Deadly Clementine

“Who?” she pressed a little louder when he didn’t immediately answer.

Moss looked up, straight into her eyes. “You.”

Clementine blinked at him. “Me?” she whispered. “I didn’t send you any cake.”

Moss removed the card that had accompanied the cake. “Do you recognise this handwriting?”

Clementine squinted at it. She leaned closer but didn’t even want to touch it. Moments later, she shook her head. “It isn’t mine.”

“Your father’s?”

She shook her head. “Nor the vicar’s, or Sally’s, or anybody else’s that I know of. It has to be the killer’s handwriting, doesn’t it?”

Moss nodded.

“How do we go about finding out who writes like that?” Clementine asked.

“We don’t do a damned thing. I am going to investigate the murders. You are going to stay safely at home and only eat the things you bake. Do not accept any food parcels or gifts off anybody, no matter how well you know them, and don’t drink anything anybody gives you either.”

“Do you think that is how the victims died?”

“I think it is almost certain, don’t you?”

“Why? Why would someone want you dead? Have you been asking around about the murders?”

“I haven’t spoken to anybody,” Moss replied honestly. “In fact, the only people who know who I am are you, your father, the Captain, and the members of the Fair Committee. Nobody else in this village knows me as anything more than someone connected to you three.”

“The killer tried to murder you.” Clementine felt sick. “See? I told you someone was killing people around me. I told you, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you di

d indeed tell me. We also must assume that it is someone on the committee. What I want to know is why?”

“Why they would want to kill you? It’s a stupid thing to do really, isn’t it? You are a private investigator. Your death would hit the broadsheets and draw the attention of every lawman in the county,” Clementine muttered.

“Most killers aren’t clever, Clementine, although this killer has been quite intelligent in the way they have carefully put the poison in the fruit cake gifts they have then delivered to their victims. The cake is then ingested and the deaths of the victims quite swift, although painful. I don’t doubt that apart from sickness and pain, there is little to show in the way of evidence as to what caused the deaths.” Moss continued to explain what he believed happened to Sally’s clothing.

“What has Sally ever done to anybody? I mean, why kill her? It doesn’t make sense, Moss,” Clementine whispered, her voice angst ridden. “Who would do this and try to blame me? Moreover, why would someone want the fair to be cancelled?”

“Look, don’t get upset by it. We need facts. We will get them all in time but for now, all I will say is that we have discovered how the victims have been murdered. I have called in on Billsdon and told him what happened. He is in liaison with the doctor who is examining the fruit cake I was sent. They both agree that the magistrate who covers this area should now be looking at the murderers, but he isn’t. Billsdon is going to contact the Lord Chief Justice to report the local magistrate’s failure to act on severe crime and take over the investigation today. Regardless of why Olley is such a coward, Billsdon is now in charge of helping us. He is on his way here now, once he has gathered enough men to support him.”

“They are on their way?” Clementine started to smile, not least because it meant that Moss wasn’t in as much danger.

“Why are you smiling?” Moss asked, greatly relieved that she was.

“I am glad that we have a lawman to help you. I mean, your being here is wonderful and all that, but at some point, the killer is going to know you haven’t died and will invariably try again.”

Moss squinted at her. He was quietly delighted that she was intelligent enough to think logically about this. “And we will be ready for when he does.”

Clementine nodded, and her smile grew when Moss rolled his eyes. He was surprised that despite everything she faced, Clementine was worried about his safety and didn’t even try to hide it. It meant she cared, a lot more than he had ever hoped for, and he was greatly relieved that she did.

“What I can do now is concentrate on making myself as visible as possible, but we don’t discuss this with anybody else. Nobody must know what we know,” Moss warned.

“Sally and the other victims have already been buried. How can we find out if they all died from poisoning?” Clementine asked.

“Billsdon is making sure that the latest victim doesn’t get buried yet. The body must be re-examined. If poison has been used it is safe to assume that all of the victims were poisoned.”

“Do you think they are involved? Olley and the doctor?” Clementine looked at him in horror.