For Whom the Bluebell Tolls by Beverly Allen Read Free Book Online Page B

our heels until he decides to tell us which design he picked?” Amber Lee leaned against the worktable.
    “He’s supposed to send Brad,” I said, “who’s getting the raw end of the deal, too. Gary demoted him from potential associate producer all the way back to gofer in one fell swoop.”
    “Not quite the dream job he left Ramble for, is it?” Liv said.
    As I paused to consider this, I could hear a bell in the distance. “What’s that?”
    “Don’t go changing the subject,” Amber Lee said. “Seems to me that you’ve been seeing a bit of Brad since he got home. And with Nick around, that’s bound to be trouble.”
    “Don’t you hear that bell?” I paused a moment to listen. “Something’s going on.”
    “Sounds like the one at old First Baptist,” Shelby said.
    “Maybe they’re filming something for the show,” Liv suggested.
    “No.” I shook my head. “I saw the filming schedule. Everything was over at the Ashbury today.”
    I walked through the shop and out the front door to the sidewalk. Liv and Amber Lee followed me. Other townspeople had also stopped what they were doing and left the shops and restaurants. Soon, half the population was lining the sidewalk. We stared down the street toward the historic stone church.
    A black Range Rover was parked out front. Maybe they were filming after all. Or checking out the bell in the church prior to filming.
    But soon sirens joined the pealing of the bell, and a Ramble police car sped down Main Street.
    I started running toward the church.
    “Audrey, wait!”
    I glanced around to see a pregnant Liv trying to keep up. “No, stay at the shop. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
    Without turning again, I sprinted around the rubbernecking citizens and arrived at the church just as the police were going in. I stood hunched over, my hands on my thighs, as I tried to regain my breath, then stared at the building. The Range Rover and a police car with its gum ball lights still flashing were parked out front. The Range Rover was the same car Brad had used to take me to his mother’s house. Was it just last night? Did that mean Brad was inside? What was wrong?
    I tried to run through the front door, but Ken Lafferty stepped outside and warned me to stay back.
    While we stood waiting, more officers arrived and sped inside. What seemed like hours later, one of them led Brad from the building. Thank God he was alive. Even from yards away, he seemed dazed, and his eyes weren’t focused on his surroundings.
    I ran up to him. “Brad, what’s happened? What’s wrong?”
    He wagged his head.
    “Brad!” I grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
    He shivered.
    I took his hands, which were like ice and beginning to tremble, despite the warm, sticky air. I turned to the officer. “He’s had a shock. Can you help me get him over to the bench?”
    “Sure,” the officer said. “But don’t leave yet. Bixby’s going to want to talk to him.”
    I was so glad for the help that I didn’t think about Bixby or why he’d want to talk to Brad until a couple of minutes later when Brad’s breathing became more normal and he squeezed my hand in response.
    “Brad, are you okay?”
    He exhaled. “I think so. Oh, what a thing to have happen.”
    “What happened?”
    “I don’t know,” he said. “How could he have done that by accident? He must have done it on purpose.”
    “Who? Done what?”
    Brad sniffled and straightened himself.
    “Gary. He texted me and asked me to meet him here. Something about the bell.”
    “The bell was ringing,” I said.
    He nodded. “The bell started ringing as I pulled up. I figured Gary was testing it out. By the time I got up to the bell tower . . .”
    I swallowed hard. This couldn’t be good. And Bixby wanted to talk to him?
    “What did you see?” I asked.
    Brad leaned forward, covering his face with his hands. “Gary was hanging from the bell rope.”
    “Ringing the bell.”
    He shook his head. “No. The rope was