8

A few people were on the street outside Dragon's Den as they approached. One of them called out "Are you opening up? That lemon meringue you served on Saturday was delicious."

"I made two yesterday," Toshiko called back. "Come inside, and I'll give you two pieces. On the house. And how about a cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles on top?"

"Ooh, that sounds lovely. The Silver Spoon serves nothing like that. Roger always said he would never serve fancy coffee."

"Well, that was Roger's decision." Toshiko smiled at Mrs Davies. "Here at Dragon's Den, we serve our beverages as fancy as you like!"

Within minutes, Mrs Davies was seated at a table with three friends. Each lady had a cup of cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles, in front of her. "Is it true Roger's body was found at the back of Dragon's Den?"

"I'm afraid so." Ianto arranged his face into a suitably sorrowful luck. "The poor man."

"Probably got what was coming to him." Mrs Davies sniffed. "The way he treated that poor wife of his was dreadful."

"Do you remember when we went into The Silver Spoon last week?" one of the other ladies asked.

"Oh, yes," Mrs Davies responded. "Roger called her a useless tart or trollop. One of those extremely uncomplimentary names he seemed to think was acceptable. Imagine what he must have called the poor woman in private if he was willing to say things like that in public."

"Here we are, ladies." Toshiko put a plate of scones, a pot of jam, and another pot piled high with cream. "Compliments of Dragon's Den."

"You must let us pay, Toshiko!" Mrs Davies eyed the plate in front of her greedily.

"Absolutely not, your boy Rhys was amazing with getting in the shelving for us" Toshiko said. "I insist. Please accept the cappuccinos and scones with our compliments. We feel dreadful that we have only just opened the shop."

"I don't think I've ever been in The Silver Spoon more than a handful of times." Morwen pulled up a chair near to Mrs Davies. "Too busy at work for coffee shops. Was Roger always rude to his wife?"

"Didn't you teach my Courtney English?" one of the women asked.

"I certainly tried to," Morwen replied. "I don't think English was her favourite subject."

"I don't think any of them were." Courtney's mother laughed. "I don't think there were many times I went in there when he wasn't rude to her."

Mrs Davies looked at her friends for confirmation. They all nodded and murmured their agreement. The door opened, and another group of women walked in. They looked around the café, their eyes settling on Ianto.

One of them nodded in his direction. "That's him."

"Hello, ladies," Ianto said pleasantly. "How can we help you?"

"Are you the one that found the dead body this morning?"

Ianto held in a sigh. "Yes, that's right."

"Is it right he was stabbed right in the head?" Ianto didn't recognize any of the women, but he knew gawpers when he saw them. They were the type of people he didn't want in Dragon's Den.

"I'm so sorry, but I must ask you to leave. You're upsetting his wife." Toshiko nudged Sarah, the only blonde amongst them while hissing "Cry."

Toshiko rummaged in her handbag for a moment, came up with a tissue which she offered and Sarah used it to loudly blow her nose. "Oh, poor Roger."

The newcomers looked at Mrs Davies and her friends. "Why are they allowed to stay?"

"They work for the funeral home," Ianto blurted out. "We are helping his new widow complete the details for her husband's funeral."

"That seems very quick," one of them said suspiciously. "Don't the police forensic people have to do some sort of tests on the body?"

Fuck it! There were too many crime dramas on the television these days—everyone thought they were an expert.

"Shh!" Ianto hissed. "That's why she's so upset. Do you know what happens to a body during an autopsy?"

"I don't think I want to."

Ianto opened the door. "Thank you for coming. We hope to see you again but under better circumstances."

They exchanged solemn nods before the women finally left.

"I don't look a bit like Elaine," Sarah said.

"By the time they realize that, the newspapers will have all the information they crave," Ianto said.

"What do you know about Hamish Carter?" Toshiko asked as she hovered near Mrs Davies and her friends.

"I don't think—"

"He was at our opening on Saturday. I didn't see him talk to anyone except Roger." Toshiko indicated a height way above her head. "He's about so tall. Bald and rather attractive in a distinguished way."

"I know who you mean," Mrs Davies said. "Looks like a posh woman's Grant Mitchell."

"That's him." Toshiko nodded. They all looked at each other and shook their heads. "I wish we could help, but we know nothing about him."

"Connor Watson?"

"Makes me want to smoke e-cigs." Courtney's mum sniggered. "Lovely young man. Looks great in those tight jeans young men seem to favour these days."

Ianto knew the ones she meant. Tight denim that looked as though they had been made four inches too short. Jack begged him to wear some but there was nothing sexy that Ianto could see in a man's hairy ankles.

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Morwen asked. She was the only one amongst them who had remained single all these years.

"I think he'd eat you for breakfast, Miss Fleming."

"I just wondered," Morwen said. "Though I shouldn't jump to conclusions. Perhaps he's got a boyfriend."

"It's definitely women that one is interested in." Mrs Davies's lips thinned as she spoke. "I heard him say something quite inappropriate to Mrs McDonald after Roger had embarrassed her with one of his tirades."

"Really?" Ianto asked, trying not to sound too keen to hear more of Mrs Davies' information.

"I can't remember precisely what he said. Just that it was a rather crude comment."

"How did Mrs McDonald react?"

"Well, that was the thing," Mrs Davies said. "She giggled like a schoolgirl, blushed, then reached out and ran a finger down his chest."

Toshiko tutted. "How disgraceful."

It always amazed Ianto that Toshiko was quite happy to watch programmes with people getting killed left, right, and center for all sorts of reasons, yet was easily the most prudish of us all.

"I'm going to pop out for a few minutes, check on Rose" Ianto announced.

"Have you worked out who it is yet?" Morwen asked eagerly.

"Of course he hasn't," Toshiko retorted, staring at the screen of her tablet. "We don't have all the pieces of the jigsaw yet."

"Hopefully, I'll find the last piece of information we need, soon."