All Tea, No Shade, and a Bit of Murder by Elliott Hay

Author:Elliott Hay [Hay, Elliott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: White Hart Fiction

Chapter 11

Wherein someone is not who he appears be

Baz flung the café door open with far more force than she’d intended to. It bounced off the wall with a clatter, startling her and making her squeak. It didn’t help matters that the interior of the shop was so dark compared with the bright sun outside. She couldn’t even see if she’d inconvenienced anyone. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry sorry so.’ She was in such a rush that she tripped over her words and they tumbled out in the wrong order.

Madge’s voice sounded from the doorway to the second room. ‘Baz? What on earth has got into you? I’m all for civility – but you just apologised to a pot plant.’

Heat flushed Baz’s cheeks. Her eyes were adapting to the relative darkness – which wasn’t dark at all – of the café and she could see the object of her floundered apology.

‘Come on.’ Madge held out her arm for Baz to take. ‘Let’s get settled. You can order your tea once the rush dies down.’

On the far side of the room, a cluster of people stood at the bar waiting to order or pay or receive their drinks. Baz waved an apology at them before following Madge into the second room.

Once the pair were seated in their customary spots, Madge fished out her knitting. ‘Now. Are you going to tell me what’s brought you here so early?’

‘Am I early?’ Baz pulled her embroidery from her bag and heaped it onto her lap. Then she grabbed a stack of papers she’d printed out and piled them atop.

Madge cocked her head. ‘Our arrangement has always been to meet after nine o’clock in the morning once the commuter rush dies down. It is currently’ – Madge checked the nurse’s upside-down watch-badge she always wore – ‘08:47 am. So I repeat my question. What brings you here so early?’

Baz smoothed her papers. ‘I should probably wait for Peggy and Carole.’

A few people had exited the café since she’d arrived. ‘Actually, I should go and pay for my order.’ She lifted the various items off her lap and then held them in the air above herself. ‘Oh, good grief. I’m not sure why I’ve got this stuff out so soon.’ She set the items down on Carole’s chair before pulling herself to her feet. Then she wasted several seconds packing the items back into her bag. All the while she could feel Madge’s eyes on her. ‘Won’t be a moment. Do you need anything from the … from the other room?’

Madge shook her head, so Baz headed to the counter, passing Peggy and Carole, who were just arriving.

Baz waited as the customer ahead of her in the queue placed his order. Olena, Sarah’s employee, was working at the cash register.

Are they still called cash registers now that no one uses cash?

Olena smiled and tilted her head. ‘Morning, Baz. Everything all right? You seem a bit … what’s the word? Foostered – is that it?’

Baz chuckled. ‘Flustered? Yes, I suppose I am that.

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