Murder at the Inn: An utterly gripping English cozy murder mystery (Julia Bird Mysteries Book 4) by Katie Gayle

Author:Katie Gayle [Gayle, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803148953
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2023-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

17

The Ardmores lived in a large barn that had been converted into a very large house. It sat at the end of a gracefully curving gravel driveway, amidst meticulously cut lawns edged with deep flowerbeds. Julia parked next to a bed of hydrangea bushes as tall as her little car and covered with blooms the diameter of the steering wheel. The two of them got out, and Julia let Jim lead the way to the enormous front door with a floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windowpane either side. Jim bounded eagerly up the three steps to the door, but she hung back. Some combination of the size and perfection of house and grounds, and the unofficial nature of her mission, made her feel awkward. Jim, at least, was doing his job. She was just a nosey retired lady tagging along.

Her anxious ruminations were cut short by the appearance of the lady of the house, who had opened the door before Jim had even rung the bell.

‘Can I help you?’ she said brusquely.

‘Mrs Ardmore? Jim McEnroe, I’m a reporter with the Southern Times.’

‘No.’ The huge door made its slow way back to the door frame, eclipsing their brief view of the thick Persian carpets on the floor of pale, broad wooden planks.

‘We think your son is innocent,’ Julia said quickly, into the small gap between door and frame, just before it closed. The gap widened enough to reveal Molly Ardmore’s face. She was a pale-skinned ash-blonde, with grey-blue eyes and small, even features.

Julia continued. ‘Innocent of the murder, at least. We don’t think Marty killed Detective Constable Carson. May we come in?’

Mrs Ardmore opened the door and stepped back to give them entry. She was shorter than Julia and slim, dressed in soft trousers and a silk shirt in the same pale-silvery tones as her hair and eyes. She looked like someone from an advertisement, perhaps for a ruinously pricey Scandinavian skincare brand.

Julia wiped her dusty walking shoes on the doormat, surveyed the pristine interior, gave them an additional wipe for good measure, and followed Molly Ardmore in. Two King Charles Spaniels yapped excitedly at their heels. ‘Sorry, they get a bit excited with company,’ she said. ‘Shush, now, George. Maggie.’ She addressed the little dogs, calmly and quietly. Rather surprisingly, they obeyed and sat down at her feet in silence. Julia imagined what success she’d have with Jake in a similar situation. The answer was none, of course.

They sat in the kitchen, which was the approximate size of Julia’s entire house. Light streamed in from enormous windows and imbued the room with a golden glow. It struck Julia that everything about the place was vast, from the hydrangea blooms and the front door, to the enormous iceberg of a centre island with its big bowls of lemons, tomatoes and peppers, to the Aga the size of a small car. She imagined that there must be an equally outsize inheritance somewhere, or the Dubai engineering business was doing massively well.

Jim and Julia sat at the eating area at the end of the island.

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