The Fright in the Family Room: A Soul Seeker Cozy Mystery #7 (Soul Seeker Cozy Mystery Series) by Courtney McFarlin

Author:Courtney McFarlin [McFarlin, Courtney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

12

I was savoring the velvety goodness of my freshly brewed coffee when my phone rang. Since Bernie and Zane were still asleep, I vaulted over to the table where I had my phone and grabbed it before it could ring again.

“This is Brynn Sullivan.”

I hadn’t even looked at the screen, and I dreaded that the call was from Michael Chatwood, reporting that he didn’t like my sketches. I was totally unprepared to hear a woman’s voice.

“Yes, this is Tabby Reed. I’m returning your call.”

My befuddled brain cleared as I took a seat and grabbed my notebook. I couldn’t believe she’d called me back.

“Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”

“I’m not sure what you’re wanting. You said something about restoring the old family home in Creekside? I know it sold, the estate lawyer let me know, but to be honest, I’d all but forgotten about the house.”

“I did,” I said, nodding and taking another sip of my brain juice. “I don’t know if you’ve ever visited the home, but since you’re the sole surviving member of the family, I thought I would check.”

“I’ve never been further west than Iowa, dear,” she said with a giggle. “But I remember my mom talking about the house.”

My stomach did a full circuit, from crashing into the depths of despair to rising to dizzying heights. Maybe I needed to slow down on the coffee. I pushed my cup to the side.

“It’s very important to me to keep the original character of the house. I know your mother was young when she left, but did she ever talk about anything special?”

Silence greeted my question, and I bit my lip. Zane walked into the kitchen, bleary-eyed, and headed for the coffeepot, a question on his face. I mouthed Tabby’s name, and he brightened, nodding. I thought I’d lost Tabby when she spoke again.

“I’m sorry, I was woolgathering. It’s been so long since I talked to my mother about it. I remember she said something about a reading nook in her room. That was her most favorite spot. Her father knew she loved to read, and when he designed the house, he made sure she had a spot in the window.”

“That’s lovely. I’ll have to keep that. Was there anything else?”

Another long pause greeted my question, and I smiled as Bernie padded up to me. He jumped on the table, sticking his whiskered face close to the phone, tickling my cheek. I held it away from my face so he could hear.

“I seem to remember there were some unhappy memories,” Tabby said finally. “She didn’t like to discuss it much. I know losing her family was traumatizing, but she always had a sunny outlook. I was just thinking about how much I missed her. She could turn any unpleasant situation into a good one.”

“Did she request to be buried in Creekside with her family? You mentioned never going further west than Iowa.”

“We had a ceremony here for our family, and then the funeral home handled the transport. That was her dying wish.

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