Artifact
Page 21
Ed ran a shaking hand across his face. “I found financial discrepancies and other problems, ingrained and part of the fabric of the church. It was a real travesty. Nothing was being done right. Brian was obviously out of control and struggling and McLean had done nothing to help. If anything, he had compounded the man’s problems. It was a mess. I had to do something...”
“So you killed him?” Jayden looked completely confused and her assumption might have been hilarious if it hadn’t been so inappropriate. Ed gritted his teeth and pressed on, willing her to understand so that he only had to say this once and then wait for her reaction.
“No. Back up. Brian killed him. Remember?”
Emboldened by her nod, he continued, “The night he died, I challenged him about a donation - a bequest - that had gone missing around the time he bought his holiday home in Skegness. The accountant who used to audit everything was a friend of his and was recently prosecuted for fraud. McLean became furious with me and told me it was none of my business. I had no alternative and so I had to...”
“Not kill him,” Jayden said and shook her head. She sounded so childlike and innocent that Ed smiled at her and leaning across, ran his left hand up the back of her neck and into her long hair, instantly tangling his fingers in the myriad glossy curls.
“No,” he said gently, “not kill him. Jayd, I had to tell him that it was my business... because I am the bishop.”
Jayden looked at him with her brow furrowed. She felt empty inside although more peaceful than she had for nine long years. It wasn’t so much that she was numb, but more that she could no longer hear the whispered criticisms and jibes from the emotional demons who had familiarly haunted her soul. Her head felt blissfully clear. She wanted to lie down finally and sleep, feeling sure that it would be dreamless and fulfilling. She looked hard at Ed’s purple shirt and tried to take it all in. He was the bishop, the big boss, the one whom Reverend McLean had openly spent hours swooning over and conspiring to meet. He had been under the old man’s nose the whole time, hosing out dustbins and clearing leaves from the gutters.
It was incongruous and ridiculous. To Ed’s surprise, Jayden began to chuckle as Lily McGowan’s spirit leaked out and found the situation entertaining. Jayden laughed and laughed and laughed until she was exhausted. As Ed finally allowed his nerves to relax, he delighted in the beauty of the woman in front of him. Lily McGowan was truly stunning as she flexed her personality, unfettered for the first time in almost a decade. The mask that was Jayden Mitchell slipped irrevocably away, surplus to requirement in the life that was ahead of this woman, who no longer had demons on her shoulder or anywhere else in her life.
Up in Lincoln Cathedral, the famed imp continued to sit on his stone perch surveying the visiting tourists below. His tiny teeth gleamed grey and pointy in his shadowy maw. Myriad demons circled his throne paying tribute to his wicked self, before settling back down on the shoulders of their hosts, carried forth into the world to make mischief and cause mayhem. The imp was ages old, sitting out his punishment in spectacular silence and isolation, hidden to most but visible to a few. He had sat for centuries but was, in fact, even older than that. He was as old as the First Adam, who had partnered with his own demons, Grief, Disappointment and Guilt, wearing them on his shoulders like a shroud as they drove him into despair for his disobedience.
The imp heard the distant sound of Lily McGowan’s tinkling laughter and felt her blessed relief with a flash of anger that rippled his stone body. A crash clanged into the cavernous space as something fell over, masking the otherworldly roar of temper that echoed in the underworld.
As the bowed and willing cathedral guide led yet another group of tourists to the bottom of his throne and pointed upwards, she stopped momentarily with her hand partly raised in the air and a number of pairs of eyes faced her way in surprise. “Goodness me,” she remarked incredulously, “it sounds ridiculous but I think our Lincoln Imp looks even crosser today.”
The visitors laughed between themselves and humoured the elderly, fluffy haired guide as the imp glowered and glowered.
About the Author
K T Bowes lives in New Zealand, between the Hakarimata bush and the Waikato River. A proud Brit with NZ citizenship, she is married with four children who are off around the world doing wonderful things of their own. Husband also does wonderful things, but closer to home. A stroppy ginger cat lives with them and there is usually a crazy horse or two living in the riverside paddock behind their house.
Dear Reader
This novel was very different from most of my others and I found it cathartic in more ways than I could ever have imagined. It began as an idea and as many of these things do, morphed into a tale of restitution and freedom. It’s the novel which drives people to contact me and share their stories of hardship and human frailty; encouraged and heartened by Jayden’s trials.
I would be grateful if you’d consider leaving a short review at the site where you purchased my novel. You can get there via this LINK. The world of publishing is driven by the opinion of readers and an author succeeds or fails on their say so. It doesn’t have to be an essay, just a few lines about what you thought of Demons On Her Shoulder. I knew when I penned those first words that this novel wouldn’t bring in the same rave reviews as something with sci-fi or erotica but it wasn’t why I continued. Love it or hate it; please feel free to say so.
Thank you,
K T Bowes
Other novels by K T Bowes
The Hana Du Rose Mysteries
Logan Du Rose
About Hana - FREE HERE
Hana Du Rose
Du Rose Legacy
The New Du Rose Matriarch
One Heartbeat
The Du Rose Prophecy
Du Rose Sons
Du Rose Family Ties
The boxed set is available containing the first 4 novels HERE
Novels for teens/young adults:
Free from the Tracks -FREE HERE
Sophia’s Dilemma
A Trail of Lies – FREE to subscribers
Gone Phishing
UK based mystery/romances:
Artifact
Demons on Her Shoulder
The Calculated Risk Series, based in UK
The Actuary - FREE HERE
The Actuary’s Wife
The Actuary in Trouble
New Zealand Soccer Referee Series
All Saints
Small Town New Zealand Romance Series
Deleilah
Take a look at all K T Bowes’ novels HERE
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Copyright Notice
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Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the author. This work is the intellectual property of the author writing as K T Bowes.
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