The Amber Stone Read Free

you? He’s harmless...usually.”
    “No, not at all.”
    “You’re fine then?”
    “Yes.”
    He didn’t seem convinced, but shrugged his shoulders in an impatient manner and nodded. “Good day then.”
    She was about to say ‘good day’ too before she heard a splash.
    He paused. “What was that?”
    “I don’t know.” She knew it was something big, but she couldn’t imagine what. The few people around them didn’t seem to be bothered, but she sensed something was wrong and he did too. A terrible feeling of dread shot through her a second time, then she looked out and saw something floating in the water. She pointed. “What is that?”
    “What?”
    Teresa knew he couldn’t see the object clearly and she didn’t have time to wait. Her heart began to pound when she realized what it was. She slipped out of her coat and shoes and ran towards the water.
    “Wait,” he called after her.
    But she didn’t. Instead she rushed into the cold water. Suddenly the ground disappeared from underneath her feet.
    She swam over to the body, her arms already aching. She wasn’t a very physical person, and her body seemed to protest her efforts, but she couldn’t stop. She wished she was a strong swimmer like her younger sister, Jessie, who succeeded at any sport she tried. But she wasn’t, and her lungs felt weary; she just had enough strength to reach the body. She came upon the still figure. She didn’t want to think about what that meant—had she’d arrived too late?—she had to have hope. She pulled the body to the shore, hoping that someone would help her. Suddenly, the weight didn’t feel so heavy. A moment later she realized the man had taken the limp body and laid it on the beach. Then her heart froze when she saw the woman’s face. She wasn’t a stranger. She was her cousin.
    Teresa watched the man pumping her cousin’s chest. “Come on, Louisa,” he said.
    He knew her too, but Teresa didn’t wonder how. She just wanted to see Louisa open her eyes and breathe. She had to breathe. She couldn’t die like this.
    Louisa gasped, then vomited water and took another breath. Soon the paramedics arrived and took her away. Teresa felt relieved and a little vindicated. Death didn’t follow her; she’d helped save someone. She put on her shoes and coat, feeling the cold air but not caring, a small smile of gratitude on her lips. Then she heard a passing voice say, “She shouldn’t be so proud of herself. We still know she’s a murderer.”
     
     

Chapter Two

     
    Murderer? Murderer! Why did people still believe that?
    Teresa followed behind the ambulance, fighting back tears. She hadn’t killed Bess. Her death had been ruled an accident, but unfortunately Teresa had been the only person at the house with her. And Bess’s family did nothing to stop the rumors. Although Teresa’s family was used to her befriending women twenty to thirty years older than herself, Bess’s family met her with distrust and they’d never liked Teresa’s relationship with the wealthy single woman. Teresa had been her piano teacher. Bess had wanted to play piano since a girl and now, after taking an early retirement and making good investments, she decided to treat herself. They’d become fast friends.
    Teresa had been the one to introduce Bess to a more natural way of dealing with her diabetes and high blood pressure, at times spending as much time in the kitchen as at the piano. Teresa remembered Bess’s face when she’d created her own herb garden. It was six months into their friendship when Bess introduced Teresa to her niece Helene, thinking that they’d have a lot in common since Helene was a master herbalist, author, lecturer and owner of The Wright Herb Shop.
    But the two women had little in common, although Helene did listen to some of Teresa’s suggestions. They discussed little else.
    Despite what people thought, Teresa hadn’t known that Bess had put her in her will and that she’d get a sizable inheritance