Dance With The Dolly

by Gary Alan Ruse

About the Author: Gary Alan Ruse has five earlier novels published: "Houndstooth," "A Game of Titans," "The Gods of Cerus Major," "Morlac: The Quest of the Green Magician," and "Death Hunt on a Dying Planet."

Excerpt

“Dance with a dolly with a hole in her stockin’,

Dance by the light of the moon.”

“I’ll just bet that’s my package!” said Matilda Gray, quickly rising from the upholstered wingback chair in her living room and heading for the door. “I’m so excited!”

The doorbell had rung three times in rapid succession. That normally would have been annoying, but Matilda suspected that it signaled a delivery, so the sound was a welcome break in her daily routine.

“The gift for your granddaughter’s birthday?” asked Jennifer Seymour, also rising from her seat.

Jennifer had been Matilda’s best friend for years and often dropped by for tea in the afternoon, as happy to spend time in the cozy old house in the suburbs outside New Haven Connecticut as she was to see her friend. The house was compact and filled with antique furnishings, and the bookcases in the living room were crammed with books of all types, befitting a retired librarian for Yale University. There were four full shelves of mystery novels by such authors as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Patricia Highsmith, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich and Emma Jameson. There were also several textbooks on forensic science and an Encyclopedia Britannica set.

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