A Summertime Murder – Mary Grand

Alice looked out of the window to the garden of the care home. ‘There is a large oak out there, with a chair underneath. Do you think you could help me make my way out of the patio doors and out onto the bench, just for a few minutes? I really would like some fresh air, and there looks to be a slight breeze.’

As soon as Alice began to move, Princess jumped down, meowing in complaint. Susan helped Alice up to use her walker and they slowly made their way outside. There was only a very short walk to the shady bench. Susan settled Alice with some cushions and went back to get her water and a handheld fan. She returned to find Alice with her eyes closed, her face tilted towards the sky. ‘Thank you so much. This is bliss.’

She sipped her water. They sat for a few moments watching a blackbird flapping his wings in the bird bath. It was possible to make out a fine blue line of sea on the horizon. ‘I am very lucky to be here,’ said Alice. ‘I know care homes might not be for everyone, but I count my blessings every day. We have such wonderful staff here.

Montana, of course, was part of our staff at one time.’ ‘What do you make of Montana?’ asked Susan. ‘I can’t quite get a handle on her. She may talk about her wedding, dresses and nails but she is also bright, ambitious and, what slightly worried me, she seemed relieved about Peter’s death. Could she have had an affair with him, be glad it was over?’

‘I saw Peter flirting with her when he came to visit his mother, but it never looked serious and Montana, although friendly enough, never seemed that interested. Of course, he offered her the post at the vet’s, didn’t he?’ ‘He did.’ ‘She always loved animals. You know, she is a pretty accomplished equine photographer.’ ‘She mentioned she’d thought about it as a career. I never even realised it was a thing.’

‘Nor had I until she told me about it. Apparently, you have to use all the correct lenses to avoid the horse appearing to have a giant head or thin legs, and you need to understand their body language, see they have what she called “happy ears”.’ Susan smiled. ‘She talked a lot about it.’ ‘She did. I told her my daughter had become interested in photography and she sent me some examples to show her.’

‘Montana told me she came over to the island because she heard it has a close equine community.’ ‘I think there was a bit more to it than that.

To Colin and Becky Samuelson You have both been with me from the very start of my writing journey. Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement, with love, Mary x. 1kitap1.com/en ‘There is an evil I have seen under the sun…’ — ECCLESIASTES 10:5 1kitap1.com/en CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Author’s Note Thank you!

Acknowledgements More From Mary Grand About the Author Also by Mary Grand Poison & Pens About Boldwood Books 1kitap1.com/en PROLOGUE WEDNESDAY, 20 JUNE My heart is racing. I stand, breathing heavily, staring down the side of the cliff. The body has disappeared into the darkness. I don’t even hear it enter the water, but I know the waves below will gather it up, carry it far out into the ocean. The moon shines down on the sea: mirror calm, benign, peaceful. But, as with people, what you see is an illusion: everything happens below the surface.

What is it like, that world out there I have sent it to? The little we know frightens me. Go deep enough and you enter a freezing cold world, devoid of light, one where strange creatures and carnage lurk. I, however, am safe up here, a gentle warm breeze bringing relief from the endless heat of the day. I am alone; no one can see the dreadful deed. However, I hear the gentle but persistent roll of the waves below.

They know what I have done. Fortunately, no one speaks their language; no one will understand when they try to tell a story of murder. One day, the sea will have had enough of the body: it will be spewed up on the beach to be found by some innocent dog walker or fossil hunter. They will be back on dry land but no longer able to harm me; the sea will have done its work, wiped all traces of their story.

And I shall go undiscovered. People will look at me, think they know me, and have no notion of the icy, dark depths to my soul.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: ace7d8ec1e861314
• File Extension: .pdf
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• Title: –
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• Pages: 351
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 478.01 minutes
• Total Words: 95,602
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• Average Characters per Page: 1477.78

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