The Goldwash Mystery Series
The Old Man’s Back in Town
This short story is a bit of a puzzle. Each scene is a different variation of the same story for a reason, which you’ll learn at the end. See if you can pick up on the clues along the way and figure out the puzzle before you finish the story. Thank you for giving it a try!
~ Ann
Overview…
In the lonely mining ghost town of Goldwash, Nevada, Christmas has come early. Unfortunately, the local bar owner must be on this year’s naughty list, because Santa brought her something even worse than a piece of coal on this dark, cold winter night—her old man.
Acknowledgments
This book had a lot of help from so many elves. Thanks to:
My husband, the head-honcho elf, for your help with brainstorming, editing, formatting, designing the cover, and keeping the kids and me fat and happy.
My kids, the cookie-eating elves, for always being so willing to share celebratory frozen Cokes with me.
My first-draft elves: Margo Taylor, Mary Ida Kunkle, Kristy McCaffrey, Jacquie Rogers, Marcia Britton, Paul Franklin, Diane Garland, Vicki Huskey, Lucinda Nelson, Marguerite Phipps, Stephanie Kunkle, and Wendy Gildersleeve. Your patience rivals that of a Jedi master some weeks.
My critique-buddy elves, Jacquie Rogers and Kristy McCaffrey, for maintaining your top spots on the Naughty List.
My editor elf, Eilis Flynn, for helping to make the words on the page sparkle and shine brighter (and wearing awesome socks).
My story-keeper elf, Diane Garland, for stuffing my stocking with chocolate-covered coffee beans.
My beta-team elves for celebrating the holiday months ahead of time with me and checking my book for burned-out bulbs.
My artsy elf, C.S. Kunkle, for moving to Arizona so we could work on cover art and illustrations by your pool during the snowy season.
All of you reader elves for your encouraging emails and social media posts AND for your face-to-face smiles and hugs. Without you by my side, this would be a long, lonely sleigh ride through the snow.
Kickbutt-author elf Renee George for your nutcrackin’ cover quote and funny movie reviews!
And as always, a special thanks to Clint-the-clown elf for keeping me company on that crazy bus trip back to Ohio many moons ago. If we had to do it again, I’d let you get the large fries this time.
Don’t Let It Snow in Deadwood
Copyright © 2018 by Ann Charles
Prescott AZ, USA
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means now known or hereafter invented, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Ann Charles.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.
Cover Art by C.S. Kunkle
Cover Design by B Biddles
Editing by Eilis Flynn
Formatting by B Biddles
Library of Congress: 2018911980
E-book ISBN-13: 978-1-940364-57-5
Print ISBN-13: 978-1-940364-58-2
