Body in the Woods (A Reverend Annabelle Dixon Cozy Mystery Book 3) by Alison Golden, Jamie Vougeot Read Free Book Online

find herself, remarkably, standing at the tea shop counter speaking to Katie Flynn herself just a few seconds later.
    “Hello, Reverend. The usual éclair?”
    “Um… I think I’ll try that cupcake, if I may. And a pot of Earl Grey, please.”
    “Absolutely. Take a seat, Reverend. I’ll bring it over.”
    “Thank you, Katie.”
    Of course, Annabelle was still brimming with a sense of purpose and determination, but there was no harm in a little treat, surely?
    She had decided to give Louisa a respite from visitors. If the Inspector had just been to see her, Annabelle would almost certainly be unwelcome, especially considering the Inspector’s irritable mood. So she took a seat in the tea shop window that allowed her a full view of Louisa’s home.
    The cake and tea were brought over, and Annabelle savored every mouthful of the spongy, sugary, frosted confection. She washed it down with one cup of tea, and was just considering a second, when the door to the teacher’s home opened. Annabelle leaned forward, focusing on the prim figure that diligently locked her front door and walked out to the street.
    With her salt-and-pepper hair tied in a chignon at the nape of her neck, and in a tweed skirt and jacket, a crisp white shirt complementing the ensemble, Miss Montgomery certainly appeared the part of a strict, spinster schoolteacher. She looked like she brooked no nonsense with the eight-year-olds she taught, particularly those as rambunctious as Dougie Dewar. Her signature look was completed, sure enough, by the large carpet bag she carried, the handles of which were looped over her forearm – just as Barbara had described.
    Though she wore her hair in a severe style and had on only light-make up, her delicately featured face, with her strong cheekbones, supple skin, and mesmerizingly deep-green eyes,hinted at a once-great beauty. Her lovely features were not uplifted by an expression of goodwill or even good-naturedness, however, such was her downcast look. She looked at the ground as she hurried off.
    In between bites of strawberry cupcake, Annabelle had been pondering whether she should actually speak to Louisa. The Inspector would no doubt have left a bad impression, and the subject of her sister may be a painful subject for Louisa. Annabelle waggled her head from side to side as she considered the pros and cons.
    Still trapped in her indecision, Annabelle threw the last of her cupcake into her mouth, absent-mindedly stepping away from her table, through the door of the tea shop, and into the street.  Soon she was following Louisa, hoping that she would get some sign that it might be possible to approach the teacher and get a reasonable reception.
    Guiltily, Annabelle felt a certain glamour and excitement as she followed the woman through the quiet back streets of Upton St. Mary. She imagined herself one of the detectives she often saw in movies or on TV, secretly tracking their target to the source of the grand intrigue, though it was a little difficult to maintain necessary elusive, shadow-like qualities, due to the large black cassock she wore and the constant greetings she received from passers-by.
    Annabelle was so engrossed in her private game of “chase” that she almost didn’t notice the direction in which Louisa was heading. After five minutes it became clear that Louisa was not, in fact, shopping for groceries as Annabelle had thought. After ten, it was also apparent that she wasn’t heading anywhere within the village, as she took a rarely-used path that led toward allotments that were situated on the fringes of Upton St. Mary.
    Annabelle suddenly found herself sidling along hedgerows and hopping behind trees in order to remain out of sight as her quarry traversed the open fields beyond the path. Her playful “trailing” of the target had taken on a very ominous turn indeed.
    Eventually, Louisa turned in toward a section of the allotments, balancing delicately on the grass corridors that