“But what you told her came true,” said Vicki.
“Yes, yes, it did but I can assure you that it was nothing to do with the broken biscuit.”
Kate laughed. “Grandma will be in stitches when we tell her because she told Auntie Het she was gullible to believe in lucky heather and fortune telling.”
Lucy tutted. “Now don’t you knock my heather.”
“Oh, I won’t,” said Kate, “I have great faith in it. In fact I have every intention of having it with me when I take my exams.”
“Me too,” concurred Vicki.
Lucy bit her bottom lip. “I shall miss you both when you’ve gone home. You’ve given me a new lease of life and I feel twenty years younger. I appreciate that.”
Vicki sighed. “Yes, and sadly we go home tomorrow.”
“But I’m sure we’ll be back again before the year is out,” reflected Kate, “We might even be able to persuade Mum and Dad to come down for Christmas.”
As Zac was about to endorse Vicki’s proposal, he noticed a boy and a girl who looked a little a little younger than himself watching the game of pool.
“Fancy a game in a minute?” Zac asked.
“Yes, please,” said the boy eagerly.
The girl shook her head.
When the game finished, Zac handed a pool cue to the boy. “I’m Zac. Zac Burton.”
“Thank you, Zac. I’m Jeremy. Jeremy Liddicott-Treen and this is my sister Jemima.”
“Ah, so you’re from Pentrillick House.”
“That’s right. We don’t come in here very often but tonight’s special because we’ve been to see the play which I thought was brilliant.”
“So did I,” added Jemima.
“Yes, I thought it was pretty good too,” admitted Zac. He started to set up the pool balls. “Is there any more news regarding your cook?”
A broad grin crept across Jeremy’s face. “Yes, she’s doing really, really well. My father took me to visit her today because she wanted to see me,” Jeremy laughed, “You see, before she was shot I told her about a book I’d started to read and she wanted to know how it ended and whether the person I thought was a confidence trickster actually was.”
“And was he?” Zac asked.
“You bet. When I told Mrs Mitchell she laughed and then she cried.”
“That’s because she knew someone called Andrew Banks who was a crook,” hissed Jemima, with scorn.
“I know he was a crook,” smiled Jeremy, “but Mrs Mitchell saw the good in him which doesn’t surprise me because she’s like that.”
“You were brilliant tonight, Hetty,” gushed Debbie, “I don’t think I’ve laughed so much for ages.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll second that,” said Tess, having heard Debbie’s comment.
“And you were good as well, Tess,” Debbie added, “In fact you were all good.”
“Thank you and I don’t think I’d be exaggerating if I said we on the stage enjoyed it as much as you in the audience did.”
Hetty felt quite choked and so changed the subject. “Who’s that chap over there with Marlene’s husband, Gary?”
“He’s a real hunk, isn’t he?” Tess giggled.
“Yes, I suppose he is but I was asking more out of curiosity.”
“Oh, I see. He’s Gary’s brother and he and his wife came over tonight to watch the play. That’s his wife over there talking to Marlene. The woman in the pretty red dress.”
The sisters looked across the room to where Marlene stood talking to several women.
“Any idea of his name?” Lottie asked, as something suddenly occurred to her.
“Andrew,” said Tess, “and don’t tell anyone, but Marlene told me that she and Andrew are organising a surprise birthday party for Gary’s fiftieth at the end of the month. Isn’t that sweet?”
Debbie blushed as Tess returned to her husband who was beckoning her. “Oh dear. No doubt he’s the Andrew that Marlene was on the phone to a week or so ago in the back garden and it turns out he’s her brother-in-law. What a Charlie I am.”
“Well, I think between us we’ve all made quite a few errors this summer,” admitted Hetty, “I certainly have but hopefully no-one got hurt by any of them.”
“There is still one more end to tie up,” Lottie reminded them, “I’m referring to Marlene’s meeting with the same chap on Tuesday nights who we know wasn’t Andrew Banks.”
“Oh dear,” Hetty groaned, “I don’t think I want to know what that was all about.”
Debbie nodded. “I’m inclined to agree.”
A little later Robert announced that the food was laid out in the dining room.
Hetty rubbed her hands together. “Good, because I’m actually quite peckish.”
When they entered the dining room, Tess and Marlene were already at the buffet table.
“Now the play is over I can concentrate on our holiday,” said Tess, as she placed spiced chicken wings on a plate, “hubby and me are off to Spain at the end of August. I would say in search of the sun but with the summer we’re currently having that might not be necessary.”
“Really,” said Marlene, “Gary and I intend to go there with the children next year because by then I should be able to speak Spanish like a native.”
“You’re having lessons then.” Tess was impressed.
“Yes, every Tuesday I go to Penzance for classes. I really enjoy them and it’s very handy because one of our class members lives in Helston and so he picks me up on the way to save me driving. They’re a smashing group of people and sometime after the meeting we pop into a pub and converse in Spanish.” She laughed. “Goodness knows what the locals must think.”
Hetty heard what was said. Her cheeks turned pink. “I never wanted to be a detective anyway,” she whispered, as Tess and Marlene moved away from the buffet table.
“Me neither,” agreed Lottie, “Knitting is much more up my street.”
“And I’ll stick to gardening,” Hetty dropped a pickled gherkin onto her plate. “In fact when we get home I shall tear up our suspect list.”
“So that’s the end of our investigations then?”
Hetty smiled. “Yes, until the next time.”
THE END
Tea and Broken Biscuits Page 20