The Peridale Cafe Cozy Box Set 4 Read online

  “I take it you want to look at dresses?” Brooke marched around the desk, her hands clasped together. “You really should have started all of this much sooner, with your date being so close.”

  Dot, Sue, and Katie took it as their invitation to sit in the comfy crushed velvet chairs, and as though he could sense he was needed, Max appeared and poured them glasses of champagne. Brooke took Julia to one side and walked her through a series of rehearsed-sounding questions to figure out the style Julia wanted. She scribbled down the words ‘simple, timeless, elegant’ before searching the racks of white dresses. She assessed dozens, shaking her head and muttering to herself as she worked.

  “This is all so exciting,” Dot announced, draining her glass. She reached for the bottle and refilled it, ignoring Brooke and Max’s side glances. “You’re going to make the most beautiful bride.”

  “It’s not like it’s my first time doing this,” Julia reminded them.

  “Don’t even go there,” Sue jumped in. “This is so different than your first marriage. Jerad was an idiot, and you never should have married him, and we all said it. Barker is the real deal.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Dot clinked her glass with Sue’s. “He’s certainly grown on me. It seems like he’s always been there.”

  Julia knew exactly what Dot meant. It had only been eighteen months since Barker had moved to Peridale as the plucky new detective inspector—and Julia’s first impression of him hadn’t been a good one. In fact, she vividly remembered how much she had disliked him. He had come across as an arrogant know-it-all, but something had changed along the way. His edges had softened, and Julia and Barker seemed to stick together like magnets. Julia hadn’t been looking for love, but it had found her. They had been through so much since their first meeting, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

  Brooke cleared her throat, shaking Julia from her memories. She had three plastic-wrapped dresses draped over her arms for Julia to try on. While the trio continued drinking their champagne, Julia and Brooke headed into the large dressing room. Brooke left Julia to strip and wriggle into the first dress, joining her to lace the corset. Julia considered using their time alone to ask about her father, but the timing felt wrong. She wanted to be able to make a speedy exit if she needed to, and she couldn’t imagine running out of the shop in a wedding dress.

  “Follow me,” Brooke instructed after whipping back the curtain.

  They returned to the boutique, where a stool and a three-way mirror had appeared in the middle of the shop. Dot, Sue, and Katie waited silently, perched on the edges of their seats, champagne temporarily forgotten. They shared a gasp when they saw her. Brooke helped Julia onto the stool in front of the mirror before stepping back to let her take in her reflection.

  “Julia!” Dot sighed, producing a handkerchief from her bag. “I have no words!”

  Julia hadn’t expected to love the first dress she tried on, but she did. It had a sweetheart neckline, which flattered her décolletage and arms. The fabric on the bust trailed in a diagonal line down to her waist, somehow hiding her awkward bits and elongating her torso. The fabric hugged her hips in the right places before flaring out to the ground into a skirt with delicate lace detail. She turned to look at the back. It was open, but a semi-transparent lace panel covered her exposed skin.

  “Princess Di wishes she had worn this dress,” Dot exclaimed, dabbing at her eyes. “Just perfect!”

  “I love it,” Sue added. “It’s you.”

  Julia’s smile beamed back at her from the mirror. She was not wearing a hint of make-up, and her curly hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and yet she felt more beautiful than she ever had in her whole life. She glanced at Brooke in the mirror and found that though the woman’s lips still formed in a tight line, the twinkle in her eyes revealed she was pleased with her selection.

  “Your father is going to cry the minute he sees you,” Katie said, dabbing at her eyes with her fingers. “Perfect.”

  Julia had gone to the bridal boutique to apologise, and more importantly, gather information. She had expected to try on a dress as part of the process, but she hadn’t expected to fall head over heels in love.

  “I never suggest buying the first dress you try on,” Brooke stated, her voice its usual monotone hum, “but, I have to say, this dress was made for you. It will need taking up quite a bit, and I can already see a few alterations here and there.” Brooke yanked on the waist to pull it in even more. “If you want it, we can definitely have this ready before the wedding. You’re lucky I have Max here to perform the alterations. Most places outsource, which can slow things down. It’s something to consider if you’re planning to visit other shops.”

  “It’s a real family-run business here,” Julia said, emphasising the word ‘family.’

  “It’s been in the family for three generations.”

  “Your mother?” Julia took her opportunity to dive in.

  “Yes,” Brooke said quickly as she helped Julia off the step. “It used to be Carol’s Bridal Boutique. I was in accounting, but my mother wanted to retire early to Oakwood Nursing Home, and I couldn’t let this place go to a stranger. It’s one of the few things I still have.”

  They retreated to the dressing room, and Brooke began to unlace the bodice. Julia let the silence linger for a moment, not wanting to appear too eager. She waited until Brooke was on the last set of laces before striking.

  “Is your father at Oakwood with your mother?” Julia started, exhaling as the tight dress let go of her. “I think he was a drama teacher at my high school. Gary Williams?”

  Brooke didn’t respond, but Julia was sure the unlacing suddenly got more aggressive.

  “You know who he is.” Brooke’s voice was flat and empty. “Don’t play dumb. You said it yourself, you know what Leah did to our family. If you’ve come here to cause trouble, you can—”

  “I just want to know what happened to him,” Julia interrupted. “That’s all.”

  There was another long pause while Brooke finished helping Julia out of the dress. She left the dressing room and yanked the curtain across to let Julia get back into her own clothes.

  “He died,” Brooke said bluntly through the curtain. “He killed himself, but as far as I’m concerned, Leah was the one who killed him. She took his career away from him, ruined his reputation, and he couldn’t live with the aftermath. He might not have done anything to her, but accusations like that stick. They follow you around for the rest of your life, no matter how far away you try to run.”

  Back in her own clothes, Julia pulled back the curtain and handed Brooke the dress with a sympathetic smile. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

  “Me too,” Brooke said, her jaw tightening. “He was my best friend.” Brooke’s bottom lip wobbled, but it stopped as quickly as it had started. “If you want this dress, it’s £899, including two sets of alterations. I’d advise you not to decide yet. Would you like to try more?”

  Julia considered the offer for a moment. The feeling the dress had given her could be addictive. A small, but very vocal, part of her brain screamed for her to try on as many as she could, but today was not the day. How could she do something so trivial when her best friend was still being questioned at the police station?

  “Another time,” Julia said. “It’s getting late, and I don’t want to keep you all night. I really do love that dress. You have great taste.”

  Brooke smiled her thanks before hanging the dress on a hook behind her. Brooked looped her hands together and fixed on Julia with an expectant look. The dry smile on her face sent a cold shiver across Julia’s shoulders.

  “Is there anything else you want to ask me?” Brooke’s authoritarian tone reminded Julia of a school headmistress. “I saw you handing out those posters the other day. I asked around about you, and you have quite the reputation for playing detective.”

  “I’ve dabbled.” Julia felt her cheeks redden. “I just want to find Leah and get to the bot
tom of things.”

  “Go on then.”

  “What?”

  “Ask me where I was on the night of Leah’s disappearance,” Brooke demanded, her arms folding across her bony body. “You wouldn’t be the first. The police barely waited for twenty-four hours before coming to see me. They looked at Leah’s records and made the connection to my family in an instant. I’ll tell you exactly what I told them—I was here all night with Max. We had a delivery of the new season’s dresses, and we stayed until the early hours of the morning to sort out the inventory. The delivery driver can confirm we were here at eight in the evening, and I gave the police the security camera footage to show we were both here all night. They haven’t been in touch since, so if you want to ask that fiancé of yours to pull some strings at his old workplace, I’m sure you will, but I have nothing to hide.” Brooke’s chin darted up, her eyes narrowing. “Leah Burns has already done everything she could to ruin my family. She’s not going to continue ruining it from wherever she is right now. If she’s dead, it’s what she deserves.”

  “Understood,” was all Julia could say. “I’ll go.”

  Brooke nodded, opening the door back into the boutique. Julia hurried through, nodding for Dot, Katie, and Sue to get moving. Dot downed her champagne before grabbing Sue’s and finishing that too.

  “I will hold this dress for one week,” Brooke called after her. “It really was made for you.”

  Julia cast a smile over her shoulder, but she couldn’t bring herself to look Brooke in the eye; she was sure the glare would turn her to stone. She hurried out of the shop, unable to remember the last time she had felt so exposed and embarrassed.

  “There’s still time to drop by another shop if you put your foot down.” Sue checked her watch. “Although something tells me we didn’t come here for dress shopping.”

  “Roxy was arrested last night,” Julia revealed, glancing up the street at Roxy’s pink front door. “Remember the hair I found? Roxy visited Leah before everything happened and she must have left behind another.”

  “Do you think she did it?” Dot asked, her eyes gleaming at the new gossip. “Poor Imogen! Two daughters and they both end up being murderers. What are the odds?”

  “She didn’t do it,” Julia said firmly. “I know that for certain.”

  “How?” Sue asked, arching a brow. “Does that mean you know who did?”

  “Not yet.”

  “So, how do you know?”

  “Because she told me she didn’t do it.”

  “And you believed her?” Dot let out a deep chuckle as she shook her head. “Oh, Julia! I never had you down as the naïve type. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell you if she did it. The police certainly seem to think she’s connected.”

  “Well, I don’t.” Julia pulled her keys from her pocket. “And I’m going to prove it.”

  “How?” Sue asked.

  “I don’t know yet, but I will.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Julia pulled up outside The Plough after dropping everyone at their homes. She looked at the text message Barker had sent her while she was driving: ‘Meet me at the pub. Turn right as soon as you walk in. You’ll see me. URGENT!’

  She dropped her phone into her bag and climbed out of the car. She stared at the police station across the road before checking her watch. DI Christie only had four more hours to charge Roxy before the twenty-four-hour hold window closed. For Roxy’s sake, she hoped they didn’t have anything other than a hair.

  Walking past the outdoor tables full of people enjoying drinks in the early evening heat, Julia entered the pub. She followed Barker’s instructions and immediately turned right. The pub was nearly empty, so it was not hard to spot Barker, even if all that could be seen of him were his darting eyes over the top of a menu. He motioned for her to hurry up and sit next to him. He opened a second menu and stuffed it in front of her face.

  “Who are we hiding from?” Julia asked as she tried not to laugh at the silliness of the situation.

  “Craig Wright.” Barker jerked his head at the menu. “He’s sat on the other side of the pub. I was working on my book. He came in as I was packing up. I don’t think he’s seen me yet. He’s in a world of his own.”

  Julia attempted to peek over the menu, but Barker pulled it back up.

  “Isn’t this more obvious?” Julia laughed, the itch to look too strong to ignore. “Why can’t we just go over and talk to him?”

  “Because he looks like he’s waiting for someone.” Barker’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious that he’s in the village considering everything that is happening? He said he hadn’t been here in years, and now he’s here waiting for someone?”

  “That does sound a little suspicious,” Julia replied, nodding her head, “but isn’t this going to look even more suspicious? We look like we’re trying to hide.”

  “We are.”

  “But do you want him to know that?” Julia dropped the menu and looked across the pub at Craig. “He’s not even looking at us. He’s staring off into space.”

  Barker carefully lowered his menu, keeping half his face covered. Julia tutted and snatched it off him and put it on the next table out of his reach. She glanced at Craig, who was a little more dressed up than he had been at his flat. He wore an ill-fitting black shirt with a white tie and creased, pinstriped pants. They were too short for him, showcasing his mismatching black and white socks and scuffed trainers.

  “It looks like he got dressed in the dark,” Barker remarked. “What’s he doing here?”

  It might not have been obvious to Barker, but it was to Julia. Craig was fiddling with a beer mat as his foot tapped on the floor. He checked his watch and fidgeted in his seat. After breathing into his hand and smelling the result, he slicked his palm over his shiny hair. Before Julia could reveal her theory, the door opened, and a woman entered. From the dark, ringlet curls cascading down her back, Julia was almost certain she knew who it was.

  “I think that’s Heidi,” Julia whispered, picking up a menu and pretending to read it. “Johnny’s half-sister.”

  “The jilted fiancé?”

  “The very same.” Julia peeked again. “She’s not sitting down. Why do you think she’s here?”

  “To conspire?” Barker shrugged as he stole a glance. “She looks angry.”

  “Wouldn’t you be angry if you came face-to-face with the man who left you at the altar for an eighteen-year-old? If we’re to believe Craig, they haven’t seen each other in years. That’s a lot of festering.”

  “You don’t sound like you believe that.” Barker’s searching gaze pierced her. “Do you think they’re up to something?”

  “It’s a possibility.”

  “Well, they both hate Leah.”

  “Solid motives.”

  “Enough to want her out of the way after all these years?” Barker didn’t sound sure. “Wouldn’t they have moved on?”

  “Does Craig seem like he’s moved on to you?”

  “Good point.”

  They looked away from each other at the same moment Heidi turned and stormed for the door. Julia had forgotten how much Heidi looked like her brother, right down to the pale skin, rosy cheeks, and glasses. Craig jumped up, looking like he was going to chase after her, but, instead, he sat back down and slammed the table with both fists.

  “Wait here.” Julia dropped the menu and stood. “I’m going to talk to her.”

  Julia darted out of the pub, catching the door before it closed. Heidi was already halfway up the street, her head low and her hands in her pockets.

  “Heidi,” Julia called after her as she jogged to catch up. “Heidi Watson?”

  Heidi stopped and turned around. Tears flowed down her face. She squinted through them as she pulled off her glasses to wipe her eyes.

  “What?” Heidi replied, a bitter edge to her voice. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Julia. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m
a friend of your brother’s.”

  “Right.” Heidi nodded as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. “You’re the girl who always made cakes.”

  “I’m less of a girl these days,” Julia said with a light laugh, hoping to put Heidi at ease. “I just saw you in the pub. You seemed quite upset when you left. Are you okay?”

  Heidi patted the tear streaks on her cheeks.

  “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry,” Heidi said, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she took a step towards Julia. “I’ve cried enough tears over him.”

  “What happened?” Julia asked, deciding to let Heidi tell her story in her own words.

  “He abandoned me on our wedding day.” Heidi huffed, shaking her head up at the sky. “All these years later and it still hurts to say that. You think you get over these things, but it doesn’t take much to drag you back. I was actually doing okay until I heard about Leah returning. I wish Johnny hadn’t mentioned anything, but he called me right away. I think he thought he was doing me a favour, but just hearing her name knocked me sick.” Heidi wiped away another tear as it rolled down her cheek. “And now she’s missing, so, naturally, all the attention is once again on her. Craig contacted me on social media this afternoon. He said some random couple had gone to see him and asked him loads of questions about Leah. He said they asked about me, and it reminded him how much he missed me. Ha! Missed me? He makes it sounds like he didn’t have a choice when he left me.” She paused and inhaled. “He told me he’d be waiting for me at The Plough at six. I told myself I wasn’t going to come. I try to stay away from this village as much as possible. Too many bad memories. I don’t even know why I came. Maybe I thought I’d get some closure out of it? I should have realised it was far too late for that. Too much water under the bridge. I mean, he looks nothing like he did. He’s majorly let himself go, and yet…”

  “And yet?” Julia prompted.

  “It sounds so idiotic.” Heidi wiped away more tears. “It’s been so many years. We were kids, but you never let go of the first boy who broke your heart, do you?” She grimaced. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I’ve bottled it up for so long. I’m sorry.”