Forgotten Boxes

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

synopsis

Synopsis

WINNER 2016 Best Suspense Fiction—Association of Texas Authors and WINNER 2017 Best Audio Book—Association of Texas Authors. Named sole heir to her aunt's estate, Charity Gannon arrives in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont hoping to find a link to her past. She's not looking for lost treasures; she is searching for a connection to the aunt she barely knew. What she finds is a thirty-something-year-old mystery. A sad, secluded cottage, all but hidden amid the vines. A man's suit of clothes, tainted with dried blood and a bullet hole. Four forgotten boxes stuffed into a large bag and buried in the far corners of the shed. These are not just any boxes. They are unopened and undelivered, left behind by the now-defunct Kingdom Parcel. All four are marked March 14, 1984, the very day her uncle, president and driver for the delivery service, was said to have committed suicide. The undelivered boxes haunt Charity. Hadn’t someone noticed them missing? Thinking it might be fun to surprise the recipients after all these years, Charity sets out to deliver the packages. Along the way, fate throws her into the sturdy arms of Tarn Danbury, a burly sugarmaker with eyes as beautiful as the mountain pond from which he was named and a voice as smooth and rich as the dark syrup he produces. The story behind one box is delightful. Another is heartbreaking….And one might very well be the death of her.

bio

Author Biography

Best-selling indie author Becki Willis loves crafting stories with believable characters in believable situations. Many of her stories stem from her own travels and from personal experiences. (No worries; she's never actually murdered anyone).

When she’s not plotting danger and adventure for her imaginary friends, Becki enjoys reading, antiquing (aka junking), unraveling a good mystery (real or imagined), dark chocolate, and a good cup of coffee. A professed history geek, Becki often weaves pieces of the past into her novels. Family is a central theme in her stories and in her life. She and her husband enjoy traveling, but believe coming home to their Texas ranch is the best part of any trip.

Becki is on the Board of Directors for Authors School of Business and has won numerous awards, but the real compliments come from her readers. Drop in for an e-visit anytime at beckiwillis.ccp@gmail.com, or www.beckiwillis.com.

website

Author Insight

The Inheritance

Charity Gannon is surprised to learn she has inherited her estranged aunt's house in upstate Vermont. She arrives to find a secluded cottage, tucked into a bramble of trees, flowers, and secrets. Aunt Nell's possessions are still in the house, posing more questions than answers about a mysterious past. Why, for instance, is there an old and tattered man's shirt hanging in her widowed aunt's bedroom? More importantly, why does it sport a bullet hole and the spatter of dried blood?

Book Excerpt

Forgotten Boxes

Chapter 1

The gate gave easily beneath her touch. A light brush of pressure was all it took for the old hinges to swing inward.

Any hint of resistance would have deterred her. That’s all it would have taken for her to turn around, crawl back in her car, and leave behind this foolish notion of claiming her inheritance. Yet, the gate had opened with invitation, beckoning her inside the sleepy yard, and now Charity Gannon was halfway up the pebbled walk.

It all looked innocent enough. Idyllic, even. A tiny little cottage set in the middle of an over-sized lot, nestled beneath the arms of mature crabapple, cherry, and sugar maple trees. Window boxes and flowerbeds, an inviting screened-in summer porch. Peeling white paint for instant shabby chic charm. Signs of a vegetable garden off to the left, a weathered old shed to the right. A porch swing suspended from the limb of a huge old oak, surrounded by rose bushes and flowering shrubs.

Under normal circumstances, the charming scene would delight her. It looked like a clipping from one of those travel magazines, one that touted the hidden treasures of rural Vermont. The right travel agent could lease the cottage as the perfect summer retreat, garnering a hefty price tag for its quiet location and its nod to yesteryear.

Under normal circumstances, Charity might be tempted to rent the cottage herself. But there was nothing normal about her visit today, and she could not rent what she already owned.

In spite of the homey appearance of the cottage, a sense of dread spilled out onto the walkway and muddled around Charity’s footsteps. Her pace slowed as she drew closer to the porch. Instead of cheerful window boxes, her eyes were drawn to the windows themselves– sad, empty panes that looked into a darkened house.

Charity tugged her sweater closer, gathering a handful of courage along with the fabric as she stepped onto the porch. The screen door protested with a loud screech, but it gave no more resistance than the foot gate out front. Maybe the front door would be less cooperative. Maybe the key would not fit. Maybe she could put this off until tomorrow.

But no, the old key was a perfect fit for the tarnished brass doorknob. The lock tumbled easily. As the door swung inward, Charity had no excuse not to step inside.

She stepped over the threshold and came to an abrupt halt. She was overwhelmed to see that the cottage was still fully furnished, filled with the remnants of someone else’s life.

Not just someone’s, she reminded herself. Aunt Nell’s.