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Cynthia E. Hurst Mysteries
Category:
Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Lilax Books
Type: Fiction
Pages: 215
Copyright: March 12, 2023
ISBN-13: 9798386750947
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
An mysterious death and an unusual crop ...
Humble farm worker Wilfred Hubbard just happened to die on the one day his death wouldn't be noticed. That was enough to raise the suspicions of the police in the Cotswold market town, but it was only the start. A thief, a charlatan and a runaway wife all play their parts as clock repairer Jacob Silver and his wife Sarah join the police in trying to work out why Hubbard died and why a field where nothing grows well has suddenly become a valuable piece of land.
Excerpt
“But what reason could anyone have for wishing a humble farm worker dead, even if he is proven to be untrustworthy?” Jacob asked. “It’s not as if there is a legacy involved, is there?”
“Shouldn’t think so,” Sarah said. “Most farm laborers barely have enough to get from one month to the next.”
“And if it were some sort of revenge or a fight over some matter, I would expect the cause of death to be much more obvious.”
“He’d be shot or stabbed or beaten,” Sarah said matter-of-factly. “Not just fallen on the floor with not a mark on him. Was there a mark on him, Inspector?”
“Nothing aside from some bruising which was consistent with a fall, either from the bed or collapsing on the floor from another cause, according to Dr Sheridan. The worst bruise was on the man’s forehead, as if he had hit it on some hard object in falling, or possibly on the stone floor itself. Dr Sheridan found it very difficult to determine the actual cause of death.”
“So he wasn’t attacked, at least not openly,” Jacob said. “At least I wouldn’t have thought an attacker would aim for the forehead.” He thought for a moment. “I suppose the other possible reason for someone wanting him dead is if Mr Hubbard presented a danger to them. He may have seen something he wasn’t supposed to see, or possessed knowledge that could have threatened someone.”
“That is possible,” Carey said. “I have to say, the one thing that bothered both Dr Sheridan and myself was how this mysterious death occurred at a time – probably the only time – when Mrs Hubbard was away from home for more than an hour or so. Normally she would only be away to come into Witney to the market, or some such errand. It’s just too much of a coincidence.”
“And you and Jacob always tell me not to imagine things,” Sarah said, grinning.
“I do, and I plead guilty in this instance.”
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