Double Espresso Deception (Claire's Candles Cozy Mystery Book 10) by Agatha Frost

Author:Agatha Frost [Frost, Agatha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pink Tree Publishing LTD
Published: 2024-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

“We caught her red-handed!” Celia explained as Claire hurried after her down the corridors at Oakwood. “She was sneaking chicken from the kitchen. One of the porters followed her and discovered something quite strange… even by Mrs Beaton’s standards.”

They turned a corner, and the nurse led Claire down a narrow staircase towards the cellar. The air grew cooler as they descended into the scent of musty dampness mingled with the faint, unmistakable tang of cat litter.

“She set the whole thing up herself,” she continued, pushing open a heavy wooden door. “I don’t know what possessed her.”

“It’s her default setting.”

Claire stepped into the cellar, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. There, in the corner, a makeshift cat bed, complete with a litter tray and a bowl of water. A half-eaten chicken carcass lay near a blanket. Claire crouched, running her fingers over a few tufts of grey fur, the same soft texture as the hair she’d noticed on Mrs Beaton’s nightdress.

“Thank you for calling me,” Claire breathed, her heart skipping a beat. “I think this is him.”

“I’ve worked here coming on twenty-two years,” she said, letting out a strained, bemused laugh. “Stealing food and harbouring a cat? That’s a new one.”

“Like I said—”

“Default setting,” Celia interrupted. “You mean to tell me she used to go around catnapping?”

“Exactly, but for what it’s worth, I don’t think she thinks she’s stealing anything.” Claire dusted off her knees as she looked around the cellar for any signs of feline eyes glowing in the dark. “Where’s Mrs Beaton now?”

“She became quite agitated when confronted and she scurried off before anyone could get any answers from her.” Celia yanked open the cellar door, letting in the fresh air from upstairs. “As for the cat, he bolted as soon as he saw daylight. He could be anywhere by now.”

Still missing.

“There’s a search party scouring the place as we speak. We can’t have a cat running loose. It’s against the rules.”

Claire joined in the search, eyes peeled for any sign of a fluffy tail swishing about the place. She checked under tables, behind curtains, and in every nook and cranny she could find in the lounge area. The residents, busy watching TV, seemed oblivious to the feline fugitive. A man, his attention briefly diverted from a solitary one-sided game of chess, pointed down a hallway.

“If you’re looking for the Wailing Woman, she went that way.”

Claire thanked him and hurried down the corridor. As she passed the open door next to Mrs Beaton’s bedroom, familiar voices caught her attention. Through the crack, she spotted Betty and Gordon. Their backs were to her as they stared out of the large window, nothing more than shadows as the afternoon sun washed out the room.

“Don’t push me, Gordon,” Betty hissed. “You will not keep controlling me like this.”

“Controlling you?” he scoffed. “Tell them my ‘big secret’, Betty. This is looking far worse for you.”

“I didn’t do—”

“You were seen picking those foxgloves.”

“And they went straight into a vase!” she cried. “You know how much I’ve always loved those flowers.

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