Read Body in the Woods (A Reverend Annabelle Dixon Cozy Mystery Book 3) for Free Online

buxom figure of Barbara Simpson, owner of the Dog And Duck, the most frequented pub in Upton St. Mary, was tottering into the church driveway upon her high-heeled stilettos. Despite being barely five feet tall, Barbara Simpson was easy to recognize even at a distance, for the extravagant fake-fur coats she wore and her propensity for lurid, clashing colors. Though she was well into her fifties and undeniably one of the most astute and successful women in the village, Barbara possessed the taste in fashion of an adolescent schoolgirl. Her high-pitched, girlish voice seemed to reverberate for miles wherever she went while above her perpetually smiling face, heavily made-up in hues of pink (lips), red (cheeks), and blue (eyes), sat her proudest possession: her thick, pale-blonde hair, arranged into an elaborately sculpted beehive that she would caress and puff up frequently with her inch-long fingernails.
    Annabelle opened her door and invited the woman inside.
    “Thank you, Reverend! Ooh, it’s been such a long time since I’ve been to church. I’m feeling all guilty!” she giggled, stepping into the kitchen and greeting Philippa.
    “It’s rather early for you, isn’t it Barbara?” Annabelle said.
    “Oh, I had to go to the market. Get the best veg for tonight’s dinner menu before I was left with the scraps. Chef’s off until lunchtime or he’d do it. I thought I’d have a chat with Philippa before going back to the pub.”
    “Would you like some tea?” Annabelle asked.
    Barbara’s larger-than-life face lit up as it did when she found something funny, which was rather often. “I always like it when I’m the one being offered a drink instead of the other way around. Especially when it’s a vicar doing the asking!”
    Annabelle smiled and got to work on the tea.
    “How are you, my darling?” Barbara said to Philippa, placing an affectionate hand on her knee. “I’ve not seen you in days!”
    “I’ve been a little busy at the church,” said Philippa, smiling at her friend’s concern.
    “Well, you’ve missed out on all the juicy gossip! So much has been going on that even I can barely keep up with it!”
    Annabelle placed Barbara’s tea in front of her and sat down hopefully, ready to finally hear something that could give her a sense of what was happening.
    “Thank you ever so much, Vicar. I know you don’t drink, but if you ever fancy a good pot roast, it’s on the house.”
    “Thank you, Barbara. You’re always welcome to come to Sunday service yourself,” Annabelle joked.
    Barbara threw her head back and released her high-pitched giggle.
    “You are a laugh, Vicar!”
    “What’s been going on?” Philippa asked uneasily, once the pub owner’s laughter had died down.
    “Well,” Barbara began, leaning forward and taking on the low, astounded tone she usually used for dispensing gossip, “they found a body in the woods. A dead body. They’ve been running around all over the place to figure out what its doing there. They’ve even gone—”
    Suddenly, Philippa stood up out of her seat, the squeak of the chair on the kitchen floor interrupting Barbara.
    “Excuse me,” Philippa said, her face pale, “I need to visit the little girls’ room.”
    Annabelle and Barbara watched Philippa scurry out of the kitchen clutching a napkin to her face.
    “Is there something wrong with Philippa?” Barbara asked Annabelle, full of concern. “She looks like she’s seen a ghost.”
    Annabelle shook her head regretfully.
    “She’s been acting strangely for a few days now. It’s just one of the many mysteries that’s cropped up lately.”
    “I hope she’s alright,” Barbara said, her brightly-painted lips pouting with worry.
    “I don’t know what the matter is. I would just avoid raising the subject of this body until she’s feeling better.”
    “Right you are, Vicar,” the blonde woman replied, nodding to confirm she understood.
    “Actually,” Annabelle began, leaning forward and