Motts had never had a girls’ night in—or out. She didn’t know what to think when Marnie, Vina, Nish, and River all gathered in her cottage. It’s more a boys and girls quiet party. “Don’t let Cactus bully you into feeding him snacks.”
“Who, me?” Nish paused with a treat bag in his hand. “No bullying required.”
“Forget your sneaky, naked feline,” Vina interrupted. She took a sip of her wine. “Show us the photos of what you found.”
“Cactus isn’t naked. He has downy fuzz all over him like a suede bodysuit.” Motts carried a platter into the living room to set on the coffee table. They’d convened there by the fire to enjoy the warmth and snack on the food brought from the bakery. “Let me get this settled. Patience, Pravina.”
“Patience isn’t in her vocabulary.” Nish dodged the smack his twin tried to aim at his head. He leaned toward Motts after she’d settled on a cushion on the carpet by the table. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need quiet?”
“I don’t know.” Motts shrugged. She’d felt discombobulated by the entire experience. “Tea and snacks will help.”
“Snacks always help.” He pushed one of the plates closer to her. “Now what’s this about a tin in the garden?”
“And don’t worry. I know how to keep secrets from the inspector.” Marnie winked at her. “Don’t forget the apple cake. We lucked out, since I’d made this yesterday and had it ready to be eaten.”
While they ate their way through the various treats, Motts transferred the images from her phone to her laptop. The wider screen made it easier for everyone to see. They all leaned forward to get a better view of the images of Rhona and Danny getting cosy with each other.
“Can you zoom in on the bracelet?” Marnie asked when Motts had flipped to the rest of the photos. She made the chunky jewellery larger. “I know I’ve seen someone in the village with a similar one. But I can’t place it.”
“How about this?” Motts slid the computer closer to the bridal shop owner.
“I know I’ve seen it.” Marnie tapped her fingers against the top of the table. “Not Danny, but one of his friends. There was a gang of them for several years while they went to secondary school. Always causing trouble. Poor Hughie and Perry had a devil of a time getting them under control. Out at all hours, drinking their weight in whatever cheap liquor, and vandalising anything in their path.”
“Danny, Noel, Eddie, Taj.” Nish counted off several more names on his fingers. “They were several years behind us in school. Right bastards, all of them. I stopped them from picking on younger kids a lot. Vina had them terrified.”
Vina grinned menacingly. “I threatened to carve their family jewels out with a rusted knife if they ever harassed another girl in school ever again. Danny wasn’t the worst of the lot, but he never stopped his friends either.”
“Are you sure the bracelet isn’t Danny’s?” Motts had put him at the top of her suspect list.
“Definitely. He never wore any sort of jewellery that I can remember.” Marnie replied. The twins nodded their agreement. “We could ask him.”
The evening had been going so well. Motts had handled her crowded living room well. And from one second to the next, she hit the limit of her ability to cope.
Ever the calm and observant one, Nish recognised the signs first. He gathered up the food to store in the fridge. And ignoring the confused mutterings, he ushered River, Marnie and his sister toward the front door.
“Try to relax, Motts. And lock the door behind me.” He kissed Cactus on the top of the head before leaving and closing the door behind him.
The peaceful quiet of her cottage went a long way to helping Motts relax. She made sure all the doors and windows had been locked—triple checked the front and back. Cactus followed her faithfully through every room.
“Why am I checking the closet?” Motts peered inside, shifting her coats. “No monsters hiding in the dark.”
She tried sleeping in the bedroom. Cactus grumped at her whenever she rolled from one side to the other. This isn’t happening.
Getting out of bed, Motts wrapped her duvet around herself. There was no point in trying to pretend to doze. She shuffled into the living room with Cactus riding on the edge of the blanket.
Motts fumbled for the light switch in the hall leading to the open plan living room. She screamed at the face pressed against the glass of the garden window. “What the—”
She froze, as did the man whose face was distorted by the window. He ran while she scrambled to find her phone. It lay on the coffee table next to her laptop.
Her fingers refused to cooperate. Motts eventually managed to dial the police. She sank down on the ground, shivering under the duvet with Cactus prowling around her.
Motts stared at the door. The kind woman on the other end of the phone promised her the knocking came from the police. She was struggling to make herself open it. “I can do this.”
“You’re going to be fine, love. I promise. Constable Stone is there. Inspector Ash has called in other officers from Looe. They’ll find your peeping Tom,” she promised. “You can hang up and open the door whenever you’re ready.”
It took a few seconds to gather her courage. Motts disconnected the call and unlocked the door. Hughie offered her a comforting grin when he came into view.
“No sign of him. And I haven’t seen any damage to the door or window. He might’ve been hunting for something in particular.” He stepped inside when Motts moved back. “Are you alright?”
“Fine.” Motts didn’t know what to say. She was usually the one posing the question because she struggled to decipher facial expressions. “Okay. I wasn’t hurt.”
“You don’t have to be physically attacked to be hurt.” Hughie went over to the fire, grabbing a log and stoking the flames. “Let’s get things warmed up in here. Can you describe him?”
“Male? Maybe brown hair? It was dark then I flipped the light on, so all I saw were bright spots and a blurry face.” Motts kicked herself for not having CCTV cameras installed. She’d never considered needing them in Cornwall. Polperro had always seemed such a safe village. “I wouldn’t recognise him if I bumped into him in the street. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise.” Hughie glanced behind him when a knock sounded on the front door. “Want me to check?”
“Please.”
He returned with Inspector Ash in tow. “They caught Danny Orchard running down Quay Road. He confessed to being in your garden. Said he was playing a prank.”
“How is that a prank?” Motts crossed her arms. She unfolded them and picked up Cactus when he meowed insistently. “Why?”
“Why don’t you come ask him? I’ve got him in my car.” Inspector Ash nodded toward the front door. “But only if you feel comfortable. I’m confident I can get answers from him.”
“Give me a moment.”
Darting back into her bedroom, Motts exchanged her duvet and pyjamas for jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. She shoved her feet into slippers. Her hoodie hung on a hook by the front door.
“He’s quite secure and can’t hurt you,” Inspector Ash assured her.
Motts found Danny Orchard more pathetic than intimidating in the back of a police vehicle. He slouched into the seat with the air of a put-upon teenager, not a grown man. “Why were you in my garden?”
He shrugged.
“Did you lock me in the shed?” She didn’t doubt he was capable. He was also the most logical suspect.
“What? No. I’ve got better things to do.” Danny seemed genuinely affronted by her question.
“Better than snooping around in the middle of the night and terrifying women?” Inspector Ash cowed the agitated man with a frown. “Your mum won’t be best pleased when she finds out. You’re too old for this nonsense.”
“I thought you found her necklace,” Danny shouted. The tears in his eyes made Motts suspect he was genuinely distressed. “My beautiful Rhona. So young and vibrant. Gave her a locket I’d found by the sea. She never took it off. It was delicate like her.”
Motts grimaced at the flowery declaration. She found herself questioning whether Danny was the killer. Would he be so upset if he had done it? Maybe he’s a good actor. “I don’t have Rhona’s necklace. Inspector Ash has the tin I found. There was no locket inside.”
She didn’t mention the slender gold chain. He’d worked himself up enough already. His name had definitely moved down her list of suspects to the bottom.
“Her poxy brother abandoned all of her precious belongings at charity shops. I hoped to find her necklace.” Danny grew increasingly angry. The words seemed to explode out of him. “Noel never even bothered to tell me until all of it had been sold. How could the bastard toss all her stuff? Like she never existed? He even took the photos with her off the walls of the fish and chip shop.”
Had he? How interesting.
Motts glanced over at Inspector Ash, whose gaze was laser-focused on Danny. She had one last question for the youngest Orchard. “Did you run me over?”
“What? No. Bloody bint.”
“Right. That’s enough.” Inspector Ash slammed the door shut. “Why don’t you head inside to get warm? He’s not going to tell us anything else.”
“Okay.” She thanked both the police officers and went inside. Cactus watched her lock the doors for a second time. “Here’s hoping the excitement for the day is done.”
Thinking back to the conversation, Motts didn’t need Danny to say anything else. He’d given her a new name—Noel. And he’d also given her a reason to speak with Innis Walters again. She hoped he’d be more receptive. Maybe if she brought the photos to prod his memory.
She made herself a mug of hot chocolate and sank into the chair by the fire. Cactus leapt up into the seat beside her. “Right. Time to update the mystery.”
The primrose mystery.
Motts had saved the images into a file along with a Word document holding her questions. She struck through the ones connected to Danny. “Not one hundred percent certain he’s innocent. But I’m also not convinced he could’ve hurt her.”
Meow.
“That’s right. I need to know the exact date of Rhona’s disappearance and where Danny was.” Motts returned to the news article she’d bookmarked. It gave her the date when Rhona had last been seen. “Okay. If Danny helps his family in their gardening business, he can’t claim work as an alibi. No one tends plants in the middle of the night.”
She hoped Danny would remember his whereabouts. Though, she’d have to wait until the police released him. Inspector Ash wasn’t likely to allow her to interrogate the man.
Dozing in her chair, Motts was jolted awake by a pounding on her front door. She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. Ten in the morning. Bugger. She hadn’t intended to sleep in.
“Hang on.” Motts stumbled toward the front door, opening it to find Detective Inspector Herceg. “Hello.”
“I brought povitica. My mother’s version, with dark chocolate.” He held up a paper-wrapped package and a carrier with two cups. “And coffee.”
“Povitica?”
“A sweet yeast bread with swirls from my native Croatia. I’ve tried making them. Mine turns out like a lump of coal every time.” He smiled, following her into the cottage. “Ash called me about your adventures. Are you well?”
“Fine.”
“Motts.”
Motts stared at the detective—at his slightly crooked and strong nose, not his piercing eyes that made it difficult to lie. She didn’t feel fine. Her nerves hadn’t settled since getting locked in the shed. “You brought coffee.”
“Thought you might want some after the long night you had. Mrs Griffin assured me you enjoyed this particular flavour.” Teo grabbed one of the cups to set in front of her. “She was quite excited for some reason.”
Motts covered her face with her hands and resisted the urge to scream. “Who knows.”
Oh, good grief. She’ll be on the phone to my auntie Lily to tell her about the new person in my life. And Auntie Lily will call Mum.
And they won’t listen to my “he’s a nice detective who’s trying to solve a case and not date me.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Motts nodded. Fine, fine, don’t mind my silently screaming into the void. “So, tell me about povitica.”