Fire

by Kathleen Delaney

About the Author: Kathleen Delaney is the author of two cozy mystery series, the Ellen McKenzie real estate mysteries, and the new Mary McGill canine mysteries. The second in this series, Curtains for Miss Plym, will be released in the US April of 2016. Both series have been praised by Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist. Ms Delaney resides in Georgia with one dog and one grouchy cat

Excerpt

The fire had been out for days but the smell hung heavy in the air. The earth, scorched black, was covered with a carpet of dead, moldy leaves, damp from the rain that helped stop the raging flames. The black stumps of the old oaks that had shaded the house echoed the bleak desolation of its remains.

Marlene clutched her windbreaker tight against her, staring at the blackened shell that had been the only home she had ever known. It had been hot that morning, hot and windy, signs that a Santa Ana was brewing. Today, only a breeze came from the ocean. She shivered slightly. She wasn’t sure if it was the chill in the air or because …

She shifted her weight. Her new running shoes cut into her ankles. Running. Wasn’t that funny. It had taken everything she could manage just to make it from the road up the slope to the ruin of the house. The wooden stairs that lead from the road to the front porch were gone, the gravel driveway covered in charred remnants of God only knew what. She certainly didn’t.

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