The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  The jacket.

  Nora felt a shiver pass through her as a sudden gust of wind shook the house. The first call of winter. She felt regret flow through her as she thought of Zoey, followed by a sudden feeling of peace. Wherever she was, Zoey would be happy to know that her murderers had been caught.

  *****

  Downstairs, the door banged open and the sheriff announced something very loudly. Nora ignored it all. She stood amid the sunbeams that floated through the window, still holding the jacket. It was only when she heard loud cries and someone screaming “Call 911!” that she realized something had gone wrong.

  When she arrived at the bathroom, the sheriff was shaking Kim’s body, which he’d found lying on the bathroom floor with a bottle of pills in her hand.

  “What happened?” he asked Nora as she approached, a horrified hand over her mouth.

  “She couldn’t face it,” Nora said. “She couldn’t face the idea of her carefully constructed lies all falling apart. So she took her own life.”

  Sheriff Ellerton took off his hat and wiped his forehead. “I’ll never understand people,” he said. “Just when I think I might, they surprise me once again.”

  “It was the easiest thing for her, I think,” Nora said. “She was a murderess, but Kim never had much of a spine. She didn’t have the nerve to tell the police about her husband’s misdeeds and she didn’t even have the guts to look Zoey in the eye while killing her. She poisoned her from afar. She certainly wasn’t up to facing the punishment that was coming to her. So she took the easiest way out.”

  *****

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later

  Another party! Nora smiled as she bustled around the house. Grace was standing on a step-stool in the backyard, putting up fairy lights. Harvey was vacuuming the living room, looking cute with a smudge of dirt on his cheek.

  As for Nora, she was in the kitchen, baking batch after batch of super-brownies, as Hazel called them. Hazel had absolutely fallen in love with the white-chocolate and caramel brownies that Nora had baked spontaneously in the days after Zoey’s death. So, naturally, Nora had promised to make her a huge batch on her birthday.

  Hazel and Matt had managed to secure a loan from a bank and used it to purchase the equipment they needed. Now that Perry was in jail, and his companies were being dismantled, the Town of Milburn really did need a good landscaping company. Hazel and Matt had been so swamped with orders that they’d already hired a team of four young students, including Hazel’s friend, Amber, who was taking a year off before college.

  There was a knock on the door and Nora looked up. It was Ronnie Shepherd.

  “I just came by to drop off this list of instructions,” Ronnie said. “It’s got all of Mrs. Mullally’s medications listed.”

  “Thanks, I’ll make sure Hazel gets that,” Nora said. “Won’t you come in, Ronnie?”

  “I can’t. Tom and the kids are in the car. We’re all packed,” Ronnie said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you, Nora.”

  “Me?” Nora demurred. “I didn’t do a thing.”

  “Oh, yes, you did. You talked some sense into Tom,” Ronnie said. “I don’t think he’d ever have agreed to take some time off if it hadn’t been for you. As for Hazel, I’m sure you were the one who put the idea into her head that she should live with Mrs. Mullally till she finds more permanent housing.”

  “Mrs. M. is like a grandmother to Hazel. She jumped at the idea,” Nora said. “And, personally, I feel much better knowing she’s going to live with someone sensible and sharp like Mrs. M.”

  “Yes, well, it certainly took the guilt off my shoulders,” Ronnie said. “I don’t think either Tom or I would have felt right about leaving Mrs. Mullally and taking a long vacation if it wasn’t for Hazel.”

  “Sounds like you need it,” Nora said. “Just make sure you use the time well, okay? Be good to each other.”

  “We’re trying. We really are.” Ronnie smiled. “Tom’s changed. He isn’t lazy or grouchy like before. Well, not quite as much! And, as for me, I realized I was far harsher on him than I needed to be, and I’ve toned it down, too.”

  “Good,” Nora said. “Then there’s only one thing left to do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Take this batch of brownies,” Nora said. “I insist. Road trips make everyone hungry.”

  Ronnie hesitated for just a moment before wrapping her arms around Nora and squeezing tight. “Thank you,” she whispered in Nora’s ear before the sound of a car honking had her running back out.

  “Are you done with the brownies?” Harvey came into the kitchen with the vacuum tucked under one arm, his hair sticking up in all directions. “Amber called. She’s bringing Hazel home in fifteen minutes.”

  “Uh oh!” Nora put her hands on her head and looked from the oven to her flour-stained apron.

  “Go on up and get changed.” Harvey smiled. “I’ll handle the kitchen, don’t worry about it. Just be down in ten minutes.”

  “But the others—”

  “Grace and I will corral them into the living room and shut off the lights. Do you remember where the ‘Happy Birthday’ candles are?”

  “In the drawer next to the spoons,” Nora said, planting a kiss on Harvey’s nose. He grinned at her.

  “You work too hard,” she told him. “We ought to think about taking a vacation, too.”

  “I don’t think there will be any vacations for me in the next year!” Harvey laughed. “But soon enough, my love. Soon enough.”

  With Perry’s company dying out, it meant that a lot of projects fell to Nathaniel Real Estate, and Harvey’s company’s previous issues were no longer a problem. It was a pity he wouldn’t be retiring anytime soon but, then again, Nora wondered if he’d ever really wanted to. Harvey did seem to love his work, even if it exhausted him sometimes.

  “Go on.” Harvey patted her shoulder. “There’s no time to dilly dally! Get outta here!”

  She raced upstairs and changed as quickly as possible into a decent dress before slipping on the earrings Hazel had gotten her for her last birthday. She paused for a moment as she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

  Once upon a time, Nora had been younger and slimmer, with longer hair and unlined skin. Now, she was a bit plump around the middle with loose, little bags under her eyes and her hair was more silver than blonde. But, as she smiled, the years seemed to melt away and all she could see in the mirror was her old self, standing proud and happy at what had become of her life. The years had been good to her.

  *****

  Downstairs once again, she was surrounded by excited giggles and a lot of shushing as the lights were turned off. “They’re just pulling up, guys!” Grace called out. “Get ready!”

  Nora crouched down along with Harvey in the middle of the crowd and, as the door opened and the lights flicked on, they all jumped to their feet with loud cries of “Happy Birthday!”

  Hazel squealed with joy and clapped her hands to her cheeks, though the slight glint in her eye told Nora she’d been suspecting this “surprise” party would be happening today. Nora rushed forward to hug her and Grace wheeled out a table with a mountainous pile of brownies on top.

  Hazel’s eyes lit up for real this time.

  *****

  The party lasted until well past midnight, with laughter and music echoing out of the house. A lot of Hazel’s high school friends were home for vacation, and Nora loved seeing Hazel laughing and dancing with them.

  Afterwards, when the last guests had left, it was back to just the four of them.

  Hazel and Nora sat on the red-leather couch, with Hazel’s feet swung up over Nora’s lap. Grace was lounging in her slider in the corner while Harvey was in his own chair nearer the TV.

  “Best birthday ever!” Hazel said as she ate yet another brownie. “And these are amazing, Mom. You should patent the recipe.”

  “You’ve eaten half your bodyweight in brownies today, I think!” Grace laughed.
“Have some pity on your poor stomach.”

  “In love, war and brownies, no pity can exist,” Hazel declared.

  “That makes zero sense,” Grace said.

  “You make zero sense, Sis,” Hazel retorted.

  Nora caught Harvey’s eye and they both grinned. Outside, the night was dark and cold, with a sharp wind blowing through the trees. But inside, their home was warm and lit up with yellow lights, cozy as could be.

  Nora laid her head back on the couch and closed her eyes, content to fall asleep surrounded by her family.

  The End (of Berry The Dead)

  Continue For Dancing With The Dead…

  RETURN TO MILBURN…25 Years Later

  A Sequel Series To “A Murder In Milburn”

  BOOK 2:

  Dancing With The Dead

  By

  Nancy McGovern

  Chapter 1

  The Ancestral Ring

  Jacob Giordano was a huge man. At 6’5, he’d gotten used to towering over most people around him since he was fifteen years old. Yet, standing in his childhood room, he felt like a small boy again. His mother had left it exactly as it had been —despite her long-time fantasy of turning it into a sewing room — when he’d moved out for college at age eighteen. And it gave him great pleasure now, ten years later, to be surrounded by posters of alt-rock bands and NBA stars. His old silver boom-box even sat on his dresser and he was reasonably sure his cassette tape of Death Cab For Cutie was still inside, ready for action should he press “play”.

  Over the years, he’d stayed in the room plenty of times. There were Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks, a couple of birthdays when his commitments weren’t overwhelming enough to prevent his spending those special days with his family and two extremely heartbreaking funerals — first his father, then his sister. Yet he’d only passed through during those visits, never rearranging the furniture or updating its decor, and so it had remained frozen in time, with all the artifacts of his teenage years still on display.

  He sat on his twin bed, leaning against the wall and considering the object in his hand — an antique diamond and sapphire ring. He raised it up above his head, letting the light filter through the stone that had once belonged to his great-great grandmother and would, hopefully, soon rest on the finger of his beautiful girlfriend, Grace Nathaniel.

  He’d spoken to Grace’s parents the week before about his desire to propose. Kind of old fashioned, he knew, but Jacob was like that. Grace’s father, Mr. Nathaniel, had been a little stiff during the discussion, but Grace’s mother had enveloped him in a warm hug and welcomed him to the family.

  “Call us Harvey and Nora,” Mrs. Nathaniel had said to Jacob. “We’ll have none of this Mr. and Mrs. stuff. It makes us feel like a couple of old dinosaurs!”

  His own mother, on the other hand, hadn’t been all too pleased. She’d never made a secret of the fact that Grace wasn’t her first choice as daughter-in-law. Jacob felt a twinge of unease as he thought about it, but shrugged it off. His mother loved him, and she’d love Grace…eventually. That was all that mattered. And, despite her reluctance, she had handed the ancestral ring down to him, which meant she’d officially accepted Grace into the family in her own way.

  Now all that was left to do was actually propose.

  Jacob sighed, still unsure about the speech he’d come up with.

  “Grace, I was a wreck when we met three years ago, and then you entered my life like a ray of light...” Too cliché? Did it sound dumb? Would she laugh at him?

  The door burst open and a six-year-old girl with buck teeth and bobbed blonde hair came hopping into the room wearing a pink tutu. “Uncle Jacob! Uncle Jacob! You’ll never guess what I learned in class today!!” Kaylee jumped into his lap, waving her hands about, and sent the ring flying through the air. It hit the ground and rolled under the dresser.

  Kaylee covered her mouth with her hands, panic in her eyes. “Sorry!”

  Jacob laughed, lifting her off his lap and onto the bed next to him. “Never you mind, kiddo. I’ll get it,” he said. “Go take a shower and get changed. We’re all heading to the hall, remember? I’m proposing to Aunt Grace tonight!”

  “Yaaay!” Kaylee jumped up and did a rather impressive pivot. “Do you think she’ll like my ballet moves?”

  “She’ll love them.” Jacob kissed Kaylee on the top of her head. “Just let her say ‘yes’ to me before you go showing off, okay?”

  “But what if she says ‘no’?” Kaylee asked, horrified.

  Jacob felt a little pit in his stomach. Leave it to kids to say what nobody else would. “Well…I...”

  Kaylee tapped her chin. “Maybe I should show her my dance moves before you ask her. To kind of put her in the mood. I could even tell her you taught them to me. You know, just to impress her.”

  Jacob threw back his head and burst into laughter. “You’d do that for me?”

  “You’re my favorite uncle. Of course!” Kaylee threw her arms around his leg and hugged him.

  “I’m your only uncle, kiddo.” Jacob grinned.

  “But you’re still my favorite.”

  “I’m flattered,” Jacob said. “Now let’s see about that ring.”

  He dropped to his knees and started peering under the dresser, wondering where the ring had rolled off to.

  Jacob’s mother, Viola, appeared in the doorway and said, “That’s a bad omen, you know. It’s a sign from above. You can still rethink this.”

  Jacob didn’t bother looking up at her. The ring had rolled all the way to the wall, just out of his reach. He made a futile attempt to reach it.

  “Seriously,” Viola said. “It’s not too late to reconsider, Jacob. The universe is trying to tell you something.”

  “Yeah, it’s telling me not to make Kaylee the ring-bearer,” Jacob grinned. “Okay Kaylee, you little tyke. Come down here and see if you can reach this for me.”

  Viola scowled. At 65, her waistline certainly wasn’t what it had once been and her hair was now more grey than the blonde it used to be, but her scowl had only gained intensity and power over the years. As both CEO of the Giordano family business and Jacob’s mom, she was used to being obeyed. And it irked her that her son was so set on this decision despite being aware of her feelings.

  “I just don’t understand what you see in that girl,” Viola said. “Especially when Ramona Fisher-Ainsworth was so eager to—”

  “Mom,” Jacob’s voice took on a warning tone, “no more of this, okay? Today’s going to be a perfect day, and you’re going to come and support me. Grace is the woman I want to marry, and that’s that.”

  Viola paused then gave a deep sigh. “If that’s what you want,” she said.

  “It is indeed. Aha!” Jacob gave a little grunt of satisfaction as Kaylee got the ring out from under the dresser. “Alright, people. Let’s go propose!”

  *****

  Chapter 2

  The Proposal

  Grace looked at her watch a little impatiently, tapping her leg. It wasn’t like Jacob to be late. She was standing by an unmarked building on Main Street, waiting for him to arrive. He’d been very mysterious about the whole thing so far…only telling her to wear a red dress. She stared down the street to see if she could spot his car, but saw nothing.

  She gave a little jump as the door suddenly opened behind her and Jacob, wearing a gray suit, took her by the hand and gently pulled her inside the building. He looked especially handsome and Grace found herself completely forgetting that he’d been late at all. He looked nervous with one hand in his pocket and the other tugging at his dark-blonde beard. His hair was freshly cut and Grace longed to reach up and mess up his neatly combed locks.

  “Wh-what is this?” She looked around with wonder as he silently led her into a large, empty hall. It was decked out with balloons and flowers, and on the far end stood a large table with a cake on it.

  “Jacob…what’s going on?” It was beginning to dawn on her —exactly what was going on — and the
re was a tremble of excitement in her voice.

  Jacob winked at her and clapped his hands. From somewhere, speakers started playing music. Grace recognized the song immediately: John Denver’s You Fill Up My Senses. It was the first song they’d ever danced to.

  “Remember how we first met?” he asked her. He began moving to the music, spinning her along with him. Automatically, she took up the steps, smiling shyly.

  “Of course, I remember,” she said. “The office Christmas party. There was an ugly sweater competition and yours came in second.”

  “Right. And you were wearing a red dress just like this one. You looked so beautiful that it took my breath away. So I asked you to dance when this song started playing,” Jacob said. “Grace, that was three years ago. And, although you didn’t know it then, I’d just gone through one of the worst experiences of my life. My sister had passed away just six months before and I was not doing so well.”

  “I know...” Grace looked at him with love and sympathy in her eyes.

  “Yeah. I don’t know what possessed me to ask you to dance that night…but I’m so glad I did,” Jacob said. “Because, although I was going through one of the darkest times of my life, you burst in like a ray of sunshine. It was like my life was black and white and you brought color back into it.”

  “Oh, Jacob...” Grace kissed him on the cheek.

  The music stilled and Jacob got down on one knee. Grace put a hand over her mouth, and her eyes started welling up.

  “This ring belonged to my great-great-grandmother, Maria. She brought it with her when my family moved from Italy to America, and it was her most treasured possession. Tradition in the Giordano family is that it’s passed down to the oldest son’s wife,” Jacob explained, pulling a small box out of his pocket. “Grace Nathaniel, will you do me the honor of wearing it for the rest of your life? Will you be my wife?”