Chamomile Tea and A Copycat Crime: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery Book 4) by Victoria Tait

Author:Victoria Tait [Tait, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kanga Press
Published: 2024-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The rest of Tuesday passed quickly at the cafe, and the afternoon tea crowd more than made up for a slow lunchtime.

It wasn’t until Inspector Evans, his mother, and Aunt Beanie had finished their lunch that Keya had time to speak to them.

But as she approached their table, she heard Aunt Beanie say, “Dai, why don’t I wheel your mother outside? It’s a lovely day and we can sit by the river until you and Keya have finished.”

Aunt Beanie smiled knowingly as she passed Keya, pushing a regal-looking Mrs Evans in her wheelchair, and Keya sat down in her recently vacated chair.

Keya was about to speak when Millie placed a cup of tea in front of her and a coffee for the inspector, and said simply, “From Norman,” before departing.

As the inspector stirred the froth on his cappuccino, he asked, “So how was Mick Gospel?”

“He’s quite at home in Elmwood, which I’m not sure is a good thing,” replied Keya. “He seems to accept his fate and has the respect of the prison guards and the other prisoners I saw. And he was grateful for the brochures and sends his thanks.”

Keya paused before adding, “But it was a bit disconcerting. He knew about all of us, our team, and our social lives. But he likes you. He told me you used to smuggle him biscuits when he was being held for questioning.”

Inspector Evans chuckled. “I’d forgotten about that. Custard creams were his favourite, if I remember.”

“I’m not sure how he feels about Ronnie Marsh’s death. There was, perhaps, a trace of sorrow, but not the regret or self-pity I’d have expected, considering the one man who’s been proclaiming his innocence is now dead. It’s almost as if he expected it.”

“That’s an interesting take on the situation, Sergeant. And I’m not saying you’re wrong. What did Inspector Smiles think?” Inspector Evans used his colleague’s nickname without a trace of irony.

“He didn’t speak much on the way back to the station. But he was more restrained with his driving, which was a relief, so he probably was considering our meeting. But all he asked me to do was to find out who’s been sending Mick money and flowers while he’s been in prison.”

“Money and flowers?”

Keya told the inspector about Mick’s birthday presents.

“And Mick doesn’t know who’s been sending them?” asked the inspector.

“If he does, he wasn’t telling us. And the prison guard thought it a perfectly normal occurrence.” Keya also told the inspector about Mick’s dreams.

“So he was there, in the woods,” surmised Inspector Evans when she’d finished.

“I’d concluded he must have been because of what he knew. He was following his military training, and probably sleeping rough, but his memory was inconsistent because of the trauma he’d suffered as a soldier. I wonder if there’s some modern technique we could use to discover what else he knows.”

“I wondered the same thing, sir, and I had a search on the internet on the drive back to the station. Most methods involve talking, meditation and mindfulness, which I believe Mick has done a lot of over the years.

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