Excerpt from
HIGH MARKS FOR MURDER
Tom stood just inside the door, twisting his white Panama in his gnarled hands. His rumpled silver hair suggested he’d snatched the hat from his head in a hurry. Felicity stood at his side, a flush of red staining her cheeks. "I asked him what he wanted," she said, as Meredith paused in front of them. "The silly fool won’t say a word."
Felicity had no patience for what she perceived as stupidity. Being a little more charitable, Meredith was inclined to make allowances. True, Tom took longer to grasp the gist of a conversation, and his memory often failed him at the most inopportune moments. Nevertheless, he worked hard and possessed an uncanny knowledge of the plant world. In Tom’s eyes, all plants were living, breathing creatures to be tended to as one would children.
None of that mattered for the moment, since Meredith could tell something had highly agitated the elderly gardener. His gaze roamed the spacious polished floor of the lobby as if seeking the answer to some troubling question.
The foreboding deepened in Meredith’s chest. "Tom? Is there something you want to tell me?"
When he didn’t answer, she touched his arm. His gray eyes focused on her, growing wide as his mouth trembled with the effort to spill out words. "M-miss Duncan." He waved his bony, sun-scorched arm at the door. "Out there."
"Out where, Tom? Is there something wrong with Miss Duncan?"
Instead of answering, he raised his hat in both hands and pressed it to his mouth.
"Oh, for heaven’s sake." Felicity stood in front of him and spoke each word as though she were dictating to a dull-witted secretary. "Where...is...Miss... Duncan? What...does...she... want?"
Tom shook his head, while his wild gaze sought Meredith’s face.
"Show me," Meredith said sharply.
Tom ducked his head and scurried out of the door.
Meredith started to follow, and Felicity called out after her, "Shall I come?"
"And I?" Essie echoed. She’d been standing in the shadows until then, so quietly Meredith had forgotten she was there. "Come if you like," she called out over her shoulder, then saved her breath to follow Tom’s lop-sided gait across the lawn.
She saw the crumpled heap of clothes long before she reached the rockery. Fearing the worst, she hurried forward, passing Tom in her haste. Kathleen still wore the dark blue skirt and lace waist she’d worn to supper the evening before. Meredith found that particularly ominious. For a moment she stood transfixed, shock rendering her unable to think or move. Felicity reached her first, uttering an unladylike oath as she took in the scene.
Seconds later, Essie joined them, and immediately emitted a piercing scream that shocked Meredith into action. With Essie’s wailing sobs ringing in her ears, she bent over the still form.
A dark pool of blood stained the rock beneath Kathleen’s head. Her eyes were wide open and stared sightlessly at the sky, while her outstretched arms hung limp and lifeless.
Tom stood at a distance, mumbling to himself as Meredith straightened.
"She must have fallen and hit her head," she said, fighting back the resurgence of her breakfast.
Essie’s wailing rose in painful crescendo.
"Is she dead?" Practical as ever, Felicity always came straight to the point.
"I’m afraid so." Meredith suppressed a shudder. "She feels cold and stiff to the touch."
Essie moaned and sank to the ground, causing Tom to stagger backward with a hand over his heart.
Felicity muttered something under her breath and bent down to shake Essie’s arm. "Come on, you silly goose. Get up. You’re making a fool of yourself in public."
Essie moaned in response.
Somewhat reassured, Meredith turned to Tom, who stood gasping for air like a goldfish deprived of water. "Send one of the stable lads to fetch Dr. Mitchell, if you please, Tom. Then find Reggie. I believe he’s in the cellar, attending to a leaking water pipe. Tell him to bring a blanket out here."
Looking relieved to be excused from the scene, Tom loped off.
"It’s a bit late for a doctor." Felicity knelt at Essie’s side, flapping a hand back and forth in front her face. "After all, he’s not going to bring Kathleen back to life, is he."
Essie moaned and closed her eyes.
"We can’t just leave her here." Meredith struggled to clear the cloud of confusion that seemed to fog her brain. "I think the best thing to do is for you both to get back to the school and make certain the girls don’t wander out here." She glanced at the building, half expecting to see a crowd of anxious young women charging toward her. "We really don’t need a mass panic on our hands."
"I feel sick," Essie announced.
"Up!" Felicity roared, as she leapt to her feet. Reaching down, she grabbed Essie’s hand and pulled her upright.
Swaying and pale as death, Essie blinked back tears.
Felicity took a firm grip on her arm. "Are you coming with us?"
Meredith shook her head. "I’ll stay until Reggie gets here with the blanket. He can wait with Kathleen until Dr. Mitchell arrives. Then I’ll come back and address the school. Would you please ring the bell and take roll call. I want to make sure everyone will be in Assembly when I make the announcement."
"Of course." Felicity took the sniffling Essie by the arm.
"Will you be all right out here alone?"
Meredith sighed. "As right as anyone can be."
Felicity spared the inert body a brief glance. "Poor Kathleen. We shall miss her."
"We shall indeed." Unwilling to reveal how shaken she felt, Meredith chose a large rock to perch on. "Arrangements will have to be made, of course, but that will have to wait until later. Right now the important thing is to gather all the girls in Assembly."
To her relief, Felicity took the hint and strode off, half dragging Essie with her.
Left alone, Meredith wished she’d brought a shawl out with her. In spite of the sun, the air felt cool and damp. She hoped Dr. Mitchell would arrive soon. Keeping company with a dead body was not a pleasant way to spend the morning. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of white among the trees. Nervous that one of the pupils might wander close enough to see Kathleen’s body lying there, Meredith jumped to her feet.
The sunlight filtered through the branches and cast shadows between the thick tree trunks. Again she saw something move - a wisp of white, seemingly floating like a puff of smoke. Then it vanished, leaving her with a cold chill that had nothing to do with the moist air.
