Game, Set, and Catch!: A Tamsin Kernick English Cozy Mystery by Lucy Emblem

Author:Lucy Emblem [Emblem, Lucy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quilisma Books
Published: 2025-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The quaint village green that gave Bishop’s Green its name looked very different at this time of year. The magnificent trees round its edge were as yet bare, and flurries of leaves still blew about, though most of them were by now soggy and squashed into the damp ground. The grass had that neglected winter tufty look, and the little cricket pavilion was closed against the cold March wind.

But efforts had been made: there was a carpet of bluebells around three of the big oaks, and the brave, bright yellow, daffodils at the front of the old, dark green Victorian structure, bobbed and danced in the breeze.

As they pulled up outside no.1 in the little row of five old cottages that had been the centre of such battles, they could hear Julia’s Miniature Schnauzer, Romeo, heralding their arrival. Julia’s front garden was also bedraggled, but there were already signs of digging and planting for the season ahead. It was the typical cottage garden, with flowers mixed in with vegetables. Last year’s runner bean canes were still there, ready to do duty again later in the year.

Julia came to the door, asking Romeo to be quiet. “Who’s this!” she was saying to him. His barking ceased and his little tail wagged furiously as he recognised Tamsin and Emerald approaching.

“Come in, come in!” she enthused, and as she stood back for her visitors to pass her in the doorway, she added, “to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Tamsin turned to face Julia.

“About Lesley?” added Emerald.

“Oh yes, isn’t it awful! Honestly, I couldn’t sleep last night for seeing horrible visions. So I decided to put it out of my mind today. Would you prefer tea or coffee?” she asked, following them into the kitchen and reaching for the kettle.

Coffee was requested all round, and Tamsin played with Romeo while Emerald helped put out mugs.

“No Oliver or Francine today?” she asked.

“Oliver’s playing football over at Pixley and Francine had a sleepover at a friend’s in Eaton Bishop, the other side of Hereford. Now she’s at school in the city, her social circle has spread, geographically!”

“These bishops got around a bit,” observed Tamsin wryly as she despatched Romeo to his bed with a toy and came to sit down at the little round kitchen table. “Any news of Sara?”

“Oh yes, she’s back from College now! She should be there next Wednesday, I hope. But why not now? I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you. I’ll give her a buzz.”

A few moments later she cast the phone aside and said, “she’ll be down soon. Just doing something horsey with Crystal.”

“Great! we’ll look forward to seeing her again. So … what do you know of what happened?”

Julia poured the coffee as she gathered her thoughts. “Only what was on the local news. Not much at all. Bet you know more!”

“I don’t think I do. Lesley, in a ditch, with a tennis ball in her mouth.”

Both Julia and Emerald shuddered together.

“I thought I’d come and talk to you because of what she said to you - about money.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.