The Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries 1-3 (7 page)

I had no sooner put away my purchases from Penzance when I
heard the honk of a car horn and slamming doors.  I reached the side door just
as Noelle pounded up the steps.  We looked each other over for ten seconds then
hugged for a long time.

"Why don't the two of you get a room,” a gravelly voice
recommended.

“Paz, shut your cake hole,” Noelle instructed.

I was wondering what a “cake hole” was when Noelle’s friend
reached the steps.  She was a tiny thing, maybe size four dripping wet.  Her
raspberry highlighted dark brown hair was cut into a moppish style. 

“Paisley Price, Paz if you know what’s good for ya.”

“Cin, call me Cin.” I winced at the strength of her
handshake.  “Come on in, you two must be tired.”

“Where’s the landlady?” Paz asked as she strode confidently
around the kitchen.

“In the hospital.”

“Whatcha do,” accused Noelle.

“I didn’t do anything.  Angie was shot off her tractor last
night and I rescued her.”

“Really?”

“Yes really, honestly, Noelle.”

“Just checking.  You might have picked up some of old Alex’s
bad habits.  Remember the house fire.”

“I knew it!” I had always suspected Alex had something to do
with that fire.

Paz hopped up on the kitchen counter.  Swinging her legs she
looked exactly twelve years old.  “Where’s the eats?”

“The pantry and refrigerator are stocked.  Just look
around.  Do you know how to operate that monstrosity?” I asked pointing at the
aga.

“That can’t be a wood burner?” Paz hopped down and checked
out the stove.  “It is,” she said in awe.

“I spy a microwave in the corner.”  Noelle already had some
frozen dinners in her hand and proceeded to zap us up some lunch.  “Okay you
two, empty the car.”

“Yes, Mom,” I kidded her as I passed. Noelle was always very
responsible.  In the past sometimes our roles reversed.

Paz and I emptied the contents of the car into the hallway. 
We would wait until after we ate to lug them upstairs.

The three of us sat around the big butcher-block table. 
Noelle had added some canned peaches to our meal.  Paz found some ale and
offered it around.  I decide to detox and drink water for a while. 

“How was the drive?” I asked the girls.

“Pretty uneventful.  St. Ives was great, very artsy.  The
surfers are already out in that cold water.”

Paz nodded her head.  “Wouldn’t catch me out there, brrrrr. 
Those lads got no sense, none at all.”

“Plus they were so far out there you couldn’t tell if they
were worth hanging around to see when they came in.”

“Damn inconvenient,” Paz said as she picked up a peach half
with her fingers and swallowed it whole.

“So Mom, fill us in on what went on last night.”

I told them all that had happened, carefully editing out the
whisky part, the falling over the hedgerow part and the waking up in my
raincoat part.

“Plowed up their yard?” Noelle was aghast.

I nodded my head and stuffed more food into my mouth so I didn’t
have to comment further.

“The Chief Superintendent found a bullet?”

“Yes, he did, wait, no, he found the casing.  Can you
imagine with all the dirt out there he found one of the casings of the bullets
that were fired.”

“So someone is trying to kill our hostess.  Why?” Paz said enunciating
through a full mouth of food.

“I don’t know yet.  Here’s what I know so far:  One, Bobby
Bathgate is pushed down a two-story escalator.  Two, Angie returns from running
an errand early and finds the music school afire, which she promptly puts out. 
She investigates the fire and is assaulted.  Hit on the head, knocked
unconscious.  Three, this priest I met on the airplane told me that...”

“Whoa, what priest,” Noelle interrupted.

“I will get to that later.  This Father Michael told me he
thinks his Uncle Donald disappeared during or after a visit here, right after
World War II ended.  Four, I am followed around Gatwick airport by some old
hood. Five, Angie is attacked again.”

“I think you’re more trouble than Alex,” Noelle stated.

Ignoring her I continued, “The question is: why now?”

“Ya mean why is all this happening now?  If this missing
Donald bloke is tied into this, then why now and not then.” Paz was quick.

“Well, you were asked here to sort through the music and
instruments,” Noelle confirmed.

“Basically, yes.  But then on the bus from Plymouth I hear
about this hotshot detective Bobby Bathgate hired to solve the mystery of the
assault and fire.”

“Come on, hotshot?”  Noelle shot me a look with those sharp
green eyes of hers.

“That’s why the tail at the airport,” Paz said simply.

“So you see the situation took a major turn toward the
dangerous side last night.  I would understand if the two of you wanted to get
out of here.”

“Leave my mother to a murderer?  Really, sometimes, Mom.”

“Sounds like a challenge to me.”  Paz stood up.  “We need to
get into that music school.  Sort things out.”

“I promised Angie we would wait for her.  She’ll be here
this evening.”  A roar outside stopped our conversation as Billy drove into the
yard with the tractor.

“What’s this?”  Paz head was already out the door.

“Lemme see.”  Noelle jumped up and down looking over her.

“Girls, why don’t you just go outside.”

“He’s gorgeous.”

“If you like farm boys,” my sophisticated daughter yawned.

“Want to meet him?”

“Yes!” they said in unison.

I brushed past them.  As I walked, I could sense they were
following me, like a couple of baby ducks.  I waited until Billy had turned off
the tractor and hopped down.

“Billy.”

“Ms. Fin-Lathen, ready for your tractor lesson?” he smiled.  He
looked around me.  “You got yerself some shadows.”

“Ah, let me introduce you to Noelle Lathen, my daughter, and
Paisley Price, her friend.”  I stepped aside and the girls stood their ground
despite their weak knees.

“Hi,” Noelle said shyly.

“Hey, Billy,” Paz said stepping in front of Noelle.

“Ladies.”

“He called us ‘Ladies,’ Noelle.”

“Obviously he doesn’t know you.”

“Hey.”

“Billy, would you like something cold to drink?” I asked trying
to head off the catfight.

“Na, thank ye just the same. I have to head back.” Billy
smiled and started walking.

“Ya want a lift,” Paz asked.

“Na, it’s quicker to walk.  See you later.”

“Bye,” Noelle said actually batting her eyelashes.  I never
remembered her doing that before.  Paz’s eyes narrowed.  They both stood and watched
Billy walk away.  I had to admit all those muscles topped by a rich mane of
brown hair was pleasant to watch.  But I feared they were more enamored with
how his jeans fit.

“You girls have no shame,” I said and went back into the
house.

We spent the next half hour lugging their luggage up the
stairs.  For the time being Noelle hung on to the computer equipment.  We would
wait until Angie came back and showed us the music school before we set the
equipment up.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, digging through her purse. 
“Phone cards!”  Noelle held out a stack of cards which I had asked her to buy. 
In England you can find such good deals on long distance phone calls to the
states, so I had asked her to load up on them.  I knew I would want to make
some calls home and not have my hostess bear the brunt of the expense.

“Wonderful, what do I owe you?”

She handed me the bill.  Not too bad.

“Come down to my room.  My purse is there and...” I raised
my eyebrows.

“Presents?” Noelle said hopefully.

“Yes and a special surprise.” I saw Paisley’s face fall.  “Did
you think I forgot you?” She nodded.  “Nope, come on, peapod, I brought you a
present too.”

“Peapod?” Paisley questioned.

“Don’t mind Mom, she gives us weird nicknames.  My childhood
was very confusing: I thought my name was booger or button.  It was very
difficult in kindergarten.”

“Peapod Price sounds less sixties than Paisley.  I dunno
what me mum had in mind.”

“Come on, girls, presents await!” I said as I entered the
fairyland of the stairwell. 

“All that’s missing is a ginger cat sitting in that window,”
Noelle observed as we continued downward.

“Funny thing about this farm, I haven’t seen a dog or a cat.
Paz, they do have them in Cornwall don’t they?”

“Cats, dogs, rats, sheep, cows, you name the beast and they
be mucking around.  I noticed there isn’t any birdsong.  No cheeps and squeaks. 
Another mystery I’d say.”

We had reached my room, and the girls both climbed up on the
bed.  Noelle had to help Paisley up.  They sat there like two porcelain dolls.  Legs
out in front of them, arms outreached.  Noelle’s cheeks had a faint blush to
them and Paz was so pale that her long dark lashes looked almost like an
assault on her face.

I reached into the closet where I had stashed the goodies
and pulled out a square box, handing it to Paz.  She ripped it open and drooled
over the CDs Noelle mentioned that weren’t readily available in the UK.  I had
added Alex’s band CD to the top of the stack.  My son was just starting out his
music career.  I wasn’t too sure this was a permanent thing, but I would be
supportive as long as he didn’t quit college.

“Thanks, Ms. Fin-Lathen.  Lord that is too long.”

“Cin,” I suggested.

“Cin,” she nodded.

“Ahem!” Noelle’s fingers did a give-me give-me.

I handed her the clothes I bought and waited till she sorted
through them.  I noticed she was thinner than when she left home, but with a
couple adjustments they would fit fine.

We sat amongst the clutter in my room, and I told them about
my flight and the bus ride over.  The girls shared their recent experiences
with me.  There was plenty of girl talk to pass the afternoon.  I looked at the
clock on the bedside table and excused myself because I wanted to try and catch
Alex on the phone.  I had left a brief message when I had arrived at the
airport, but I said I was going to wait until Noelle brought the phone cards to
sit down and have an in-depth conversation.  I left the girls in my room and
headed downstairs to use the phone.

The moment I heard Alex’s voice I felt balanced.  We talked
about my trip over the pond.

“So any murders, mysteries, walled-in virgins or the like?”
Alex teased.

“Actually...” I started.

“I knew it.  Sounded too easy, a nice free trip to
Cornwall,” he groaned.

“Well, I’m supposed to be working here.”

“Spill it.”

I told him about the priest on the plane.  I didn’t tell him
about the man at the airport.  After all, he could have been a figment of my
overactive imagination.  I told him about Angie’s assault last night and my
tractor driving.

“I don’t like you being there by yourself.”

“Noelle and Paisley are here.”

“There’s no telling what can happen to you girls out there.”
 Alex was very concerned.

“I don’t know what to do.  The Comstocks are just over the
hill and they have a very beefy son that Noelle and Paz are enamored with. 
Plus the Chief Superintendent seems very competent.”

“But a gun, Mom.  Angie was shot at.  I want you to get out
of there if there is any other sign of trouble.  You don’t owe these people
anything.  I want you to be safe.  I hate to say it, but I sure wish I was over
there.”

“No, you don’t.  Not really.  I seem to recall you being
over the moon at the prospect of spending this summer house-sitting with your
girlfriend.”  Part of me wanted him to tell me to go home, but the other part
of me wanted to unravel this mystery.  “Alex, they think I’m this hotshot
investigator here.”

“And you want them to continue to think that, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Well, maybe I can help you out on this end.  My friend
Slater’s dad is a cop in Orlando but he’s got connections all over the place.”

“Slater’s dad a policeman?” I questioned, considering Slater
never did anything by the rules according to Alex.  “Oh, and give my conductor
a call, name’s Sanders, in the Rolodex, and ask him if he remembers anything
about a Donald Williams.  He was last in the United States about 1939. 
Composer of some fame I think.”

“Okay.  I’m on it.”

“Before you go...How’s my car?”

“Hey, you’re getting better.  I expected that to be the
first topic you’d bring up.”

“Well?”  I was picturing my beautiful BMW convertible scared
and alone without me.

“The car is fine.  You said to drive it once a week, so...”

“Start it once a week,” I interrupted.

Alex sighed.  “You can trust me.  Oh, and Ma, being serious
for a minute...Please promise to do everything possible to stay out of harm’s
way.”

“Promise.”

“Okay, now let me talk to smelly Noelly.”

I called up the stairs and Noelle came running.  She and her
brother have this unusual rapport on the phone.

“So why did you call?” she started.  “No, I wanted a large
pizza with...Hi, Alex!”

I left them to their conversation and walked into the
kitchen and started the water to boil for some tea.  Noelle hung up after she
got the same third degree and request for a promise to avoid any dangerous
situation. 

“What a worry wart,” she said as she came in the door.

“It’s nice to know he cares though.”

“We are doing the right thing by staying?”

“I hope so.  Besides with the three of us plus Angie - wait
till you meet her - I think we could actually end up alive.”  I sounded
convincing.  I think I was trying to convince myself at the same time.

Paz thundered down the steps.  “Hullo, I hear a car
outside.” 

I walked to the side door, and sure enough Billy had driven
up and was helping Angie out of the car.  I was all but trampled as the girls
jockeyed for position to be of help to Billy.  He smiled at his fan club and
drove off.

We waited until Angie was seated comfortably in the living
room before the introductions where made.  Paz was poking around at Angie’s
bandaged head.

“Go away child. Stop fussing.”  Angie waved her away with
her hand.  “Just because a person’s old, you’d think I was made of porcelain or
something.”

“But you were shot in the head,” I reminded her.

“Very near.”

“Miss Bathgate,” Noelle started, “Do you have any idea why
all this is happening to you and your brother?”

“I have been walking in circles in my head thinking.”  She
sighed.  “No.  But I’m sure it has something to do with the music school.”

“Bobby mentioned your father left him the contents of the
school when he died.  How long ago was that?”

“Twenty years ago last October.”

“You would think if there was anything valuable that you
would have had trouble back then.”  I paused.  “Why now?”

“I don’t know.  Bobby has been here at least two times since
then.  He picked up some brass arrangements of Father’s and an instrument or
two.”

“Miss Bathgate...”

“Noelle, call me Angie, you too Pa...”

“Peapod, no I mean Paisley,” I bobbled.

“Paz is fine.  Peapod indeed.”

“You are a tiny thing, like a pea in a pod I can see it.”

“Ugh, not you too.  Stop laughing Noelle, aka booger,” Paz
shot at Noelle.  Noelle didn’t stop laughing and Paisley threw up her hands.

“Angie, why was it so urgent that Bobby fly in now?” Noelle
sobered up enough to ask.

“I was gonna sell the place.  I never had much luck farming
here, and the winters have been too cold for my bones.”

“Did you have any offers?”

“Two estate agents have already approached me.  The first
one was a local chap from St. Ives.  He said he would put out feelers to see if
the market was right.  Then I get this call from a high-strung woman from
London.  Wanted me to sell it with all the contents.  The offer was high.  I
told her I intended on keeping some of the furnishings, and my brother would
have to go through the music school first, and then we would let her know.”

“This was before the fire?”

“Yes, a week or two before.  I have her card around here
somewhere.  A shame though; I really wanted the farm to go to someone who would
be farming it.”

“There are a lot of cattle and sheep around here,” Paz
noted. “Maybe...”

“Funny thing about this property, Paz dear.  I can’t keep an
animal on it.  They just run away as soon as my back is turned.  I remember as
a child we had cats, dogs and a goat.  We were just here in the summer, but
they all showed up when we settled in.”

“So it’s not the fairies keeping the animals away?” Paz
teased.

“They wouldn’t be called fairies here.”

Noelle stood up.  “Okay, now that was a chill.  Paz shut up
about your fairies.”  She looked over at me.  “And if you bring up spirits I am
going back to Exeter.”

I held up my hands innocently.  “Let’s get back to
Bathgate.  There must be something here someone wants.  They want it so badly
that they would buy the whole farm.  They want it so badly that they almost
killed for it.”  I took a deep breath.  “The school is in the center of this. 
I only hope we can figure out what it is before something else happens.”

“It’s nigh on four, my dears.  I am famished.  Paz, my dear,
would you and Noelle go around back and bring in some wood.  I’m in the mood
for scones.  Cin, I am going to show you how to light the stove.”

“Why the wood stove when you have all the other new appliances?”

“Out here we lose the electric from time to time.  I never
liked eating cold food so I kept the wood stove.”  Angie got up and walked me
into the kitchen.  “Oh, bring us a bottle of whisky.  My head’s hurting a
bit.”  I returned with a bottle from the sideboard.  Angie already had the
teacups out, and I poured us a measure before the girls trudged in with the
wood.

Noelle insisted on Angie calling out directions to her as
she made the scones.  My daughter has always been the adventurous cook of the
family.  When she craved something she found a recipe on the Internet or even
went as far as the bookstore to find a recipe to make the thing she craved.  Oh
we had some non-eatables along the way - beet borsht comes to mind - but the
majority were wonderfully delicious creations, even if they didn’t look
anything like the picture in the book.

Angie and I left the girls to the baking and settled into a
couple of chairs.  We were on our second cup of whisky when the room became
filled with wonderful smells.  I got up and walked into the kitchen just in
time to see Noelle pull hot scones from the oven.  Hey, they even looked like
scones.  Angie pushed another cup of tea at me with a wink.  I was going to
need that cup because I had decided we were going to stay.

The evening was uneventful.  The girls excused themselves
and ran upstairs.  Angie and I talked for a bit, and then I tucked her into bed
early.  She put on a brave front but I could tell she was hurting.  We left the
music school for the next day.  I climbed into bed feeling safe.  I was tired
but not tired enough to not notice the music playing as I fell asleep.