An Unfortunate Christmas Murder by Hannah Hendy

An Unfortunate Christmas Murder by Hannah Hendy

Author:Hannah Hendy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00


* * *

‘Hello, George. How are you getting on?’ Margery asked Mr Large awkwardly at the Bell and Hope a little while later. They were standing in the queue for the buffet table. Mr Large turned and gave her a small sad smile, his hand still on his youngest son’s shoulder.

‘Okay, all considering, Margery,’ he said with a sigh. ‘I thought the worst would be over, but it feels like it’s just beginning.’

Margery nodded in sympathy. When her mother died, the funeral had seemed the very beginning of the grieving process. The cost alone had been astronomical, and that had been without the family disagreements. Her brother had talked her into paying for the bereavement letter flowers for the hearse, but they had been so expensive she had only been able to have ‘MA’ spelt, instead of the long simpering message he had wanted.

‘I just wish we knew a bit more about what happened.’ He whispered so that his son would not hear. ‘The police are still going over everything. Saying it’s all inconclusive.’

‘Are they really?’ Margery whispered back, forgetting they were not supposed to be meddling. ‘What do they think—’

She was interrupted by the buffet line lurching forward suddenly. Mr Large helped himself to a paper plate and offered one to Margery too. She took it as George began helping his son help himself to the sandwiches. Mrs Blossom had not appeared at the wake, though both Margery and Clementine were keeping an eye out to confront her if she did. Mrs Smith was not in attendance either; it seemed she did not have the gall to gatecrash the wake as well as the funeral.

‘It all just seems like a lot of work at the moment,’ George said. ‘With the boys and the dog, we’ll get through though.’

‘Is there anything Clem and I can do?’ Margery asked, looking at his exhausted face. ‘We can drop off some food or…?’

‘Thank you for the offer,’ George said, ‘But we’re doing all right. The only thing I’m really struggling with is keeping up with the housework and that can wait.’

‘We’ll help,’ Margery smiled at him gently. ‘We can go over later and do some bits for you if you’d like?’

‘You really don’t have to.’ He sighed again, even more heavily than the last time, ‘I don’t want you to see me as a charity case.’

‘Really, it’s not a bother,’ Margery said. ‘We could pop over before our Christmas concert rehearsal next week too, if that’s all right with you?’

‘Well.’ He thought about it. ‘The boys are at their grandmother’s this week and next so I can sort everything. Liz didn’t really have a will, so I’ve had to sort all of the financial side of it.’ Margery winced at the depth to his ordeal. ‘I wanted to stay a while longer, there’s so many more people arrived than I thought would, but I have to go back and feed Percy.’ He looked over at his son, his face falling. ‘Oh, Percy’s the dog,’ he said, noticing the puzzlement in Margery’s face.



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