Page 45 of Murder in the Winter Woods
‘Thanks, Julia, I’ll get them from her and take things from here.’ Hayley pulled a chunk of bread, dipped it into the soup, and popped it into her mouth.
‘Whatever the verdict on the investment, that still leaves us with the two dead men. Twomurderedmen, by the looks of things,’ said Julia. ‘It’s an odd way to kill someone, though, isn’t it, Hayley? Well, maybe one person, if you were trying to make it look like an accident, but two people? Two similar accidentsin the same area within a fortnight or so seems likely to trigger suspicion.’
‘Yes, I was assuming that the perpetrator was not a top-level professional criminal, and this was more of an on-the-fly kind of plan,’ said Hayley, who was hoovering up the soup like a person who hadn’t eaten for a week. Knowing Hayley, that might well be the case, thought Julia.
Hayley continued thinking out loud. ‘Someone who thought, it worked once, so why not try it again? But this whole investment aspect might make me rethink that. Either way, Julia, whoever’s behind this is dangerous. You can’t go poking around asking questions.’
‘I really wasn’t poking around, and I had no idea this was anything to do with the deaths,’ Julia said. ‘Hester asked me to go with her to find out about the investment. That’s all.’ Julia tried to ignore the nagging guilt that this was not an entirely accurate portrayal of what had actually happened. She didn’t like misleading Hayley.
‘Well, that’s the end of it,’ said Hayley. ‘I’ll take this to financial crimes, and your business here is done.’
‘Yes, yes, of course.’
‘I’m serious, Julia,’ said Hayley sternly. ‘Don’t go near Anthony Ardmore. If this is a scam, or insider trading, and you threaten them, you’re in serious danger. These people can be ruthless.’
‘You have my word.’ Julia said, wondering as she spoke whether this was something she could promise.
22
Getting out of the full tea room with a Labrador on a lead was quite an undertaking, especially as Julia knew someone at just about every table, and everyone wanted to have a chat, or at least say hello, and many were eager to give Jake a pat. She evaded most of them with a cheery wave, but at one table, she came to a sudden and surprised halt.
‘Molly!’ she said, greeting a slim, pretty woman with a pale porcelain complexion and ash blonde hair, dressed in layers of creamy cashmere. ‘And hello, Dominic.’
The man smiled manically at her, his eyes darting anxiously over her features, as if he recognised her, but couldn’t place her.
‘Julia Bird! How lovely to see you,’ said Molly, simultaneously greeting Julia and enlightening her husband, who flashed her a grateful smile. It was a graceful move. ‘We haven’t seen you since…’
The sentence petered out, but if it hadn’t, it would have ended: …since you helped clear our pyromaniac son of murder.
‘How is Marty?’ Julia asked quickly, dissipating the awkward moment.
‘He’s doing very well…Please sit for a minute,’ said Molly, pulling out the chair next to her. Julia sat, and Jake floppeddown next to her. He was in no hurry. ‘We found a lovely new therapist for him, and with that and the medication he’s taking, he’s in a good space.’
Julia was pleased to hear that things were going better for Marty. He was a sweet young man, despite his fascination with flammables. While Molly talked, Julia couldn’t help glancing over at Dominic, who looked so similar to – although in crucial ways, different from – his brother. He shared Anthony Ardmore’s even features and smooth good looks, but lacked the thin sheen of oiliness that seemed to adhere to the younger brother’s manner.
Flo stopped at their table, and looked at Julia in surprise. ‘Couldn’t drag yourself away?’ she said in a teasing tone.
‘I was on my way out the door, but I got waylaid for a chat.’
‘It’s a common problem. Especially when half of Berrywick is in here taking shelter from the storm. You could stay all day and not run out of tall stories to listen to. Sit down, let me bring you another hot chocolate!’
Julia laughed. ‘Definitely not, thanks, Flo. I’m going to be on my way in a minute.’
‘Anything else for you?’ Flo asked the Ardmores, picking up their breakfast plates, both scraped clean. ‘We’ve got a nice fresh carrot cake. Homemade, of course.’
‘You do tempt us,’ said Molly. ‘But just the bill, please, when you’re ready.’
Flo made her way back to the kitchen, and Molly turned to Julia. ‘I’ve been going on about Marty, and haven’t asked you a thing. Now, tell us how you have been, Julia. What’s been going on?’
This was a golden opportunity to quiz them about Dominic’s brother, and the two men who had invested with him. The trick would be to make her enquiries sound innocently off-the-cuff.
‘I’ve been very well. It’s so odd that I should bump into the two of you, because I was thinking of your family just yesterday.’
‘You were?’
‘Yes. I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened to poor Lewis Band and Matthew Shepherd?’
‘Of course, yes. Tragic,’ said Dominic. ‘I knew them both from when we were youngsters.’
