Antique Tragedy: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery Book 5) by Victoria Tait

Author:Victoria Tait [Tait, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781915413154
Publisher: Kanga Press
Published: 2022-12-25T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sarah Hughes jumped up and, ignoring her chair which fell over, rushed out of the cafe at Piglet’s Farm Shop. Jeremy carefully righted the chair and stood up himself, saying, “Excuse me,” as he followed his wife.

Quinn broke the silence. “My parents are proud people, and my father is usually very careful. He’s embarrassed to have lost so much money to a conman.”

Quinn stood up but added, “I’m not sure if there is anything you can do to recover their money, but I do appreciate your help.” He smiled weakly and left.

Dotty looked down at her plate. She’d half eaten her lemon and pistachio cannoli but hadn’t touched her slice of Bakewell tart or her piece of oatie flapjack.

A young waitress approached them and placed two bills on the table. Dotty picked them up and realised one was for her and Keya, but the other was for Quinn and his family.

Had he deliberately left them to pay the bill? Or had he, like she and Keya the previous week, been distracted and genuinely forgotten about it?

Keya leaned across and read the bills. She snatched their one and said. “I’ll pay this one. Are you OK picking up the Hughes bill? It’s a bit cheeky asking for our help and leaving us to pay for their tea and scones.”

Dotty checked the bill. It was for £28. “It’s not too much. Probably similar to our own last week. Quid pro quo, I think the term is.”

Keya widened her eyes. “If you say so.”

Dotty waited for her change, which she gave back to the waitress as a tip as she took a brown paper bag from her, containing their left over cakes.

As they weaved their way between tables, many of which were now empty and had been wiped and set for their next occupants, Keya’s phone buzzed.

“Hello,” she said, answering it. “I’m with Dotty and we’re just leaving Piglet’s Farm Shop and heading to Charbury Castle Hotel to follow a hunch Dotty has.”

She waited for the caller on the other end. “Sure, we’ll meet you there, although we’re actually interested in a small car park next to the hotel.” Another short break and then Keya finished the call with, “See you soon.”

As they walked out into the chilly air, Keya said, “That was Sergeant Unwin. He’s going to meet us at the car park.”

“Did he say why he wants to meet us on a Sunday afternoon?”

“No, just that he needed to speak to me.”

Dotty led the way in her green Skoda and Keya followed in her much speedier Ford Focus.

She slowed as she drew closer to the hotel entrance, searching for the track where she’d dropped Norman earlier. She indicated and turned into it, but after ten metres she braked to a stop.

There were two large puddles in front of her, half-filled with water, and they looked deep. Too deep for her little car.

She climbed out and, stepping around other puddles, walked back to Keya who’d parked several metres behind her.

Keya wound

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