A Body in Seaview Grange by Dee MacDonald (jenna bush book club TXT) 📗

‘Tell me,’ Kate said. ‘Are you a nervous sort of a person, Miss Potter?’

‘Oh, call me Daisy, dear.’

Violet, who was now slowly approaching with a wobbly tray of tea and biscuits, said, ‘Yes, Daisy is a little nervous at times, aren’t you, Daisy dear?’

Daisy nodded sadly. ‘I’ve always had a delicate tummy.’

‘Perhaps Miss Martinelli’s death has affected you?’ Kate suggested.

‘Oh, it has,’ Daisy agreed. ‘That someone died so suddenly like – someone who lived right above us…’ She shuddered. The pug had finally shut up, stretched out on the chair and fallen asleep.

‘And she’d been in there, like that, for two days, wasn’t she, Daisy?’ Violet put in. ‘I’m relieved she died in hospital and not in there. Sharon said there was a terrible smell—’

‘Oh, don’t talk about it, Violet,’ said Daisy clutching her stomach.

‘It wouldn’t stop us moving up there though, would it, Daisy?’

‘No, it wouldn’t.’ Daisy turned to Kate. ‘That’s the flat we wanted, you see. Upstairs, and on the front. But Edina beat us to it.’

‘We were very upset at the time, weren’t we, Daisy?’ Violet sniffed. ‘We did ask Edina if she’d be prepared to swap, but she wasn’t having any of it.’

‘No, she wasn’t,’ Daisy confirmed. ‘But we didn’t hold it against her.’

‘Not really,’ said Violet. She didn’t look altogether certain. ‘But we had a lovely policewoman come round yesterday, didn’t we, Daisy? Asking us all these questions, like on the telly.’

‘Did you?’ They hadn’t wasted any time, Kate thought. ‘Did they interview everyone?’

‘Oh yes, I believe so,’ said Daisy. ‘But she was such a nice lady. We made her a cup of tea. And offered her a biscuit.’

‘And we told her that we didn’t mind Edina’s singing too much, not like some of the others.’ Violet sniffed. ‘Live and let live, we say.’

‘That’s what we always say,’ confirmed Daisy.

Kate sipped her cup of tea. ‘What sort of things were they asking you?’ she enquired as innocently as she could.

‘Oh, they were asking some strange questions, weren’t they, Daisy?’

‘Really? Like what?’

‘They asked if she ever got depressed and we said no, never. Well, not that we know anyway.’

‘Well, that’s very interesting. What else did they ask?’

‘Well, I seem to remember they did ask if we knew of anyone who she might have upset recently,’ Violet said. ‘But we couldn’t think of a soul, could we, Daisy?’

‘No, not a soul,’ said Daisy.

‘Well, now you need something to settle that tummy of yours, Miss Po—, Daisy.’ Kate wrote out a prescription. ‘Are you able to get to the chemist’s?’

‘Oh, Cornelius will fetch it for us,’ said Violet.

‘Cornelius is very kind,’ Daisy confirmed.

‘He goes for long walks, you see. He says it’s to counteract sitting at his computer for most of the day. He writes books, you know,’ Violet said.

‘I’ve met Mr Crow a couple of times,’ Kate said, remembering the tall, creepy-looking man.

‘Oh yes, Cornelius lives directly above us, doesn’t he, Violet?’

Violet nodded assent. ‘Directly above us, between Edina – God rest her soul – and the Reverend. He’s recently had his knee replaced you know.’

‘Yes, I’ve met the Reverend too,’ Kate said.

‘He’s a real gentleman,’ said Daisy. She leaned forward. ‘He was in love with Edina, you know.’

‘That, of course, is just rumour,’ Violet said, ‘but he’s a lovely man. And Cornelius is a lovely man too.’

‘If a little strange,’ added Daisy.

Kate drained her cup. ‘Strange? In what way?’

‘Well,’ said Violet, ‘he looks at you kind of funny sometimes, doesn’t he, Daisy?’

‘Yes, he has a funny look at times.’

‘Probably because he writes all that murder stuff,’ Violet went on. ‘All that nasty killing and things! Must affect you.’

Kate accepted a second cup of tea because she was keen to discover more about these ageing oddball residents. ‘I also met another couple, Gloria and, er, what’s his name, when I was here,’ she prompted.

‘Oh,’ said Daisy, ‘that’ll be the Pratts, Ollie and Gloria. Nice enough, I suppose.’ She sniffed.

‘They won some money,’ Violet said. ‘Was it on the pools, Daisy?’

‘No, dear, I think it might have been some sort of lottery. They were in a little flat somewhere on the estate and then, after their win, up they came here.’

Violet nodded. ‘I don’t want to sound snobbish,’ she said, turning to Kate, ‘but they’re a little bit…’

‘Common,’ Daisy supplied. ‘And all they do from morning to night is eat. They didn’t get into that shape by accident.’

‘Two heart attacks waiting to happen,’ Violet confirmed.

‘Oh dear,’ said Kate, sipping her tea and refusing a Jaffa Cake. ‘And who lives in Flat 1?’

‘That’s dear Hetty,’ replied Violet. ‘Hetty Patterson. Hetty’s a little younger than us, don’t you think, Daisy?’

‘I do believe she’s only eighty-one,’ Daisy confirmed.

‘Respectable lady. Retired schoolteacher. She’s in Bournemouth at the moment tending to her poor sister,’ Violet said, looking sadly out the window. ‘I do believe the sister has some nasty terminal disease, and Hetty takes herself off every few weeks to take care of her. Is the sister’s name Julia, Daisy?’

Daisy thought for a moment. ‘No, I think it might actually be Judith. Anyway, Hetty chose a good time to be away with all this going on.’

‘I think she’s due back after the weekend,’ said Violet, ‘and what a shock she’s going to get! She was a great friend of Edina’s, you know.’

‘And have you two ladies lived here long?’ Kate asked as she laid down her cup and began to pack away her things.

‘Oh, ever since the house was converted into flats,’ Violet replied, ‘and that must be five years or so now, isn’t it, Daisy?’

‘Thereabouts,’ said Daisy, ‘because we retired in 2014, didn’t we?’

‘Yes, 2014,’ said Violet, ‘that’s when we retired.’

‘My goodness,’ Kate said, ‘you retired very late in life, didn’t you?’

‘Oh, we loved our work, didn’t we, Violet?’ Daisy’s eyes shone for a moment. ‘We had a shop, you know, down in Middle Tinworthy. Potters the Draper’s, ladies’ clothing.’

‘Quality ladies’ clothing,’ Violet corrected. ‘Lovely twin-sets, beautiful nylons, pure silk vests