December Snow

Ned wanted nothing more than to spend Christmas with her Uncle Javin Granger, her last living relative. It had been forty years since she and her family left her hometown of Ednalee, Oklahoma; now, she was back, hiding from a threat in Atlanta and needing the peace and quiet of the old Victorian house her mother called “the home place.”   Her car crept up the long driveway that led to Javin Granger’s home. She glimpsed the house, half-hidden by trees and the falling snow. She could hardly wait to see her uncle, to catch up on all the long years away. How would he look? Had prison changed him? What was the secret he had hinted at in his letters? But, now, she wouldn’t think about dangers or secrets or anything except a cozy chat with her uncle. She hoped he’d have a fire blazing in the fireplace and some good, hot coffee in the kitchen. At last the car stopped in front of the yard gate. Something seemed wrong. The house looked dark and, lonely. No lights welcomed her and she couldn’t see smoke coming from the tall chimney. Her heart in her mouth, Ned hurried up the front walk and knocked on the door. Nothing but the soft whisper of snow against the pines answered her. Slowly, she pushed open the door and stepped into the dark, cold house, an empty house.  A finger of fear traced its way down Ned’s back.

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Moonlight Can Be Murder by Blanche Day Manos A note from Blanche: I write cozy mysteries because life is full of disappointments, unresolved issues and uncertainty. In a cozy mystery, problems are solved; friends gather around, hope is front and center, and the negative stuff? Well, a plucky protagonist handles it all.