Shepherd's Cross Read Online Free Page A

that
she spoke to Sergeant Jennings around an hour ago. He said he’d follow it up
later today.’
    ‘Good,’ replied Charlotte, sliding a ten
pound note under the glass hatch to pay for a book of stamps. ‘This place can
get awfully spooky at night. The last thing we need is a murderer on the prowl.’
    ‘Charlotte!’ said Olivia. ‘There’s no
need to frighten us like that.’
    ‘I’m only joking, darling,’ laughed
Charlotte. ‘You are so serious sometimes. I hardly think that a murderer would
be interested in this boring little village. Nothing ever happens here.’
    ‘I wouldn’t be quite so sure,’ said
Emily. ‘There’s more to this place than meets the eye. You’d be rather
surprised if you knew the kind of things that have taken place here over the
years.’
    ‘What kind of things?’ they asked
together, their attention now wholly focussed on Emily.
    ‘You aren’t aware of the history of
Shepherd’s Cross?’ asked Emily. They stared at her like two fascinated
schoolchildren; their blank expressions telling her that they had absolutely no
idea what she was referring to.
    The bell above the door tinkled to
signal the arrival of a new customer. As keen as Charlotte and Olivia were for
Emily to proceed with her history lesson, now was neither the time nor the
place. Emily smiled at them both. ‘I tell you what. Why don’t you come back at
lunchtime when the shop’s shut? If you have an hour to spare, I would be only too
happy to continue our conversation. I find the stories of this place
fascinating, and I dare say you will too, if you would like to?’
    The two women looked at each other and
nodded keenly. Time was a commodity they both had in abundance, especially when
it could be spent gossiping. Besides, it would make a change to the usual
monotony of daytime television and internet shopping. ‘We’d love to,’ replied
Olivia.
    ‘Great,’ said Emily. ‘See you at 12.30.
I’ll have the kettle on ready. But I should warn you; you may not be expecting
what I have to tell you.’
    With that closing remark, she averted
her eyes to the lady behind them and smiled. ‘Hello, Elsie dear, how are you
this morning? I hear we’re in for snow tonight.’

Chapter 2
     
    10.00
am: On approaching Banktop Farm, it soon became evident that nobody was home.
Wilf Blackett’s battered old Land Rover wasn’t parked in its usual spot in
front of the house, and the lack of chimney smoke indicated that the fire
wasn’t lit.
    ‘Maybe he’s popped into town,’ said
Cara. ‘He shouldn’t be long. He knew we were coming this morning.’
    ‘We’ll give him ten minutes. Let’s wait
here in the car. Pass the flask – we’ll have a brew.’
    Cara smiled: have a brew – her
boss’s answer to everything. He unscrewed the lid off the flask and poured them
both a cup. He took a sip, careful not to burn his mouth, and sat back in his
seat with the relieved expression of an addict satisfying his craving. ‘I’m
parched,’ he said. ‘I ended up having one too many at The Fallen Angel last
night. You missed a good evening. Once again, Trivial Pursuit saved the day.’
    ‘Any gossip?’ she asked, conscious of
the fact that she hardly ever went out anymore.
    ‘Nothing to write home about. Frank
Gowland was drunker than usual. He was slurring on about a couple of
out-of-towners he’d spotted earlier that day walking into Ted Wilson’s office.
Pulled up in a black Range Rover, apparently. They emerged not long after, Ted
as well. Drove off up the lake road. Most likely wealthy city folk wanting to
buy up land for some sort of tax dodge.’
    ‘Hmmm…the chance would be a fine thing.
They could push some of their cash my way – Christmas has well and truly done
me in.’
    ‘Do you need a few quid to see you
through?’ Jennings asked. He was aware of her occasional cash flow problems and
didn’t like to see her struggling to make ends meet. He wasn’t exactly flush
himself, but the full pension