Strawberry Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 13 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott Read Free Book Online Page B

larger the closer that she got to the trees. By the
time she made it to the stand of trees, she was in water up to her knees, which
provided good cover for her tracks but significantly increased the danger of
animal encounters. Using the last bit of her pitiful strength, she grabbed a
branch that was just above her head, held onto it for dear life, and walked her
feet up the trunk of the tree until she could hoist herself up onto the limb.
Once she had balanced on the limb, with her back against the trunk of the tree,
she climbed higher, counting on the thick leafy cover to shield her from sight.
When she reached limbs that seemed like they might be too small to support her
weight, she positioned herself so that she was on the side of the tree that was
facing away from her pursuer.
    Repeatedly
glancing around the tree to follow his progress, Missy tried to focus on
controlling her breathing. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure if
the man came anywhere close to her, he would probably hear it. She had a few
minutes respite, and was able to start breathing somewhat normally before
hearing a splashing sound that made her heart speed up yet again. Hoping that
the rhythmic whooshing that she heard was merely a water bird or some sort of
animal gliding through the water, she slowly peered around the side of the tree,
startled by what she saw.
    Not
only had her captor gained serious ground, but he was also headed directly for
the tree in which she was precariously perched. When she looked closer and
recognized him, it was all she could do not to gasp in horror. Lounge Lizard Leonard
had been her captor. Her foot slid down the branch on which she was resting,
throwing her off balance, and she clung tightly to the branches above her head,
teetering precariously for a moment before regaining her balance.
    Leonard
was certainly not an athlete, and had a pretty nasty-looking head injury as a
result of his encounter with the fireplace poker, but he had somehow managed to
track Missy to almost her exact hiding place. She held her breath as he passed
a mere three feet away from the base of her tree, glancing about in every
direction except up, thankfully. She watched his progress, thinking she could
throw a rock at his ridiculous comb-over and hit it. She kept her breathing
shallow, her heart pounding in her chest, and absently noticed the sensation of
something brushing up against her leg.
    Tearing
her gaze momentarily away from the brute below her, Missy glanced to see what
was rubbing against her shin, and literally had to bite her tongue to keep from
screaming. Her greatest fear was slithering along beside her, a water snake was
making its way down the branch, rippling along beside her leg, and she
immediately panicked, briefly considering leaping from the tree, come what may.
Fortunately her survival instinct prevented the leap to almost certain death
and she opted to hold her breath, all the while shuddering uncontrollably,
until the creature had made its way from her branch to a neighboring one where
the sunlight was more profound and it could bask in the sun undetected. She
wanted to rub the sensation away from her leg, scream, cry and run toward the
comfort of the civilized world, but at the moment had to content herself with
no longer being in physical contact with the scary-looking predator. Her focus
on the reptile had distracted her from keeping an eye on the man below her, and
when she looked down again, he had gone further into the swamp, still not
thinking to look above the waterline.
    Relaxing
a bit, but still watching the snake like a hawk, Missy tried to figure out a
strategy that would bring her to safety, ultimately deciding that her next move
depended upon Leonard’s actions. The formerly harmless-seeming ice cream addict
wandered around in the swamp, searching, until the sun began to sink lower in
the sky. Standing with his hands on his hips, doing a 360 degree scan of the
area, he shook his head and