Murder in the Hot Air Balloon (The Wootton Windmill Mysteries Book 4) by Izzie Harper

Author:Izzie Harper [Harper, Izzie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farthingloe Publishing
Published: 2023-11-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Warm, woody air hit Ellie as she entered the bar of the Windmill Inn to meet the family for lunch. Pop hits tinkled away. Zoe had texted her to say they were sitting in an alcove to the right of the fire.

The place was heaving. Not one empty table in sight, and two-deep at the bar from one end to the other. People were ordering food and drinks, hanging up coats and scarves, collecting crisps, cutlery and condiments. The smells wafting around were making her mouth water.

Ellie felt a stab of sadness that Owen wasn’t in the kitchen, cooking his mouth-watering roasts. She remembered how, once all the meals were cooked, he’d often sit at the end of the bar, chef’s jacket unbuttoned, having a drink. Customers liked seeing the man whose hands and expertise had prepared their meal, and they’d often chat to him and offer him a drink.

She joined her group, sinking onto the empty seat next to Sylvia and opposite Zoe and Finn.

‘You just missed John,’ Zoe told her mum. ‘He came out of the kitchen to grab a couple of lemons from behind the bar. He’s cooking temporarily and George is helping him.’

‘I can’t help noticing that one person has got what they wanted as a result of Owen going missing then.’ Sylvia raised her eyebrows suggestively.

‘That’s true, sadly, isn’t it?’ replied Ellie.

Zoe – who was always hungry – had her food face on. ‘Right. They’ve got roasts with all the trimmings. Pork, beef, chicken, lamb. On the specials board they’ve got several new game dishes, rabbit and venison sausages, and pan-fried sea bass.’

Ellie remembered the board she’d seen outside the pub the day before. ‘I don’t remember Owen doing this much game.’

‘Apparently, they’ve got a new supplier. From John’s old pub.’

Throughout their meal, Finn’s phone was beeping continuously with notifications. ‘Bingo,’ he said. ‘We’ve got someone else who saw the balloon just after it took off.’

‘That’s fantastic,’ said Ellie. ‘What do they say?’

‘He was out running with his dog. Only saw the balloon for a short period of time and saw three people in the basket.’

‘That’s a result,’ said Ellie.

‘What do you want me to say?’ he asked Ellie.

‘Nothing for the moment, but can you screenshot his profile? Given a man’s gone missing on his way to the hot air balloon ride, I would prefer to ask this runner face to face what he saw. We’re probably going to need him as a witness.’

In the absence of Owen, it seemed to be all hands on deck at the Windmill Inn. Gail and Trudy were helping in the kitchen with the Sunday lunch rush, bringing out steaming plates of food from the kitchen and collecting up empty dishes.

At that moment, the main door opened and Dave appeared.

‘Hey up,’ said Zoe. ‘Dad incoming.’

He was wearing a suit and tie, his expression serious.

‘Think it’s safe to assume he’s not going to be joining us for lunch,’ said Ellie.

He headed straight for the end of the bar, spoke briefly to a barmaid and then disappeared into the kitchen.

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