B T Lord [Lord - Murder Among Crows

Copyright Bety Comerford (B.T. Lord)

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

ISBN-13: 978-1981564361
ISBN-10: 1981564365

Cover Art by Grace Currier

Cover Design by Alison Ouellette

Other books in the Twin Ponds Mystery Series:

Murder on Ice

Murder by Misadventure

A Perfect Case of Murder

Murder by Duplicity

Murder To Die For (a free Twin Ponds novella available only on my website www.btlordwriter.com)

To

Dave B.

Great tracker and walking stick maker

PROLOGUE

Late September

Maniacal laughter echoed throughout the forest. The high pitched cackle, filled with malice and anger, warned whoever ventured into that part of the woods to beware. To proceed with caution. To avoid discovering the evil they were perpetuating.

Or so Mandy Everett believed.

The eighteen year old teenager slowly walked down the wide path that wound its way through the dense trees. With each step, her desire grew to strangle her boyfriend Roy. It was his fault she was here today, walking alone, feeling so vulnerable.

Hed convinced her the day before to take their mountain bikes down this path in order to find the perfect spot to have a picnic. She should have known better. Picnic to Roy meant lets get naked and fool around. Ordinarily, she wouldnt have minded. She liked fooling around with Roy as much as he liked fooling around with her. However, there was something about this part of the forest that spooked her. She didnt know what it was couldnt describe the feelings that crept up her spine even if she wanted to. Even the beauty of the fall foliage the gorgeous reds and oranges of the trees that surrounded her did nothing to quell her unease.

Looking about her now, there really wasnt anything she could point to and say, this is what completely freaks me out. But the feeling was there. Which is why when they got off their bikes and he made a play for her, she pushed him off, resulting in a good-natured wrestling match. It wasnt until she arrived home later that day that she realized shed lost the bracelet her grandmother had given her for her sixteenth birthday. The strand of amethyst stones had always meant a great deal to her, more so since Nana passed away shortly after gifting her the jewelry. Now it was lost, and the forest was the only spot she could think of where it could have fallen off her wrist.

When she asked Roy to come with her, he refused. He worked at one of the local farms and early September through October was their busiest season. He promised to accompany her that week-end to search for the bracelet. But Mandy was concerned someone would find it in the intervening days. Fall foliage always brought busloads of people traipsing through these woods to ooh and aah over natures spectacular colors. She always thought it a bit macabre that people got so excited over autumn leaves. Didnt they know the leaves were changing colors because they were dying? To her, it was like oohing and aahing at a funeral. But hey, the leaf-peepers brought revenue to the town, and to the farm where Roy worked. If they wanted to spend their weekends (and their wallets) gawping at dying leaves, who was she to complain?

However, with the loss of her bracelet, all these people presented a problem. She was convinced one of them would stumble upon the piece of jewelry. It would then be gone forever, just like her Nana. She couldnt let that happen. So here she was, venturing alone further into a forest that scared her half to death.

The cackling didnt help her nerves. Ever since shed arrived, shed noticed the dozens of crows sitting in the trees, filling the air with their frightful screeching. Shed never seen so many before. Their sleek black bodies silhouetted against the sky were downright spooky. And completely unnerving.

Mandy shuddered, but pushed herself forward. The sooner she found the bracelet, the sooner she could get out of this wretched place.

The path opened up to a large clearing. Nearby, a stream, fortified by recent rainstorms, rushed past, its sound mercifully drowning out the crows. She walked towards the area where she and Roy had playfully grappled the day before. She could still see their scuff marks and bicycle tracks near a small hedgerow of shrubs. Squatting down, she began to poke around. After a few moments of diligent searching, she let out a thankful cry when she found the bracelet dangling from one of the shrubs lower-lying branches.

Ah, there you are! she squealed in delight.

Her loud exclamation abruptly scattered a dozen crows from the other side of the hedgerow. Their wings flapped noisily in unison as they joined their brethren in the trees above. The flocks deafening cawing increased as though they were crying out against her intrusion into their patch of woods.

She looked up in awe. The trees branches were covered with crows, their screeches coming at her from all sides. Curiosity now replaced fear as Mandy wondered what it was theyd been up to on the other side of the hedgerow. And why there were so many in that one spot.

Shoving the bracelet into her pocket, she took the path that wound its way through the shrubs. She knew it led to a smaller clearing and beyond that, a wooden bridge that spanned the stream.

Not sure what to expect, Mandy came round the shrubs and paused. Her gaze roamed the area. Suddenly, she uttered a strangled cry. She turned to run and screamed when she saw what shed almost stepped on.

The remains of a white bird lay on the ground, its eyes pecked out, its sleek body bloodied from an attack of dozens of beaks tearing it apart.

Before she could stop herself, Mandy bent over and vomited.

When she was done, she ran blindly down the path, desperate to get away. Behind her, the crows shrieks grew louder, mocking her for disturbing their torture of the white bird. And of the woman who lay still a few yards away, no longer able to protect herself against their onslaught.

CHAPTER ONE

Okay, thats one for the Creepy files. A dead white crow lying near a dead white woman wearing white, while all around us black crows are having a fit. What are the odds of that happening?

Deputy Rick Belleveau stood a few feet away from the two bodies, swiveling his head from one to the other. His long black hair, tied in a ponytail, danced back and forth against his back each time he moved his head. Occasionally he looked up at the black crows, scowling at their infernal racket.

His boss, Sheriff Cammie Farnsworth also looked up warily at the crows. Not only because of their incessant cawing, but because shed just had her uniform dry cleaned. The last thing she needed was a spurt of bird shit to end up on her shoulder.

Do you have any idea what has them riled up? she called out to Rick.

He shook his head. Ive never seen so many crows together in one place. Maybe whoever this woman was interrupted some kind of crow convention. I know Id be squawking if somebody died right in the middle of one of my conventions.

Did he really just say these crows are having a crow convention?

Cammie looked down at the short man kneeling over the body of the woman. He was dressed in white coveralls and was in the middle of his examination. Dr. Samuel Westerfield, town doctor and county coroner had his owlish green eyes turned up towards her.