One Christmas Pickle: A Mulbury Mystery novella by Juno Harvey

Author:Juno Harvey [Harvey, Juno]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mandurang South

Eight

Jasper Lu twisted his hair back into its bun as, through his shop window, he watched Rosemary Exeter walk back across the road to The Preserved Mulbury. She had a sunflowery dress on that caught on her legs as she went, and her long braid hung neatly over her shoulder. He sighed, and let his hands drop to his side. She looked so contained. He wished she was more in need of company. My company, he thought, with an embarrassed laugh to himself.

The Read Mulbury had been empty for an hour as the remaining tourists lunched on Rakisha’s vegan sushi, Kelly’s sandwiches or Franco’s pies. Jasper knew it wouldn’t be long before they got sick of the heat and wandered over to the shops under the veranda to seek a cooler space until they boarded their bus or climbed into their air-conditioned cars to head home. The bookstore was wedged effectively between Rosemary’s shop and Patricia’s and evaded most of the heat. Perhaps it was the extra lining from the rows and piles and boxes of books that took up every spare centimetre.

Jasper sat back again behind his shop counter and picked up the book he’d been reading until he’d glimpsed Rosemary. He read two paragraphs and put it down. Something was making it difficult to concentrate, and it wasn’t entirely the spectacle of Rosemary through the window. It was more that he had a notion that Rosemary was up to something. She’d gone past his shop as he’d been serving customers earlier in the morning with a bag he knew she’d taken to Patti, as he’d heard the door squeal next door. Perhaps the bag was full of old aprons rather than anything suspicious? He really wouldn’t know. ‘Rosemary Exeter is harder to read than a Patrick White novel,’ he said into the silence of the shop.

From his position upside down on the couch in Jasper’s living area, Snowy gave a little yip as if in agreement.

The door to The Read Mulbury sighed heavily as someone pushed it open. ‘Oh, it’s so much better in here. The inside of our truck is hot enough to fry an egg.’

‘Quite a scorcher, isn’t it?’ said Jasper as Dennis came to stand under the ceiling fan.

‘You can say that again.’ Dennis plucked his shirt away from his chest. ‘Thanks for this. I’ll get it washed and sent back to you.’

‘That’s fine. You can keep it if you like. It was an old one I had so I don’t need it back.’

Dennis stepped up to the counter and placed a long brown package on it. ‘That’s generous of you. Maybe next time I’m passing through I’ll return it. It’ll be Christmas again before we know it, and we won’t have Ivan to play Santa.’ He tapped the parcel. ‘Talking about Santas, this was hanging on your door handle.’

Jasper picked up the flat square package. It was wrapped in the pages of an old comic and tied off with a gold bow. ‘What is it?’

‘No idea.

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