Ascension Sunday balloons are not the
only things disappearing in the English village of Aidan Kirkwood. When the villagers celebrate the first
Ascension Sunday Processional in fifty years, someone goes missing. A well off window that was amongst the crowd
has vanished into thin air. And, she’s
not the only one who’s nowhere to be found.
Berdie Elliott, the local vicar’s wife,
goes into sleuth mode as eccentric cat lovers, a secretive informant,
Portuguese holidays, an enigmatic “tree” house, and tangled family dynamics all
add to the perplexing affair. Don’t let
this mystery slip from your sight.
Into the Clouds Excerpt
With
the ferocity of a sudden clap of thunder in a spring storm, the vicarage door
bell invaded the treasured moment.
Hugh
sighed.
“I’ll
get it.” Berdie pulled herself away and
made way to the front door, deciding not to grumble but cherish the past
uninterrupted hours shared with Hugh.
“Lillie,”
Berdie greeted her nicely dressed but unexpected guest at the opened door. “Come in.”
“Must
get on, but just wanted to tell you that Mrs. Mikalos was not seen by any local
doctors nor admitted to any of the area hospitals including their morgues.”
“Well
done, Lillie.” Berdie looked past
Lillie’s shoulder to see Granville Morrison and his idling black Ford Fiesta
with the word Transport painted on
the side of the vehicle. He and his
brother were the newest entrepreneurs in Aidan Kirkwood’s village
services. “Having dinner with Loren in
Timsley? Setting out plans for the Aunt
Margaret visit, are we?”
A
blues guitar reverberated from Berdie’s bag in the hallway while at the same
moment Granville sounded his horn.
Lillie
turned in a flash. “I’ll tell you all
about it later,” she called out while walking briskly out to the taxi.
“Good,
I’ll look forward to it.” Berdie closed
the door and lunged toward her bag just in time to hear Hugh’s voice.
“What
is that?” he called out.
Berdie
grabbed her mobile and put it to her ear.
“Mrs. Elliott”. She heard what
sounded like a hoarse gasp of air.
“She’s
in danger,” the graveled voice pronounced.
This
person was not a playful lad. Berdie
tried to keep her wits about her.
“Who’s
in danger?”
“She’s
in danger,” the wheezing voice repeated.
“No police.”
“Who
is this?” Berdie hoped she didn’t sound
as alarmed as she felt. A course wheeze
and a click were her only response.
“Who
was at the door?” Hugh asked as he bounced into the hallway.
Berdie
shoved her mobile in her bag. “Lillie,”
she worked at appearing nonchalant.
“She’s already gone.”
“Are
you all right?”
Hugh’s
question bored into Berdie’s veneer, but she held her own. “I just hope Lillie and Loren get on well at
Aunt Margaret’s.”
“Someone
on the mobile?” He pointed to her bag.
Berdie
was not about to tell him the whole of it.
“I
have no clue who the person was.” She
laughed hoping Hugh would not catch the nervous edge of it.
He
smiled. “Oh, I had one of those the
other day.”
“You
did?”
“Some
bank I think it was, a survey. Those
computer generated calls, so garbled and impersonal. Invasive as well.”
“Yes,
invasive,” she improvised.
“Care
for a cuppa?”
“Splendid.” She could use one at the moment.
“I’ll
put the kettle on.” Hugh advanced toward
the kitchen.
Berdie
sunk to the bottom step of the hall stairway.
She pulled her mobile out and tried to retrieve the call but it showed
as number withheld. “She’s in danger, no police,” she repeated
the words to herself. “Dear Lord have
mercy.”
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