Why was he so testy about the subject?
Meow.
“It was suspicious, Cactus. You read my mind. Good boy.” Motts picked a flake of cod for her finicky feline. “Why would he want to get rid of his sister? For complete control of the business? Do fish and chip shops make that much money?”
Maybe Innis hadn’t appreciated putting in all the effort and having to share the money. Motts knew from watching crime shows that money and sex tended to be the biggest motivators for murder. She’d never understood the latter.
How is sex motivating?
It’s moist. And the sounds are awful. And it takes effort.
Just. No.
Motts shuddered. Cactus sidled up to her, sniffing at the remaining fish. “You’ve had a snack.”
Meow.
“The vet might accuse me of overfeeding you.” She peeled off a few more flakes for Cactus, despite her comment. She couldn’t resist his plaintive meow. “Emotionally manipulative cat.”
Finishing up her lunch, Motts grabbed her laptop from the table and went over to the chair by the living room window. She turned on one of her favourite YouTubers, NerdECrafter. With the video playing in the background, she typed out a few questions in a blank document.
Who had control of the Salty Seaman? Was Innis truly angry with his sister? Did he know about her romance with Danny?
Was there actually a romance with Danny?
And why were the Orchards so interested in changes in the garden? Did they know about the body? Was Danny the one driving the vehicle?
Purr.
“Yes, I have more questions than answers.” Motts shifted to the side to allow Cactus to curl up next to her. “How can I ask Innis if he resorts to shouting and slamming things around?”
When the video finished, Motts saved the file with her questions. She decided to take advantage of the weather and go outside into the garden. Cactus seemed quite content to stay burrowed into his blanket.
The garden had been almost completely stripped bare to grass and dirt in the one section cordoned off for planting. She had a variety of herbs in little compostable pots in the cottage ready to go into the ground when it warmed up a little. There was more to do before that point, though.
For now, Motts wanted to finish laying bricks on the path going through the centre of the yard. Hughie had found them for her. She’d spent a few minutes each day extending it.
Everything in the garden was far less overwhelming when taken a bit at a time. Motts had to limit her exposure to the glorious spring air. She didn’t fancy an allergy attack in the middle of February.
After ten minutes of setting down bricks, Motts moved on to putting up her bird feeder. She’d decided to use a spare fence post. Spade in hand, she went to a corner of the yard to dig a hole deep enough to secure it.
“What in the….” Motts trailed off, confused when a distinctly metallic ting sounded. Her spade had struck something not dirt or stone. She reached hesitantly into the hole and retrieved a small biscuit tin. “Can’t I have one day outside without discovering something bizarre?”
What is this?
She had to use her fingernail to pry the lid off the rusted tin. It contained photos, multiple printed images of Danny and Rhona together, and a collection of jewellery. She found a chunky gold bracelet with an anchor charm underneath them along with a single primrose earring and a necklace.
How odd.
Motts gently untangled the earring from a sterling silver chain that had been broken. “Why would someone bury this in Auntie Daisy’s garden? It’s not exactly a time capsule. These aren’t treasures.”
In the corner of the tin, Motts noticed a collection of crushed flowers. She didn’t recognise them. Should I call Detective Inspector Herceg?
Teo.
He said to call him Teo.
Motts brushed her dirt-covered fingers off on her jeans. She grabbed her mobile phone and contemplated what to do. “I could always text him.”
Texting was safe. She didn’t risk stumbling over her words or getting confused. Calling was harder when she often struggled to process what someone was saying.
One could only ask someone to repeat themselves so many times.
In the end, Motts texted Teo. She sent him an image of the contents of the tin. He told her not to move anything and to wait for Inspector Ash to come and retrieve her find.
He won’t notice if I photograph everything, will he?
Motts quickly used her phone to get photos of all the individual items in the tin. She knew Marnie’s husband wouldn’t take long to arrive. The village wasn’t a large one, after all. “Is Rhona wearing a necklace in that image?”
Jogging quickly into the cottage, Motts grabbed a magnifying glass from a drawer. She grabbed one of the close-ups of Danny and Rhona. She appeared to be wearing a delicate chain around her neck with some sort of locket.
And earrings.
Primrose earrings.
Now, why would someone have buried a tin with Rhona’s jewellery, images of her and Danny, and a bloke’s bracelet?
And where’s the other earring?
They didn’t find it with the body.
“Ms Mottley?”
“In the garden,” Motts called out. She’d continued inspecting the images with her magnifying glass, trying to find any sort of clue. “Sorry to call you out here.”
“Saved me from losing ten quid to Hughie on an ill-advised game of Uno.” He cracked a smile that faded away when he saw her magnifying glass. “Now, I thought you weren’t supposed to be investigating.”
“There’s a strange dried flower or herb in the tin. I was trying to identify it. For botany purposes,” Motts insisted. She resisted the childish urge to cross her fingers behind her back. Lying liars lie lazily. “Forensics might be able to identify it. Think it’s some sort of floral, as its making my nose twinge.”
“Ms Mottley.”
“Motts.”
“Ms Mottley. Please don’t draw attention to yourself by getting involved in this cold case. My Marnie wouldn’t forgive me if you got hurt. She considers you a friend.” Inspector Ash pulled on a pair of gloves and plucked an evidence bag out of his jacket pocket. “Is this everything you found?”
“Everything in the tin. I didn’t think to go deeper in the hole.” Motts tucked her hands into her pockets when the breeze off the sea picked up. “Will you tell me if they identify the flower? I might be able to say if it came from Auntie Daisy’s garden.”
He paused while rooting around in the hole she’d dug. “We’ll see what DI Herceg thinks. Not seeing anything else here. You’re fine to finish up what you were doing.”
“Birdfeeder.” Motts grabbed the fence post and allowed the detective to help her secure it. “Thanks.”
“Storm’s going to blow up.” Inspector Ash got to his feet, brushing off the dirt and pulling off his gloves. He held the bag loosely in his left hand. “You should head inside. It’ll come up fast.”
“Alright.” Motts watched him leave through the garden gate. She filled the bird feeder with seed, then took the bag and her spade to put away into her little shed. “How did Auntie Daisy not notice someone burying things right behind the cottage?”
Stepping inside the shed, Motts moved toward the back. She set the bag of seed on a shelf and stored the spade with the other tools. The door slammed behind her suddenly, scaring her half to death.
Stupid wind.
She used her phone to light the dark space and went to push at the door, only to find it stuck. “Oh, for goodness sake. Could I have one non-dramatic day? I should’ve stayed in London.”
No, I shouldn’t. It’s lovely here. I won’t let a few unexpected, odd moments ruin the loveliness of having a home all to myself.
I will not panic.
I won’t.
Motts threw herself at the door but bounced off the hardwood with a grunt of pain. “Not my smartest move. Oh my god. What if they’ve gone into the cottage? Bugger. I will gut anyo
ne with scissors if they hurt my babies.”
For the second time in a month, Motts had to wait for rescue to come after a 999 call. She wasn’t entirely surprised to find Inspector Ash opening the door a few minutes later. He’d barely had time to make his way down the hill.
“Are you alright?” He watched in consternation as she rushed out of the shed, ignoring him, and went straight into the cottage. “Ms Mottley.”
She collapsed on the couch with a disgruntled Cactus. “I imagined all kinds of terrible things happening. I don’t know how the wind managed to slam the door so I got locked into the shed.”
“It didn’t.” Inspector Ash held up a piece of wood; he once again had gloves on his hand. “I found this blocking the exit.”
“Oh.” Motts blinked away the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She didn’t understand why someone would lock her in the shed—and how had they gotten by the detective. “Oh.”
He crouched by the sofa, seeming a lot less stoic and scary than when she’d first seen him. “I’m going to call my Marnie. She can bring tea and cakes. I think you might not want to be by yourself for too long.”
“I’m alright.”
“We’re a small village, Motts. We take care of each other. She’ll bring your Griffin twins as well. Troublesome duo that they are.” Inspector Ash stood up and headed toward the door. “I’ll just put this bit of wood in my car.”
Mum and Dad are going to lose their minds if they hear about this.
We’ll leave it out of the weekly family email.
A tiny lie by omission never hurt anyone.
Chapter Ten
Motts had never had a girls’ night in—or out. She didn’t know what to think when Marnie, Vina, Nish, and River all gathered in her cottage. It’s more a boys and girls quiet party. “Don’t let Cactus bully you into feeding him snacks.”
“Who, me?” Nish paused with a treat bag in his hand. “No bullying required.”
“Forget your sneaky, naked feline,” Vina interrupted. She took a sip of her wine. “Show us the photos of what you found.”
“Cactus isn’t naked. He has downy fuzz all over him like a suede bodysuit.” Motts carried a platter into the living room to set on the coffee table. They’d convened there by the fire to enjoy the warmth and snack on the food brought from the bakery. “Let me get this settled. Patience, Pravina.”
“Patience isn’t in her vocabulary.” Nish dodged the smack his twin tried to aim at his head. He leaned toward Motts after she’d settled on a cushion on the carpet by the table. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need quiet?”
“I don’t know.” Motts shrugged. She’d felt discombobulated by the entire experience. “Tea and snacks will help.”
“Snacks always help.” He pushed one of the plates closer to her. “Now what’s this about a tin in the garden?”
“And don’t worry. I know how to keep secrets from the inspector.” Marnie winked at her. “Don’t forget the apple cake. We lucked out, since I’d made this yesterday and had it ready to be eaten.”
While they ate their way through the various treats, Motts transferred the images from her phone to her laptop. The wider screen made it easier for everyone to see. They all leaned forward to get a better view of the images of Rhona and Danny getting cosy with each other.
“Can you zoom in on the bracelet?” Marnie asked when Motts had flipped to the rest of the photos. She made the chunky jewellery larger. “I know I’ve seen someone in the village with a similar one. But I can’t place it.”
“How about this?” Motts slid the computer closer to the bridal shop owner.
“I know I’ve seen it.” Marnie tapped her fingers against the top of the table. “Not Danny, but one of his friends. There was a gang of them for several years while they went to secondary school. Always causing trouble. Poor Hughie and Perry had a devil of a time getting them under control. Out at all hours, drinking their weight in whatever cheap liquor, and vandalising anything in their path.”
“Danny, Noel, Eddie, Taj.” Nish counted off several more names on his fingers. “They were several years behind us in school. Right bastards, all of them. I stopped them from picking on younger kids a lot. Vina had them terrified.”
Vina grinned menacingly. “I threatened to carve their family jewels out with a rusted knife if they ever harassed another girl in school ever again. Danny wasn’t the worst of the lot, but he never stopped his friends either.”
“Are you sure the bracelet isn’t Danny’s?” Motts had put him at the top of her suspect list.
“Definitely. He never wore any sort of jewellery that I can remember.” Marnie replied. The twins nodded their agreement. “We could ask him.”
The evening had been going so well. Motts had handled her crowded living room well. And from one second to the next, she hit the limit of her ability to cope.
Ever the calm and observant one, Nish recognised the signs first. He gathered up the food to store in the fridge. And ignoring the confused mutterings, he ushered River, Marnie and his sister toward the front door.
“Try to relax, Motts. And lock the door behind me.” He kissed Cactus on the top of the head before leaving and closing the door behind him.
The peaceful quiet of her cottage went a long way to helping Motts relax. She made sure all the doors and windows had been locked—triple checked the front and back. Cactus followed her faithfully through every room.
“Why am I checking the closet?” Motts peered inside, shifting her coats. “No monsters hiding in the dark.”
She tried sleeping in the bedroom. Cactus grumped at her whenever she rolled from one side to the other. This isn’t happening.
Getting out of bed, Motts wrapped her duvet around herself. There was no point in trying to pretend to doze. She shuffled into the living room with Cactus riding on the edge of the blanket.
Motts fumbled for the light switch in the hall leading to the open plan living room. She screamed at the face pressed against the glass of the garden window. “What the—”
She froze, as did the man whose face was distorted by the window. He ran while she scrambled to find her phone. It lay on the coffee table next to her laptop.
Her fingers refused to cooperate. Motts eventually managed to dial the police. She sank down on the ground, shivering under the duvet with Cactus prowling around her.
Motts stared at the door. The kind woman on the other end of the phone promised her the knocking came from the police. She was struggling to make herself open it. “I can do this.”
“You’re going to be fine, love. I promise. Constable Stone is there. Inspector Ash has called in other officers from Looe. They’ll find your peeping Tom,” she promised. “You can hang up and open the door whenever you’re ready.”
It took a few seconds to gather her courage. Motts disconnected the call and unlocked the door. Hughie offered her a comforting grin when he came into view.
“No sign of him. And I haven’t seen any damage to the door or window. He might’ve been hunting for something in particular.” He stepped inside when Motts moved back. “Are you alright?”
“Fine.” Motts didn’t know what to say. She was usually the one posing the question because she struggled to decipher facial expressions. “Okay. I wasn’t hurt.”
“You don’t have to be physically attacked to be hurt.” Hughie went over to the fire, grabbing a log and stoking the flames. “Let’s get things warmed up in here. Can you describe him?”
“Male? Maybe brown hair? It was dark then I flipped the light on, so all I saw were bright spots and a blurry face.” Motts kicked herself for not having CCTV cameras installed. She’d never considered needing them in Cornwall. Polperro had always seemed such a safe village. “I wouldn’t recognise him if I bumped into him in the street. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise.” Hughie glanced behind him when a knock sounded on the front door. “Want me to check?”
“Please.”
H
e returned with Inspector Ash in tow. “They caught Danny Orchard running down Quay Road. He confessed to being in your garden. Said he was playing a prank.”
“How is that a prank?” Motts crossed her arms. She unfolded them and picked up Cactus when he meowed insistently. “Why?”
“Why don’t you come ask him? I’ve got him in my car.” Inspector Ash nodded toward the front door. “But only if you feel comfortable. I’m confident I can get answers from him.”
“Give me a moment.”
Darting back into her bedroom, Motts exchanged her duvet and pyjamas for jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. She shoved her feet into slippers. Her hoodie hung on a hook by the front door.
“He’s quite secure and can’t hurt you,” Inspector Ash assured her.
Motts found Danny Orchard more pathetic than intimidating in the back of a police vehicle. He slouched into the seat with the air of a put-upon teenager, not a grown man. “Why were you in my garden?”
He shrugged.
“Did you lock me in the shed?” She didn’t doubt he was capable. He was also the most logical suspect.
“What? No. I’ve got better things to do.” Danny seemed genuinely affronted by her question.
“Better than snooping around in the middle of the night and terrifying women?” Inspector Ash cowed the agitated man with a frown. “Your mum won’t be best pleased when she finds out. You’re too old for this nonsense.”
“I thought you found her necklace,” Danny shouted. The tears in his eyes made Motts suspect he was genuinely distressed. “My beautiful Rhona. So young and vibrant. Gave her a locket I’d found by the sea. She never took it off. It was delicate like her.”
Motts grimaced at the flowery declaration. She found herself questioning whether Danny was the killer. Would he be so upset if he had done it? Maybe he’s a good actor. “I don’t have Rhona’s necklace. Inspector Ash has the tin I found. There was no locket inside.”
She didn’t mention the slender gold chain. He’d worked himself up enough already. His name had definitely moved down her list of suspects to the bottom.
“Her poxy brother abandoned all of her precious belongings at charity shops. I hoped to find her necklace.” Danny grew increasingly angry. The words seemed to explode out of him. “Noel never even bothered to tell me until all of it had been sold. How could the bastard toss all her stuff? Like she never existed? He even took the photos with her off the walls of the fish and chip shop.”
Poisoned Primrose Page 6