Read Online PH02 - Do Not Disturb by Kate Kingsbury - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kate Kingsbury
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Madeline had never married and had spoken only once of her past, and only to Cecily as far she knew. But Cecily knew her friend had never given up her yearning for true love, and probably never would.
Cecily waited while Madeline picked a tea cake to pieces before tackling the question she had to ask. Pouring another cup of tea from the silver teapot, she said casually, “Baxter went down to the George and Dragon last night.”
Madeline paused in the act of wiping her fingers on her serviette. She didn’t speak, but her eyes asked the question.
“Colin Bickley was there the night he died,” Cecily said, replacing the teapot on the tray. “He was there from eight o’clock to half past ten.”
Madeline dabbed at her mouth with the serviette. “Did he eat anything?”
“I don’t know.” Cecily folded her hands on the table. “I don’t know that it matters. Anyone could have slipped something into his ale. It would have been simple enough to do without being detected.”
Madeline’s eyes grew large with horror. “Are you saying someone deliberately poisoned him?”
“We don’t know. The point is that he was somewhere else, and could have been poisoned there, and that lifts the burden of guilt from you. Unless …” She watched Madeline’s face while she paused.
“Unless what?”
“Unless,” Cecily said reluctantly, “you sold him one of your potions.”
CHAPTER
6
To Cecily’s relief, Madeline’s face registered surprise. “Of course I didn’t. Why would he want a potion?”
“I’m sure he didn’t. I just needed to know if you’d sold one to him.”
Again Madeline’s eyes widened. “You thought one of my potions had poisoned him?”
Cecily gave a decisive shake of her head. “No, of course not. But someone else might have thought so.”
Now Madeline’s face turned quite pale. “The police?”
“Well, let us hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m sure once they discover what killed him, there will be a simple explanation for all this.”
“And if there’s not?”
Cecily helped herself to a tea cake. “I suggest we worry about that if the event occurs. In the meantime, tell me how the floral arrangements are coming along for the tea dance.I’m not expecting too many people to attend, but I do want it to look nice.”
Madeline launched into a somewhat distracted description of her ideas, and Cecily munched on her cake while she listened with half an ear. Her mind was still scuffling with the problem of Colin Bickley’s mysterious death.
If Madeline was entirely innocent in this episode, could it be possible that Ian was involved? Surely not. Cecily had come to know the young man very well during his employment at the hotel. He had been most kind to her on more than one occasion during the first few dreadful weeks after James had died.
Although he had left the hotel to work on the lighthouse project, and she could hardly blame him for that since he was being paid far more than she could afford, she looked upon him as she looked upon every single member of her staff at the Pennyfoot—as if they were her own family.
With James gone, and her two boys in the tropics serving in the military, the Pennyfoot staff were all the family she had left. And, Cecily vowed silently, if Ian Rossiter was involved in this unfortunate and tragic situation, she would do her level best to help him.
“Cecily? Are you listening to me, or has a sprite whisked your mind away?”
Cecily started, sending a guilty smile across the table at her friend. “I’m sorry, Madeline, I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking about the preparations for Guy Fawkes and wondering if I should ask Baxter to put up a fireworks display.”
Madeline clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, what fun. I’d love to help. That’s if he’d allow it. Baxter can be so deplorably stuffy at times.” She looked at Cecily with a mischievous grin. “Don’t you ever get the urge to shock him a little now and
Cecily waited while Madeline picked a tea cake to pieces before tackling the question she had to ask. Pouring another cup of tea from the silver teapot, she said casually, “Baxter went down to the George and Dragon last night.”
Madeline paused in the act of wiping her fingers on her serviette. She didn’t speak, but her eyes asked the question.
“Colin Bickley was there the night he died,” Cecily said, replacing the teapot on the tray. “He was there from eight o’clock to half past ten.”
Madeline dabbed at her mouth with the serviette. “Did he eat anything?”
“I don’t know.” Cecily folded her hands on the table. “I don’t know that it matters. Anyone could have slipped something into his ale. It would have been simple enough to do without being detected.”
Madeline’s eyes grew large with horror. “Are you saying someone deliberately poisoned him?”
“We don’t know. The point is that he was somewhere else, and could have been poisoned there, and that lifts the burden of guilt from you. Unless …” She watched Madeline’s face while she paused.
“Unless what?”
“Unless,” Cecily said reluctantly, “you sold him one of your potions.”
CHAPTER
6
To Cecily’s relief, Madeline’s face registered surprise. “Of course I didn’t. Why would he want a potion?”
“I’m sure he didn’t. I just needed to know if you’d sold one to him.”
Again Madeline’s eyes widened. “You thought one of my potions had poisoned him?”
Cecily gave a decisive shake of her head. “No, of course not. But someone else might have thought so.”
Now Madeline’s face turned quite pale. “The police?”
“Well, let us hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m sure once they discover what killed him, there will be a simple explanation for all this.”
“And if there’s not?”
Cecily helped herself to a tea cake. “I suggest we worry about that if the event occurs. In the meantime, tell me how the floral arrangements are coming along for the tea dance.I’m not expecting too many people to attend, but I do want it to look nice.”
Madeline launched into a somewhat distracted description of her ideas, and Cecily munched on her cake while she listened with half an ear. Her mind was still scuffling with the problem of Colin Bickley’s mysterious death.
If Madeline was entirely innocent in this episode, could it be possible that Ian was involved? Surely not. Cecily had come to know the young man very well during his employment at the hotel. He had been most kind to her on more than one occasion during the first few dreadful weeks after James had died.
Although he had left the hotel to work on the lighthouse project, and she could hardly blame him for that since he was being paid far more than she could afford, she looked upon him as she looked upon every single member of her staff at the Pennyfoot—as if they were her own family.
With James gone, and her two boys in the tropics serving in the military, the Pennyfoot staff were all the family she had left. And, Cecily vowed silently, if Ian Rossiter was involved in this unfortunate and tragic situation, she would do her level best to help him.
“Cecily? Are you listening to me, or has a sprite whisked your mind away?”
Cecily started, sending a guilty smile across the table at her friend. “I’m sorry, Madeline, I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking about the preparations for Guy Fawkes and wondering if I should ask Baxter to put up a fireworks display.”
Madeline clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, what fun. I’d love to help. That’s if he’d allow it. Baxter can be so deplorably stuffy at times.” She looked at Cecily with a mischievous grin. “Don’t you ever get the urge to shock him a little now and
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