Synopsis – A Breath of Fresh Air
In a charming seaside town, secrets don’t stay buried for long…
Body of Chef Found in Wall Three Years After He ‘Left to go to Australia’
Human remains found inside the wall of a disused building have now been identified as those of Victor Blackwell. He was the head chef at Windstanton’s The Seaside Lounge until just over three years ago, when, according his friends, he left for a job in Australia. Detective Inspector Albert Finch from Fenshire’s Cold Case Unit has asked for anyone who has information about the chef’s movements three years ago to come forward.
We have no choice! With only three weeks until the Grand Opening, the last thing Bea and Perry need is the grim discovery of a skeleton in the wall of Simon and Ryan’s soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. But when it’s designated a crime scene, and the policeman in charge of the investigation into Vic’s murder refuses to let them have access to continue the refurbishment, they have no other option than to investigate the murder themselves or risk letting Simon and Ryan down.
But in a town where everyone harbors secrets, can they uncover the truth in time or will SaltAir’s opening be a damp squib?
Author Bio
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes.
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Excerpt
Intro
In the serene seaside town of Windstanton, royal amateur sleuth Lady Beatrice, and her best friend and business partner, Perry Juke, embark on the restoration and refurb of Ryan Hawley, and Perry’s husband, Simon Lattimore’s, soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. With the Grand Opening only three weeks away, the town is buzzing about the new restaurant and advance bookings are flooding in. Everything is looking great. There’s just a stud wall and an ugly old bar to knock down and they’ll be finish on time. But as the sledgehammer falls and the wall crumbles a chilling discovery is revealed…human remains! When Detective Inspector Albert Finch from the Fenshire Cold Case Unit turns up he makes it clear that he will take the investigation at this own pace, irrespective of their deadline. Faced with a delay that might jeopardy the Grand Opening, Perry thinks the only option is to investigate the murder themselves. But that will mean that Bea has got to tell Superintendent Richard Fitzwilliam (the man who she had butted heads with when he had worked for PaIRS, the organisation whose job it was to protect the royal family, and was now her boyfriend), not only that they have found a body. Again. But that she’s going to stick her royal nose in someone else’s investigation. Again. Will he ask her to stay out of the case? And if so, what will she do — upset him or let her friends down? Then she gets a text from him asking her if he can speak with her. Oh no! He knows already….
Extract
Bea sat behind her desk in her and Perry’s office in the Old Stable Block at Francis Court staring at her phone.
Come on, Bea. He won’t bite.
She glanced over at Daisy, who was now curled up in her bed on a chair in the corner of the office. “Are you sure you won’t take this call for me, little girl?” she asked. The small white dog ignored her. Bea took a deep breath as Rich’s name flashed up on the screen. She accepted the call with a shaky finger.
“Hello, trouble.” Her stomach fluttered. His voice was deep and slightly husky. His mild northern accent sent a shiver up her spine. In a good way. Oh my goodness, I’ve got it bad!
“Hey, you,” she replied. Did that sound a bit drippy? She cleared her throat. “So how’s your conference going?”
“Dreadful. It’s death by PowerPoint. More than once today, I’ve seriously considered breaking the glass on the fire alarm just to bring a bit of excitement to the whole thing.”
She stifled a snort of laughter.
She knew he was finding his move from PaIRS to City Police and the promotion from chief inspector to superintendent that had come with it, involved a lot more meetings, conferences, and admin than he’d expected. But, he’d assured her, he would get used to it. On the positive side, he was enjoying collaborating with the various intelligence services who worked alongside the police to protect the capital city, London.
“And it’s only day one of three,” Rich added with a heavy sigh. “I’m hoping for a minor crisis back in the office, something I can use as an excuse to leave early.”
Bea suppressed a giggle. She’d never seen this side of him until recently, and she loved the little insights into his life that he now shared with her.
“Anyway, enough about this drudgery. Tell me about your discovery at the restaurant,” he said.
Bea told him about the contractors having found the skeleton when they’d knocked down the wall as she and Perry had watched on and about Perry’s belief that it was Victor Blackwell, the chef who’d worked at the previous restaurant at Clary House.
“So is Mike in charge of the case?”
“No. He’s on leave. But anyway, it’s been passed over to the Fenshire Cold Case Unit.” She told him about Finch and what they knew about him.
“So what happens now?” His tone was even. No mention of her keeping her nose out. Yet…
She pinched her lips together. “As Simon has pointed out, we don’t even know for sure it is Victor’s body. But the opening of SaltAir is looming, and most of the building is a crime scene.”
“Um…” Rich exhaled softly. “I hate to say it, but Simon’s right. It could take days, even weeks to ID the body.”
“But we don’t have weeks, Rich. We open on the eighth of July. If the case isn’t solved before then, it’s going to ruin the opening and overshadow everything Simon and Ryan are trying to do at Clary House.”
“I’m sorry. Perhaps this Finch chap will catch a break and have it wrapped up in no time.”
Not at the pace he works, according to Simon and CID Steve. But she appreciated Rich was trying to make her feel better.
There was what sounded like a bell ringing at the other end of the line. “That’s the five-minute warning that the next session is starting. I’d better go as I need to grab a large coffee to take in with me, or I’ll have no chance of staying conscious for the rest of the afternoon.”
“Don’t resort to setting fire alarms off. Promise?” Bea said, smiling.
“I’ll try,” Rich replied with a chuckle. “We’ll talk later. Stay…er safe, Bea.”
“And you stay…er awake, Rich.” His laughter echoed down the line as she cut the call. For a moment she stared at her phone screen. “Thank you for not saying it,” she murmured. Not yet, anyway, a little voice in her head added.
