A Solitude Holiday Skeleton

By Saundra McKee

In the 18th in the Amish Country Murder Mystery Series, Dana is scouring South America for any signs of her only brother Phil who has escaped from prison. At the same time, a tremendous hurricane creates havoc in the Northeast. In trying to repair the damages to Dana and Larry's Solitude, PA home, Fannie and Eli make a discovery that will change everything and answer some questions that they were certain would never be answered. All events lead to a most surprising and unusual holiday season. Half of all author proceeds will go to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saundra McKee
• Release date: Nov 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301531318

Saundra McKee

I am a retired educator. I taught in the public schools for 15 years and at the university level for 22 years. I love to travel the world. I enjoy politics, dogs, mysteries and water sports. I am a lay speaker in the United Methodist Church.

Book preview

A Solitude Holiday Skeleton by Sandy McKee (18th in the Amish Country Murder Mystery Series)

Published by Saundra McKee at Smashwords. Copyright 2012. Saundra McKee

50% of the author's proceeds will go to UMCOR Hurricane Sandy (United Methodist Committee On Relief) for victims of Hurricane Sandy

All characters and events in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. While some of the places mentioned actually exist, they are used in an entirely fictional manner.

Prologue

Late October

It had been a disastrous hurricane season. The National Weather Service was going through the alphabet for the second time for names by mid October. It was Hurricane Dana that brought some of the worst winds and flooding to the Northeast in over twenty years. On the coast, sixty lives were lost and destruction was in the billions of dollars. Even portions of central and western Pennsylvania suffered downed trees, power outages and millions in property damage. Even the peaceful community of Solitude suffered in the wake of the horrific storm. Miraculously none of the Amish homes or farms had sustained any damage. The friendly Amish community as always reached out to the many people that did face blown off roofs, fallen trees, flooded basements and a medley of other discomforts. The electricity was off for over a week which presented no problem for the Amish who lived without it daily. Those who required it for their televisions, computers, microwaves and lighting were in a frenzy.

Chapter 1

Fannie couldn’t help but shake her head as she surveyed the outside of her closest English friend Dana’s Victorian style home in the aftermath of the horrible storm. Dana’s husband Larry had managed to get in touch with them and asked that they check out the damages and oversee any needed repairs. Larry and their dog Shalom were spending some time with his daughter and grandchildren in Florida while Dana was off on a luxury cruise to South America.

It was a surprisingly warm and calm day for late October. Fannie tied up the horse after helping Eli step from the buggy. She realized that her beloved husband had progressed as far as he ever would both physically and mentally from a gunshot wound to his head suffered a few years before. She missed his physical strength and mental sharpness but thanked God daily that he was still by her side. He was more dependent on her and quieter, but still her rock.

We’ll get our boys over to help chop up these trees that came down, observed her craggily handsome husband. "Looks like the big maple did some damage to the sun porch on the back of the house. Larry said to go ahead