The Weary Are at Rest

By Veronica Leigh

When Branwell shows up bloody at home after a night of using, he confesses to his sisters that he thinks he killed someone. They hide him to avoid involving their blind minister father, but soon Branwell's withdrawal forces them to get medical help. Though one sister blames him, another believes in his innocence. The truth remains uncertain even after a friend confesses, and Branwell must ultimately choose whether to disappear back into his addiction or face the consequences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Cat Weekly
• Release date: Oct 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781479467143

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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

THE WEARY ARE AT REST, by Veronica Leigh

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Copyright © 2023 by Veronica Leigh.

Original publication by Wildside Press, LLC.

wildsidepress.com | bcmystery.com

THE WEARY ARE AT REST,

by Veronica Leigh

On the twelfth chime of the grandfather clock in the hallway outside her bedroom door, Charlotte gave up trying to sleep. She flipped on the light and paced the floor, her thoughts going twenty different directions. I can’t believe I miss my job. Teaching was a thorn in her side.

Working with spoiled, bratty kids was the last thing she wanted to do with her life, but it seemed like a solid career choice. Until now. Since COVID-19 spread throughout the world, public places, including schools, closed. There was e-learning, but it wasn’t the same and at the end of the day, with all that was going on, she was too keyed up to sleep at night.

When the lockdown was put into place, she, her sister Anne, and their brother Branwell returned home, to quarantine with their father. Emily, her other sister, permanently lived at home with her dog, acting as their father’s caretaker. The five of them under one roof should have been an idyllic arrangement, a throwback to their childhood. Father was a minister, a true pillar of the community, and their house, the parsonage, belonged to the church.

If the congregation knew what went on behind closed doors... Charlotte jerked at the sound of a man’s shout, which came from the direction of the neighbors north of them. The words, Why’d you have to kill him? bled through the parsonage’s thick walls.

She rolled her eyes. Their neighbors were meth heads. For years there had been shady deals done in broad daylight, attempted murder, sexual assaults, child and animal abuse, violence, threats, vandalism, lewd behavior, trespassing, and plenty of peculiar things screamed. This latest garbled question didn’t faze her. The police were more than aware of what went on. Once in a blue moon they’d conduct a raid, and someone would be arrested.