THE STUDY OF SECRETS by Cynthia Kuhn

Author:Cynthia Kuhn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Henery Press;cozy mystery;women sleuths
Publisher: Henery Press
Published: 2020-03-09T15:19:38+00:00

That night, I dreamed I was standing on the bridge above Silver Rush Lake. It was dark, starry, and warm. I could hear footsteps, shouts, and the occasional burst of laughter. I turned to walk farther along the bridge, but my legs wouldn’t work. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t move from the center spot. As the footsteps around me came closer, the sky went from deep blue to bright orange in a heartbeat. It became harder to breathe. Suddenly, the laughter turned to screams and my skin began to glow.

I sat up, covered in sweat. Heart pounding, I slipped out of bed and went to crack the window. The air that rushed in wasn’t fresh and rejuvenating—it was acrid and thick. Smoke.

I slammed the window shut, coughing, and ran to the bedroom door, feeling the wood first to make sure it wasn’t hot before cracking it cautiously open, just a sliver. A gray haze hung in the air near the ceiling, and the burning smell was even stronger out here. I couldn’t see any fire yet, but I heard loud crackling above me. Terrified that the roof was about to collapse, I fell to the floor and crawled as quickly as I could to the front door, pausing only to pull my satchel off of the chair and shove my nearby phone into the back pocket. I grabbed my coat while slipping my feet into the boots by the table and turned the lock.

As soon as I wrenched the door open and stumbled away, I turned to see an orange blaze hungrily consuming the home. Black smoke billowed up from the structure as flames licked the surrounding trees.

While I sped up the path to the house, though I was sliding on the snow, I managed to hit the keys for 911. The operator told me to stay on the line after I’d reported the fire, so I dug around in my satchel with the other hand until I found the key Bibi had given me for Callahan House. I unlocked the door and ran upstairs, calling her name.

Bibi’s bedroom door opened and she came out into the hallway, looking confused. As soon as she understood what was happening, she went to wake Ilse. I raced back downstairs and headed for Alice and Darien’s house. When I thumped on their door, the porch lights came on.

“We know, child,” Darien said, swinging the door halfway open while Alice peeked out from behind him. They were both fully dressed. “Thank you for checking on us.”

“Come to the house,” I urged.

“If the fire moves this way, we will.” His mouth was set in a grim line.

“I think you should evacuate to be on the safe side.”

He conferred with his wife. The sirens in the distance were growing louder.

“Go on back,” Darien said. “Alice feels better here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. We will keep watch.”

I could see his logic. It was about the same distance between the cottages and the main house, so either

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