MURDER IN STYLE a completely unputdownable cozy mystery by VERONICA HELEY

Author:VERONICA HELEY [HELEY, VERONICA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books cozy mysteries and crime
Published: 2024-09-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Aidan offered Ellie a lift in his car. She’d imagined him in something large and solid, like himself, but he handed her into the battered two-stroke. ‘Apologies. My own car’s in the garage. This is the one my mother uses when she’s shopping locally. She has a “thing” about parking meters, she only has to see one to drive into it . . . but she’s a brilliant surgeon.’

When he got in, the little car sagged. Ellie took a firm grip of the safety belt, and hoped for the best.

He glanced at his watch. ‘Where are we going? I’m on night duty and have to eat first. Otherwise, I’m at your disposal.’

‘Magpie’s office. I’ve got Clemmie’s phone number somewhere. I’ll ring her, see if she’s still there and will let us in. Otherwise, I’m hoping Celine at the shop has got a key. I need to check on something.’ She managed to find the number, phoned and got hold of Clemmie, who said, ‘Yes, I’m still here, but about to leave.’

‘Can you hold on for five minutes and let me in?’

‘Why?’

‘Taxes,’ said Ellie. ‘Cheating on. Possibly a second set of books?’

‘Ah-ha.’ Clemmie clicked off.

‘Taxes?’ said Aidan, negotiating a roundabout at speed. ‘None of those women at The Magpie would. You’re after Ray?’

‘Possibly.’ Ellie used her phone again. ‘Thomas? Yes, I’m on my way back to The Magpie. What did you discover at Harrison’s?’

It sounded as if Thomas were walking home as he took the call. ‘About what we’d been told. They ripped a customer off. She’d run an old banger into the ground, wasn’t sure it was worth repairing, took it to them for an estimate. They said it would cost X. She told them to go ahead, but that if they found it was going to cost more, she wanted them to get her approval before they went ahead and did it. They didn’t ask her approval but went ahead and did the work. The bill was double their estimate. She was furious, especially since the repair only lasted a fortnight. She gave me the name of a friend of hers with a similar story; estimate for X and charge double.’

Ellie said, ‘Uh-huh. Did you buy some cheese?’

‘A couple of . . . well, you know. A bit of this and a bit of that.’

They’d be eating cheese for a week. ‘Is Mikey still with you?’

‘He got a phone call from a friend, went off to play some game or other with him. On the computer. Chess, I think. He said something about a sleepover.’

‘Can you check that Vera knows? Mikey might not remember to ask if he can stay the night away.’ Translation: Mikey tried to get away with murder sometimes. Well, not actual murder, of course. ‘You know what I mean,’ said Ellie.

‘I know what you mean. All right, I’ll phone her.’

‘He went off on his bike, riding on the pavement?’

Thomas laughed, and disconnected. Which meant that yes, Mikey had ridden off on the pavement. Ellie sent up an arrow prayer, Please don’t let Mikey knock anyone over or damage himself.

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