4 Death at the Happiness Club by Cecilia Peartree Read Free Book Online Page A

through.
    Ten minutes later a police-car came down the road from town and turned off up the track that led towards the promontory. Someone else must have been more public-spirited than he was. Christopher couldn’t help feeling a tiny twinge of guilt.
    As usual, when he asked himself what other people he knew would have done, he received a mixed response. Amaryllis would have taken it upon herself to investigate personally, heedless of life and limb. Jock McLean would have withdrawn to a safe distance and pretended he hadn’t seen or heard anything – the original wise monkey, thought Christopher. Jemima would have forced Dave and anyone else unfortunate to be around to call the police immediately, and then she would have nagged at them until they sorted it out to her satisfaction.
    The police didn’t come and ask them anything, so after a while Christopher judged it to be safe enough to move on from the beach and to head for Burntisland, where he planned to spend the night. It shouldn’t be too far to walk, even for Caroline.
    ‘How far is it?’ she said plaintively when he unveiled this plan to her.
    ‘Not far. We should do it in an hour or two.’
    ‘An hour or two? What about my foot?’
    ‘It’s just a scratch, isn’t it?’
    ‘It’s bruised as well. Look – I can hardly move it now.’
    She lifted one foot off the ground and held it stiffly in front of her.
    Christopher gave a long sigh.
    ‘Well, do you think you’ll make it up to the bus stop?’
    ‘I might do,’ she said cautiously. ‘If you give me your arm.’
    They hobbled up the road from the beach like an elderly couple. All we need are the zimmer frames, thought Christopher gloomily. And the bus passes. He had a sudden hideous vision of a future where he and Caroline lived in the same old people’s home. Or anywhere near each other. Or in the same country.
    The clouds had returned by the time they got on the bus, and there was a distinct chill in the air. It was only minutes from Aberdour to Burntisland.
    Looking out the window, Caroline saw something in the distance and began to chatter excitedly.
    ‘The fair! Let’s go to the fair! There’ll be candy-floss. And rides. And those grabbing machines where you can win something nice. This is going to be fun!’
    Christopher stifled a groan. He wasn’t very good at fun.
     

Chapter 7 Amaryllis to the rescue
     
    Maisie Sue woke up the morning after the speed-dating event with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. And yet - had she really expected some man to sweep her off her feet on the spot, to offer to marry her after the divorce was final, and to make her a UK citizen? She felt the evening had reinforced the feeling she often had around Pitkirtly, that it was a very small pond and she had seen all the fish in it already.
    No, that was an unkind conclusion. There were some fish she wouldn't have minded hooking, if only they hadn't already been tangled in other people's nets. Christopher most definitely came into that category. She saw him as promising husband material, but whether Amaryllis was wife material was another matter, so maybe they were destined forever to be attached loosely to each other but without ever conducting a proper relationship of the kind Maisie Sue and others would consider normal.
    Sitting at the kitchen table, eating pancakes with maple syrup and cream - there were some aspects of being American she wouldn't give up for anything - she found herself sighing again. She had been doing a lot of that lately. She considered Jock's question about the quilting club. Somehow it had fallen apart after the village hall burned down. She had carried on quilting, of course, but she hadn't had the enthusiasm to try and recruit anyone else. Maybe it would make more sense to revive that interest instead of wasting all her energy on trying to replace Pearson with some man who would turn out to be just as bad.
    The door-bell rang. She hoped it wasn't the postman, but at least she