Lemon Drizzle and Loathing (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 32) by Agatha Frost

Author:Agatha Frost [Frost, Agatha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pink Tree Publishing LTD
Published: 2024-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

12

Bright and early the next morning, Julia blinked against the soft morning light filtering through the café’s windows. Even on a Saturday, the café should have been a peaceful oasis at this hour. Instead, a steady stream of customers had already begun trickling in, the bell above the door chiming with each new arrival.

Julia surveyed the occupied tables, though given the storm swirling around Wellington Heights—though Julia had been hearing more and more people revert to “Manor” in recent days—she wasn’t surprised that the people of Peridale wanted somewhere to gossip on a warm spring morning before the humidity kicked up a notch. Her gaze snagged on a woman nestled in the corner, sipping from a dainty teacup while encased in a shocking pink velour tracksuit. The outfit was completed with canary yellow foam Crocs, an unexpected sight amidst the café’s cosy decor. As Julia’s eyes swept across the room, she spotted another customer, a younger woman sporting a similar velour ensemble in pale blue, her feet clad in the same rubber clogs. She blinked again, half convinced she was still dreaming. While the residents of Peridale were known for their eccentricities, the sight of two customers donning such a specifically familiar outfit brought the most curious smile to her face.

Julia watched as Dot hurried over to the counter, her eyes wide with excitement.

“I noticed too,” Dot said, nodding towards the customers in their matching outfits sitting on opposite sides of the café.

“Me too,” Veronica chimed in from the table nearest the counter, peering over the top of her laptop. “Are you talking about Katie’s grief chic looks catching on?”

Shilpa, who had just entered the café, sidled up to the counter and whispered, “I noticed that too.”

Julia shook her head in disbelief. She had seen Katie in that exact outfit just yesterday, and now it seemed to be spreading through the village. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was some sort of a silent show of support for Katie, or if people were just drawn to the comfort of the soft velour and the ease of the rubber.

“This may sound shocking,” Dot said, inhaling seriously, “but I think it’s time we accept that Katie might be Peridale’s answer to Princess Diana.”

Julia shot her grandmother a look and said, “Oh, behave, Gran.”

“She has a point, Julia,” Veronica said. “Think about it.”

“See?” Dot exclaimed, a triumphant grin on her face. “You shouldn’t try to silence wisdom.”

Veronica nodded in agreement. “Whenever anything Wellington-related is on the front page, newspaper sales go up. I noticed when we were covering the stories about her father’s Wellington Village plans, so I went back into the archives. The Wellington spikes have been consistent since records began, especially when something melancholic happens. People can’t get enough. You must have noticed the same thing in the café, Julia?”

“Wellington gossip does have a certain flavour to it,” she admitted.

“Speaking of bad things and consistency,” Shilpa asked, looking among them, “has anyone seen Evelyn? She’s usually here to offer her predictions this time of morning, but I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning.

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