English Tea Murder Read Online Free PDF Page B

were right next to George. You saw the whole thing. It’s no wonder you’re a bit fragile.”
    “It’s probably just low blood sugar.” Lucy felt a surge of sympathy for Pam, who had assumed responsibility for the group. “Were you able to reach the college president?”
    “My cell phone doesn’t work here, so I sent an e-mail from the hotel—they have a computer for guests.”
    “You shouldn’t feel as if you have to take charge. We’re all adults. . . .” Lucy remembered the four students: Caroline, Will, Autumn, and Jennifer. “Well, almost adults.”
    “I still can’t believe it happened.” Pam looked up as Rachel and Sue arrived with their food, distributing ploughman’s lunches and cardboard cups of tea. “Poor George.”
    “What was he like?” asked Lucy, taking a sip of tea. She wasn’t quite ready for the sandwich, which consisted of cheese, pickle, and lettuce on whole wheat bread.
    “I only knew him from my yoga class,” said Pam, pausing to chew. “He was very flexible, considering his age.”
    “Men aren’t usually flexible,” said Lucy, picturing Bill’s struggle to touch his toes.
    “George had a lovely downward dog, and his cobra was amazing.”
    “How old was he?” Sue took a tiny bite of her sandwich.
    “Not old enough to die. Fifties maybe?” said Rachel. “This bread is very good.”
    “That’s about right.” Pam nodded. “This whole sandwich is excellent.”
    Encouraged, Lucy took a bite and experienced a revelation. “It’s real cheddar,” she declared. “And the bread is so wholesome-tasting. It’s really good, and I always heard English food is bad.”
    “So was he a full professor?” asked Sue. Her son-in-law Geoff had recently landed a position as an assistant professor at New York University.
    “No. He was only an adjunct,” said Pam. “Paid by the course, no benefits or anything.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah.” Pam crumpled up the cellophane sandwich wrap. “You know how it is—a lot of liberal arts colleges are struggling financially these days. Winchester has a lot of adjuncts, but I did hear something about an opening in the English Department. Professor Crighton is due to retire, so maybe George would have gotten his job. He always scored really high on the student evaluations, and he was devoted to Winchester. He put in all sorts of extra time. He was even published.” She stood up. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to spend all day sitting here. That stall with the scarves is calling my name.”
    Rachel turned her big brown eyes to Lucy. “How are you feeling?”
    “Much better. Let’s go shopping.”
    Pam was willing to pay the ten pounds the vendor was asking for three scarves, but Sue intervened and haggled until he agreed to accept eight pounds. Lucy ventured inside some of the antique shops and found they extended far from the street front, winding through adjacent buildings in a higgledy-piggledy fashion, housing numerous dealers. She fell in love with a round breadboard that the seller assured her was a good value at thirty-five pounds. The woman had a number of them, ranging in price from ten to nearly one hundred pounds, so Lucy figured she could trust her expertise and paid the asking price.
    Rachel had to be dragged away from the bread stall, where she insisted on buying four hot cross buns, and they all gathered in Tesco to buy the shampoo and body wash the hotel didn’t supply. Sue lingered at the newsstand, stocking up on English magazines, while Lucy picked up a couple of tabloid newspapers. By then it was late afternoon and the market was winding down as stallholders began packing up their wares.
    Sue glanced at her watch and yawned, setting off a little chain reaction among her friends. “I know. We should have afternoon tea and then head back to the hotel for an early night.”
    “I’ve always wanted to have high tea,” enthused Pam.
    “No, not high tea.” Sue nodded wisely. “High tea is beans