Libby peered into the puddles under the lighthouse, looking for a handbag, hoping for clues, but the sea had left nothing behind.
I shouldn't touch the body again. Libby knew the rules: everyone did. Don't disturb the scene. She should wait for the police to arrive, but something about the woman's arm, tucked at such an awkward angle into a jacket pocket, nagged at Libby. It wouldn't do any harm just to give it another small nudge, surely?
She twitched the sleeve and the arm jerked. Libby, startled, jumped back and almost tripped over Shipley. ‘Just rigor mortis,’ she muttered. She pulled again, harder. The stiff hand popped out of the pocket, rigid, fingers pointing to the bleak, wide Somerset sky. A chunk of plastic tumbled from the jacket.
Libby whispered, ‘Sorry,’ as though the dead woman could still hear. Shipley nudged the woman's face, and Libby pulled him back, clipping the lead to his collar.
The sudden, shocking wail of police sirens brought an officer, younger than her own son, running down the beach. Libby held out one hand, as if to protect the body. ‘Be careful.’
The young plainclothes officer raised an eyebrow above intense blue eyes and waved an ID card under Libby's nose. ‘Detective Sergeant Ramshore. Step over there and leave it to us now, please, madam. We need to clear the scene. The constable, here, will ask you a few questions.’
A female, uniformed police officer led Libby and Shipley along the beach, up a short flight of steps to a seat on the promenade, its roof providing some shelter from the wind and rain. As she answered the officer's gentle questions, Libby gazed through relentless rain, past the tiny pier with its deserted kiosk, to the brightly coloured houses and shops of the town.
The dead stranger still lay, forlorn, on the beach, a small plastic ring with a pink stone tumbled beside her on the sand.
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We hope you enjoyed this exclusive extract. Murder at the Lighthouse is available to order now by clicking on the image below:
Also by Frances Evesham
The Exham-On-Sea Murder Mysteries
Murder at the Lighthouse
Murder on the Levels
Murder on the Tor
Murder at the Cathedral
Murder at the Bridge
Murder at the Castle
Murder at the Gorge
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The Ham-Hill Murder Mysteries
A Village Murder
About the Author
Frances Evesham is the author of the hugely successful Exham on Sea mysteries set in her home county of Somerset. Boldwood is republishing the complete series with the next new instalment due in Autumn 2020. Frances is also starting a new cosy crime series set in rural Herefordshire with the first title published in June 2020.
Visit Frances’s website: www.francesevesham.com
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About Boldwood Books
Boldwood Books is a fiction publishing company seeking out the best stories from around the world.
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First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
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Copyright © Frances Evesham, 2020
Cover Design by Nick Castle Design
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The moral right of Frances Evesham to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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Paperback ISBN 978-1-80048-064-3
Large Print ISBN 978-1-80048-063-6
Ebook ISBN 978-1-80048-066-7
Kindle ISBN 978-1-80048-065-0
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-80048-058-2
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-80048-059-9
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-80048-060-5
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