An Unexpected Title (Suspicious Circumstance Book 1) by Jackie Williams

Author:Jackie Williams [Williams, Jackie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-08T18:00:00+00:00

The place hadn’t been difficult to find. Two fishing rods and two pairs of small shoes lay abandoned on the fallen stump. One of the lines stretched far out into the lake. The other drooped nearer to the shore. Bad casting or maybe the boy had pulled his line back for more bait.

A dragonfly, its gossamer wings flitting over the surface of the water, passed Ash by before heading across the field behind him. Shade from the split lightning tree played over the water. The place looked serene, beautiful. He glanced up towards the house, only partly visible due to the couple of trees he had walked past. Could Madeleine see him? Did she watch him from the garden room window?

Her beauty had struck him anew as he had walked towards the group of people gathered around the two red haired boys who had dashed, bare footed and eyes full of fright, into the house before him. With genuine concern on her face, she had taken control as the boys told their tale. His wife had been nothing but sensible, reassuring, about to rein in any misplaced hysteria from the staff. He wasn’t sure how she was holding herself together. First her father and now her friend.

Ash picked up the fishing rod with the drooping line and tugged. Definitely snagged on something, but what? He climbed up onto the log and peered into the murky water. The line disappeared into the water on the other side of a large boulder whose upper surface protruded from the weeds. The two red headed boys hadn’t mentioned the rock, but it made a good stepping stone. One that could take him a little nearer his quarry, whatever that might turn out to be. Nothing probably, as there was definitely no body of any kind in sight. Ash bent his knees and dangled a leg over the side of the tree trunk. Perfect! If he stretched his leg out, his booted foot would just reach the boulder. Wouldn’t even get the leather wet with luck.

A cloud of buzzing flies startled him as his foot descended. Ash stopped and regained his balance as he stared in horror at what lay submerged in the long stemmed and shadowy reeds below him. He retched as he realized that there was no boulder.

The body was well camouflaged amongst the plants, by luck or design Ash didn’t know, but the man’s buttoned jacket was the same muddy brown as the dark water and what showed of his white shirt was covered in green slime.

He held still for what felt like hours before he wobbled again and his booted foot accidentally touched a jacket button. He raised his hand to his face and pinched his nose at the smell. The cloud of flies rose and hit him a moment later. The boys hadn’t made any mistake, though how they had recognized the man was a different thing altogether.

He withdrew his foot and jumped down from the log back onto bank of the lake.

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