into the beagle’s eyes, as if waiting patiently for her to tell her what was upsetting her.
Now the beagle whimpered. Noo-noo’s fur stood up on her back and she growled, as if suddenly realizing the source of the beagle’s concern.
“Beatrice, there’s something lying on the ground over there. Near that group of trees,” Posy said in a quiet voice.
Beatrice handed Posy Noo-noo’s leash and walked cautiously up to the object, forcing her suddenly weak limbs to move forward. She saw Judith splayed unnaturally on her back, with blood pooled behind her head and her eyes staring blindly into the trees.
She croaked, “Oh, my Lord, Posy, it’s Judith. We need to call the police.”
“Not an ambulance?” asked Posy.
“I don’t think so.”
With some difficulty, Posy pulled the still-barking dogs over to a bench as, with shaking hands, Beatrice fumbled with her phone to dial 911.
Chapter 3
A police car soon drove up and Ramsay Downey stepped out, looking grim. He strode quickly to the figure on the ground, then back to Beatrice and Posy. “Are you ladies all right?” he asked. “This must have scared the life out of you.” They nodded, and he sighed. “I don’t know what to say, Beatrice. I promise you that violent crime is a most unusual occurrence in Dappled Hills. In fact, I can’t ever recall us having a murder here.” He rubbed his head. “The very lack of crime is the whole reason I chose to do police work here to begin with!”
He looked wearily toward Judith’s body. “I’ll call the state police and get a forensics crew. Let me check the scene and make sure it’s secure, and then I’ll let y’all go as soon as I can.”
Minutes later, the women explained how they’d discovered Judith’s body, while Ramsay, wearing a pair of reading glasses that looked circa 1950, took notes in a messy scrawl. Ramsay’s gaze narrowed. “Meadow mentioned to me yesterday that y’all had a quilting bee last night. Right?” He winced, as if thinking of all the different women he’d need to talk to about Judith’s last few hours.
Beatrice cleared her throat, and Ramsay raised his eyebrows at her. “I was just wondering what happened to Judith, Ramsay. It looked like she’d been hit over the head with something really heavy or hard,” said Beatrice. She pinched her lips shut, realizing that Ramsay probably couldn’t talk about it.
But Ramsay seemed to have no problems talking about the case. “Looks like blunt-force trauma to me,” he said thoughtfully. “A hammer or a crowbar or something heavy like that.”
Beatrice shivered despite the fact that the early-morning crispness of the mountain air had turned warmer.
* * *
The black coffee Piper handed her didn’t help a
lot
, but it sure didn’t hurt. Beatrice stirred in extra sugar. They were in Beatrice’s kitchen, but Piper had efficiently located both the coffeemaker and the Ziploc bag of coffee that Beatrice hadn’t yet unpacked, and made a pot.
“I’m so glad you didn’t find Judith’s body all by yourself,” said Piper. “Although I’m not really sure what you and Noo-noo were doing out so early in the morning. I know you’re used to getting up early to get ready for work, but I kind of thought you might have already made the adjustment to retirement time.”
“Actually, there was a reason behind the walk.” She explained about the anonymous note she’d found on her front porch that morning.
Piper’s gray eyes widened. “Anonymous letters? You’ve been in Dappled Hills for three days and you’ve already made enemies?”
Beatrice gave Piper a quelling look. “I think it has less to do with me and more to do with whoever left it for me. Maybe it was Judith. If I messed with anyone’s plans, it was hers. Felicity and Amber would never have known that quilt was so valuable if I hadn’t said something. Judith could have dropped off the note before she was murdered in the park. Maybe she wanted to spook me a
Now the beagle whimpered. Noo-noo’s fur stood up on her back and she growled, as if suddenly realizing the source of the beagle’s concern.
“Beatrice, there’s something lying on the ground over there. Near that group of trees,” Posy said in a quiet voice.
Beatrice handed Posy Noo-noo’s leash and walked cautiously up to the object, forcing her suddenly weak limbs to move forward. She saw Judith splayed unnaturally on her back, with blood pooled behind her head and her eyes staring blindly into the trees.
She croaked, “Oh, my Lord, Posy, it’s Judith. We need to call the police.”
“Not an ambulance?” asked Posy.
“I don’t think so.”
With some difficulty, Posy pulled the still-barking dogs over to a bench as, with shaking hands, Beatrice fumbled with her phone to dial 911.
Chapter 3
A police car soon drove up and Ramsay Downey stepped out, looking grim. He strode quickly to the figure on the ground, then back to Beatrice and Posy. “Are you ladies all right?” he asked. “This must have scared the life out of you.” They nodded, and he sighed. “I don’t know what to say, Beatrice. I promise you that violent crime is a most unusual occurrence in Dappled Hills. In fact, I can’t ever recall us having a murder here.” He rubbed his head. “The very lack of crime is the whole reason I chose to do police work here to begin with!”
He looked wearily toward Judith’s body. “I’ll call the state police and get a forensics crew. Let me check the scene and make sure it’s secure, and then I’ll let y’all go as soon as I can.”
Minutes later, the women explained how they’d discovered Judith’s body, while Ramsay, wearing a pair of reading glasses that looked circa 1950, took notes in a messy scrawl. Ramsay’s gaze narrowed. “Meadow mentioned to me yesterday that y’all had a quilting bee last night. Right?” He winced, as if thinking of all the different women he’d need to talk to about Judith’s last few hours.
Beatrice cleared her throat, and Ramsay raised his eyebrows at her. “I was just wondering what happened to Judith, Ramsay. It looked like she’d been hit over the head with something really heavy or hard,” said Beatrice. She pinched her lips shut, realizing that Ramsay probably couldn’t talk about it.
But Ramsay seemed to have no problems talking about the case. “Looks like blunt-force trauma to me,” he said thoughtfully. “A hammer or a crowbar or something heavy like that.”
Beatrice shivered despite the fact that the early-morning crispness of the mountain air had turned warmer.
* * *
The black coffee Piper handed her didn’t help a
lot
, but it sure didn’t hurt. Beatrice stirred in extra sugar. They were in Beatrice’s kitchen, but Piper had efficiently located both the coffeemaker and the Ziploc bag of coffee that Beatrice hadn’t yet unpacked, and made a pot.
“I’m so glad you didn’t find Judith’s body all by yourself,” said Piper. “Although I’m not really sure what you and Noo-noo were doing out so early in the morning. I know you’re used to getting up early to get ready for work, but I kind of thought you might have already made the adjustment to retirement time.”
“Actually, there was a reason behind the walk.” She explained about the anonymous note she’d found on her front porch that morning.
Piper’s gray eyes widened. “Anonymous letters? You’ve been in Dappled Hills for three days and you’ve already made enemies?”
Beatrice gave Piper a quelling look. “I think it has less to do with me and more to do with whoever left it for me. Maybe it was Judith. If I messed with anyone’s plans, it was hers. Felicity and Amber would never have known that quilt was so valuable if I hadn’t said something. Judith could have dropped off the note before she was murdered in the park. Maybe she wanted to spook me a
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