Murder On Bwytheney by Elizabeth. Newby (adult books to read .txt) 📕

that attracted most of the village, encouraged by the butcher's meat raffle that took place while scores were counted.  It was also Shadow's favourite time of the week, probably because he enjoyed tit-bits from all the regulars. It was just as well we walked everywhere on this island, or Shadow would be enormous.

As I walked in the door, the heat from the open fire hit me. I shook off my umbrella and removed my coat. Two of the other girls were already there. Emma gave me a wave and tapped the seat next to her. I squeezed into it, and Shadow wandered off to grab his spot lying in front of the fire where he could dry off.

"Here, she is. We hear that you had quite the morning," said Caz.

“It was certainly not what I expected from my Sunday morning walk. How are you, Caz? How are the kids?”

“Driving me to drink,” she said as she raised her glass.

“Well, it meant a day of bumper takings for me at the café with everyone avoiding the beach and then the rain. Had to whip up extra cupcakes by lunchtime.”

“Emma!” I said.

"What? It's true. I wouldn't wish harm on anyone, but there's no denying it was good for business today."

Just then, the pub door was thrown open. Cold air blew in, and the pounding of the rain could be heard. As the thick wooden door closed, the cosiness of the pub returned.

“Hey, Jo, over here,” shouted Emma.

Jo slumped down in the chair, not bothering to remove her wax coat. I wondered when it was that I'd last seen Emma in anything other than her trademark green wellies.

“I’m knackered,” she said, “don’t mind me if I doze off during the quiz. Just give me a nudge if any animal questions come up, eh?”

“Had your hand up plenty of cows this week then?” asked Emma.

Emma and Jo had grown up together in this village, sitting side by side in the same classrooms. They’re teasing of each other didn’t stop as they became adults.

"Yes, yes, I have. I've been on call all week, and it's been a busy one. I've just got back from the sheep farm out at Haf Houlme. Way too many twins and triplets calving."

Haf Houlme was the smallest of The Nord Isles and was inhabited by more animals than people. There were a few farms, homes and shops there but not much else, although it did boast the best chip shop in this part of the world. The island was also an excellent spot for watching the wildlife. Emma was one of only two or three vets on the islands, which meant she was often on-call or travelling between the isles. All the girls were keen members of my weekly book group, but Emma would often have to call off or disappear halfway through to help an animal in distress.

They made a good quiz team. Jo covered animals and science, Emma was all over the food questions, Caz tended to get the popular culture and celebrity type ones, and my expertise was literature. Now, if we just had someone with sports knowledge, we would be unstoppable.

I went to the bar to get a round of drinks before the quiz started. Gregory was there nursing a pint and looking sullen.

“You alright, Gregory?” I asked.

“Hmm? Yes, sure.”

“What are you up to these days? Haven’t seen much of you recently.”

“Huh? Oh, I’ve been over on the mainland. I’ve been tied up with a bit of business. You? How’s the blog going?”

"Good, it's going really well, thanks. Always room for a sponsor, though, if you fancied it?"

“Oh, I don’t know it’s my thing.”

"It's okay, Gregory. I was teasing you. It doesn't need sponsors any more. So, what's this business you've been doing? I'm not even sure I know what you do other than hang around that big house of yours." I flashed him a grin.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Just some contracts to sort for some acquisitions. It's all very boring, really."

Gregory's phone started ringing, and he patted his pockets, trying to locate it.

“It’s there,” I whispered. The glow lighting up his lower left pocket was a bit of a giveaway.

“Thanks,” he mumbled before answering the call. “Hello?...I told you not now…It’s not happening…” Gregory looked even more agitated as he exited the pub out the back door where it would be quieter.

“Here you go, girls,” I said as I took the drinks from the tray and placed them on the table just in time for the quiz starting.

The quiz lasted for about forty minutes. This week, there had been fewer sports questions, so we felt confident while waiting for the results. But before the results were announced, there was a shout from outside. The door flew open, and stood there, sopping wet, was Linda who ran the post office.

“A body has been found. A woman’s body up at Beachview Campsite.”

Chapter 5

The shock of events continued to ripple through the village the next morning. Within an hour of Lisa storming into the pub, everyone on Bwytheney knew Melissa Palmer from Seaview Campsite had been hit over the head and killed. Apparently, a camper had gone to report a problem with the showers and found Melissa's body lying on the ground near her house.

Traffic to my blog was going bonkers, and I had to turn off the notifications on my phone from all the emails being sent from people wanting to know more. I would need to respond at some point, but right now, I was still trying to process what was happening.

As someone who saw Melissa earlier that day, I had to give a statement to the police. Peter was then supposed to be coming over to mine to put up the bookshelves he’d been making. But he called and said he wouldn’t be able to make it until later in the afternoon. Rather than work, I decided to head to Emma’s Cupcake Café with Shadow in tow. I was sure I would find