Espresso and Evil (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 6) Page 9

  “Anthony loved me,” Maggie whispered through the side of her mouth as she struggled to light the tip with trembling fingers. “Dammit!”

  She tossed the lighter to the ground, her hands disappearing up into her unkempt hair. She rested her head against the wall and clenched her eyes, the unlit cigarette falling from her lips as she began to cry.

  “I don’t think you were the only one,” Julia said. “I don’t know that for certain, but I’ve known Anthony for a long time.”

  “His wife manipulated him,” Maggie said desperately, letting go of her hair and opening her eyes. “She blackmailed him to stay. He couldn’t leave.”

  Julia thought back to the stylishly dressed woman who looked like she had had the weight of the world lifted off her shoulders in the wake of her husband’s murder. It broke Julia’s heart to think Maggie was another woman, just like her, who had allowed herself to be hoodwinked by a ruthless man.

  “I think we both know Anthony wasn’t going to leave his wife, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have run into your arms.”

  “You don’t know anything!” Maggie laughed coldly. “He used to laugh at you. The stupid little café girl with ideas above her station. He put you right in your place with his new business. He was going to bring me into it when it was doing better. He was going to open another location and let me run it. He loved me.”

  Julia knew it was no use trying to convince Maggie otherwise. Anthony might have been dead, but his ideas were well and truly alive in the poor woman’s mind. Julia just prayed she would wake up and realise she was better than that before it broke her.

  “I may just be a stupid little café girl, but I’m not going to sit back and take the blame for a murder I didn’t commit,” Julia whispered, leaning into Maggie so that nobody could hear her. “Where were you on the night Anthony was poisoned?”

  Maggie stared at Julia for a moment as though she couldn’t decide if she should take her seriously or not. A small laugh escaped her lips, but her nostrils flared, her expression flattening in an instant.

  “I can’t remember,” she whispered, her bottom lip trembling. “Anthony had been ignoring my calls all week. He said he was busy, but I tried to go and see him that Saturday in the coffee shop. He told me to get out. I was upset, but I knew he’d come around. He always did, he just had a temper. I remember buying the bottle of vodka, but the next thing I remember is waking up in my flat the next morning. I didn’t know he had died until I turned on the TV.”

  Julia hadn’t been expecting such a frank confession, and from the horrified look that consumed Maggie’s face, she hadn’t expected to give it. Like all of the best secrets, it was almost impossible to keep them bottled up forever. Dirty laundry had a habit of floating to the top; Julia had learned that the hard way.

  “Have you told the police any of this?” Julia asked.

  “The police haven’t spoken to me,” Maggie said, stepping away from Julia. “If you tell anybody what I just told you, I’ll say you’re lying. Leave me alone.”

  Maggie pulled her cigarettes out of her pocket and headed towards the bus stop, asking every person she passed on the way for a lighter. Before she found one, a double decker bus eased into the stop, and she jumped on board. She sat by the window and glanced in Julia’s direction before disappearing.

  Julia hurried back to her car, the stench of cigarettes clinging to her pale pink peacoat, but her mind was whirring too quickly to care. She climbed into her Ford Anglia and set off back to Peridale, feeling like she had made a real breakthrough for the first time since Anthony had died.

  9

  Sue reacted just as Julia expected she would when she sprung it on her that they were going to their father’s for Sunday lunch, which is why Julia decided it was best to wait until late on Saturday night to tell her so she couldn’t wriggle out of it, even if she tried her best to make every excuse in the world.

  As they walked up the peaceful country lane to Peridale Manor, Julia could sense the tension between them, which was manifesting in as many passive aggressive comments as Sue could muster.

  “I suppose Katie hired caterers,” Sue said, reaching to the low hanging tree above and tearing off a leaf. “I can’t imagine that woman knows how to cook.”

  “You mean our step-mother?” Julia asked playfully, knowing how they both hated the term as much as each other. “After the last Sunday lunch, I’m surprised we’re even being invited again.”

  “The one where Gran dumped the bowl of mashed potatoes over Katie’s head when she dared to call Gran an ‘old woman’?” Sue replied as she twiddled the leaf between her fingers. “Ah, good memories.”

  “That explains why she wasn’t invited today.”

  “It doesn’t explain why we’ve been invited though,” Sue said, tossing the leaf. “I hope Dad is okay. You don’t think he’s sick, do you?”

  Julia felt like she had been hit with a brick. Her father had been acting nicer than usual, but she hadn’t connected it to anything serious. Her mind flashed back to the day their mother had tried to explain her cancer diagnosis to them and how she wasn’t going to be around forever. Anxiety knotted inside her.

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” Julia said, gulping down the lump in her throat. “He looked fine when he came to my cottage.”

  “Did you check his temperature?” Sue asked jokingly. “If he had shown up unannounced at my house I would have demanded it. I’m sure the only time he’s stepped foot in my cottage was on my wedding day. He said I looked ‘nice’. Nice! I was wearing a two thousand pound dress that I couldn’t get out of to pee, and if I had fallen into a body of water, I would have drowned from the weight. I looked like a movie star!”

  “At least you’re modest.”

  “Nice,” Sue echoed. “Huh. I bet nobody called Princess Di’s dress just ‘nice’.”

  The conversation died down when Peridale Manor came into view. Like Oakwood Nursing Home, it was a grand and looming building that stood like a Goliath in the middle of the countryside. Julia had always thought the building had far too many windows to feel comfortable with.

  “Ready?” Sue inhaled, her hand resting on her bump through her baggy shirt.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, it’s too late for that,” Sue strode up to the doorbell and pressed it three times before stepping back. “It’s now or never.”

  As expected, it wasn’t their father or Katie who answered the door, but their elderly housekeeper, Hilary Boyle. She poked her head out of the door, her black liner-circled eyes bulging out at them as she polished a silver candlestick with a yellow rag.

  “You’re late,” she barked, before swinging the door open and shuffling into the depths of the house.

  “I wonder if they just keep her around because she’s ingrained into the place?” Sue whispered as they closed the door behind them and shuffled into the giant manor.

  A sweeping marble staircase spread up to the landing, providing all of the drama it was probably intended to. Julia couldn’t imagine living in such a huge house, especially when there were only three of them. She wondered if they could go days without ever needing to see or speak to each other.

  “Girls!” their father said, appearing from his study, dressed in a full tuxedo. “You made it.”

  Julia and Sue both looked down at their simple clothes. Julia had opted for a modest pastel green summer dress. Sue wore fitted jeans and an oversized t-shirt, which almost hid her bump. Julia suddenly realised Sue probably hadn’t told their father the news of her pregnancy.

  “I didn’t realise there was a dress code,” Sue mumbled through a smile. “Julia forgot to mention it.”

  “You’re fine as you are,” he said awkwardly as he adjusted his cufflinks. “Why don’t you come through to the sitting room while Katie finishes getting ready?”

  They followed their father through the large house, glancing awkwardly at each other as they did. Julia could feel the nerves radiating off his body, a
nd it was making her nervous in turn. She couldn’t shake what Sue had said about him being sick. She wasn’t sure a tuxedo was the appropriate attire to break bad news to someone, but their father had never been one for convention.

  “Wine?” he asked, already uncorking a bottle.

  “I’m driving,” Julia said, hoping the little white lie passed and that her father hadn’t noticed that her car wasn’t outside. “And Sue is doing this thing for work, aren’t you Sue? What’s it called? Dry July?”

  “Yeah,” Sue mumbled, frowning at Julia as she nodded, the cogs in her brain clearly working overtime. “We’re not drinking alcohol for charity.”

  “I thought you did that in January?” he asked, pouring himself a glass.

  “It was so successful, we’re doing it again!” Sue exclaimed, clapped her hands together. “Cheers to that!”

  Brian lifted his glass and tipped it to them before taking a sip as he stared curiously at his daughters.

  “Dry July?” Sue whispered when their dad walked over to the drinks cabinet to put the red wine back.

  “It was the best thing I could think of!” Julia replied quietly. “I was trying to help. Maybe today is a good time to tell him that’s he’s going to be a grandfather.”

  Sue pursed her lips, her cheeks burning even brighter. When their father returned, they both plastered artificial smiles on their faces as he handed them glasses of orange juice. Moments later, Hilary shuffled into the room and loudly cleared her throat. Their father nodded, and followed Hilary out of the room, motioning for them to follow him.

  “He’s acting stranger than usual,” Sue whispered into her ear as they followed him into the dining room. “Are you sure you don’t know what’s going on?”

  “You know as much as I do.”

  “It feels like a trap.”

  Katie was already waiting for them in the dining room. She was sitting at the head of the long table, wearing a strapless white dress, which was cut low over her ample cleavage. Her face was plastered in makeup, and her plump lips were smothered in so much nude gloss, they were reflecting every light in the room. Her peroxide blonde hair, which looked like it had been encased in rollers all day, bounced out of her scalp at an angle that didn’t look like it had grown out of her head.

  “Girls!” she squeaked, clapping her hands together. “Welcome! Please, sit.”

  There were only four places set on the impossibly stretched out table. One at either end for Katie and their father, and two in the middle for Julia and Sue. Julia walked around the table, taking the one in front of the fireplace so she could keep her eye on the door in case they were planning any surprises.

  Once they were all seated, they sat in stifling silence. Katie beamed out like a Cheshire cat, glancing from Julia to Sue as though it was their place to make conversation. Their father cleared his throat as he spread a napkin on his knee.

  “No Vincent today?” Sue asked as she circled her finger around the lip of her orange juice.

  “He wasn’t feeling up to it,” Katie replied quickly. “He’s not himself at the moment.”

  Silence fell again until Hilary pushed in a trolley containing four bowls of tomato soup. Julia was glad of the distraction, even if it would only last until the bread rolls had run out.

  “Delicious,” Julia said. “Did you make it, Katie?”

  Sue looked up from her bowl, pausing with the spoon next to her lips to send Julia a little grin. They both looked up at Katie, who appeared to be blushing under her caked-on makeup.

  “Cooking isn’t my strong point,” she said with a shrug, her high-pitched voice reminding Julia of a little girl. “My talents lie in other areas, don’t they, Brian?”

  Sue choked on her soup, spluttering the red liquid all down her black t-shirt and onto the tablecloth.

  “Katie is a great business woman,” Brian said, smiling across the table at his wife, either ignoring or not noticing his daughter’s reactions. “Tell them about your new venture.”

  “Fake tan!” Katie exclaimed, holding out her arms for them to see her luminous glow. “After the spa idea failed to get off the ground, I decided to go into product development. We’re currently working on our first batch of ‘Glow Like Katie’, but it should be hitting shelves soon!”

  “Fake tan?” Sue asked, arching a brow. “Is that why we’re here? For a sales pitch?”

  “Well, no,” Katie mumbled, looking a little hurt. “But it’s something that is important to me. You could sell it in your café, Julia, and get the whole village glowing like Katie!”

  Julia smiled politely, but she knew she wasn’t going to let a bottle of the stuff pass her threshold. Just from the way Katie said it made it sound like Julia should be grateful for the proposal.

  Instead of being a conversation starter, silence fell as they finished their soup. Sue appeared to have mentally checked out. She had started tearing her napkin into tiny pieces, something she did when she was anxious. Julia kicked her under the table and nodded, letting her know it was her time to speak. Sue mouthed ‘ouch!’ and shook her head, so Julia kicked her again, but in the other shin this time. Sue jumped, her knees hitting the table, causing the cutlery to jump. Brian and Katie both turned to look at her.

  “I guess I have something to share,” Sue mumbled, looking under her brows angrily at Julia. “I’m –”

  “Roast dinner!” Katie exclaimed as Hilary pushed into the room with another trolley full of food.

  She displayed the giant chicken in the middle of the table and surrounded it with roast potatoes, honey-roasted parsnips, mash, boiled cabbage, stuffing balls, sweetcorn, and a giant vat of gravy. By the time they had finished passing the various items around the table and were tucking in, the food had almost turned cold.

  “What did you want to say?” Katie asked as she slowly lifted a piece of chicken to her glossy lips.

  “Oh,” Sue mumbled, blushing and stuffing her mouth full of cabbage. “I’humpfergant.”

  “Huh?” Brian asked, tensing his brows and pointing his ear to Sue. “I didn’t catch that.”

  Sue held her finger up, bobbing her head as she finished chewing. She looked at Julia, rolling her eyes as she swallowed.

  “I said I’m –”

  “Pregnant,” Katie blurted out.

  “What?” Julia mumbled, choking on a piece of chicken as she turned lightning fast in her seat.

  “That’s my line,” Sue cried, looking from their father to Katie, bewilderment deep in her face. “I’m pregnant.”

  “We know,” Katie and Brian said in unison.

  “How?” Sue asked, dropping her knife and fork and sitting back in her chair.

  “We saw you at the maternity ward last month,” Katie said, her hand reaching down to touch her white dress under the table, a distinct bump suddenly appearing before Julia’s eyes. “I’m pregnant too.”

  Sue’s nostrils flared, as anger clearly washed over her. Julia was too stunned to know what to say to calm her sister. The last time they had been invited to the manor house was with the rest of the village for a mystery announcement. Julia had expected Katie to announce she was pregnant then, not that she was attempting to turn the manor into a spa. That plan had been put to bed after her brother objected to the plans and was murdered. The thought of them having a baby hadn’t crossed her mind since.

  “I’m five months,” Katie said, an excited squeak escaping her mouth as she stood up. “We’re so happy, aren’t we, Brian?”

  Brian peered over his wine glass at his daughters, looking anything but happy. He seemed more concerned by their reactions than anything. His sudden reappearance in Julia’s life, along with his unexpected compassion suddenly made sense.

  “It’s a little boy,” he said, a smile breaking through his concern. “You’re going to have a little brother!”

  Sue’s lips trembled as she attempted to speak, but the shock had silenced her.

  “Congratulations,” Julia said flatly, unsure of how sh
e felt.

  “Yeah,” Sue mumbled, her eyes vacant as she stared at the butchered chicken carcass. “My brother is going to be two months older than my son.”

  “He’ll technically be his uncle,” Katie announced proudly as she cradled the bump, which was double the size of Sue’s lime, with both hands. “Aren’t you excited?”

  Julia trained her gaze on Sue, willing her to make eye contact. Instead of saying anything, Sue screwed up her napkin, pushed out her chair and stormed out of the dining room. Brian jumped up, but Julia shook her head.

  “Leave her,” Julia said. “She’s just in shock. We both are.”

  “A baby is an amazing thing,” Katie said, apparently confused by Sue’s reaction. “It will bring everyone together.”

  Julia stared at the bump, trying to imagine the fact she was suddenly about to have a baby brother who would be almost forty years younger than her. It only reminded her that she hadn’t fulfilled her own dream of having kids. She tossed back the rest of the orange juice, wishing she had asked for wine after all.

  When Julia didn’t attempt to reassure Katie, she too stormed out of the room, leaving Julia and her father alone in silence. Hilary popped her head in, but quickly backed out when she caught Brian’s firm gaze.

  “Why does Sue always have to act like that?” Brian asked, the anger clear in his voice.

  “Do you really need to ask that?” Julia asked, taking her turn to stand up and screw up her napkin. “You weren’t there for us growing up, and now you’re having another baby at the same time as you’re about to become a grandfather. Are you honestly that blind?”

  He gritted his jaw and flared his nostrils. He looked like he was going to try and defend himself, but he opted to drink the rest of his wine. Julia sighed and shook her head as she headed for the door.

  “Julia!” he called after her. “Wait.”