Bones & Boxes: a Hetty Fox Cozy Mystery (Hetty Fox Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Read Free Page A

him. But when we arrived, I discovered Andrew had beaten us. He hovered in the far corner of the room near the stove.
    Doing my best to ignore him, I opened the cupboard door and removed a packet of kitty treats. Blackie sat at my feet watching my movements. I slipped three small pieces from the package and placed them on the floor. He tore into them, making them vanish in short order.
    Then, I reached back into the cupboard and pulled out a bag of peanut butter cookies. If I remembered correctly, there were at least a dozen left, and I intended to eat every one of them. Nothing soothes my soul the way cookies do.
     

THREE
     
     
     
    A fter a restless night, haunted by thoughts of ghosts and dead bodies, the last place I had expected to find myself the next day was headed back to Rose’s house. But she had called earlier and begged me to come. So, after gulping down cereal, feeding Blackie, and ignoring the ghost, I donned my winter gear and fled the house.
    Outside, I paused and took a quick, deep breath. The air was cold and crisp. Below me bits of ice floated on the river. But at least the sun shone. As I walked, I pulled my coat collar up and studied the town below me.
    Most of Hendricksville’s houses lay beyond the river. Only a few blocks of homes had been built on top of the bluff with mine. And although my daughter had protested my choice in homes, I adored my little one-story house. It had windows that extended all the way to the floor, a roof capped with a darling cupola, and a porch, which the original owners had probably called a veranda, that swept around three sides of the dwelling.
    My home put me in mind of a different era when time didn’t count for as much, and days were allowed to drift past, unhurried. I could hardly wait for summer to arrive, so I could spend long afternoons sitting in a rocking chair with a tall glass of lemonade at my side.
    But that was then and this was now, and winter was still here. Swallowing a sigh, I picked up my pace and hastened to Rose’s house.
    She looked tidy and rested when she pulled her front door open, which considering what we’d been through yesterday, I thought was a miracle. Anyway, she looked way better than I felt.
    “Thank you so much for coming over,” she said. “Jennifer is due any minute. I simply can’t face her on my own.”
    I smiled and reminded myself that in a few days life would return to normal. Carrie’s relatives would bury their aunt. Rose and I could once again chat about mystery books rather than dealing with the aftershocks of a real murder. And  my ghost would return to wherever it was that he belonged — even if that was back inside my restless mind.
    I slipped my coat off. “Jennifer certainly lost no time in contacting you.”
    “Worse yet, she called me from her car about an hour ago to say she was almost here. Police apparently contacted her with the news of her aunt’s death sometime after they’d left here last night. She didn’t sound like she’d gotten much sleep. I think she set off on her journey long before the sun rose.”
    “Well, we’ll just give her coffee and comfort her as best we can.”
    She took my coat and sighed.
    At that moment, footsteps sounded on the front porch. She glanced at me and nodded. “That must be her.”
    Jennifer Taylor was tall with red hair and dark eyes. “It’s so kind of you to see me.” She stretched forth her hand.
    “Don’t be silly, there’s no kindness involved. You’re Carrie’s niece. Of course, I’m going  to give you whatever help I can.” Rose introduced me. Then she asked Jennifer about the drive down.
    “It was fine. No problems, which this time of year is always a relief.”
    “I hope it wasn’t too long a trip,” I said.
    “Not bad. I live in Elmwood near Chicago. It’s about a four hour drive from here.”
    “I know Elmwood well. I lived on the north side of Chicago before moving here.”
    Jennifer smiled and nodded. “You’re in for an