And The Earth Moved: Romantic Comedy Cozy Mystery (Amber Reed CCIA Mystery Book 1) by Zanna Mackenzie

“Which hospital are you taking him to?”
    “Dinham. You not local?” the man asks Charlie who shakes his head.
    “Hospital is about 30 minutes away if you want to follow.” The man scribbles something on a notepad he’s pulled from a pocket and hands it to Charlie. “Put this postcode into your satnav and it’ll get you to Dinham Royal. He’ll get checked in on the emergency ward first. Report to A&E reception, they’ll help you from there.”
    “Thanks,” Charlie replies, slipping the paper into his pocket.
    “Can I have a quick word before you go?” he asks, easing a clinging, but thankfully no longer crying, Debs from his arms into mine before taking the paramedic to one side. 
    I watch them, assuming Charlie is filling the paramedic in on the strange circumstances and the fact this is probably part of an ongoing possible murder investigation.
    They finish talking in hushed tones and the man nods towards Debs and me but it’s Charlie he speaks to, more loudly this time. “Those two be OK? Were they with the guy?”
    “No, they just found him. Yeah, they’ll be fine. I’ll make sure they get home OK and then I’ll come to the hospital.”
    “Good enough. We’ll be off then.”
    For a few moments we stare after the ambulance then Charlie walks over, rubbing a reassuring hand across Debs’ shoulders. “Let’s get you two home.” He starts to usher us towards his car.
    Debs stops. “But my car... I don’t want to leave it up here.”
    “I’ll bring it back to the village,” I say to her. “You go with Charlie if...”
    “No, I’ll come home with you,” she sniffles giving Charlie a strange look.
    I realise with a jolt that she’s probably wondering why I called Charlie and not the police. Sugar. I’m not very good at this hiding things from people business.
    Charlie looks at me questioningly but Debs is already making her way to the passenger door of her little Corsa.
    “Fine,” he says. “I’ll follow you back home, make sure you’re safe then get off to the hospital.”
    Debs lives at the opposite end of the village to me so I take her back to her place and make her a cup of hot sweet tea for the shock. Then I call her sister to come over and stay with her for a while. I want to make sure she’s not on her own but at the same time I’m eager to get on with investigating and helping Charlie so I can’t stay with her myself.
    Whoever did this to Bert will be punished, I vow, suddenly coming over all vigilante.
    By the time Cara arrives Debs is thankfully looking less pale and says she’s feeling a bit better. I feel so guilty. I should be staying with her not rushing off. 
    Especially as it’s my fault she’s involved in all this. We quickly explain to Cara what happened, playing it down as much as possible and then leave Debs in the comforting arms of her older sister.
    “I don’t think you should be on your own tonight either,” Charlie says, unlocking the passenger door of his car for me.
    “I’ll be fine,” I reply, getting into his 4x4 and pulling my seatbelt round to secure it in the slot.
    He lifts a hand to take the seatbelt from me and secures it himself. “I’m serious, Amber. You should come and stay at the guest house with me for tonight. Will you? Please? Otherwise I’ll just end up worrying about you all night.”
    Mmm… Do I want to spend the night in such close proximity to Charlie?
    Yes.
    No.
    Maybe…
     

Chapter Twelve
    “I’ll be fine,” I find myself saying. Remember, I chant silently. Pretend girlfriend. Not real. Pretend.
    Back at my flat Charlie follows me up the stairs to my tiny lounge cum kitchen cum dining room and leans against the doorframe. I live in a converted chapel. It’s not one of those architecturally impressive ones with big stained glass windows or anything. It was a tiny Wesleyan chapel, long out of use when developers converted it into four bijou (i.e. very small) apartments.
    “I’m not happy about this at all,”