Moon shadows scudded along the road and a blustery wind buffeted my car. It was a wild sort of night, typical for March.
Finally, a small, white frame house stopped my progress. This must be Myra’s home. I cut the engine and looked for a welcoming light. There was none. Wasn’t Myra back from the Carver place yet? Sunset had been thirty minutes ago, but aside from the moonlight, the place was dark. Surely she should be home now after finishing her day’s work as the Carver’s housekeeper.
Grabbing my flashlight from the dash, I opened the car door and closed it as quietly as possible. I walked up to the front door and knocked. And knocked again. Nobody came to welcome me. I tried the doorknob. Locked.
Where was Myra? Was her invitation to me only a ruse? Maybe she had had no intention of talking to me and was even now back at the mansion, laughing at my gullibility.
The yard was neat with well-kept flower beds. Tree frogs trilled from the woods and somewhere, an owl hooted. I walked around the house and stopped on the porch again. What should I do now? Should I forget about talking to Myra and go back home?
Possibly, some emergency had kept her at the Carvers’ longer than usual. I was a little early, so I’d try to curb my impatience.
I sat down on the porch and leaned back against the house. Strange, the sound the wind made through those dense trees. It almost sounded like voices. And, those moon shadows–suddenly, I didn’t want to be here. I needed to go.
Getting to my feet, I glanced around. Obviously, Myra wasn’t coming. I’d check out the mansion, see if she was still there. Myra had wanted to keep my visit a secret, cautioning me not to tell anyone of our meeting. So, I’d walk to the mansion the same way Myra did on her way to and from work.
It wasn’t hard to find the path to the big house. It began at the edge of the yard where the woods ended. The trees weren’t fully leafed yet and through their branches, I could see the lights of the much larger Carver home, surely no more than a quarter of a mile away.
Trees pressed in on either side of the path. I’d always liked trees, but not tonight. Limbs stretched across the path and when a leaf brushed my face, I nearly screamed. This wasn’t good. I’d do a quick search and then head for home. The whole trip had been a fool’s errand.
MOONSTRUCK AND MURDEROUS, third in the Ned McNeil moonlight series, available in print or Kindle from Amazon. FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited.
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