Moonstruck and Murderous, the third Ned McNeil cozy, is in its finishing up stage. I thought you might like to read an excerpt. Ned needs a quiet place to think about the mysteries swirling around her and what could possibly be behind them. She goes to her old home place just to feel the peace of remembering, but as she starts to leave, she gets an unpleasant surprise.
The house had been gone for a number of years, but the sidewalk and the steps were still there. The oak tree in the back yard was there too.
The sun played hide and seek with the clouds, casting flitting shadows across the overgrown lawn as I got out of my car and walked to the back. Amazingly, remnants of my old rope swing still clung to a sturdy limb of the oak. The rope was frayed and gray, looking like it would disintegrate with the next strong breeze. I smiled, remembering the feel of the wind on my face as I flew through the air, higher and higher, up to the branches of the tree. To be that carefree once again! To know nothing of grown-ups and their frailties.
Who owned it now? Dad had sold it all when we left. Why did the previous owner tear the house down? Why did he or she just let the whole thing fall into such disrepair?
Maybe I could buy it. Maybe I could rebuild the house. Perhaps I could rent it or just have it for a place to be when I felt as I did today—lonely and sad. Or, was that a frivolous thought, was I simply trying to hang onto the past when the past was gone? I hated to see this area neglected when it had been the home of the two dearest people in the world to me. I would talk to Daisy. Maybe she knew who it belonged to and if they might be willing to sell.
Wandering back to my car, I saw something half buried in the ground. Stooping down, I picked it up. A penny! And, face up! I remembered an old saying from my childhood: Find a penny, pick it up. All the day you’ll have good luck. Tucking it into my pocket, I smiled. It had been good to be here. Already, I felt better, more hopeful. I planned to talk to Daisy right away.
A sudden movement jerked my eyes upward. A figure stepped out from behind my car. My heart turned over and my breath caught in my throat. Rawl Decker!
Manos Mysteries
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