Fuller’s Settle Murder [EBOOK]

<h3>Prologue</h3>
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“Yes! What is it?” Maggie’s voice snapped. She felt as if her words were ringing inside her head. All she wanted was to go back to bed.
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“It’s Charlie here,” the caller responded gingerly.
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“I know who it is, but what do you want?” she barked again.
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“I’m checking if you’re coming in today?” he asked, aware that she wasn’t doing too well since the recent tragic events. “We need to go over a few things for the Autumn season."
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“Jeez, Charlie, it’s only the middle of August,” Maggie sighed, showing her impatience. “Why are you contacting me so early in the day anyway?”
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“Erm… I left it until after lunchtime,” Charlie replied.
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“Oh, really, oh, so it is,” she admitted as she looked at the clock on the wall, telling her it was one-thirty in the afternoon. “I’ll get ready and come over soon.”
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Rubbing her hands through her dishevelled blonde locks, she cut off the call. If only people would stop bothering her.
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Slumping onto the grey, suede sofa, she sipped at her coffee. She hadn’t showered yet, but frankly, she didn’t care. It seemed such an effort to make herself presentable just to go into work for an hour or two. Why couldn’t they run the business without her?
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Tucking her feet under her legs, she sat on the sofa mulling over her thoughts. Bad thoughts, things she should have got over by now since her business partner went to prison. It might have been better if she could have kept herself busy, but she had no motivation to do anything.
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If it hadn’t been for Peter she wouldn’t even have a business, or at least it would be a much smaller operation. She remembered him as the vibrant life and soul of any party. But when she’d gone to visit him in prison, he was a shadow of his old self. He’d lost weight and had a drawn, haggard appearance. Poor man, he looked so lost.
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It wasn’t only about him though; these blues she’d been experiencing were an accumulation of many tragic events. Over the past three years, there’d been so many deaths in the town. In one way or another, they were either directly linked to Maggie or she was somehow involved. It was like a black cloud hung over the town, and now it was hanging over her.
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First, there was the death of Ben Curley. In the same year a young journalist, Donna Cass, had been murdered by the same greedy politician. Only a year later the town was embroiled in a tragic love affair. That was the year that Clara Roberts had murdered her old lover’s wife.
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The whole affair was heart-breaking, and the woman went on to murder a witness to the affair to cover her tracks. Just as it seemed it couldn’t get any worse, her lover murdered her once he'd realized she’d killed his wife.
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Things seemed to get back to normal for a short while. Then, as Christmas approached, another tragedy struck the small town of Gosdown. It was like a grim novel involving abductions and a baby farming cult. They'd gone on to murder a gentle old man, along with an innocent young shopkeeper. All because the cult leader feared their operation was about to be exposed.
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All these homicides had hit her emotions hard. No town should have so many... The final icing on the cake had been the actions of her very good friend of many years. Peter had lied to her, in his time of need.
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He also planted a dead body in her brewery knowing full well it would likely be her that discovered it. It was the battered body of a young man he'd accidentally run over with his car. To make matters worse, he'd faked his own death by using the victim's body. All because he'd owed money to some dangerous people.
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Maggie had always considered herself a happy, well-balanced individual. But there was no denying that the drama in her life had knocked her for six. Her motivation to do anything was running at zero. Even where her much-loved business was concerned. That had been something she'd been so proud of and worked hard to build up. Now it was suffering because of her lack of interest.
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The whole town was gossiping about her and everywhere she went people stared. It felt like everyone was wondering if she knew what was going on. Before Peter's antics, she’d been such a respected figure in the town. Now, all she saw was suspicion in their faces. She’d like to think she didn’t care, but she was only human, and she did care.
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It didn’t help either that everyone told her how 'run-down' she looked. So many times, people had asked if she was ill because she looked so pale and tired. Not that they cared about her health... But Maggie knew why they asked. They hoped to push her for any information. Maybe they also hoped she’d let something slip about her involvement in Peter's charade.
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The only good thing in her life was Jack. He was her rock. Without his calming, strong influence, she’d most likely sink even deeper into depression.