Lightning Strikes Twice by AG Barnett

Author:AG Barnett [Barnett, AG]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oddmoor Press

Chapter

Sixteen

Bloxley shone with a dull glow in the afternoon sun. Dappled shadows danced from the leaves of the oak trees that were dotted around the village. All of which paled in comparison to the lightning tree which sat at its heart.

As Pea guided the car past the village green, Mary saw the upright figure of Reggie Downe, the vicar, exiting Copeland’s Butchers.

Mary noticed he was carrying nothing, so his visit had not been of a shopping nature.

“Pea,” she said suddenly, “can you pull over?”

He pulled the car to a stop a hundred yards from where the vicar was making his way down the narrow pavement.

Mary turned in her seat to Dot, who was in the back seat, looking at her as curiously as her brother was.

“Listen, Dot, you’re not going to like this, but I think your old school friend knows a lot more about all this business than he’s letting on. He had that argument with George Copeland in the pub that night, and he’s just come out of the butchers with no meat. So he wasn’t in there shopping.”

“He’s the vicar, for goodness’ sake!” Dot snapped. “It’s his job to talk to his parishioners!”

“I think Mary’s right,” Pea jumped in enthusiastically. “I knew there was something fishy about that chap the first moment I met him.”

Dot narrowed her eyes at him, and he wilted under the gaze.

“Why don’t you just go and have a chat to him about it all,” Mary said, “then we can discount him as having anything to do with it.”

Dot folded her arms.

“You want me to go and spy on a vicar, a friend, so you can rule him out as a murderer?”

“It’s not spying! I just want you to talk to him, he’ll open up to you.”

The vicar appeared alongside the car, smiled in, and then checked his walk as he saw Dot through the window. He bent down and gave a little wave.

“I’ll see you both later,” Dot said, opening the door and climbing out to the pavement.

“Do you think that means she’s going to do it?” Mary said as they watched Dot and the vicar walk off ahead.

“No idea, but I wish I’d realised you were going to send her off with him before I jumped in and backed you up.”

“Oh, Pea, stop being such a jealous dope. He’s an old school friend, that’s all!”

“Hmm,” Pea grumbled as he restarted the car and pulled out into the road. Dot glared at them as they passed her, while the vicar gave a little wave. Mary and Pea said nothing for a moment as he continued the car down the small road leading out of the village before taking a side road right.

“Is everything all right between you two?” Mary asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh fine, fine,” Pea said distantly.

“Come on Pea, you can talk to me.”

He sighed heavily. “I did something a bit silly and she got the hump with me, that’s all. I think she might be taking it out on me by cosying up with this vicar rotter.

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