‘There will be,’ Joe predicted. ‘It’ll make a bomb on both sides of the Atlantic! Should be good for a TV series too.’ He gave her shoulder a squeeze before taking his arm away. ‘Now all this is over, you’ll be able to get down to it.’
‘It’ll never be over for some,’ said Melissa sadly.
‘You mustn’t be too pessimistic. People do get over these things in time.’
‘But there are so many casualties. Apart from Babs, and Dick and his family, and the Rector, there’s Clive. He’s lost a year of his life and now he’s got all this trauma to live with.’
‘He’s young, he’ll be all right. Didn’t you tell me he’s left the clinic? How’s he getting on?’
‘He left as soon as he found out his father had been paying the bills. Actually, I suppose things are looking up for him.’ She reminded herself that as well as tragedy there was hope. ‘He’s going back to work part-time . . . his firm has been very good and they’re finding him a desk job until he’s fit to drive again. Bruce and Rowena have taken him under their wing, and he and Dawn are seeing quite a bit of one another, I hear.’
‘Well, there you are then. I’m sure Dawn is much better for him than Babs could have been.’
‘I’m sure she is.’
‘And what about the Rector?’
‘He’s been given leave by the Bishop to spend some time in retreat. At least, his wife has been very supportive although I don’t suppose she’s got the faintest idea what’s really behind his breakdown. She thinks it’s overwork and goes round uttering reproaches against everyone from the PCC to General Synod for making too many demands on him. And there’s one other bright spot amid the gloom.’
‘Oh?’
‘Stanley Parkin — Gloria’s husband — is in the clear . . . at least, as far as the drugs racket goes. He knew nothing about it . . . it’s his partner who’s the dealer. He’s got two sites for his second-hand car business and the one he looks after himself is clean as a whistle . . . give or take one or two dubious “low-mileage-one-careful-lady-owner” cars!’ Melissa managed a tremulous smile. ‘Gloria might have to hock a few earrings to pay his fine but she’ll take it all in her stride. Her Stanley can do no wrong in her eyes.’
‘How nice it must be to have a loyal partner,’ said Joe with unmistakable meaning.
Melissa got up and began clearing away the tea-things. To respond to that kind of remark could lead to dangerous ground. Maybe some time in the future . . . but not yet. As if he read her signals, Joe glanced at his watch and stood up.
‘I’d better be leaving,’ he said. Before getting into his car he put both hands on her shoulders, kissed her on the cheek and brushed his head against hers. ‘No more amateur sleuthing, mind!’ he said softly. ‘Promise?’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch when the book’s ready. Drive carefully!’
Iris emerged from the garden of Elder Cottage as the Audi drove away. ‘Nice man!’ she observed. ‘Pity he’s married.’
‘He’s getting a divorce,’ said Melissa absently, returning Joe’s wave as he turned into the lane. ‘Nothing to do with me,’ she added in response to a keen look from the steel-grey eyes. ‘I told you, it’s just a professional relationship. I must go and finish my letter to Simon . . . I want to catch the evening post.’
‘When’s he coming over?’
‘In a couple of weeks. There are one or two things I want him to bring for me.’
Iris gave one of her witch-like cackles. ‘Wonder what he’ll say when he hears?’
‘About the murder and so on?’
‘Have a fit when he knows what his mother’s been up to!’
‘Probably. At least I’ve proved I can take care of myself.’
‘How are you going to bear it here in the winter?’ Simon wanted to know. ‘It’s cold enough in July to freeze the ass off a jack-rabbit!’ They were standing at the top of the bank near Daniel’s hut after Melissa had given him a conducted tour of the village. The sky was a pearly grey and a cool breeze flattened the long grass.
‘You’ve become soft!’ she teased him. ‘Anyway, I may not be here for the entire winter. Iris has invited me to her cottage in Provence for as long as I like to stay.’
‘You could always come over to Texas for a while.’
She looked up at him, laughing happily. ‘I do believe you’ve grown . . . you seem enormous! Does it ever snow in Dallas?’
‘Not since I’ve been there.’
‘I’ll think about it. I’ve never been that far south.’
‘Do that. I don’t like to think of you stuck out here on your own.’ He looked down at her with concern on his young, tanned, unlined face. ‘You need someone to look after you, Madre.’
‘Do I, dear? Well, we’ll see.’
Did this Melissa Craig mystery leave you dying for more? Have no fear, Melissa’s next case Murder in the Morning, is available to order now!
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Murder in the Morning
An absolutely unputdownable cozy murder mystery novel
The house was silent, sunlight flooding through the window. The body of a beautiful red-headed girl lay on the floor. She looked asleep, but for a ribbon of blood across her neck...
Melissa Craig is just settling into a new teaching job when she is shocked to hear the news that Angelica, her beautiful colleague, has been found dead in her home, her throat cut.
As the police investigation begins, everyone in Angelica’s life comes under suspicion, but Melissa wants to do some digging of her own, especially since she’s romantically entangled with one of the chief suspects.
Was it the victim’s spurned fiancé, her secretive landlord or the snobbish head of department with a roving eye?
As she looks for clues, Melissa start to wonder if the key to the crime lies in a vandalised portrait of Angelica that was slashed at the neck in exactly the same way as her dead body.
Just when Melissa thinks she’s got her man, a second body surfaces, and she knows she needs to catch the culprit before more innocent lives are taken. Can Melissa uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?
Do you love books by Faith Martin and Agatha Christie? If so, make Betty Rowlands’ absolutely page-turning novel your next read!
This book was previously published as Finishing Touch.
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Also by Betty Rowlands
THE MELISSA CRAIG SERIES
Murder at Hawthorn Cottage
Murder in the Morning
Murder on the Clifftops
Murder at the Manor Hotel
A Letter From Betty
Dear Reader
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Betty
Murder on the Clifftops
A Melissa Craig Mystery Book 3
Get it here!
French cheese, fine wine and… a mystifying murder?
A delightful afternoon stroll turns to disaster when the guests of an artists’ retreat in the French mountains spot the body of a man at the bottom of a cliff.
Amongst them is Melissa Craig who, binoculars at the ready, suddenly finds herself at the centre of a very puzzling mystery. Was it an accident, or was he pushed?
Her suspicions are confirmed when another body is found
days later in almost exactly the same spot. It can’t be a coincidence; someone in this idyllic French village is up to no good, and it’s up to her to find out who.
Between the eccentric locals and mischievous guests, Melissa finds herself with no shortage of potential suspects: was it the surly handyman with a dark past, or perhaps the short-sighted widow with an excellent golf swing? But the real question is: how close to the edge will Melissa have to tread to find the culprit…?
An absolutely unputdownable murder mystery you’ll read in one sitting. Perfect for anyone who loves Agatha Christie, P.D. James or Faith Martin.
Published by Bookouture
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Betty Rowlands 1990, 2018
Betty Rowlands has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
ISBN: 978-1-78681-608-5
Originally published as A Little Gentle Sleuthing by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 1990
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Murder at Hawthorn Cottage: An absolutely gripping cozy mystery (A Melissa Craig Mystery Book 1) Page 28