Death Takes A Trip (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 5) (13 page)

Chapter 22

Julia and Cain waited for the inspector to leave and
then they said goodbye to the two women and headed to their next cleaning job.

Julia said,
“
I wish I could stay and keep an eye on Nina. I don
’
t want her to speak to Mildred about the will.
”

“
She
’
s got Doris to keep an eye on her. And those plain-clothes policemen.
She
’
ll be okay.
”

“
I suppose you
’
re right,
”
Julia said, her heart heavy.

But Cain wasn
’
t right. Julia closed the door of a client
’
s apartment a few hours later and said,
“
That
’
s it, we
’
re done for today.
”
Her phone rang, it was Doris.
 

She was hysterical.
“
She
’
s gone! Nina
’
s gone! I nipped out for some shopping and when I came back she
’
d gone!
”

“
Calm down,
Doris, try to breathe. Did you speak to the policemen outside your house?
”

There was a pause as Doris took some deep breaths.
“
Those men are about as useful as chocolate teapots! They said they saw
nothing. Where do you think she
’
s gone?
”

“
My guess is
that she
’
s gone to see
Mildred, to talk about the will.
”

Doris swore.
“
I told her not to do that! I told her Mildred
’
s a murderer! Do you think she
’
s gone to the charity shop?
”

“
I hope so. At
least there
’
s safety in
numbers. There
’
ll be
customers in the shop.
”

Doris swore again. Julia blinked but didn
’
t admonish Doris, she didn
’
t dare. Doris said,
“
The shop closes early today for stocktaking. If Nina
’
s gone there she
’
ll be on her own with Mildred.
”

Julia made a quick decision.
“
I
’
m not far away
from you, I
’
ll pick you up
and we
’
ll go straight
there.
”

Julia passed the phone to Cain and said,
“
Phone DI Clarke and tell him what
’
s going on. Did you hear everything Doris said to me?
”

Cain winced.
“
I certainly did. She knows some colourful words, doesn
’
t she?
”

Julia ran to her car with Cain at her heels. Cain made
the phone call as they drove to Doris
’
house. Doris
was waiting for them at the kerb, a look of grim determination on her face.
Cain jumped out of the passenger seat and held the door open for Doris. He
said,
“
I
’
ll sit in the back.
”

Doris nodded and climbed into the car. She looked at
Julia and said,
“
Step on it. If
that miserable cow has hurt my friend I
’
m going to wring her neck.
”

Julia drove as fast as she could get away with. She
noticed that two cars followed her and assumed they were being driven by the
plain-clothes policemen. She frowned. They were very quick to follow her, she
wished they
’
d shown the
same initiative when keeping an eye on Nina. How had Nina got past them? She
was a striking-looking woman.

Doris rubbed her round stomach and said,
“
I
’
ve got a funny
feeling that something terrible has happened, I can feel it in my tummy. Can
you drive any faster?
”

Julia put her foot down. A few minutes later she
skidded to a halt on the road that led to the charity shop. She couldn
’
t go any further because the road ahead was blocked by two police cars
and an ambulance.

“
No!
”
Doris
screamed. She opened the door and headed down the road as fast as her old legs
would allow. Julia and Cain were at her side in a second. Doris waved her arms
and cried out,
“
Nina! It
’
s Nina! She
’
s dead!
”

Julia put her arm through Doris
’
and said,
“
Slow down, you
’
re going to do yourself an injury.
”

Doris shoved her to one side.
“
Let me at her! Let me get my hands on that murdering scumbag!
”

DI Clarke stepped out of the shop. He blanched at the
sight of the approaching threesome. He held his hands up and shouted,
“
Stop right there! No one is going in.
”

Doris leapt at him, her fists pounding on his chest.
“
Let me in! Where
’
s Nina? Where
’
s that Mildred!
”

DI Clarke caught hold of Doris
’
flailing hands
and said calmly,
“
You need to
calm down. Ms Sapphire has been injured but she
’
s okay. The paramedics are placing her on a stretcher. She
’
s in shock, but she
’
s okay.
”

Julia said,
“
What happened?
”

“
We haven
’
t got the full story yet but it appears that Ms Sapphire came here to
see Ms Hepplethwaite. I presume she wanted to talk about the will. We got an
emergency call from Ms Sapphire a few minutes ago, she was calling from this
shop. I was already on my way following the call from Mr Andrews here. Ms
Sapphire was calling from the bottom of the cellar steps, she was lucky to get
a signal down there.
”

Julia
’
s brow creased.
“
Why was she at the bottom of the steps.
”

“
She claims
that Ms Hepplethwaite pushed her.
”
He looked down at Doris and said,
“
Can I release you now? Can you keep your arms to yourself?
”

“
I
’
m not sure,
”
Doris muttered through clenched teeth.
“
Where
’
s Mildred now?
”

As if on cue, Mildred was led out of the charity shop,
a policeman at her side. She was wearing handcuffs. She kept her head low as
she walked past everyone and towards a waiting police car.

DI Clarke kept hold of Doris
’
arms as she
tried to struggle free. He turned his head as Doris let out a string of
expletives.

He pulled Doris to one side as a paramedic came out of
the shop. He was holding the front end of a stretcher. They watched in silence
as Nina was carried towards the ambulance. She was wearing a mask, her eyes
were closed.

Doris said,
“
I thought you said she was okay! She doesn
’
t look okay.
”

“
She fainted
when the paramedics arrived, presumably from the shock. Please, try not to
worry. She will be okay. She
’
s going to be taken care of.
”

Doris collapsed into the inspector
’
s arms and began to cry. To his credit, he didn
’
t push her away. Julia was surprised to see him put an arm around Doris
and pat her on the back. He was human after all.

“
Can we go with
Nina to the hospital?
”
Julia asked.

The inspector shook his head.
“
Leave her for a while. I
’
ll phone you when you
’
re allowed to visit. I need to speak to Ms Sapphire too.
”

Doris looked up at him and said,
“
Don
’
t you be
badgering her, you
’
ve done enough
damage already. You were supposed to be protecting her.
”

A flicker of guilt crossed the inspector
’
s face.
“
I know. Would
you like a lift home in my car? You can sit in the front.
”

Doris sniffed.
“
Can I put the siren on?
”

“
No. But you
can put the radio on.
”

Doris looked over at Julia and said,
“
I
’
m going in his
car. Yours is too small, and it smells funny. No offence.
”

“
None taken,
”
Julia said.
They watched DI Clarke walk towards his car, Doris had her hand on his elbow.
Julia felt a pang of sympathy for the inspector.

“
What shall we
do now?
”
Cain asked.

Julia looked towards the charity shop as several
policemen entered.
“
There
’
s nothing we can do but wait. We have to talk to Nina, find out what
really happened.
”

Cain sighed.
“
I
’
m glad she
seems okay, I thought she was going to be dead. I can get the bus home, the
stop is over there.
”

“
Nonsense. I
’
m going to Mum
’
s for tea. You are more than welcome. She always makes too much.
”

Cain
’
s face lit up.
“
Will your dad be there?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Then count me
in.
”
He grinned, and then added,
“
Thank you.
”

Chapter 23

Cain had just finished his third helping of dessert
when Julia received a call from DI Clarke. She finished the call and said to
Cain,
“
We can go and
see Nina now. She
’
s been asking
for us.
”

Dad said,
“
It
’
s a bit late, isn
’
t it?
”

“
It
’
s only eight. We probably won
’
t be able to stay long. Cain, do you want to come with me?
”

“
Yes, of
course.
”
He stood up and said thank you to Julia
’
s mum and dad for tea.

Julia
’
s mum beamed at him.
“
You are more than welcome, Cain. It
’
s nice to receive a thank you for all the hard work I
’
ve done.
”

Dad wrinkled his nose.
“
Didn
’
t this food
come out of the freezer? Wasn
’
t it all pre-made?
”

“
Indeed it did.
But who do you think took it out of the freezer and put it in the oven?
”
Mum asked.

Julia decided to take that moment to leave. She kissed
her parents and said an extra loud thank you to Mum. Mum pretended to swipe her
with a tea towel.
“
Off you go
before I make you wash up.
”

Julia and Cain arrived at the hospital a short while
later. Julia
’
s heart sank
as she realised that the last time she
’
d been here Douglas had been at her side. She forced the sad feeling
away and pasted a smile on her face. She wouldn
’
t be any help to Nina looking so miserable.

They were directed to the same ward as before. There
were only two visitors at the side of Nina
’
s bed - DI Clarke and Doris. Julia
’
s breath caught as she walked closer. Nina seemed to have shrunk into
the bed, her face was nearly as white as the pillow case. Even her black hair
appeared paler.

Nina spotted her and held out a shaking hand. She
croaked,
“
Julia, Cain,
thank you for coming to see me. Here I am again.
”
She forced a
smile.

DI Clarke stood up and took Julia to one side.
“
Keep an eye on her, will you? We should have kept a closer watch on her.
She should never have gone to that shop on her own.
”

Was it Julia
’
s imagination or did he look guilty?

The inspector turned back to Nina and said,
“
I have to go now. Thank you for giving me a statement.
”

“
That
’
s okay. I hope I haven
’
t got Mildred into trouble. I
’
m sure she didn
’
t mean it.
”

Julia heard Doris tut from her sitting position.

The inspector lifted a hand in farewell and actually
smiled at Nina.

Julia took the seat that DI Clarke had vacated. Nina
’
s hand was still outstretched. Julia took it and was shocked to find it
was so cold. Cain sat at the other side of the bed.

In a surprisingly gentle voice, Doris said,
“
Nina, do you want me to tell Julia what happened? You look like you
’
re at death
’
s door. No
offence.
”

Nina gave a small nod.

Doris turned to Julia and said,
“
Despite me trying to convince her otherwise, Nina decided to pay Mildred
a visit. She got past those pathetic policemen outside by wearing a disguise.
She wore some of my clothes, including a headscarf. Didn
’
t those policemen register that I, the real me, had just popped out to
the shops? They should have been suspicious about seeing me, I mean Nina, again
so soon.
”

Cain leant forward and said,
“
Perhaps they thought all old women look the same.
”
He hesitated
then added,
“
No offence.
”

“
None taken,
lad. Well, Nina went into the charity shop just as Mildred was getting ready to
close it. I
’
m telling you
Nina
’
s side of the
story, bear this in mind. Nina said Mildred wasn
’
t pleased to see her and tried to close the door in her face. Nina
shouted out that she wanted to talk about the will. Mildred flung the door back
and gave Nina a piece of her mind.
”
Doris shook her
head.
“
I
’
d like to give that Mildred a piece of my mind! Mildred called Nina a
few names, Nina won
’
t tell me
exactly what she said, she
’
s too much of a lady. Mildred calmed down when Nina said she wanted to
sign over Douglas
’
property to Mildred. She calmed down even more when Nina said she was
sure it was what Douglas would've wanted.
”

Nina said quietly,
“
I could tell how much Mildred loved him.
”

“
It was a weird
sort of love,
”
Doris said.
“
Apparently,
Mildred started acting all friendly with Nina then. She said she was very busy
in the shop and would love a hand if Nina could spare the time.
”

“
I don
’
t like where this is going,
”
Julia said.

“
No. Anybody
else would have told her where to go, but not Nina. She asked how she could
help. Mildred said there was some stock down in the cellar and could Nina nip
down and get it for her.
”

Cain gasped.
“
The sneaky thing!
”

Doris went on,
“
Nina remembers opening the cellar door and reaching for the light. She
felt someone push her and down she went. All the way down to the bottom of the
cellar. The door was closed behind her, leaving her in darkness. Nina had just
enough strength to phone the police.
”

Nina added,
“
I can
’
t remember
anything after that. Until I woke up here again.
”
A sob caught
in her throat.
“
When I first
woke up I thought I was here after my first fall and I thought that
…
Douglas was on
his way to see me.
”

Julia felt her eyes stinging. She moved closer to Nina
and hugged the frail woman. Nina sniffed and said,
“
I
’
m such a
nuisance. I
’
ve got a habit
of falling down stairs.
”

Julia released her.
“
That
’
s hardly your
fault.
”

Nina shook her head.
“
I
’
m sure Mildred
didn
’
t mean it, she
must have been a bit angry.
”

“
She did mean
it!
”
Doris spat out.
“
She meant to kill you, like she killed Douglas. You
’
re lucky you didn
’
t break anything.
”

“
Where
’
s Mildred now?
”
Nina asked.

“
She
’
s been arrested,
”
Julia said.

“
For pushing me
down the stairs?
”

Julia waited for a moment and then said,
“
Yes, for that. But I think she
’
s been arrested for killing Douglas too.
”

Nina withdrew her hand. Her chin wobbled.
“
I think I
’
d like to be
alone now. Thank you for coming to see me.
”

Doris gave Julia a curt nod and said,
“
Come on, she needs her rest. Bye, Nina, love. We
’
ll come back to see you tomorrow.
”

Nina didn
’
t reply. She closed her eyes.

Julia and Cain said goodbye too and then walked out of
the hospital with Doris. Doris said,
“
That poor woman. What has she done to deserve this? She was starting to
feel stronger after Douglas
’
death but now
…
I
’
m not sure she
’
s going to get over this.
”

“
Is there
anything we can do?
”

Doris nodded.
“
Talk to your inspector friend, find out if Mildred has been charged with
murder. If she has then at least Nina can put that behind her. Nina needs
company. I
’
ll get in
touch with everyone and make sure they visit her.
”
Doris sighed
and Julia realised how tired she looked.

Julia said,
“
Would you like a lift home in my small and smelly car?
”

“
I thought you
’
d never ask.
”

After Julia dropped Doris and Cain off at their
respective homes she headed for her own home. She was surprised to find DI
Clarke waiting for her at the front door. She was even more surprised to hear
what he said.

“
Mildred
Hepplethwaite wants me to visit her?
”
Julia asked.
“
Why?
”

DI Clarke shrugged.
“
That
’
s for you to
find out. Maybe she wants to make a full confession. She
’
s denying that she had anything to do with Douglas
’
death or Ms
Sapphire falling down the stairs.
”
He coughed and continued.
“
To be honest, you
’
d be doing me a favour. She won
’
t speak to me until she
’
s spoken to you. Can you call by the station tomorrow?
”

“
Of course,
”
Julia replied.

The inspector strode away without saying another word.
Julia called after him,
“
You are more than welcome!
”
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him drive away. Was
that a smile on his face?

Julia let herself into her house.

What on earth did Mildred want to say to her?