WASDALE HEAD – Monday, early morning
“Fancy a stretch of the legs, Jones?”
DS Jones pirouettes proficiently, crunching loose car park gravel beneath her flat rubber soles. She squints into the bright morning sun beyond Skelgill’s silhouette.
“Oughtn’t we get these under lock and key, Guv?” She refers to the loose bundles of documents cradled against her thorax.
Skelgill does not reply immediately. He casts about and sniffs the fresh dewy air. Then pointedly he glances at the sturdy piebald dog that stands obediently at his side, seemingly unconcerned by the fraying lengths of rustic yarn threaded through its collar.
“I think you’re outvoted, Jones. Cleopatra’s up for it.”
DS Jones frowns. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
Skelgill casually flaps a hand in an easterly direction, towards the silvery grey bulk of Great Gable, its flanks attractively dappled with irregular sliding shadows cast by small fair-weather cumulus. “I was thinking we might stroll over to Gladis’s at Seathwaite.”
Now DS Jones’s voice takes on a distinct note of exasperation. “Guv – that’s miles – we’d be hours.”
Skelgill beams generously. “Trust me – I know a short cut. We’ll be there by eight.”
“But what about my car, Guv-and all this evidence?”
Skelgill shrugs. “Lock it in the boot. Leyton needs to take a statement from his lordship. He can bring a DC to drive your motor back to the station this afternoon.”
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Clicking on the book’s cover image will link you directly to its Amazon listing page.
Find out more about both book and author at my ‘Mailbox Monday‘ page.
I can only apologise, however I really had trouble making my ‘Book Beginnings’ any shorter than this finished excerpt, as there didn’t appear to be a natural break in the narration which would offer any tangible evidence of what was happening in the opening sequence….
I hope that I haven’t broken the rules of the meme too badly!
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WHAT IS ‘BOOK BEGINNINGS’?
Would the first few lines of your book make you want to read on?
If so, would you like to share them with us, (without revealing too many spoilers of course) ?
Visit your host, Gilion @ ‘Rose City Reader’
You can then leave a link to your own book beginnings post, or just browse for some great reads, there are always plenty of new authors and titles to be discovered.
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I can’t wait to do a little blog hopping myself and check out all the great Book Beginnings you have!
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