A Frosty Combination (A Tea & Sympathy Mystery Book 5) by J. New

Author:J. New [New, J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Phantom Press
Published: 2021-12-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The snow which Rodney said had been forecast was beginning to fall in earnest as Lilly left the shop, and she pulled up the hood of her coat and wrapped her scarf tightly around her lower face while she attempted a dash to her car. They were great fluffy flakes, the kind that settle almost immediately and cloak everything in a winter wonderland display. However, the wind was whipping them around in a chaotic frenzy and Lilly found it was more akin to walking through a vortex of white, making it difficult to keep a sense of direction. Thank goodness she knew the town like the back of her hand. At the Christmas market, the snow had added to the magical ambiance, but today, with the pall of murder hanging over her, it felt ominous and suffocating.

She started the car engine, turning the heater to full blast while she waited for the wipers to clear the windscreen. She sat for a moment to collect her thoughts before leaving the car-park and decided being blunt about what had happened would be the best approach. Stacey wouldn’t appreciate her trying to sugar-coat the news. Not that there was a way to make the arrest of her father sound more positive.

Lilly found herself gripping the steering wheel extra tightly and clenching her teeth as she thought furiously about what Bonnie had done. She took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. Like Rodney had said, Bonnie was just following what little evidence she had because it was her only choice. “Well,” she said. “I’ll just have to try and prove James is innocent. And that means finding out who the real killer is.”

After an excruciatingly slow drive to the university, which made Lilly grateful she’d set off in plenty of time, she circled the car-park until she found Stacey’s car, then parked in the adjoining space and waited for her to arrive. She saw her ten minutes later cautiously negotiating the snow-laden steps and got out of her vehicle to wait for her.

Stacey approached her with a huge grin on her face, then Lilly saw concern etched in her features as she realised something must be wrong for Lilly to be at the university waiting for her. “Hey, Lilly. Is everything all right? Has something happened?”

“Bonnie came to the shop this morning, Stacey. I’m so sorry, but she’s arrested your dad. His fingerprints were on the mug she found by Monty’s body.”

“What?” she said, shaking her head as though she couldn’t quite process what she was being told. Then her chin began to quiver. “No, that’s not right, dad didn’t do it! Is he all right? Where is he?”

Lilly gave the girl a hug. “He’s at the police station being interviewed. He wants you to call his solicitor. He said you had the number?”

Stacey nodded. “It’s in my phone.”

“I came so I could drive you back home. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to drive at the moment.

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