Deathly Christmas Read Free

spend a romantic Christmas Eve evening together drinking mulled wine and opening presents.
    The following day they were going to have Christmas lunch at the home of their friends, Pete and Annie Davies. Slightly younger than Betty and Don, Pete and Annie had taken early retirement and had moved to Crete a few years previously. Pete had been a police officer and Annie a schoolteacher back in England and both had been very kind and helpful to Eve during the summer, especially after she had been poisoned.
    “What are you thinking about, David?” Eve asked.
    “Oh, just about us spending our first Christmas together.”
    Eve smiled and moved closer.
    “Yes, it is wonderful, isn’t it? I think we should open a present now, don’t you?”
    Eve jumped up cheerfully. She was a woman who could never sit still for long. Not only did she like to be doing something, but Eve’s mind was always active and needed constant stimulation. David hadn’t been sure he would be able to keep her occupied after the excitement of the summer murders, but he had been doing alright so far. However, unlike Eve, the turmoil and instability of the summer months had been too much for him and he was relieved that everything had become quieter.  
     

Chapter 3
     
    Betty rang the doorbell for the third time, feeling her impatience rising.
    Where on earth is that woman? she thought crossly.
    Betty wasn’t known for her patience and she couldn’t abide tardiness. Jennifer should have been at her house an hour ago, but she hadn’t even phoned to say she’d be late. Betty had called her on both her landline and cell phone, but there had been no answer and no reply to either of her messages. In the end she had decided to drive to Jennifer’s house.
    Betty lived in the next village so it only took her a few minutes to get there, but her temper was growing. She was in the middle of cooking Christmas Day lunch and was annoyed at this interruption, but her husband, Don, had twisted his ankle a couple of days previously, so wasn’t able to drive and go instead of her.
        Still standing at Jennifer’s front door and getting no reply, Betty was now fuming.
        Had Jennifer overslept? she thought angrily to herself. After all, she had been drinking an awful lot at the party yesterday. That would have to stop if she was going to be David’s new girlfriend. It was uncouth and unladylike to drink like a fish. A couple of glasses of wine are fine, but certainly no more. That Eve can certainly knock them back. How David puts up with it, I don’t know.  
    Betty never stopped having a dig at Eve, whether her information was correct or not. In fact, while Eve enjoyed a drink or two, she never appeared drunk in public and always made sure she was in complete control of her faculties.
    If Jennifer was indeed asleep, Betty thought that perhaps she should try and get inside and wake her up. After all, she would be embarrassed if she missed Christmas dinner at Betty's house.
    Noticing that the shutters on the windows in the front of the house were closed, Betty walked round to the back to see if any had been left open round there.
    As luck would have it, they were all open and Betty breathed a sigh of relief. As is common in Greece, Jennifer hadn’t put up any curtains. Betty didn’t like that tradition and had put up curtains in all her rooms, but today she was relieved that Jennifer hadn’t bothered. Now she would be able to see in, but she would have to have a word with Jennifer. It wasn’t nice that anyone could look into your home and it was impossible to keep the shutters closed all day. The house would be dark and you would have to use artificial light all the time.
    Peering through the French windows into the sitting room, Betty couldn’t see anything at first. As her eyes became accustomed to the different light, she thought she saw something on the floor. It looked like a big sack and Betty wondered if Jennifer had dropped the rubbish.
    No,