crowd dispersed. Sensing her chance to grab Skye, Julia pushed through the moving shoppers, leaving Barker behind. The choir stood behind the stage, all smiles as they talked about their performance. Skye and Alfie were holding hands.

  “That was incredible,” Julia congratulated them. “Skye, your voice is something else. I had no idea. You’re a real star.”

  “Thank you.” Skye fanned her blushing face. “I’ve never felt anything like it! That was exhilarating. I could have stayed up there for an hour.”

  “You did great,” Alfie said with a cheery smile. “You finally had your time to shine.”

  Julia waited until the choir naturally broke apart, and when Alfie and Skye set off into the market, she followed right behind them.

  “Wait up!” she called when they reached a German bratwurst stall. “I wanted to talk to you both about what happened to Rita.”

  “I couldn’t believe it when I heard,” Alfie said. “She wasn’t the nicest woman, but to be stabbed to death for her jewellery? It doesn’t seem fair.”

  “And after what happened to Gloria,” Skye added, her brows tilting down. “I almost didn’t want to sing today because of it, but we were already booked to perform. It was the first and only thing Rita did for our choir, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

  Julia trained her eyes on Skye as she spoke, but she was either telling the truth, or she was as good an actress as she was a singer.

  “I think the murders are connected,” Julia admitted, not wanting to beat around the bush. “I think the original poisoning was intended for Rita, and Gloria was caught in the crossfire.”

  “Why would someone want to poison Rita?” Alfie asked, his brow creasing.

  “It’s a long story.” Julia didn’t want to give everything away in front of Skye. “Where were you both on Tuesday night? That’s when Rita was stabbed in her son’s flat. I’m going to the police with some new information later today, and it’s going to put you all in the spotlight.”

  Skye and Alfie glanced at each other, and it seemed neither could believe Julia was asking for their alibis. Julia tried to assure Alfie with her eyes that she wasn’t asking him.

  “We were at the cinema,” Skye said. “We went to see that new horror film. Didn’t we, Alfie?”

  “Yeah,” he replied quickly. “We were at the cinema.”

  “We were together all night,” Skye added, linking her arm through his.

  Julia narrowed her eyes on Alfie. He smiled back at her, but his expression was uneasy. He lifted his hand and rubbed his tattoo-covered neck, his gaze drifting away from Julia’s. She wondered if they had gone to the same film Billy and Jessie had seen on Bonfire Night, the night before Rita was killed. If so, she was certain Jessie had said they were watching the final showing.

  Before she could push them further, Barker appeared in the crowd and ran towards her, his face twisted.

  “Something’s happening at the church,” he said, panting as he caught his breath. “You need to come and see this.”

  Barker wrapped his hand around Julia’s, and they ran to the top of the row. A crowd had gathered outside the church, but Julia could still see two police cars parked outside.

  “They’re searching the place again,” Barker said. “Christie must be onto something.”

  They watched on in silence as the crowd around them aired their speculations.

  “Do you think there’s been another murder?”

  “Another one?”

  “Could be!”

  “This village is cursed!”

  “It would be on Christmas market day! I’ve been looking forward to this all year.”

  The church doors opened, and DI Christie walked out, his eyes averted. He held the doors open for two uniformed officers who were stood on either side of Father David. When people realised the vicar’s hands were cuffed behind his back, a gasp rippled through the crowd. Julia’s hand drifted up to her mouth. The vicar was led solemnly and quietly to one of the cars. He didn’t say a word, nor did he look up. He bowed into the car with silent dignity while the pin-silent crowd watched on.

  “I’m going to find out what’s going on,” Barker said before pushing through the crowd towards the church.

  Julia hung back, not wanting to step on DI Christie’s toes, especially after their interview at the station. There was no guarantee Christie would tell Barker anything, but the two were former colleagues and friends, and Christie still owed Barker a backlog
of favours.

  “Julia!” Dot cried as she weaved through the crowd. “There you are! What’s going on?”

  “They’ve arrested Father David.”

  “He did it?” Dot gasped. “I told you he was up to something! I bet this has something to do with that phone call Percy overheard! You can’t trust anyone these days.”

  Julia nodded at her gran, mainly because she wasn’t in the mood to argue. No one could say anything to convince her of Father David’s guilt. She had put him on her list of suspects, but only because she’d had so little to go on. Seeing him in the frame for real rid her mind of any doubt. There were few people she would have sworn were decent and good human beings to the core, but Father David was one of them, and he had proven that to the village time and time again. She should have been surprised at how quickly people in the crowd were turning against him, but she wasn’t. They were hungry for the next scrap of gossip, and they would stop at nothing until they had drained the victim’s blood and picked their bones clean.

  Barker pushed back through the crowd. He grabbed Julia and pulled her away to the edge of the green, away from prying ears.

  “It’s not looking good.” Barker’s eyes darkened. “Christie is convinced he’s found his guy. An anonymous letter showed up on the desk at the station. Nobody knows how it got there, but it told them to look in Father David’s desk to solve the mystery.”

  The police car containing Father David drove past. Julia tried to catch his eye through the window to offer some reassurance, but he didn’t look up.

  “What did they find?”

  “The stolen items.” Barker gulped. “Father David reported them as missing on the day of Gloria’s death.”

  “Why would he report them if he took them?” Julia could hear the exasperation in her voice. “Christie sees what he wants to see because he’s desperate to wrap this up in a neat bow before Christmas.”

  “There’s more.” Barker sighed, his head dropping. “They found the arsenic with the items. As far as Christie is concerned, the case is as good as solved.”

  Julia could hardly believe what she was hearing. The urge to run to the station to blast Christie took over her. Not a cell in her body believed Father David would murder members of his own church’s choir.

  “This is too convenient. A letter shows up telling them exactly where to look to find crucial items and they just believe it?”

  “Wouldn’t you?”

  “I’d question how the anonymous letter writer knew the exact location of the items.” Julia cast an eye to the church; the gathered crowd had yet to move. “Unless, of course, the sender of the letter put the items there to frame Father David.”

  “Why would someone do that?”

  “Because Father David owed a lot of money to someone.” Julia tapped her finger against her chin. “The police are going to rip his recent activity to shreds. They’re going to find out about his debts, giving them evidence and a motive. If he doesn’t have a solid alibi, the case is built for them.”

  “And now they have a suspect in custody, they’re going to be less wary about throwing Rita’s murder into the mix.” Barker pinched between his eyes. “I know how this game works. They think they have all the jigsaw pieces in front of them, so they’re going to slot them together, regardless of the fit.”

  “These are puzzles from two different boxes,” Julia said as a gust of icy wind whipped at her curls. “These murders were driven by money and the lack thereof. Gloria and Rita were killed because the murderer was desperate for cash. They took Rita’s jewellery, even going as far as ripping her necklace off her dead body. Few people would do something like that, and I’m certain Father David isn’t one of them.”

  “Our rings!” Barker exclaimed, clicking his fingers together. “We still haven’t found our wedding rings! What if that same person took those too?”

  Julia’s mouth curved into a hard smile as she considered the connection.

  “If that’s true, it had to be someone who was in the church while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.” Julia cast her mind back to that long, awful hour. “Most of the guests had already gone, leaving our families, Father David, and the choir members. I definitely don’t remember seeing Skye there. She could have slipped in when I wasn’t paying attention, but she claims she was with Alfie the night Rita was stabbed.”

  “And we can rule out our families,” Barker added. “And if the same person stole the rings, I’m even less inclined to believe Father David is part of this. Trinkets and jewellery are one thing, but wedding rings? I don’t believe a vicar would stoop that low, debt or not.” Barker paused, his brow creasing. “Wait, how do you even know Father David owed money?”

  Julia had a lightbulb moment as her own jigsaw pieces slotted into place.

  “Because Percy told me so!” she cried. “He told me he overheard the vicar paying a £2000 debt over the phone. Percy didn’t mention that anyone else was there, so it’s possible he’s only told Dot and me so far.”

  “Which means the person who wrote the letter had to have known about Father David’s debt to make the frame job even remotely plausible!”

  Julia’s mind ran through a dozen dizzying thoughts as she spun around and searched the crowd of shoppers for Percy’s eccentric clothes. At his height, he could have been anywhere, so she switched to looking for Dot, but her gran was also nowhere to be seen, despite having been there less than ten minutes ago.

  “We need to talk to him,” Julia said desperately. “Time is running out. Let’s split up and look for him. If we don’t find him, let’s at least find out where he lives. He said something about living in a flat on Mulberry Lane.”

  “Someone will know which flat it is.”

  A lump rose in Julia’s thought as she fought back panic.

  “We need to be quick,” she ordered. “My gran is too close to him. She might not be safe.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Julia and Barker spent the better part of fifteen minutes searching the Christmas market for Percy, but he wasn’t there. They met where they had started, each with the same tip-off regarding Percy’s address. Without wasting a moment, they walked through the busy village to Mulberry Lane, which was crawling with shoppers who had spilt over from the market.

  “Shilpa said he lived in the flat above the men’s clothes shop,” Julia said as they looked down the packed street. “Can you see it?”

  “The one I buy my clothes from is at the end of the street.” Barker nodded down the road. “But look there. A new one has opened up where the bridal boutique used to be.”

  “Then we split up and—”

  “Look for clues?” Barker chuckled. “I’ll take the old bridal boutique.”

  Leaving Barker behind, Julia weaved in and out of the shoppers, slowly making her way down the narrow pavement. With the twinkling Christmas lights strung between the two sides of the street and the beautiful Christmas displays in the shop windows, it was easy to forget they were still in November. If her gran were there with her, she would have made a comment about how Christmas was starting earlier every year.

  Julia reached the bottom of the street. Her father’s antique barn seemed to be busier than ever with the festive shoppers out in full force. She turned to Gentlemen’s Club, the shop Barker bought his clothes from. It teemed with people despite it having the least festive display on the street. Three mannequins stood proudly in the window, each wearing a fitted suit. The only nod to the holidays was a spattering of sprayed on fake snow in the corners of the window.

  The door to the flat above was recessed into the old stone. She walked up the two short steps and looked at the intercom system on the wall, but it provided no hint at who lived above. She pressed the buzzer and waited for a response.

  “No luck at mine,” Barker said when he rejoined her. “Although, the nice lady called Audrey who lives there called me ‘handsome’ and invited me in for soup.”

  “How could you decline such a kind
offer?” Julia pressed the buzzer again. “I don’t think anyone’s home.”

  “I could check with the shop owner?” Barker offered. “I’m on quite good terms with Jimmy after I signed a stack of my books for him. He thinks they’re going to pay to send his kids to university one day.”

  Barker ventured into the shop, leaving her to step out onto the pavement. She looked up at the flat above the shop. A grin spread across her face when she saw a pair of familiar circular red glasses poking through the curtains. Percy saw her and darted back. Knowing there was nowhere to hide, Julia pressed the buzzer again.

  “H-hello?” Percy’s voice crackled over the speaker. “Who is it?”

  “It’s Julia,” she called. “Dot’s granddaughter. I need to talk to you.”

  “Now’s not a good time, dear.”

  “It’s urgent.”

  There was a long pause, and Julia imagined the man panicking upstairs. As far as Julia knew, the flat had only one exit, and she was standing in front of it. Just when she thought she might have to wait all night, the intercom buzzed, unlocking the door.

  Leaving Barker in the shop, Julia ventured inside. She walked up a plainly decorated staircase to Percy’s door, which was open for her arrival. She stepped inside, surprised by how darkly decorated the flat was. The walls were burgundy, hung with framed posters of famous magicians. There was no television, just an old-style radio in the middle of a dark chestnut coffee table. Elvis crooned gently, asking “Are you lonesome tonight?”

  Percy appeared from the kitchen with a tray containing a teapot, two cups, and a plate of chocolate digestive biscuits. The kitchenware rattled as he set it down on the coffee table.

  “Dot said you like a strange type of tea, but I’m afraid I only have black.” Percy motioned for Julia to sit on his dark floral sofa. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this afternoon? I was just relaxing after our performance at the market. I’m not really one for shopping, and there is such a thing as too much excitement when you get to my age.”

  Julia sat down and watched as he poured her a cup of tea. He offered her milk and sugar, but she declined. Remembering how Gloria had died, she decided she wasn’t going to bring the cup to her lips.