The Wronged Women's Co-operative Omnibus: Books 4 - 6: Contains Death by Bedtime, An Elegy for a Killer and A Passion for Poison by T E Scott

Author:T E Scott [Scott, T E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shuna Publishing
Published: 2023-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16: Liz

The summer sun had begun to set by the time Liz arrived at the Abbey. Invergryff wasn’t like Glasgow or Edinburgh. By the time that people had gone home from work on a weekday, the town centre was silent. If it hadn’t been the town she had grown up in, Liz might have found it creepy.

The heavy breathing was a little scary, she thought as she made her way to the doors of the Abbey. Lucky it was her own, the weight of the baby making her wheeze as she climbed up the steps.

Liz wasn’t entirely sure what the religious status of the Abbey was. It had a Reverend, and services several times a week, but also a tea room and gift shop. Her mother, Grace, liked the sort of church where people dressed up and sang loudly and enthusiastically, and that didn’t seem to be the deal here.

Still, she wasn’t there to worship so she waited outside on the steps until the service finished. Really, she shouldn’t have been there at all. Bernie had only asked her to research the finances of the main suspects, and she could have done that from home. But she needed something to take her mind off her upcoming labour and what better than a murder investigation?

After a short wait, a couple of dozen people came out of the Abbey, chattering amongst themselves. When the last one left, Liz caught the door and slipped inside.

The Abbey when it was empty was definitely veering into the creepy category. Liz was grateful to see that the Reverend was still there and she hadn’t missed him.

Reverend McDade had that Scottish skin that is so pale it was almost devoid of colour. He was in his fifties or early sixties with watery blue eyes that widened when he saw the person approaching him. It was amazing how unsettling some men found a heavily pregnant woman. The Reverend looked at her like she was one of those lone tigers that was roaming a bit too close to civilisation.

“Hello,” he said. “I’m afraid you missed the service. And choir practice isn’t on tonight.”

“My name is Liz Okoro,” she said, walking over to him. “I’m not here for the service.”

“Ah, then do you sing?”

“Only when no one’s listening,” Liz replied. “I was wondering if you might have a minute to spare.”

“I have several slots available tomorrow, if you would like to –”

“I’m afraid I already have an important appointment booked for tomorrow,” Liz said, pointing at her stomach. If anything, the Reverend turned even paler.

“All right, I can spare a few moments. You’re a parishioner here?”

“Not exactly,” Liz said. “Or rather, that’s not why I’m here. I’ve been sent along by the Committee for Parish Accounts.”

The Reverend put his hand to his mouth as if she had said that she had climbed out of the depths of hell itself. Liz was glad she had done some intensive internet searching to work out which body kept an eye on High Church finances.

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