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Book: High Marks for Murder (A Bellehaven House Mystery Book 1) by Kate Kingsbury
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Authors: Kate Kingsbury
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ghostly figure faded in and out like a shadow caught between sunlight and cloud. "What are you trying to tell me?"
The ghost seemed to understand, as one arm raised and a long finger pointed once more at the flowers.
Meredith stared at the blossoms in frustration. The beds had been weeded after all, so it was not the weeds that concerned Kathleen.
Another idea raised her head. "Are you concerned about your classes? Worried about your pupils? There's no need.We have a new teacher arriving today. Stuart Hamilton selected her himself. I'm sure she'll—"
The ghost appeared to be agitated. The arm fluttered, then before Meredith could draw another breath, the mist faded away and disappeared.
Disappointed, she turned away, then paused as a faint sound, carried by the breeze, drifted from the silent trees. The sound of someone crying.
She hurried toward the pitiful sobbing, but as she drew near a figure moved in the shadows. He slipped away to vanish among the trees, but not quickly enough to hide his face. It was Davie Gray.
"Miss Fingle wants to see you two in her office this morning." Mrs. Wilkins laid a stern eye on Olivia. "I told you not to go to Witcheston yesterday. Now you're both in a lot of trouble."
Olivia shrugged, while Grace's face filled with alarm. Neither girl answered, which worried Mrs. Wilkins more than anything they might have said.
She stared hard into Grace's face, knowing the girl was far more likely to tell her what she wanted to know. "So what happened yesterday, anyway?"
Grace glanced at Olivia, whose expression clearly warned her to keep her mouth shut. "Nothing happened, Mrs. Wilkins," she said weakly.
The cook pinched her lips together. "Something must have happened. I didn't hear you come in last night, so you must have got back really late. What were you doing all day?"
"Protesting," Olivia said, with a toss of her head. "That's why we went, wasn't it. To protest."
Mrs. Wilkins studied Grace's face and saw guilt written all over it. "I want to know what happened," she said quietly, "and you're not going anywhere until you tell me."
Grace looked frightened, and tears started spilling down her cheeks. "We nearly got arrested, that's what."
Olivia turned on her with an explosive sound of fury. "I told you not to say anything!"
Mrs. Wilkins folded her arms and summoned her strictest voice. "I think you'd better tell me everything that happened, because sooner or later I'm going to find out."
"Grace punched a constable in the belly and knocked him down," Olivia bellowed. "There! Is that what you wanted to know?"
Grace started whimpering.
Shocked, Mrs. Wilkins stared at her. "Why on earth did you do that?"
"I didn't mean to," Grace wailed. "I sort of bumped into him with the sign I was carrying and he sort of tripped and fell down."
"Oh, good Lord." Mrs. Wilkins felt for the chair behind her and sat down hard.
"He didn't catch us." Olivia sounded sullen now. "We ran away and he chased us—"
"So did lots of people," Grace added, wiping her wet nose on her sleeve. "We had to run really, really hard to get away."
"And then we had to hide in a coal shed." Olivia fished a handkerchief out of her sleeve and shoved it at Grace. "Until it got dark enough to come out again."
Mrs. Wilkins winced when Grace trumpeted into the square of white cotton. "Mercy me. So how did you get home?"
"We walked and walked," Grace said, handing thehandkerchief back to Olivia. "I thought I was going to drop, I did."
"But then we heard a cart coming up behind us." Olivia tucked the handkerchief back in her sleeve. "It was one of the farmers and he offered us a ride. So we hopped aboard."
"Our clothes are all dirty." Grace held up her hands. "I scrubbed and scrubbed but I still have coal dust under my fingernails."
"We'd better get that out before you see Miss Fingle." Mrs. Wilkins got up and pulled the girl over to the sink. "And if I were you, I'd keep quiet about that constable."
She could hear the
The ghost seemed to understand, as one arm raised and a long finger pointed once more at the flowers.
Meredith stared at the blossoms in frustration. The beds had been weeded after all, so it was not the weeds that concerned Kathleen.
Another idea raised her head. "Are you concerned about your classes? Worried about your pupils? There's no need.We have a new teacher arriving today. Stuart Hamilton selected her himself. I'm sure she'll—"
The ghost appeared to be agitated. The arm fluttered, then before Meredith could draw another breath, the mist faded away and disappeared.
Disappointed, she turned away, then paused as a faint sound, carried by the breeze, drifted from the silent trees. The sound of someone crying.
She hurried toward the pitiful sobbing, but as she drew near a figure moved in the shadows. He slipped away to vanish among the trees, but not quickly enough to hide his face. It was Davie Gray.
"Miss Fingle wants to see you two in her office this morning." Mrs. Wilkins laid a stern eye on Olivia. "I told you not to go to Witcheston yesterday. Now you're both in a lot of trouble."
Olivia shrugged, while Grace's face filled with alarm. Neither girl answered, which worried Mrs. Wilkins more than anything they might have said.
She stared hard into Grace's face, knowing the girl was far more likely to tell her what she wanted to know. "So what happened yesterday, anyway?"
Grace glanced at Olivia, whose expression clearly warned her to keep her mouth shut. "Nothing happened, Mrs. Wilkins," she said weakly.
The cook pinched her lips together. "Something must have happened. I didn't hear you come in last night, so you must have got back really late. What were you doing all day?"
"Protesting," Olivia said, with a toss of her head. "That's why we went, wasn't it. To protest."
Mrs. Wilkins studied Grace's face and saw guilt written all over it. "I want to know what happened," she said quietly, "and you're not going anywhere until you tell me."
Grace looked frightened, and tears started spilling down her cheeks. "We nearly got arrested, that's what."
Olivia turned on her with an explosive sound of fury. "I told you not to say anything!"
Mrs. Wilkins folded her arms and summoned her strictest voice. "I think you'd better tell me everything that happened, because sooner or later I'm going to find out."
"Grace punched a constable in the belly and knocked him down," Olivia bellowed. "There! Is that what you wanted to know?"
Grace started whimpering.
Shocked, Mrs. Wilkins stared at her. "Why on earth did you do that?"
"I didn't mean to," Grace wailed. "I sort of bumped into him with the sign I was carrying and he sort of tripped and fell down."
"Oh, good Lord." Mrs. Wilkins felt for the chair behind her and sat down hard.
"He didn't catch us." Olivia sounded sullen now. "We ran away and he chased us—"
"So did lots of people," Grace added, wiping her wet nose on her sleeve. "We had to run really, really hard to get away."
"And then we had to hide in a coal shed." Olivia fished a handkerchief out of her sleeve and shoved it at Grace. "Until it got dark enough to come out again."
Mrs. Wilkins winced when Grace trumpeted into the square of white cotton. "Mercy me. So how did you get home?"
"We walked and walked," Grace said, handing thehandkerchief back to Olivia. "I thought I was going to drop, I did."
"But then we heard a cart coming up behind us." Olivia tucked the handkerchief back in her sleeve. "It was one of the farmers and he offered us a ride. So we hopped aboard."
"Our clothes are all dirty." Grace held up her hands. "I scrubbed and scrubbed but I still have coal dust under my fingernails."
"We'd better get that out before you see Miss Fingle." Mrs. Wilkins got up and pulled the girl over to the sink. "And if I were you, I'd keep quiet about that constable."
She could hear the
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