The Puzzle in an Old Barn

The Puzzle in an Old Barn

What was this strange sympathy for Marvie Saunders? Why was I beginning to feel that I owed it to her to try to unravel the puzzle of her husband’s murder and how in the world could I go about doing that? Why had I been the one to find bits and pieces of clues she […]

Menace on Four Legs

Menace on Four Legs

I got out of my car. The place looked deserted but as I approached the nearer house, a tall, bony dog appeared around the corner. It growled. I stopped. The animal didn’t look in the least friendly. It bared its teeth, snarled and started toward me.      Everything I had ever read about unfriendly dogs […]

Stop While You’re Ahead

Stop While You’re Ahead

Stop while you’re ahead. I used to hear this phrase a lot; not so much nowadays. It means to cut it out, stop doing or saying whatever. It’s useful in a lot of circumstances, but certainly in speaking or writing. One of the hardest things a writer has to do is delete those unnecessary words […]

On the Trail

On the Trail

“Our last night in Amarillo,” I said and sighed. We three women huddled under warm afghans tucked around us in Sophie’s wicker rockers on her front porch. The starry sky seemed almost close enough to touch. The lonely cry of a coyote rose and fell on the wind. A Crossfire Roadster wheeled into Sophie’s driveway […]

When the Earth Shifted

When the Earth Shifted

We went down the steps and around the corner of the house to watch such strange behavior on the part of these usually gentle animals. Still squealing, the horses and mule ran into their barn and immediately began to kick the sides of the wooden structure. A loud crash came from the far side of […]

July Went Floating By

July Went Floating By

Mom’s hand in mind shook and felt icy cold. “Actually, we can’t tell you where the gold is,” she said. “We’ll have to show you. Both of us. Together. If you kill one of us, believe me, you’ll regret it to your dying day, which might be sooner than you think if you harm my […]