A Brush with Death: A Penny Brannigan Mystery - By Elizabeth J. Duncan Page 0,79

I could pick up a few bits and pieces for her party.”

“Oh, and Gwennie, I wondered if you could make us some of your delicious sandwiches? There’ll be about ten of us, including a couple of pensioners from out of town, so we want to make it a bit special. And those little petit fours you do so beautifully. Lovely! I’ll leave the rest up to you. Thanks and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Penny put the phone down and turned to Victoria.

“There. All set. We’re giving a nice little tea party tomorrow to thank everyone. That was a really nice idea of yours to invite Florence and Jimmy. They probably don’t get out much, and I’m sure they’ll really enjoy it. Gareth and Bethan are bringing Jimmy with them from Llandudno. Jimmy says he hasn’t had a ride in the back of a police car for ages, so it’ll be quite like old times!”

Victoria remained silent.

“You’ve been absolutely wonderful about all this, Victoria, and I promise you’ve got my full attention now. We’ll get the spa ready for a Christmas opening, and they’re starting work on the cottage next week so it’s going to be all go. No more mysteries, I promise.”

“I don’t mind the mysteries,” Victoria said, “but you’ve got to get your priorities straight.” Penny was looking so intently at the photo of Alys as a child that Victoria gave up. “And blah, blah, blah.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Penny agreed. “And I will. Now let’s go over the guest list one more time. Oh, I forgot Mrs. Lloyd. She’s meant to be going to Manchester tomorrow, but I’ll invite her anyway and she can decide whether she wants to come.”

Penny added her name to the list.

When Victoria left, Penny settled into the sofa with her handbag on her lap and withdrew the piece of paper Mrs. Lloyd had given her earlier. After setting the handbag to one side, she unfolded the paper. It was a clipping from the local paper, dated January 21, 1971.

ARTIST’S DEATH: HUNT FOR HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER GOES ON, SAYS CORONER

She scanned the article, noting that the coroner had returned an open verdict, and the police were continuing their efforts to find the driver responsible.

Then, a few paragraphs into the story, the words of the coroner caught her full attention.

This driver failed completely to observe the ordinary decency one expects from a motorist involved in an accident—to pull up and go back to help the injured person,” said Coroner Morgan Llewellen.

“I hope the person who is responsible for this fatality can be brought to justice in another court.”

The coroner said that in the circumstances he would only ask the jury to return a verdict concerning the medical evidence that death was from shock due to multiple fractures of the pelvis and that the cause was being struck by a motor vehicle. The jury agreed.

She sat there for a few moments, then rose, crossed the room, and pinned the paper to her whiteboard.

Twenty-one

On Friday afternoon, the guests arrived, crowding eagerly into Penny’s sitting room. Gwennie passed around sandwiches and Victoria and Penny handed out cups of tea and glasses of sherry for anyone who wanted one.

“And the important bits work just fine,” Jimmy was overheard telling Florence as she not-so-discreetly wrapped up a few sandwiches and slipped them into her handbag.

Mrs. Lloyd, with Bunny in tow, had arrived amidst a great air of business and bustle, and then the two of them monopolized Florence as they reminisced about the old days, when young people showed respect to their elders and you could get a decent cup of tea and a nice homemade bun at a wonderful tea shop filled with atmosphere, not like those American chains of coffee shops where surly girls with hair in their eyes serve overpriced, bitter coffee with pretentious names.

And then Davies stood up and asked for everyone’s attention. A silence fraught with delicious anticipation filled the room.

“I’d like to begin,” Davies began, “by thanking Penny and Victoria for hosting us this afternoon and by thanking you for coming. Each of you here today has played a role in helping us solve a crime committed many years ago.”

He glanced at Alys’s two brothers.

“And the lives of two of you were changed forever because of what happened on that December morning so long ago.

“Penny has asked me to tell you what happened, so I’m going to do that for you now.”

Mrs. Lloyd breathed deeply and leaned forward.

“Alys Jones was killed in a hit-and-run accident because, as