Tapas, Carrot Cake and a Corpse (A Charlotte Denver Cozy Mystery Book 1) (4 page)

“Course you will,” Gabe reassured her.  “It’s not as though he was murdered, is it?  He’s just an opportunist who got on our boat after he realised we weren’t on board, thought he’d see what he could steal, but before he could get his hands on anything, he kicked the bucket.  Serves him right, that’s what I say,” Gabe was completely unsympathetic to Blake’s plight.  “I’m just annoyed that it’s upset you, and about the inconvenience it’s caused because we might not be allowed back on the boat until the police have finished poking around.” 

Then, in a softer voice, he said, “He could have been watching all the boats for a while – you know, checking for easy pickings – and he probably saw us both leave, so knew the boat would be empty.  I obviously didn’t tie up the gangplank securely when I left this morning, so it must have been easy for him to pull it back down and jump on board.  I’m sorry for that, Sammy … if I’d taken a bit more care, he would never have got on the boat in the first place and you’d have been spared all this upset.”

There was a knock on the glass doors.  PC Dillon stood outside.  “Excuse me.  I need to take a statement from you both – if you’re feeling up to it?” he spoke directly to Samantha. 

“Yes, of course,” Samantha smiled weakly as the policeman sat down at the table with them. 

A second knock on the doors alerted Charlotte to the fact that Ava, Harriett and Betty were outside, peering through the glass.  She went outside and, in a hushed voice, quickly explained what had happened.

“Oh no!  Not that nice man?!  How terrible!” Ava’s hands flew to her mouth. 

“What a terrible shock it must have been for poor Samantha,” said Harriett.

“She won’t be having her party now, I suppose?” said Betty.

“Oh look, here comes the coroner,” Charlotte knew the man in the dark blue jacket and hoped that he would be able to remove the body soon.  The crowd of people gathered at the entrance to the pier had grown, and although she knew it was in the human psyche to have morbid fascinations, she felt uncomfortable
with the whole voyeur thing. 

“Oh, well.  We must be off.  Do keep us up to date with any news, won’t you dear?” Ava said as she, Harriett and Betty carried on with their regular Saturday morning shopping expedition.

As they left, Charlotte saw Nathan walking down the pier.  His long legs took strides to match and he was standing beside her within seconds.  He waited until PC Dillon had finished taking the statements before following Charlotte into the café.  He confirmed to Gabe and Samantha that the coroner was about to remove the body from the boat.  He told them that he’d asked the coroner for any tests to be carried out quickly, as the boat was residential and the occupants were keen to return.  He also reiterated that until the coroner’s findings were in, they wouldn’t be able to board the boat again, but that any essential items could be removed by a member of his team if they could give exact instructions as to their whereabouts. 

“No, there’s nothing on board that we need urgently,” Gabe told Nathan, “although our passports and some personal documents are in the bedroom safe.  I assume they’ll be secure until you’ve finished your investigations?”

“Yes, the boat will remain cordoned off until our work is completed and we’ll make it quite secure, so don’t worry about that,” Nathan reassured them.

“Well, if that’s the case, we might as well treat ourselves to a nice suite at
The President
, and have ourselves a little luxury while we’re waiting for all this to blow over.  Would that cheer you up, Sammy love?” 
The President
was the only five star hotel in town and was situated in a prime location on the seafront.   

Samantha nodded, a little mollified.  Knowing that a dead body had been on the boat, the thought of going back on board didn’t appeal to her at all.  The prospect of staying at
The President
was a far more attractive proposition altogether. 

Gabe stood up and shook Nathan’s hand.  “OK - no time like the present.  Come on love, we might as well walk down to the hotel and check-in now.”  He turned to Nathan.  “You’ll let us know as soon as possible when we can get back on board?”

“Of course.  You’ve given your statements and your contact details to PC Dillon, haven’t you?
 
OK, good.  Well, we’ll be in touch soon.” 

“Right, Princess, we’d better be going,” Gabe took Samantha’s hand and gave it a quick kiss.

Charlotte opened up the doors for them and as they stepped outside, Jess turned up, flushed from running.  “Hi,” she puffed.  “I just saw the ladies in the high street – they told me what had happened and that you’d opened the café, so I wondered if you needed a hand?”

“No, I haven’t opened up for business – I just wanted to give Samantha and Gabe somewhere to wait, and the police may use it as a temporary base for a few hours.  By the way, you haven’t met Gabe, have you?”  Charlotte turned to Gabe and introduced him to Jess, and vice versa.

“Nice to meet you,” Jess shook hands before following Charlotte into the café.  “Oh, hi Nathan.”  Like Charlotte, she’d known Nathan since childhood.  “Well, I might as well make myself a coffee as I’m here.  They’re a cute couple, don’t you think?” she said as she started to froth the milk.  “He seems like a nice enough guy, but what’s with the fingernails?”

“Yes, I know,” replied Charlotte.  “It’s not often that you see a man in St. Eves with a manicure, is it?” 

“It’s not the manicure that’s odd, it’s the dirty nails,” replied Jess.  “Eeeeww.  I mean, why go to the bother of having a manicure if you’re not going to keep your nails clean?” 

“Yes, I noticed that earlier,” Charlotte agreed.

Nathan looked at them enquiringly before opening his notebook and scribbling in it. 

“Are you taking down what I’ve just said?” Jess asked curiously.

“I am,” he answered.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because every little piece of information is helpful, even if it seems completely insignificant at the time, that’s why.  Often, it’s the smallest details that leave the biggest clues.”

He had no idea how true those words would ring over the next few days.   

Anyway, if you’re making coffee, I’ll have one too, please, but can you put it in a takeaway cup,” Nathan sat back and stretched out his long legs as he pondered the case. 

“So, you think it’s natural causes, right?” Jess asked as she sipped creamy vanilla bean coffee through a pillow of foam as they sat around the table.

“Jess, you know I can’t tell you anything,” Nathan scolded her with good humour.

“But he’s rather young to have just dropped dead, don’t you think?” Charlotte was hoping against hope that natural causes were the reason for death, as she was horrified by the idea that there could a murderer in their midst, but having seen how full of life Blake had been the previous day, she found it hard to believe that his body had simply succumbed so suddenly.

“Well, even the most healthy people die, Charlotte,” Nathan took a sip from his plastic cup and cursed under his breath as he scalded his tongue, “it’s just a case of finding out why.  And don’t forget, we don’t know anything about this man.  Although he may have seemed to be perfectly healthy, he could have had a condition that’s responsible for his death.  We won’t know that, though, until the coroner’s report comes back.”

At that moment, Nathan’s phone rang and he answered it curtly.  “Yes, OK, I’ll be right there.”  He stood up to leave.  “They’re about to remove the body – I’ll have to go.”

Charlotte shuddered.  “OK, I’ll stay open for a while longer if you or the other guys need somewhere to work.”

“Thanks, I’ll let you know,” said Nathan. 

“See you later, then,” said Charlotte.

“That you will,” he smiled briefly and winked, before striding back up the pier, leaving a somewhat perplexed Charlotte in his wake.

“Did you see that?  Did he just wink at you?” Jess could barely contain herself.  “Well, I’ve been telling you for ages that he’s keen on you.  Maybe you’ll believe me now?” she nudged Charlotte mischievously.

“Will you please STOP trying to fix me up with every man that crosses my path?  Yesterday it was poor Blake, and today it’s Nathan.” Charlotte tried to be cross, but was secretly delighted that Nathan had shown a little interest in her. 

When his work schedule allowed, they often saw each other socially, but their relationship had always been purely platonic.  However, she’d recently begun to realise that she’d be quite happy if Nathan became more than a friend.  They’d never hung out together at school due to their five year age difference, but now she loved his company. 

He was such a great guy – genuine and warm and funny – and she’d been keen on him for months.  Apart from as a friend though, he didn’t seem to know she existed – certainly not as a romantic interest, anyway.  For that reason, she’d kept her mouth shut – she didn’t want to risk ruining their friendship, or saying anything that would create any tension or awkwardness between them. 

She had to agree with Jess, though - the wink had been quite encouraging. 

“Oh, look.  They’re bringing out the body now,” Jess interrupted her thoughts.

Charlotte shuddered involuntarily and crossed herself as a stretcher carrying Blake in a dark blue body bag passed by.  She noticed that some of the assembled crowd were taking pictures and videos on their phones and felt a sudden rush of anger towards them.  She’d barely known Blake, but she knew he deserved a little more respect than this.

“Honestly, the behaviour of some people is just unbelievable, isn’t it?” she said to Jess. 

“It’s human nature … and you’re too sensitive.” Jess replied.  “People don’t necessarily want to look at stuff like that, but they can’t help themselves.  It’s just morbid curiosity.”  She drank the last of her coffee and washed up her cup.  “Right, I’m off – if you’re not opening, you don’t need me for anything, do you?  OK, I’ll see you tomorrow.  Oh, and Charlotte … make sure lover boy behaves himself, won’t you?”  She giggled and ducked to avoid the towel that Charlotte threw at her before she escaped quickly out of the doors. 

Charlotte laughed and began to busy herself around the café.  There was little for her to do, but she had to hang around in case the police wanted to use the place later on.  To while away the time, she switched on her phone and, sitting by the doors in the sunshine, opened up the e-reader app and continued with a romance novel she’d started reading the day before, allowing recent events to be pushed to the back of her mind for a few hours as she escaped into her romantic fantasy world.

ººººººº

“Thanks for opening up the café, Charlotte - it really helped us out.  And thanks for feeding and watering us too.  You’re a lifesaver.”  It was almost 8.30 pm and Nathan had just stationed an officer on the pier outside the boat before he went back to the station.  “Can I give you a ride home?  You can put your bike in the back of the car.”

He didn’t have to ask twice.  She switched out the lights and locked the doors within minutes.  Charlotte unchained her bike from the railings and walked with Nathan to the car park behind the café.  She noticed that he was limping slightly – as he did from time to time when the old injury to his knee was troubling him.

It was a strange feeling, but for the first time ever, she was a little shy to be in his company.  She knew it was because of the feelings she had for him, along with the fact that he’d been a little flirtatious earlier on. 
Did he mean anything by it, or was he just being friendly?
  In her over-sensitive state of mind, it was quite possible that she’d misread his behaviour and imagined a situation that didn’t exist anywhere other than in her thoughts.

“What will happen about a funeral for Blake?” she asked. 

“Well, we’ll do what we can to trace his family – if he has any – and take it from there.  In any case, we’ll have to wait for the coroner’s report before we can release the body, and if foul play is suspected, we may have to hold on to it for quite a while,” Nathan replied, stifling a yawn. 

“I’m sorry – am I boring you?” Charlotte poked him in the ribs.

He flinched and laughed.  “Sorry – no, it’s just that I had a late night yesterday and I wasn’t expecting to be up quite so early today.” 

“Oh, where were you?” she asked innocently. 

“I was out with Lucy Sanderson – you know, the woman who moved into the street about a month ago.”

Charlotte felt her stomach lurch.  She knew she had absolutely no right to, but she felt insanely jealous. 

“Oh.  That’s nice,” she threw her bike into the boot of the car and slammed the lid shut, before stomping round to the front and getting into the passenger seat.

Completely oblivious to her anguish, Nathan carried on telling her about his night out with his new neighbour, every one of his words digging a little deeper into her heart.

“Yeah, we had a great night.  We went to that new place just outside town – you know, the one where you can have Italian, Indian or Chinese food and the tables are in a circle all around the dance floor.  God, it’s been years since I danced like that – it’s no wonder I’m so tired.”

Charlotte looked at him in amazement.  “You
danced
?” she asked in disbelief.  “
You? 
But you
hate
dancing.  I’ve
never
seen you dance.”

“Well, you weren’t around for quite a few years, but I wouldn’t complain about missing it if I were you!  Some people would consider themselves quite lucky never to have seen me dance,” Nathan joked as he pulled up outside Charlotte’s house.  “And actually, I don’t
hate
dancing, Charlotte – I’ve just never been that keen on making an exhibition of myself.  I have to admit though, I really enjoyed myself last night.”

Charlotte could barely trust herself to speak. 
No wonder he was limping
.  She knew it was ridiculous, but she felt as though if she opened her mouth, she would burst into tears.  Instead, she gave Nathan a brief smile and mumbled her thanks as she got out of the car.  Nathan got out too and took her bike out of the boot. 

“There you go,” he set the bike down on the pavement and waited for her to take it from him.  “Charlotte.  Charlotte!  You need to take it, or it’ll fall over when I let go.”

“What? Oh, sorry – thanks, and thanks for the lift home,” Charlotte said, eyes cast downward as she took the bike from him.  

“You OK?” Nathan asked.  “You’ve gone very quiet.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Charlotte said.  “I’ve just got a bit of a headache, that’s all.  Anyway, thanks again.”  She turned and pushed the bike up the path to her front door. 

“Don’t mention it.  And feel better soon, OK?” Nathan called out to her before getting back into his car and driving off. 

Charlotte watched the car until it disappeared from sight, sighed heavily and opened the front door.  Suddenly tired herself, she leaned the bike up against the wall and went straight to bed.

ººººººº

She tossed and turned for an hour and a half before she got up and went down to the kitchen to make a cup of hot milk with maple syrup.  She took a couple of chocolate chip cookies from the jar on the worktop and sat on a kitchen stool, pondering the events of the day. 

She wasn’t sure if it was Blake’s death, or the thought of Nathan and Lucy Sanderson out on a date that was keeping her awake. 
Probably a mixture of the two
, she told herself.  

She pulled a notebook and pen from a pile of papers at the end of the counter and divided a page into two columns.  On one side, she wrote ‘Pros’ and on the other, ‘Cons’.

In the pros column, she wrote;

I’ve known him for years

He’s kind

He’s generous

He’s genuine

He makes me laugh

He’s gorgeous

He’s got a steady job

He’s solvent

He’s supportive

He’s an amazing friend

In the cons column, she wrote;

He’s got a girlfriend

He’s an amazing friend

As she sat looking at what she’d written, the word ‘friend’ jumped at her off the page.  The fact that Nathan was such a good friend was
exactly
why she thought they’d be so good together, but conversely, the very fact that he was such a good friend was exactly why she also thought that maybe they
wouldn’t
be so good together. 

The last thing she wanted to do was risk ruining a beautiful friendship by laying all her cards on the table, only to find out that he didn’t feel the same way … and the fact that he now had a girlfriend was reason enough to keep her mouth shut and say nothing.  

Whatever
happened, she knew that above everything else, she didn’t want to lose Nathan’s friendship.  That was more important to her than anything.  

Guess that answers my question
, she thought. 

She sighed and closed the notebook, switched off the light and went back to bed, taking her milk and cookies with her.