Suddenly the kitchen fell away from me and I was standing on a street in New York City. The wind was literally howling, and debris was everywhere, blowing in mini-cyclones. I saw a beautiful woman with an armload of packages struggling against the wind. Suddenly she stumbled and fell. When she stood up, her knee was bleeding.
I knew instantly what movie I’d fallen into, Unfaithful. And I knew who the actress, Diane Lane, really was. Jitty was welcoming me back home with her usual torment. The movie scene faded away and I was back in the kitchen with Jitty.
“You never know when temptation is going to strike,” Diane/Jitty said.
“It isn’t the sex that does the damage, it’s the lying,” I responded.
“No, cheating on someone who loves you does its own kind of damage.”
Jitty was right. “Cheating is a bad thing,” I agreed.
“And sometimes irresistible.”
“What has you in such a charitable mood?” Jitty was seldom forgiving of the foibles of humanity—living humanity at least. And she was pretty intolerant of the shenanigans of some of the residents in the Great Beyond. Jitty believed in doing your duty and shouldering your responsibilities.
“It’s Christmas,” Jitty said. As beautiful as Diane Lane was, when Jitty took over and Diane faded away, she was even more lovely. And she was wearing my favorite ugly Christmas sweater and some awful plaid sweatpants that I’d been hunting for two weeks.
“You’re filled with the Christmas spirit?” I asked.
“I’d rather be filled with some good vittles.” She waved a hand at my cell phone and Dean Martin began to croon “Winter Wonderland.”
“People make so much trouble for themselves,” I said as I took a dozen eggs from the refrigerator. If I hurried, I might be able to serve Coleman breakfast in bed. We had plenty of time before we had to be at Harold’s.
“You hit that nail on the head,” Jitty agreed.
I glanced at her to see if she was okay. She normally never agreed with me. It was a matter of principle with her. I cracked the eggs, whipped them with a dollop of milk, and put them in a hot skillet. In two shakes of a lamb’s tail I had breakfast done and on a tray for Coleman, complete with a red carnation and a candy cane.
“What will you do for lunch?” I asked Jitty. I had a sudden pang of sorrow for her.
“I got my own dinner to go to. Lots of people there, you know.”
“My parents?” I smiled at the thought of that Christmas dinner. Aunt Loulane, my great-great-grandma Alice, the various uncles, aunts, and crazy cousins who’d gone before me.
“Your mama said to tell you she loves you.”
I felt the tears behind my eyelids. “I know.”
“And your daddy says to make that Coleman give you a Taser.”
“I’m hoping there’s one under the tree.” It was just like my daddy to think about the practical aspects of safety.
“Go feed that man,” Jitty said as she began slowly to fade. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
That was a promise I intended to hold her to. Just as I picked up the tray, Sweetie Pie came through the doggie door, with Pluto on her heels. They followed me up to the bedroom, where they knew Coleman would share the bounty of his breakfast. And I would bask in the holiday glow of true love.
Acknowledgments
Books take a lot of work, from the original idea and writing to the editing, art, and distribution. Thanks to my wonderful team at St. Martin’s Press, my agent Marina Young, the booksellers who shelve my books, and the readers who have allowed me to write about Sarah Booth and the Zinnia gang for more than two decades. Another thanks to the residents of Columbus, a truly lovely Mississippi city.
ALSO BY CAROLYN HAINES
SARAH BOOTH DELANEY MYSTERIES
The Devil’s Bones
Game of Bones
A Gift of Bones
Sticks and Bones
Rock-a-Bye Bones
Bone to Be Wild
Booty Bones
Smarty Bones
Bonefire of the Vanities
Bones of a Feather
Bone Appetit
Greedy Bones
Wishbones
Ham Bones
Bones to Pick
Hallowed Bones
Crossed Bones
Splintered Bones
Buried Bones
Them Bones
Charmed Bones
NOVELS
A Visitation of Angels
The Specter of Seduction
The House of Memory
The Book of Beloved
Familiar Trouble
Revenant
Fever Moon
Penumbra
Judas Burning
Touched
Summer of the Redeemers
Summer of Fear
The Darkling
The Seeker
NONFICTION
My Mother’s Witness: The Peggy Morgan Story
About the Author
Carolyn Haines is the USA Today bestselling author of the Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series and a number of other books in mystery and crime, including the Pluto’s Snitch paranormal-historical mystery series, and Trouble, the Black Cat Detective romantic suspense books. She is the recipient of the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writing, the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence, and the Mississippi Writers Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a former journalist, bartender, photographer, farmhand, and college professor and lives on a farm where she works with rescue cats, dogs, and horses. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Acknowledgments
Also by Carolyn Haines
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
A GARLAND OF BONES. Copyright © 2020 by Carolyn Haines. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein and Brigid Pearson
Cover illustration by Hiro Kimura
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Haines, Carolyn, author.
Title: A garland of bones / Carolyn Haines.
Description: First edition. |
