Pitter, Patter, Murder

By Melissa Dill

Sandrine Runds is not the kind of psychic you want to bring home to mother, but that’s exactly what Autumn Tremblay does. Haunted by a possessed ceramic carousel, Autumn will do anything to silence its chiming tune. Anything, including returning to her home town with her friend Christian, who thinks he has antlers that no one else can see. Joined by Sandrine’s friend Zoe, and her brother’s spirit Charon, the four (or five if one counts ghosts) of them are on a quest to make peace with Autumn’s past.

None of them realize things are only about to get weirder as Autumn discovers siblings she never knew she had and an emerging ability to fly. But how much can she trust Sandrine? Is Charon even real? And is Zoe really a criminal on the run from the law?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa Dill
• Release date: Jun 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463284506

Melissa Dill

I am a writer of poetry and short fiction. I live in Seattle with my husband and two toddlers.After exiting my vocation (Social Work) to care for my children, I discovered that I suddenly had a lot of things to say.Most of my writing is available at no cost on my blog, listed below. I have just finished my second Smashwords exclusive book (!).Writing is my whim and secret joy. So, lean in and let me whisper to you; the funny, the beautiful, the absurd.

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Pitter, Patter, Murder

Published by Melissa Dill at Smashwords

Copyright 2019 Melissa Dill

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to your favorite ebook retailer to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Pitter, Patter, Splash

Barbecue Weather

Suede in the Rain

All Hail Breaks Loose

Cold Enough for Hot Tea

Springtime for Deer

Rain of Books

Winter Cold

Sunlight

Dusk

Ocean Sky

Deceptive Drizzle

Poached Egg Sun

Red Skies At Night

Hear the Rain

Skyward

The Fog of Memory

Epilogue

Other books by Melissa Dill

Connect with Melissa Dill

Prologue

Mommy, where is September? Autumn Tremblay was four, her tow-colored pigtails bouncing as she walked.

"When is September," the sun made her mother, Darla’s shadow split in two, one shadow dark and long, the other a faint ghost.

Thinking she had asked the question wrong, Autumn repeated, When is September?

It is after August and before October. It’s when children go back to school. It’s the beginning of Fall.

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Autumn pulled on her mother's hand, slowing their approach to the preschool, Where is my sister?

Oh, Darla's eyes widened with make-believe, Is that her name?

Autumn sat down abruptly; the sidewalk rough on her pudgy behind.

C’mon Autumn, you’re going to be late for school.

Autumn took a deep breath, letting it out in a wail. She had done this enough to know it got results, not always the results she wanted, but still. Things happened if she screamed loud enough and long enough.

They stayed there, Autumn howling on the sidewalk until Darla gave in, I guess I’ll see if Mrs. Zhang will watch you. I’m already late for work. If I lose my job . . .

Autumn stood, her cotton dress sticking to the backs of her legs. They walked back the way they had come, squinting into the sun. Their shadows, confused by the change in direction, struggled to keep up with them. Mrs. Zhang’s house sat on the corner lot, paint flaking off the shingles. Instead of a lawn, she had rows upon rows of dahlias. Autumn stopped in front of a pink flower, her chubby fingers grasping the stem.

Autumn! Don’t pick the flowers, Darla took her other hand, Hurry up the path, please.

Autumn dragged her feet until she spotted the doorbell. Pulling her hand out of Darla's, she sprinted down the walkway. Reaching the door, Autumn pressed and depressed the doorbell repeatedly.

Autumn- Darla broke off as the door opened.

Mrs. Zhang looked at the little girl as if she alone stood on the stoop, Hello, Pretty Girl. Do you want to come in Nainai’s house?

Do you have candy? Autumn peeked past her, only able to make out the shadow of a credenza.

Autumn! Darla shook her head, Mrs. Zhang, I hate to impose on you again, but she was throwing a fit and refusing to go to preschool.

Such a nice girl, you want to stay with me? Mrs. Zhang continued to ignore Darla, Nice, quiet girls get sweet things for their tummies.

Autumn completed the saying for her, Bad girls get birdseed.

Birdseed? Darla was digging through her purse, Here’s twenty. I owe you more, I just haven’t got to the bank.

Mrs. Zhang took the bill, then waved the little girl inside, Candy money.

As soon as Autumn crossed the threshold, the scent of oranges hit her. She wandered into the living room, her eyes searching for the one thing she wanted to see. It sat high on a shelf, its animals frozen in mid-canter, a pink and blue canopy above their heads. Mrs. Zhang lifted it off the shelf without being asked. Tears leaked out of Autumn's eyes as Mrs. Zhang set the carousel on the coffee table and wound the mechanism. I want September, Autumn whimpered.

Sometimes if we wish hard enough, the horses will come to life and help us, Mrs. Zhang flipped the switch and the animals started forward with a jerk; a unicorn, a zebra, a giraffe. She patted Autumn's hand, her skin papery and warm, Close your eyes and make a wish.

Autumn narrowed her eyes until she was peeking out of her lashes. Mrs. Zhang had her eyes closed, her silver hair spilling over half her face. Autumn screwed her eyes shut and wished as loud as she could, I want September to be with me.

Pitter, Patter, Splash

The apartment was within walking distance of Trout Lake, off a stretch of road that rambled by cafes and restaurants. The inside was full of moving boxes, stacked in a dizzying wall against the fireplace. In front of the boxes stood a young woman, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.

She lifted a box from the top of the pile and placed it on the floor. As she tried to get a fingernail under the edge of the tape, a Siamese cat sauntered into the room, her chocolate tail curving into an umbrella handle. She stared at her human, her blue eyes crossing. Okay, the woman flipped open the flaps, Let’s do this. The cat crouched, the skin on her back twitching. Oh look, it’s dish - eek! The cat leaped, swatting the woman's cheek with one of her clawless front paws. Bad kitty! she dove for the water bottle on the coffee table, firing her weapon with a swisk-swisk-swisk. The cat darted out of the room. Sticking her free hand in the box, the woman pulled out a ceramic merry-go-round.

No, she whispered, Not again.

She didn’t really want to touch it, but she also didn’t want it in her new home. She picked it up, boldly clutching the unicorn with a monkey on its back. Stomping out the front door, she marched past her new neighbor. His face had a bland perfection to it; symmetrical features, a mouth that was neither lipless nor pouty, and a nose that could grace a Greek statue. He was clean shaven, his blonde hair close-cropped, his eyes the only thing that made him seem living, and not carved from marble and smoothed with wax.

Running down the stairs, she darted out into the rain. The dumpsters sat in a corner of the parking lot, fenced in with chain link as if they might otherwise escape. She lifted the latch and slid inside the enclosure, lifting the lid of the brown trash container. Water ran in rivulets off the back and down the sides of the dumpster. She dropped the carousel inside, hearing a musical ping, the third note of a children’s song about death and weather. Shivering, she exited, slamming the gate and hurrying back towards the stair.

She slowed as she entered the shared balcony, watching the rain sheet off the apartment overhang, flooding the empty planter boxes and splattering the first-floor walkway. Her neighbor was still outside, tying washers on either end