Body at School: A cozy mystery novella (Muddlebay Mysteries Book 4), page 6
‘Meena just appeared from nowhere and so I was following her to the kitchen.’
Flynn could hear heavy breathing as Elgin ran. His huffing and puffing put Flynn in mind of the big bad wolf and he had to dismiss that totally inappropriate thought.
‘Hang on… just a minute… got her, Met! I’ve detained her just outside the kitchens.’
Flynn burst out through the door from the kitchen, to find Elgin there and with a woman with white blond hair in one hand and a handful of long mousy coloured hair in the other.
So that was it, thought Flynn! No wonder he hadn’t been able to find a paper trail. Meena never existed, she was a persona created by…?
By who?
Who the hell did they have in custody?
30
Meena had been arrested at the school on charges of fraud, and also so Flynn could also interrogate her about the murder of Carl Thomas. Was there anything to tie her to that? That was the million-dollar question.
Meena was sat in the interview room, the only one they had, and it was very small indeed. There was a glass panel in the door and Mabel peeped through it. She’d called into the police station in her lunch hour, eager to see the transformation from Meena into…
‘Who is she, Flynn?’
‘She could be the mysterious Cheryl that has been stalking Carl Thomas and his wife. But my problem at the moment is how to prove it.’
‘She doesn’t seem bothered being arrested and detained in a police station, Flynn.’
‘No, I know.’
‘It’s a bit worrying really.’
‘Why?’ Flynn’s brow creased with concern at Mabel’s comment.
‘Maybe she’s not guilty.’
‘Of?’
‘Of Carl Thomas’ murder, of course.’
‘Now, Mabel, you can’t go around making assumptions like that.’
‘Well, you’re making assumptions that she is. What has she said so far?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Really? Nothing?’
Flynn shook his head. ‘No, nothing at all. Well, actually her response to all my questions is - no comment. She won’t give any indication as to her name and address.
‘Which means?’
‘I’ve booked her under her assumed name of Meena Kovak and taken fingerprints and a DNA swab to identify her.’
‘Always supposing that her fingerprints are on file.’
‘Yes, I know that, thank you, Mabel.’
‘Is there any match to any fingerprints found in Carl Thomas’ office?’
‘Obviously I’ve also asked that question. Really, Mabel, hadn’t you better get back to the library?’
‘I might as well,’ she said. ‘Now it’s a waiting game.’
‘Exactly. I’ll keep you posted,’ and with relief Flynn shooed her out of the police station.
By late afternoon the results were in.
Flynn had arranged for a duty solicitor to sit in on the interview, so their suspect couldn’t claim that procedure hadn’t been followed correctly, and so jeopardize the case.
First of all she was cautioned for the murder of Carl Thomas.
Meena said nothing, but Flynn noted a flash of anger in her eyes.
‘As a result of taking your fingerprints,’ Flynn said, ‘I can place you in Carl Thomas’ study at Muddlebay Manor School.’
‘I was just delivering things from the kitchen,’ she explained.
‘As Meena?’
‘No comment.’
‘Or as your real identity of Cheryl?’
That stopped her in her tracks. She gasped and again there was a flash of anger in her eyes and her jaw tightened.
‘Yes, we know who you are, Cheryl.’
Flynn passed a copy of a piece of paper to her solicitor.
‘Cheryl Butler. Age 43. Widow. Your records are on file because you were harassing a one Jeff Collins. An order was made to keep away from him. No communication was allowed, and you had to keep 10 meters from him. That must have been difficult, as you were obsessed by him, weren’t you?’
She threw Flynn a stony look and didn’t speak. Not even a no comment this time.
‘You were stalking him. Blackmailing him. But it didn’t work, did it? He wouldn’t pay and told his wife of the affair himself. Oh, and one more thing, there’s a warrant out for your arrest for stalking and blackmailing him.’
Cheryl closed her eyes, but once again didn’t speak.
‘And that was what you tried to do to Carl Thomas wasn’t it?’ Flynn was like a dog with a bone now. Refusing to back down. Surging forward. ‘But he also told his wife and they moved away, didn’t they?’
Now Cheryl’s fists were clenched as well as her teeth. Flynn smiled to himself and kept going…
‘That made you furious and broke. So, what to do about it? What did you come up with?’
‘No comment.’
‘You managed to find him, didn’t you? Carl Thomas. And what better than joining the same school? That way you could keep an eye on him and frighten the life out of him. And it worked, didn’t it? He kept seeing you out of the corner of his eye, when you were yourself, but impersonating a parent. You were driving him mad.’
She looked smug.
‘This time he wasn’t going to get away with anything was he? So, dressed as Meena, you left a doctored bottle of scotch in his room. You placed it on his desk, next to a crystal glass. You knew he wouldn’t be able to resist a drink, especially after you had spent much of the day stalking him. Appearing, then disappearing. Getting flashes of your distinctive white hair. No doubt he would be in bits, hands shaking, shallow breaths, terrified everything was going to go wrong again.’
A sardonic smile played across Cheryl’s lips.
‘You knew his tipple and knew he wouldn’t be able to resist having a drink. By next morning he was dead. And you got the satisfaction of knowing that he didn’t get away from you.’
‘He was a worm, not worthy of the love of someone like me. He deserved to die for running away and leaving me after he’d told me he never would and that I could be a teacher’s wife and have some status and standing.’
‘And I’ve got the satisfaction of saying, you’re nicked,’ smiled Flynn.
‘I never said I’d killed him.’
‘Pardon?’ Flynn, who had been halfway out of his chair, ready to leave the room, sat back down. ‘What did you just say?’
‘I didn’t kill him. I’m glad he’s gone, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t do it. I was hoping to wind him up so much that he’d end up with a heart attack, or a stroke. But kill him? No, not me.’
‘If not you, then who?’
Flynn realised he’d spoken aloud as Cheryl said, ‘Are you really that slow? Who else would want him dead? The suspect pool isn’t that big, surely?’
Flynn looked at the woman sat in front of him, an eyebrow arched in a question. Taunting him. Challenging him. If not her, then who?
31
Flynn berated himself. He couldn’t believe he’d been that stupid. He’d been tricked and manipulated by two women. The mistress, Cheryl Butler, and now the wife. Taking Fisher and Elgin with him, he raced to Muddlebay Manor. To the cottage that Carl Thomas had shared with his wife.
But their cottage was empty. She’d gone. Fled the scene. Fled the school. Most of her clothes had gone. All her personal papers and, of course, her car.
‘What will you do, Flynn?’ asked Mabel, when he told her what had happened later that evening at her house.
‘All I can do is to put out an all-points bulletin on her car. But we don’t know when she left. We can try and find her on CCTV but it’s a huge job. We can check the ANPR for sightings of her number plate. Issue a warrant for her arrest for the murder of her husband. Lots of little things. But do they add up to a large one? Not necessarily.’
‘By now she could have changed her looks, her name, her car, who knows?’
‘Exactly,’ he said.
Mabel had never seen Flynn so morose, but what could she do?
‘Stay and have some supper with me,’ she suggested. ‘Perhaps we could get fish and chips.’
Baxter’s ears pricked up at that, making them both laugh.
‘You’re on,’ said Flynn.
It was a week later that Flynn got the call he didn’t think he’d ever get.
‘Oh, hello, is that DS Moran?’
‘Yes.’
‘Birmingham CID here.’ Flynn could hear the flat vowels of the black country. ‘We’ve got someone here you’ve an interest in.’
Flynn held his breath. It couldn’t be, could it?
‘Calls herself Melanie Flowers, but her prints and car reg say she’s Trudy Thomas, with an outstanding warrant for her arrest for the murder of her husband, Carl Thomas. Is that correct?’’
‘Oh my,’ breathed Flynn. ‘Yes, yes, she’s mine. Great work, thanks so much.’
‘No worries. We’ll send her on when the next secure transport is going down your way.’
‘Direct to Plymouth Prison would work for me.’
‘Okay, I’ll arrange it. Be in touch.’
And the line went dead.
‘Thank you, God,’ said Flynn, a grin breaking out. ‘Come on, Baxter, let’s go and celebrate. How about a cornet? I just fancy some whippy ice cream, with a chocolate flake in, of course.’
THE END
BODY IN THE SHOP
There’s something rotten in Muddlebay.
People are falling ill and it’s DS Flynn Moran’s job to find out why.
An outbreak of salmonella is found to be the culprit and the source is traced to a local pie shop.
The next day, the shop owner is found dead.
Was the outbreak all his fault? A terrible accident? Or a deliberate act?
And what on earth had the people of Muddlebay done to him to deserve such a fate?
To be published on 19th December 2021
Available to pre-order now from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/3np5k0w Amazon.co.uk
https://amzn.to/3Gc7Akp Amazon.com
By Wendy Cartmell
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Wendy Cartmell, Body at School: A cozy mystery novella (Muddlebay Mysteries Book 4)
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