Body in the Woods (A Reverend Annabelle Dixon Cozy Mystery Book 3) (19 page)

The Inspector stood up and watched Annabelle gently console the teacher as she released years of pain and anguish. He stepped into the hallway and pulled out his radio.

“Raven?” he said quietly into the receiver. “Louisa Montgomery’s house… Opposite Flynn’s tea shop… We’re to arrest her… Yes, turns out she is.”

He clicked off the receiver and cast one more look at the despairing woman. Annabelle stood up and joined him.

“Is she going to be alright?” he asked.

Annabelle shrugged pityingly.

“I don’t suppose one can ever be alright after committing an act like that.”

The Inspector’s face settled into a forlorn sadness.

“It’s strange. A case like this, a pretty young girl murdered in the woods, it usually gives a sense of satisfaction when you solve it. A clear sense of right and wrong, black and white, good and evil. This though, this is a mess.”

They watched Louisa silently for a few minutes. Raven arrived and entered the house eagerly.

“She’s in there, Constable,” the Inspector ordered, some formality and direction returning to his manner. As Raven stepped past him, however, he put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Take it easy. Be gentle with her.”

Raven nodded. He carefully led Louisa out of her home into the waiting police car. Annabelle and the Inspector followed. They watched the vehicle make its way back to the police station.

“You seem rather reflective, Inspector,” Annabelle said, looking up at his furrowed brow.

“Well, when you hear a story like that, it’s difficult not to be. It makes you think about your own life.”

Annabelle sighed.

“It’s a simple matter of letting go, Inspector. Whether it’s a lover, a family member, an idea, or – dare I say it – a dog.”

Nicholls looked at Annabelle, his eyes as innocent as a child’s.

“And what if there is nothing to replace what you let go?”

“That’s just it, Inspector,” Annabelle replied, “you’ll never know what can replace it if you don’t give it a chance.”

Inspector Nicholls smiled slightly and nodded his head. He shoved his hands into his pockets and took a step toward the car.

“Would you like me to drop you off home, Reverend?”

“No, thank you.” Annabelle looked about her at the nighttime street. “I’d like to pay someone a visit. All this talk has reminded me of a promise I made.”

Nicholls nodded, exchanged one more smile with Annabelle, and walked to his car.

EPILOGUE

AUTUMN SWEPT OVER the village of Upton St. Mary in waves of brown. Leaves lay on soil darkened by the increasingly regular rainfall. Where before, the villagers had puttered along the sunny streets slowly, their heads raised in case the opportunity to stop and exchange news presented itself, now they clutched their coats tightly around their bodies and hurried to their destinations.

The faces of the children were no longer red and sweaty from days of physical activity in the hot sun but were sleepy and pale with the return of the new school year and classroom work. The sound of chatter from mothers outside the school gates and raucous banter between men on their way to the pub had been replaced by the sound of wind through dry tree branches and the rustle of crunchy leaves underfoot. Picnics of sandwiches, cake, and fruit had given way to hearty meals of soup, meat, and roasted vegetables. Yes, autumn and the approaching winter prevailed and ordered the lives of the good people of Upton St. Mary as it had for centuries.

“Oh, Reverend,” cooed Philippa as she stood beside Annabelle who was leaning over the stove, “I do wish you’d go easier on the pepper.”

“A soup with a good kick is just the remedy for this weather.”

Philippa shook her head and darted to the other side of the kitchen to cut some bread. She squeezed the loaf, testing it.

“Did you buy this bread today, Reverend? It’s lost much of its freshness.”

“I did, Phllippa,” sighed Annabelle, before turning to face her, gesturing with the pepper shaker. “And I dare say that I rather preferred it when you were too frightened by outside “events” to offer me your running commentary on my cooking. I am not a total beginner in the kitchen, you know.”

“Oh, don’t say that, Reverend. You’ll never know how stressful it was. I didn’t sleep for a week!”

“Well, if you don’t concentrate on your own duties and instead focus on mine, I might just consider hiring Daniel to give you another scare.”

“Oh, Reverend, I feel such a fool,” Philippa said, as she tossed the bread into a basket and tidied up the crumbs.

Annabelle chuckled as she brought the soup to the table.

“Don’t worry, Philippa. You’re right, I can’t imagine what it must have been like. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d seen him at that hour of the night, all bloodied and determined.”

“You’d probably have run out and bonked him on the head with a saucepan, Reverend,” chuckled Philippa.

Annabelle laughed and mimicked herself bashing someone over the head clumsily when the doorbell rang.

“They’re here!” Philippa said.

“Go let them in, I’ll set the food out.”

Annabelle hurriedly placed the bowls of boiled peas, roasted carrots, potatoes, and parsnips out on the table. Seconds later, Dr. Brownson, Shona Alexander, and her nephew, little Dougie, entered the room, followed by Philippa.

“Hello!” Annabelle smiled, happily.

“Hello, Reverend,” Shona said, embracing Annabelle with a warmth that she had rarely seen in the woman.

“How are you?” Robert added, smiling his appreciation politely.

“I’m fine, thank you, Robert. Oh,” Annabelle said, noticing young Dougie holding Robert’s hand beside him. “And how are you, young man?”

“Hungry!” exclaimed the boy.

Annabelle laughed. “Well you’d better get yourself a place at the table then, hadn’t you?”

“We’ve brought you a present, Reverend,” Shona said, exchanging an affectionate look with Dr. Brownson.

“Oh yes?”

Shona lifted the large bag that she was carrying, and with Robert’s help, pulled out a canvas. She presented it to Annabelle, who took it slowly and studied it with a big grin on her face. Philippa stepped beside her to get a look.

“It’s lovely!” Annabelle gushed.

“It’s the church from the hills!” Philippa added, just as stunned by the wonderfully thoughtful gift.

Shona smiled, slightly embarrassed, but pleased with the reception.

“We just wanted to say thank you… for introducing us.” Shona turned to smile at Dr. Brownson.

Annabelle looked from Shona to Robert and back again.

“I thought you weren’t painting these days, Shona.”

“I’ve started up again,” she said, once again looking at Robert, “now that I have someone to paint alongside. But this isn’t actually one of mine, Reverend.”

“Oh?”

“It’s mine,” Robert beamed, happily. “Though I did benefit from the advice of an expert,” he added, placing an arm around Shona’s shoulders.

Annabelle and Philippa looked at the painting, appreciating its detailed strokes and the radiant colors. It showed the church towering magnificently in front of the intricate rows of houses and properties that made up the village, with Cornwall’s impressive hills rolling off into the distance.

“Wait a minute,” Philippa said, pointing out a spot on the painting. “There are two figures there…”

Annabelle peered closely at the painting. “I believe you’re right, Philippa. In fact, isn’t that…”

“You and me!” Philippa smiled. “Oh! And even Biscuit is there! Just behind the bench!”

They looked at Robert, who shrugged awkwardly.

“I saw you both there, when I began painting this. At the time I didn’t know who you were, but I thought you made a nice addition to the painting.”

Annabelle smiled and took one last appreciative look at the canvas.

“Well, you’ve certainly earned your meal!” Philippa joked.

“I’ll just go and put this somewhere safe. Take a seat and help yourselves,” Annabelle said as she pottered off, still smiling at the painting. She returned promptly and was about to speak when a shrill sound burst through the restful atmosphere. Everybody turned toward the source – little Dougie. He had his fingers in his mouth.

“Dougie!” Shona exclaimed. “What on earth are you doing?”

Her answer came in the form of the church tabby, Biscuit, as she sprinted into the kitchen from some corner of the cottage, head raised and ears pointed. Dougie whistled twice again in quick succession, at which Biscuit spun around and did a quick circuit of the kitchen table, to the amazement of everybody there.

“Well, I never!” Annabelle uttered in sheer astonishment. “I can barely get that cat up from the couch!”

“I’m training her to be a sheepcat!” Dougie said, beaming with pride. Biscuit sidled up to him, and he promptly stroked her between the ears, causing her to close her eyes with pleasure.

“Wonders never cease,” Philippa said, smiling.

“In Upton St. Mary, at least,” added Annabelle. “Come on, let’s eat. I’m absolutely ravenous.”

The diners took their seats, and enticed by the rich smell of soup and the succulent taste of the meat, were soon busily involved in eating away the chill of the weather outside. Young Dougie turned out to have a hearty appetite and ate just as much as the adults, while Shona and Robert exchanged glances and smiles throughout the meal.

“So Robert,” Philippa said, as she sat back from the table having just about eaten her fill, “will you be staying in Upton St. Mary?”

Robert finished sipping his wine and placed the glass carefully in front of him.

“I have some things I need to attend to in London, of course.” He looked at Shona. “But once that’s done, I imagine there’s nothing to stop me living here permanently and certainly plenty of reasons compelling me to.”

“How wonderful!” Annabelle added, before noticing the smile on Dougie’s face. “And it seems that you’ve already made a friend here, as well.”

Dougie’s cheeks went red, but his smile was difficult to hide. He turned to Annabelle.

“Aunt Shona says you have bees.”

Annabelle glanced at Shona. “I do, but you won’t see many of them at this time of year.”

Dougie’s face, his hopes dashed.

“Still,” Robert said, “I imagine we could see where they’re kept. You might even learn a thing or two!” He turned to Shona, then Annabelle, “Would that be alright?”

Shona and Annabelle nodded their permission, and Robert stood up with almost as much excitement as Dougie.

“Come on, young fella, let’s go. But get your coat on, you don’t want to get a cold now,” Robert tousled the boy’s hair all the way into the hallway.

The three women smiled as they watched them leave, a warm feeling of friendship pervading the room.

“I take it you two have been getting on rather well?”

“Yes,” Shona said, somewhat self-consciously. “I must admit, Reverend, when you invited us for tea together, I winced. Blind dates are excruciating.”

“I simply wanted to introduce both of you as lovers of painting.”

“Oh, come now, Reverend,” Philippa said, her smile full of humor. “You knew perfectly well what you were doing!”

They laughed. Philippa placed one of Annabelle’s favorite desserts, an apricot tart she had baked, on the table and turned to Shona.

“He’s terribly good with children, too, it seems,” she added, her smile still full of humor.

Shona looked down at her lap.

“Stop it, Philippa!” laughed Annabelle. “You’re embarrassing the poor woman!”

“No, it’s fine,” Shona said, regaining her composure. “It is actually one of the reasons I’ve grown so fond of Robert. Speaking of Dougie, it seems that he may be returning to Scotland, soon.”

Annabelle gasped for a moment as she absorbed the full meaning of what Shona was saying.

“You mean your sister’s getting better?”

Shona nodded slightly, a smile upon her face. “It’s not certain – these things never are – but she’s certainly making an improvement. She’s up and about. If it carries on this way, she’ll be well enough to have him back in a month or so.”

“Why that’s simply wonderful news!” Annabelle exclaimed.

Just then, Robert and Dougie burst into the kitchen again, Dougie having been filled with excitement and energy at the sight of the beehive.

“I saw where they live!” he squealed eagerly, as he ran around the table.

“How did it look?” Shona asked him.

“Scary. Bees are dangerous!”

“They certainly can be, if you don’t respect them,” Shona replied.

“Do you like scary stories?” Annabelle asked, playfully.

“Gosh, yes!” Dougie replied, his eyes lighting up.

“Would you like to hear one?”

“Yes, please!”

“Come over here, then,” Annabelle said, “and I’ll tell of a true story that happened to a friend of mine. It’s a terrible tale of a mysterious ghost that roams the fields. One night, she woke up and heard a shrieking sound…”

Suddenly, Philippa’s face dropped.

“Reverend Annabelle!”