The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble

Author:Colleen Coble [Coble, Colleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Book, ebook, cookie429, Kat, Extratorrents
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Published: 2011-06-14T14:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE

ADDIE SAT ON the sofa with her hands clasped together. So much needed to be done. Josephine’s body would need to be prepared and a casket found. The lighthouse would need to be cleaned and the parlor readied for the funeral.

Who would come? Sadly, few people knew her mother, as she was new to the area. Perhaps she should arrange a quiet burial. Her fingers tightened. Money. It would take money to bury Josephine. She supposed she had money in a bank somewhere, but the thought of digging through the Sullivans’ personal affairs made her shudder. Still, it had to be done.

A cup of tea might fortify her. In the kitchen, she put loose tea in a tea infuser, then dropped it into a cup and poured hot water from the teakettle sitting on the woodstove. While it steeped, she stepped to the back door and peered out onto the lawn, where the constable stood talking to Mr. Eaton.

Mr. Eaton had taken his automobile to the neighbors for help. They’d called the constable. Addie’s mind didn’t want to examine why a constable had been necessary, but she forced herself to consider the circumstances.

Murder. Josephine had been murdered. Someone had hit her on the back of the head. A sob escaped her lips. Through the window she saw Mr. Eaton follow the constable toward the back door. She opened it as they neared.

Mr. Eaton’s expression was grim as he shut the door behind the constable. “Ah, tea. So thoughtful of you, my dear. Three sugars, please.”

She lifted the infuser from the cup and added sugar, then handed the tea to him. Her own desire for a cup of tea had vanished. “Do you know who did this?” she asked the constable.

The man removed his hands from his pockets and shook his head. His round spectacles made him look like President Teddy Roosevelt. “We will investigate, but I have little hope. The lighthouse has no near neighbors. Did your mother have any enemies?”

So he suspected murder. She forced down her nausea. “Not that I know of. She just moved here.”

He glanced around. “Is there anything missing?”

“I haven’t looked.” She rubbed her head. “I’ve not been thinking.”

“Would you accompany me as I look around?”

“Of course.” She sent a plea toward Mr. Eaton, who was sipping his tea.

“I shall assist as well.” He drained his cup, then set it on the table. “Where did your . . . she keep her money?”

Mr. Eaton didn’t want to call Josephine her mother. In other circumstances, it might have been funny. “The study is across the hall from the sitting room. I’ll show you.”

The house seemed so empty. Their footsteps bounced off the walls and floors in an eerie tattoo. She pushed open the door to the study and gasped. Papers lay strewn on the floor, and drawers hung open. She picked up her mother’s favorite globe, chipped and broken, and held it to her chest. Words escaped her.

The constable adjusted the spectacles on his nose. “It appears the perpetrator was looking for something.

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