Baa'd to Death: A Cozy Mystery Novella (Cozy Mystery Dogs Book 1)
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Baa’d to Death
A Cozy Mystery Novella
Sarah Jane Weldon
Isla Britannica Books
UK | USA |Canada |Ireland | Australia
India | New Zealand |South Africa
www.sarahweldon.co.uk
First published 2018
001
Text copyright © Sarah Jane Weldon, 2018
Cover and illustrations © Sarah Jane Weldon, 2018
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination, and are not construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Set in Baskerville
Printed in Great Britain and the United States of America by KDP and Ingram Spark
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
All correspondence to Sarah Jane Weldon sarah@oceansproject.com
Also by Sarah Jane Weldon:
Cozy Mystery
DEAD ON DOUGHNUTS
EXTRA SHOTS
CUPCAKED CRIME
SAILING WEST
DOWN STAIRS
ALL THE CLUES
BAA’D TO DEATH
Bertram Bile
THE LAST WIZARD IN THE WORLD
THE DEADLY SHREW
THE HEXED CHILD
THE UPSIDE DOWN MAN
THE GHOSTLY SHIP
THE DEAD JESTER
THE RAVEN’S CURSE
THE TEWKSBURY MEAD COLLECTION (Books 1-8)
Romance
LAKE LOVE FOUND - Faraday Weldon
COCKTAILS IN CARRIACOU - Romantic Comedy
Adult Colouring Books
RYDAL WATER
RYDAL WATER 2019 DIARY
Audiobook versions narrated by Jamie L. Carter
For personally signed, print books, hardback books, first edition books and swag, please email sarah@oceansproject.com or visit Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SarahJaneWeldon
To the founding children of Oceans Project who taught me to live life to the full in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in 2010.
Author’s Foreword
Those of you who know me well, will be surprised to hear that my all time favourite breed of dog is the border collie. Why surprised, you might ask? Because my own dog is a miniature (Italian) greyhound and I love her to bits. She rocks my world (alongside my three very naughty little cats). The Italian Greyhound breed suits me perfectly. It’s cheeky, manipulative, fickle, and very cat like. Quite the opposite to the loyal collie. Throw a ball for an Italian Greyhound to fetch, and it will look at you as if to say ‘well you threw it, you go and get it’. Raining outside? No problem, we can have a duvet day, no need for a long walk, or any walk at all. Let’s just curl up and watch TV.
But if I lived on a farm and had a beaten up old fashioned Land Rover, and could give the border collie the exercise and stimulation it needed as a working dog, then this would be my all time perfect breed of dog. Smart, affectionate, and always ready for outdoor adventures.
Lots of my friends have collie dogs and I love to borrow them for hikes in the Lake District, through sheep filled fields, and to see them hard at work rounding up ducks, sheep, and even children at the local county shows and sheep dog trials.
Writing this cozy mystery novella, Baa’d to Death gave me the perfect excuse to hang out with the two black and white collies at the guesthouse where I’m currently staying in Hartlepool in the North East of England, and to imagine the world through the eyes of a border collie dog on a rural farm in Wales. Through the story I got to live my ideal life in the countryside. I hope that you will feel a little Welsh magic as you read this story, and chomp on some of the yummy treats in the recipe section at the back of this book.
Gweld chi eto yn fuan (that’s ‘see you again soon’ in Welsh!).
Contents
Introduction
Character List
Map of Mr and Mrs Shepphard’s Farm
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Glossary
Recipes
Mad About Cozy Mystery Books
VIII. Have you read…
The case of the drowned ewe.
Swansea, Wales
Spring 2018
Written by Beau the Border Collie
Character List
Humans
Mr Shepphard - the farmer
Mrs Shepphard - the farmer’s wife
Border Collie Dogs
Beau - Mr and Mrs Shepphard’s new puppy
Gwawr - Mr and Mrs Shepphard’s dog. Beau’s aunty.
Beau’s mother - Gwawr’s sister
Sheep
Meredith - the ram, leader of the flock
Fflur - Meredith’s sister, mother of twin girls
Blodwen - Heddwen’s twin sister, daughter of Fflur
Heddwen - Blodwen’s twin sister, daughter of Fflur
Delyth - Fflur’s friend
Seren - Wynn’s wife
Wynn - Seren’s husband
Briallen - sheep committee member
Taffy - sheep committee member
Bevan - sheep
1
To tell you the truth, I was a bit nervous about meeting Mrs Shepphard the farmer’s wife. But now I had actually met her, I knew that she was a very nice lady indeed.
“Well now, just look at you. Aren’t you a little cutie. And so dwti. Don’t you agree Mr Shepphard?”. The rotund Mrs Shepphard, gave me a little scratch between my furry ears and tickled me under my chin.
Mr Shepphard looked at me with a serious expression on his wrinkly, weather-beaten face, and examined my teeth and eyes. “Hmmmm. He’ll do”. He was a man of few words, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that my little black and white puppy face had already melted his heart. I gave him my best sit, and wagged my tail, just as mother had shown me to do. I could see her sat with my brother and sister a few feet away, looking very proud. Mother always said I would make someone a great sheep dog one day.
“Awww. He’s perfect.” Mrs Shepphard exclaimed, cupping my head in her two pink hands. “Just look at that little nose. But what are we going to call you?”.
I gave Mrs Shepphard a little lick of appreciation. “I know” she said, “I’ve got the perfect name for you, we’ll call you Beau. Beau the beautiful. Now then, what do you think of that eh. Do you like it my butty?”.
I lifted my paw to her. Beau was indeed a super name, and I liked it very much. Mother did too, and though Mr Shepphard only gave a nod of his cap, he didn’t seem to disagree.
Mr and Mrs Shepphard went off to chat with my humans, and I rushed over to see my mother, keen to get her opinion on my new family. She was pleased to see me going to a good home where I would learn the ways of the farm, but she was sad that we wouldn’t get to see so much of each other now that I was all grown up and ready to head off for work.
Mother cleaned my ears with a large, long lick of her tongue. “Now son, I want you to do everything that your aunty Gwawr tells you to do, OK. And don’t worry if she seems like she’s a bit grumpy or cross at times, that’s just the way my sister is. But she’s got a big heart, and she’ll keep you safe from harm”.
I stood underneath her tummy for a moment, looking up at her face and scratching my itchy back on her fur. “Sure thing mother”.
I’d already m
et aunty Gwawr before, since her humans came over to the house to visit my humans from time to time. They were family and both were very active in the sheep dog trials, competing against each other all over the country. I don’t really remember much about the first time I met aunty Gwawr, because you see, I was only a few hours old and my eyes hadn’t even opened and all I did was eat, sleep, and poop. But the next occasion I met her, aunty Gwawr told me off for biting her leg hard with my needle sharp new teeth, and after that I was a little bit afraid of her.
But I was a better puppy now, and I was excited to go and live with her and to learn from the best border collie in the whole of Wales. It would be an incredible adventure, and I’d still get to see mother on the holidays, and at the sheep dog trials on weekends.
Mother pulled me in towards her white fluffy bib. “Now don’t get sad, OK. It’ll feel a bit strange in your new home for a few days, but you’ll soon settle in and make new friends on the farm”. I was already feeling nervous about leaving, but I wanted to be a great sheep dog just like aunty Gwawr and I wanted my mother to be proud of me.
Mrs Shepphard came back into the room, and put a little collar around my neck. “There now. That fits you perfectly little Beau. Gwawr is going to be so pleased to see you again. Though I’m not sure if she’ll recognise you, seeing how much you’ve grown since our last visit!”. Mrs Shepphard gave me a back rub and picked me up in her arms. She was lovely and warm. “Goodbye mother. I promise I’ll work hard, and I’ll come and see you soon”.
“Good luck Beau” mother howled as Mrs Shepphard carried me out to their Land Rover.
2
It was ever so windy outside the house, but Mrs Shepphard carried me so that I didn’t get blown away. I could already feel the goosebumps as the wind blew my fur in the wrong direction. I’d never been outside of the house before but there were so many things to see, and my nose was filled with hundreds of new smells. I gave a little shudder, partly from the cold wind, but mostly from the excitement of going to my new home.
“What a good boy you are, little Beau. And so brave. Don’t worry we’ll be at your new home in no time at all. You just wait and see”. Mrs Shepphard tucked her fleece jacket around me to stop me from getting too cold.
Being in the Land Rover was incredible. Everything wizzed by so fast that I couldn’t see everything, and before I knew it I had fallen asleep. I tried as hard as I could to stay awake, I did not want to miss a thing, but it was no use. Mrs Shepphard held me close, and I nuzzled my cold, wet nose against her hand, and dreamt about winning the sheep dog trials as I snored my head off for the whole of the journey to my new home.
3
It was only when we reached Mr and Mrs Shepphard’s farm, that I was suddenly woken with the halt of the vehicle as Mr Shepphard parked it in front of the old farmhouse. I was still very sleepy but Mrs Shepphard carried me into the cozy farmhouse kitchen, and aunty Gwawr came running up to meet me. She looked so big, far bigger than mother, and a bit fierce too.
“Look Gwawr. Look what I’ve got for you. Your very own puppy”. Mrs Shepphard knelt on the kitchen floor, and placed my fluffy warm paws on the cold, hard tiles. I wanted so much to be brave, I really did, but everything suddenly felt quite scary without mother to protect and reassure me.
Aunty Gwawr gave me a good sniff and looked me over, a rather intense expression on her face. I could see that her eyes were a bit cloudy and her eyesight was starting to fail, but there was certainly nothing wrong with her nose or sense of smell. She recognised the scent of her sister at once.
“Hmmm” Aunty Gwawr said. “I suppose you’ll do. You’re a bit smaller than I’d have liked, but you’ll no doubt grow in time”.
“Oh I will. I will” I promised “I want to be the best sheep dog in Wales, just like you aunty Gwawr. I promise I’ll do my best”.
“Well you certainly seem to have a good attitude, can’t knock you for that. It won’t be easy, but if you do as I say, I’m sure you’ll do very well”.
“I WILL do as you say aunty Gwawr. Really I will. But first I need a pee, where can I go pee? Mother said I’m not allowed outside until I’ve had all of my puppy jabs”.
Aunty Gwawr led the way and gave me a tour of the house, and promised to show me outside as soon as the vet said I was ready. I couldn’t wait to meet everyone, and I hoped that Mr and Mrs Shepphard would come to love me as much as they clearly loved aunty Gwawr. She was getting on a bit, and Mr Shepphard wanted me to help Gwawr now that her legs were getting a bit stiff with old age.
After dinner, Mrs Shepphard made me up a lovely cosy bed right next to the Aga, close to aunty Gwawr’s bed, and as soon as the lights were out, aunty Gwawr told me a story about her and my mother. I already knew that I was going to be very happy in my new home.
4
It would be a few more weeks before the vet said I was old enough to go outside. But I couldn’t wait for aunty Gwawr to show me around the farm exterior. I had grown a lot since Mr and Mrs Shepphard first brought me home, and I was starting to look very handsome indeed, now that I had grown into my oversized feet and sticky up ears.
“Right Gwawr. Beau. Time to get to work. Those chickens won’t feed themselves”. Mr Shepphard rubbed his eyes and gave a yawn as he pulled on his big green Wellington boots. He didn’t need to call me twice. I was so keen, that I was already close on his heels, eager to get outdoors for my first taste of the countryside life.
Mr Shepphard pushed open the stiff front door of the farmhouse as aunty Gwawr waited patiently behind him. I only wished that I could have been more like aunty Gwawr, but I was far too excited, and couldn’t help myself as I ran around in circles, spinning in one direction, then another. I was quite dizzy by the time I followed aunty Gwawr and Mr Shepphard out into the courtyard.
“Calm yourself Beau. You need to save some of that energy for later. It’s going to be a long day”. Mr Shepphard raised his hand for me to sit a moment, and I quickly obeyed, my bottom hitting the ground before I even realised I had done so.
“Well look at you Beau. So grown up already”. Mrs Shepphard emerged with a Thermos flask of tea for Mr Shepphard, and as soon as she passed it to him through the door, she bent down and gave me a big smacker of a kiss on my furry head. She looked quite funny in her fluffy pink dressing gown, with her hair all hoiked up in rollers under a bright pink hair net.
“Come by Gwawr” Mr Shepphard called, as aunty Gwawr ran through the front door and obediently sat by his side. I followed her closely, just as aunty Gwawr had instructed me to do. It was so early in the morning, that the sun wasn’t yet peeking over the Welsh hills, and there was a tiny bit of glistening dew on the ground as we ran across the farmyard towards the chicken shed.
I was a bit unsure at first, so I stayed by aunty Gwawr’s side as we approached the wooden doors and Mr Shepphard fiddled around with the bolt and filled a large metal bucket with chicken feed.
“Umm, what exactly is a chicken aunty Gwawr?” I asked. I’d heard a lot about these chickens, but I wasn’t really sure how to recognise one if I saw one. I didn’t know if they were dangerous or what I should do when meeting one for the first time.
“A chicken, my dear Beau, is a bird that lays eggs. Now, you’ll probably get the urge to chase one the first time you see it, but it’s very, VERY important that you don’t follow your instinct”. Aunty Gwawr crouched on all fours close to the shed door. “Come next to me Beau, and do exactly as I do”.
“OK”. I replied enthusiastically, trying to get the same low-to-the ground position as aunty Gwawr, but my bum was too wiggly with my waggy tail, and it was hard to stay still for very long. Mr Shepphard swung the large rickety door wide open, and lifted up the bucket of grain. Aunty Gwawr followed him in to the darkness of the room, and I followed aunty Gwawr, not quite sure what to expect when I came face to face with these chicken creatures. There were no windows inside the chicken shed, only dark stained wooden walls so I was a bit on edge and it didn’t take much
to frighten me. My heart was racing and my ears were standing up tall, turning to capture every little sound. Being a sheep dog was turning out to be even more incredible than I had ever imagined.
Suddenly there was a lot of flapping and feathers and bits of straw flying up in the air, as the cackling birds dived head first towards the bucket of food. They gave me quite a scare and I jumped with surprise, high into the air almost landing on aunty Gwawr. Mr Shepphard sprinkled the contents of the bucket across the floor, and poured fresh water into the trough, before looking in the brooding boxes for any eggs. There were quite a few freshly laid eggs, and he had to put them very carefully into a wicker basket for safe keeping. “Good work ladies. Mrs Shepphard will be pleased”.
I watched aunty Gwawr, wondering what we would have to do next. But aunty Gwawr was fixated on Mr Shepphard, not even blinking for a second. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking at, but I did my best to copy her.