A Deadly Restoration (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 2) Read online

  Julia Blake – A Deadly Restoration

  Chapter 1

  The radio blared out. I groaned. It wasn’t the best way to be woken up.

  It wasn’t even my radio, it was the one next door.

  I grumpily climbed out of bed and walked over to the window. I pulled back the curtains and shot the builders next door an annoyed look. They didn’t even notice me, they were too busy singing.

  It was too early for me to be up but there was no way I could get back to sleep with that level of noise, not just the radio, but the banging and thudding that the builders were making.

  I decided to make the best of it and got myself ready for the day.

  My client list of cleaning jobs for today didn’t look too bad, I might even have time to pop to the supermarket.

  After breakfast I collected everything I needed and let myself out of the house.

  Oh no! Joan was trying to get my attention from across the road. I liked Joan but I didn’t have time for a gossip.

  Don’t look at her! Look in your handbag, look at the ground. Just don’t look at her!

  “Julia!” she waved.

  “Morning,” I called back as I frantically grabbed my car keys. Perhaps I could drive away before she got any closer.

  It was no use. Joan was determined to talk to me. She practically ran over.

  “Have you heard the noise? And look at the mess!” she pointed towards next door. “It’s a disgrace, an absolute disgrace! When are those builders going to be finished? And do they have to play that radio all day?”

  Joan asked questions but she never waited for answers.

  “I’m sure it won’t be forever,” I said. I moved my car keys towards the lock.

  Joan grabbed my arm. “You’re too soft, Julia! The noise must be worse for you, living next door. It wasn’t like this when old Cora Roberts lived there, was it? Gives me a headache this noise. How long does it take to renovate a house anyway?”

  I shrugged and sneakily put my key in the car lock.

  Joan gave my arm a tug. “Look! That man’s here again, the shifty looking one with the big nose. Do you recognise him?”

  I looked over to next door. “He does look familiar. I think I’ve seen him around here before.”

  “He’s from the council, building planning department. I bet he’s made a deal with the new owner of that house. Planning permission should never have been given for the work that’s going on now. We wanted a small extension on our kitchen, but the council wouldn’t let us have it.”

  I nodded sympathetically.

  “There’s something fishy going on. I’ve a good mind to go over there and have a word with that council man.”

  “I think you should,” I said hopefully.

  Joan let go of my arm, put a determined look on her face and said, “I’m going over!”

  I opened my car door and got in before she changed her mind.

  I almost felt sorry for the shifty looking man. But when I looked over at the house next door, I realised that Joan was right. There was an awful lot of restoration work going on, they were almost rebuilding the house.

  Chapter 2

  I managed to get to the supermarket at lunch time. As I walked down the dairy aisle I saw a familiar face, or rather a familiar back hunched over the ‘reduced to clear’ section.

  “Hello there,” I said. I put my hand onto the stooped back of the elderly woman.

  She turned around. Her face crinkled up as she smiled. “Julia! How lovely to see you!”

  “We were talking about you earlier, me and Joan.”

  Cora’s face crinkled even more. “I bet it was Joan talking, and you doing the listening. I hope you were saying something nice about me.”

  “Of course. We were saying what a lovely quiet neighbour you were, compared to the noisy man who bought your house,” I said.

  “Are you having that fish or not!” a voice rudely interrupted us.

  Cora glared as a young woman leant into the reduced item area and put her hand on a piece of fish. Cora slapped the hand away.

  “That’s my haddock, young lady! I saw it first.” Cora quickly grabbed the fish and dropped it into her basket.

  The young woman rubbed her hand and grumbled, “Can you stop chatting and let me have a look at what’s left then?”

  Cora gave her a scathing look and then graciously moved to one side.

  I peeped into Cora’s basket. It was full of cut price food. I looked a bit closer at Cora. She seemed to have aged a few years since I last saw her, and that was only two months ago.

  “I’m just on my way to a cleaning job near your house,” I lied. “Would you like a lift?”

  “Oh Julia, that would be lovely, if you’re sure you don’t mind? My legs seem to get more tired every day.”

  I offered to carry Cora’s shopping basket but she stubbornly refused.

  On the drive home Cora asked how Chloe and Sam were getting on at university.

  “Having the time of their lives. They’re both coming back in the holidays so I’ll have a noisy house again. How’s your Stephen?”

  Cora’s eyes twinkled. “He comes to see me as often as he can, but he’s very busy with his work. You know how it is.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  Cora asked how the building work was going on next door. “I bet I wouldn’t recognise my old home now.”

  “You wouldn’t. Leo Kennedy has done all sorts to it, new windows and doors. And you know he’s having that extension built? I think he’ll have to dig up your lovely apple tree because it’s in the way.”

  “No! But I planted that when our Stephen was young. Don’t let him dig it up Julia!”

  Cora looked as if she was going to cry.

  When we arrived at her house I quickly picked up her shopping bag and helped her along the front path. She leant on me as we walked. I was starting to get worried about how frail she was.

  Cora opened the door of her little bungalow.

  When I saw how it looked inside my heart almost broke.

  Chapter 3

  There was rubbish piled everywhere. And there was an awful smell, like something had gone off a long time ago.

  Cora still seemed weak so I helped her move by bags and boxes until I found a small settee. I sat her down and said I’d make her a cup of tea.

  She tried to wave me away but I ignored her. I found the tiny kitchen, this too was full of rubbish.

  This wasn’t like Cora at all. When she lived next door to me she was so house proud that she was almost obsessive. I love cleaning but Cora’s efforts put me to shame.

  I quickly put her shopping away and then put the kettle on.

  A few minutes later I took a cup of tea through to Cora and sat down next to her. She took a few careful sips and then gave me a little smile.

  “You must be wondering what’s going on. If this really is my home? I know it looks like a pig sty and I’m so ashamed. I didn’t want anyone to see me living like this,” Cora said sadly.

  “I’m just surprised. Where did all these bags come from?” I asked.

  “It’s all my things from my old house. I didn’t have time to sort it all out before I left. Leo Kennedy was in such a hurry to move in that he said he’d pack for me.”

  “But you moved months ago. Didn’t Leo Kennedy offer to unpack for you when you got here?” I said.

  Cora shook her head. “He left everything out on the road. I had to bring everything inside as the neighbours were complaining. And now I haven’t got the strength to sort things out.”

  “What about your Stephen? Can’
t he help?” I asked.

  Cora said fondly, “I don’t want to bother him. He’s too busy.”

  I wouldn’t mind bothering him! And that Leo Kennedy too!

  “Well, Cora Roberts, this is your lucky day. You know I can’t stand a mess so I’m going to help you sort these boxes and bags out.” I looked around. “Well, we might not finish it all today, but we can make a start. We’ll sort out things that can go to charity, stay with you or be thrown away.”

  “Oh no! Julia, I can’t expect you to do that!” Cora cried out.

  I stood up. “You don’t have a choice. I’ve nothing else to do today. I’ll just pop to my car, I forgot to lock it.”

  I went back to my car and phoned my afternoon clients up to cancel my cleaning jobs. There was no way I was leaving Cora living in that mess.

  As I worked at clearing the rubbish I got madder and madder at Leo Kennedy for forcing Cora to move out of her home so quickly. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind.

  And when I finally got home and saw what he’d done to my drive way I was ready to do more than give him a piece of my mind!

  Chapter 4

  Piles of roof tiles were on my driveway. I couldn’t park my car there, and as the rest of the street had been taken up with builders’ vans, I parked on the next street down.

  I got more annoyed as I walked back to my house. I was definitely going to give Leo Kennedy a talking to!

  But someone had beaten me to it.

  John Thomas, the builder, was standing on the doorstep of Leo Kennedy’ house. His face was bright red.

  “You ordered those tiles and you are going to pay for them!” John shouted.

  Leo Kennedy faced him, his arms folded. He was standing a few steps up and looked down at the builder. “I’m not paying the price you’re asking for them. We agreed a lower price a few weeks ago. It seems that your costs are going up daily.”

  “You just don’t want to pay, you tight fisted sod! I’ve bought those tiles out of my money and I want paying now!”

  “No, I refuse to pay,” Leo Kennedy said calmly. “And I think I’ll look into using another builder. Your work is shoddy and not up to my standards at all. I’d like you to get off my property now.”

  John Thomas went even redder in the face. I saw him clench his huge fist.

  I stepped forward and said as politely as I could, “Can someone move those tiles off my drive. Please.”

  John Thomas turned around to me and snarled, “Nothing to do with me! Those are his tiles, he can move them.”

  Leo Kennedy gave a little laugh. “I don’t think so, Mr Thomas. They’re your responsibility.”

  I could see that I wasn’t getting anywhere and I didn’t want to get involved in a macho argument so I went to my house.

  The tiles were piled up in stacks and there wasn’t much room to squeeze through. I sucked in my tummy and tried to get through a gap.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t suck in my bottom and it knocked into a pile and sent tiles crashing to the ground.

  “Oi! My tiles!” John Thomas shouted.

  “You can pay for those breakages!” Leo Kennedy threatened.

  I looked over at the two men. I stood as tall as I could and said, “You’ve both denied owning these tiles. I’m assuming that if they’re on my property that they now belong to me. And if I want to, I can break the whole lot!”

  The men looked at each other for a moment. Then John Thomas gave a resigned sigh and walked towards me.

  “I’ll sort these out,” he grumbled to me.

  “Thank you,” I said and I opened my front door.

  As I went in I’m sure I heard John Thomas add, “And I’ll sort that Kennedy out too.”

  Chapter 5

  I didn’t hear any more raised voices as I prepared my tea. I looked out of the kitchen window and at the garden next door. I noticed that Cora’s apple tree had already been cut down. There was only the stump left. There’s something so sad about cutting healthy trees down.

  I settled down to eat my tea and soon forgot about the building work going on next door. I hoped it would be finished soon.

  I phoned my dad to see if he’d got any telephone messages about new cleaning jobs for me.

  “There’s a couple,” Dad said and he read out the addresses.

  “Oh, the better part of Leeds. I am going up in the world!” I said with a laugh.

  Dad asked how the work was going on next door. He wasn’t impressed when I told him about the tile incident.

  “Do you want me to come round and sort them out?” he offered.

  I was almost tempted but I told him I was old enough to look after myself now.

  After tea I looked out at my drive. The tiles had gone. I didn’t want to leave my car parked in the next street so I took my keys, left the house and headed down the next street.

  I was two steps away from my car when I heard someone calling out my name.

  It was Joan. Twice in one day, what had I done wrong?

  “Julia! What are you parking here for? Is someone in your drive? I bet it’s those annoying builders,” she said.

  I didn’t really want to get into the tile story so I just nodded and unlocked my car.

  I got in and was quite surprised when Joan got in too.

  “You may as well give me a lift. I know it’s only the next street but my feet are killing me! I suffer terribly with bunions. Have I ever shown you my bunions?”

  I drove as quickly as I could and was soon pulling into my driveway.

  Joan was pointing to Leo’s house. “Who’s that? It’s not one of the builders. He looks familiar though. Is he shouting? I can’t hear anything sitting here.”

  She almost leapt out of the car and then blatantly moved closer to the fence between my house and the one next door. She cocked her head to one side.

  I got out and tried to head towards my door. I didn’t want to get involved in any more arguments that Leo Kennedy was having.

  Joan stopped me. “I know who it is. It’s Cora Robert’s son, Stephen. Listen to that! He’s having a right go at that Leo Kennedy. Something about paying less than what the house was worth, and something about forcing his mum to sell the house.”

  “We shouldn’t be listening,” I said and I tried to walk away.

  “Shhh! I can’t hear what they’re saying. Leo Kennedy is going on about all’s far in business and that Stephen’s mum should have contacted a solicitor.”

  She didn’t need to tell me Stephen’s reply to that. I could hear him clearly enough.

  “You’re a scumbag Kennedy! Taking advantage of a frail old lady. I don’t know how you’ve got the nerve!” Stephen yelled.

  “You’re not bothered about your mother. All you want is her money. I bet you haven’t been to see her for months,” Leo Kennedy retorted.

  I nodded to myself, that was probably true.

  “I see my mum as often as I can! She doesn’t want me bothering her all the time,” Stephen defended himself.

  I couldn’t help myself. I leant over the fence and said, “She does want you to bother her! She needs your help. Have you seen the mess she’s living in? Boxes and bags of goodness knows what piled up in her living room.”

  Stephen glared over at me. “What the hell has my mother got to do with you, Julia Blake?”

  “I’ve been trying to help tidy up her home. When you’ve finished arguing perhaps you could pay her a visit. I think she’s lonely.”

  Stephen had the decency to look ashamed.

  He pointed to Leo Kennedy and said, “I haven’t finished with you yet.”

  I turned away from the fence.

  Joan said, “Stephen sounded just like his father then. Before you moved here his dad used to shout at him and his mum constantly. Oh! The arguments I used to hear.”

  “I didn’t know Stephen’s dad used to live with them. Cora never spoke about him.”

  Joan sniffed and gave a disapproving look to the house next door, “Well s
he wouldn’t would she? Not when he ran off with that floozy of his. No one’s seen him since.”

  Chapter 6

  I didn’t sleep well that night. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the noise and disruption that was going on next door. I didn’t like the thought of living next door to a man like Leo Kennedy. I briefly considered moving. I didn’t want to though, I loved living here.

  I got up early and made my plans for the day. I would catch up with the people that I had to cancel yesterday, see if I could call round today instead. Hopefully, I would be busy enough all day to stay away from home. Maybe that’s something I would have to do everyday until the house next door was finished.

  My clients were happy for me to call round so I had a wonderfully busy day. There’s nothing like cleaning somebody’s mess up to make you forget the problems in your own life.

  I even had time to call on Cora Roberts again. I’d promised her yesterday that I’d take some bags of rubbish away.

  Cora was delighted to see me.

  And I was delighted to see that all the rubbish had been removed from her home.

  “My Stephen came round. He worked so hard to clear everything away,” Cora said proudly.

  I thought that he probably felt guilty when he saw the state his mum was living in, but I didn’t say anything.

  I stayed at Cora’s for a while.

  “Have a bun, Julia, I made these for Stephen whilst he was tidying up. They’re his favourites. He loves these little silver balls on top! When he was little he used to pretend he was eating real silver. He said it made him feel like a super hero! There’s only a few left and I don’t like them. The little balls get stuck in my dentures.”

  It would have been rude for me to refuse them. I politely ate two buns while Cora talked about Stephen.

  “He told me he’d had an argument with that nice Leo Kennedy. He said Leo Kennedy hadn’t paid me enough for the house. I can’t believe that, can you Julia?”

  I didn’t say anything about the house, Leo seemed like exactly the sort of man to swindle a pensioner. I changed the subject to Cora herself and asked how she filled her days.