Mystery at Magpie Lodge: An absolutely gripping cozy mystery novel (An Eve Mallow Mystery Book 7) by Clare Chase

Author:Clare Chase [Chase, Clare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781800199682
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2022-01-05T16:00:00+00:00

22

Back at home, Eve scanned her list of queries and decided to call Poppy Rice. She was still wondering about the box she’d found at Magpie Lodge, and in particular what Emory had intended to do with it. If there was any chance he’d stolen it, she wanted to believe he’d planned to sell it so he could pay Poppy back. If so, there was a chance she might confirm it. Eve doubted Emory would have admitted to thieving, but he might have hinted that his circumstances were about to improve. She dialled the woman’s mobile number.

‘That’s all right,’ Poppy said, when Eve explained she had more questions. ‘I’m over at my workshop, but I can’t concentrate anyway.’

‘Thank you. It’s not strictly in relation to the obituary.’

Eve heard Poppy draw in a long breath. ‘I heard you sometimes help the police with their enquiries. And that you’ve helped suspects prove their innocence before. Ask me anything you’d like.’

She sounded tired and anxious, but keen to talk. That ought to mean she was innocent but Eve didn’t feel she could trust her instincts where Poppy was concerned.

‘I just wondered,’ she hesitated, ‘had Emory given you the impression he might be able to pay you back in full sometime soon?’

Eve could hear the frown in the woman’s voice. ‘No. Why do you ask?’ She didn’t sound annoyed, only puzzled. For once, Eve was pretty sure she’d got an honest reaction.

‘Someone mentioned he might be expecting an influx of cash. They might have been wrong.’ Eve decided a white lie was excusable, under the circumstances.

‘That’s strange. He hadn’t said anything to me, and I think he would have.’ But then she stopped abruptly. ‘Or maybe not.’ She paused as though the thoughts in her head were coalescing. ‘It might depend on how he hoped to acquire the funds.’

She sounded bitter, and Eve’s heart sank. Was Robin right? Maybe Poppy knew Emory wasn’t a hundred per cent honest. It wasn’t how she’d thought his story would go; certainly not how she wanted it to pan out. ‘How do you mean?’

There was a moment’s silence. ‘If it was uncertain, perhaps he didn’t want to raise my expectations.’ But Eve was sure Poppy had sanitised her reply for her benefit.

‘I’d also heard Emory had been asking about long-haul travel destinations. Places in West Africa, southern India and other bits of Asia. And that he’d been finding out about different universities.’

‘That really is odd.’ Poppy’s response was immediate. ‘I mean, I can imagine him wanting to travel, but I don’t see how he’d have got the money. And the universities? No. He was very anti-establishment.’

‘I gather it was places known for their radical ideas, not the more traditional options.’

‘It still doesn’t make sense. He didn’t believe in formal learning. And why do a degree now? I’d say someone’s got that wrong.’

Eve thanked her and rang off. ‘She was pretty unequivocal,’ she said to Gus. ‘And the degree thing always seemed unlikely. As Poppy said, why now? Yet we know he was researching that very topic.

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