They finished their omelettes, and Keya handed Theo an individual pot of chocolate mousse she’d also found in the fridge.

As she peeled the foil cover off her own pot, she said, “I spoke to Ashley Ricketts this morning. He’s not a fan of yours.”

“I know. But then he and Daisy have been friends for years and I know he thought they’d have the fairy tale white wedding and live happily ever after. He sees me as the evil ogre, so to speak, who spoiled his fantasy. But that’s all it was. A girl like Daisy was never going to settle for someone like Ash.”

“But he was the one with plans for moving to London.”

“Was he? I didn’t know about that. It would have solved all our problems.”

Keya let the comment pass and considered, “I think it was before you came along. But Daisy refused to leave her father and sister.”

Theo dipped a teaspoon into his chocolate mousse. “Now that I can understand. Dennis had Daisy caught in a trap. I’m not sure she’d ever have got out if I hadn’t arrived in the village. I didn’t mean to cause the row which led to Dennis throwing Daisy out, but I’m not sorry I did. That’s when she was finally free of him.”

But did Daisy feel beholden to her knight in shining armour, Keya wondered.

“Didn’t Daisy resent you, even a little bit, for that?”

“She was certainly upset at first. There were lots of tears. But when they subsided, it was Zoe she was most concerned about. She asked me if her sister could live with us. I didn’t have a problem with it. We have plenty of room. But by then, Dennis had his claws into Zoe, just as he had done with Daisy. But Daisy hadn’t given up hope and was still trying to persuade Zoe to move in here.”

“And what about Daisy’s mum?” Keya enquired.

“Doreen? What about her?”

“What was her relationship like with Daisy? Had they had an argument?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but I guess you could say their relationship was a tricky one. I’m not sure Daisy completely forgave her mum for running out on her and Zoe. They were civil, and deep down, I know they both cared for each other. But Daisy moving in here and setting up the bakery, and blossoming into an attractive young woman with prospects… I’d say Doreen was bitter about it. But that isn’t unusual with mother-daughter relationships, is it?”

Keya thought of her own family. Her mother certainly wasn’t jealous of her job, and she’d helped Keya when she started the cafe, but what her mother wanted most was for Keya to marry and produce grandchildren. It sounded very different from the relationship between Daisy and her mother.

“And how do you get on with Doreen? You’re her boss, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but she started working at the mill before I arrived. I think my uncle felt sorry for her, but she’s a hard worker and I have no issue with her. In fact, one of our supervisors is retiring in the autumn, and I’m considering Doreen for the position. She’s capable of taking on the role if her self-confidence will allow her to step up and do it.”

Keya hadn’t thought of Doreen as someone who lacked self-confidence, but she could certainly see her as a hard worker.

“And what about everyone else in the village? Dora appeared upset about Daisy’s plans for Mill House.”

“Is she? She’s always been supportive of them in front of me. But I know she wasn’t happy when she and her father moved out. Uncle Anthony said they could stay, and I’d have been happy with a cottage in the village, but Uncle Thomas, Dora’s father, was insistent. He said it was time to move on and make way for the new manager. Me.”

That wasn’t how Dora had told it.

“And Dr and Mrs Reid?”

“Harmless. Mrs Reid was annoyed when we opened the bakery, but I’ve seen her sneak in for bread and cakes. And Dr Reid is more concerned about the ancient world, and the standing stones, and archaeology. He’s a bit stuffy and gets annoyed when the mill is working overtime, but he always gets over it.”

“And Aurora and Viv?”

“They’re good fun, if a bit wacky. But I know Daisy was worried about their influence over Zoe. But at least they were getting her away from Dennis.”

Keya checked her black wristwatch. “I should be getting back to the station.”

“Thank you so much for lunch and the chat,” Theo said, in a grateful voice. “I feel better about it. I might even wander down to the office. Sitting here on my own is doing me no good whatsoever. And I know Daisy wouldn’t want me falling apart and letting the business and everything we’ve worked for suffer.”

“What about the bakery?” asked Keya tentatively.

“I’m not sure. I need to think about it.”

“There is one more thing. I’m afraid I need to take your phone back to the station with me?”

“What for?” Theo looked perplexed rather than annoyed.

“Our forensic team needs to check it alongside Daisy’s. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days, if that.”

“Was there something on Daisy’s phone? Was she receiving hate messages?” Theo asked, in a concerned voice.

“No, nothing like that. Although I think there may be some messages from Ashley which she deleted.”

Theo winced. “I remember those. Soon after she moved in here. He bombarded her with them. He was concerned about her at first, but then he turned abusive. She blocked his messages, so he turned up in person, drunk. I told him to go away and his anger turned on me, but I was fine with that. After all, I was his boss and if he wanted to keep his job, he had to be civil. Things settled down after a few months.”

Theo left the kitchen and returned a minute later carrying his phone. As he handed it to Keya, he said, “Keep it for as long as you like if it will help determine what happened to Daisy. I’ll use a work one. But please be careful and make sure you don’t delete any of the photos. I’ll need them to help me get through the next few weeks and months.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

When Keya returned to her team room in the police station, she found Ryan with Inspector Evans in his small office.

“Monday is not good enough,” she heard Inspector Evans bluster.

Thinking he was annoyed with Ryan, Keya poked her head into the inspector’s office. Ryan gave her a wry smile as Inspector Evans said into his phone, “This is a potential murder investigation. We need Daisy Bentham’s bank details today.”

He slammed the phone down as Keya ducked out of the office, but she was too late.

“Sergeant. You’ve been a long time.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied as she stepped back into the inspector’s office. “I met with Ashley Ricketts, the young man who had a thing for Daisy. He certainly has a temper, but would he harm Daisy? I doubt it. And if he did, he’d do so in a more obvious way. If there is a crime, I think it’s too sophisticated for him.”

“OK. But don’t rule him out yet. A scorned lover and all that,” the inspector remarked.

“And talking of lovers, I went to Mill House to collect Theo Watson’s phone.”

“Did you get it?” asked Ryan hopefully.

“I did, and I had a good chat with Theo, which is why it took me so long. He was in a terrible state, so I made him shower while I cooked lunch.”

Inspector Evans raised his eyebrows, but he refrained from saying anything.

“Just omelettes,” she clarified quickly. “He relaxed as we ate, and we discussed Daisy and his relationships with her family and people in the village.”