When I first started writing the An It’s Never Too Late series, in Murder in the Meadow, I introduced Ruth Beauregard on page 5. I expected her to live there for 3 pages, drop the bomb about Katie’s grandmother, pick up her suitcase and leave. She never did. Book four of the six book series with Level Best Books is coming out July, 2024, and Ruth and her tight-fisted ways is still there. She’s evolved a lot from the foolish old woman, confused by over-medication, scorned by the community, and unwilling to allow a man she had by-passed thirty-five years earlier to love her. She’s still bossy, keeps her days busy, and somehow is content with each one. Good morning, Ruth Beauregard. How goes your day?
* * * * * * * * * *
“I can’t believe I’m waking up to another beautiful morning. Me, Ruth Beauregard, happy and safe. The alarm’s going to ring in three minutes. Best I shut that down before it wakes Rick.”
This is my time of day, when dawn is fresh. I move through the old stagecoach inn turned house with the stealth I learned from the cats. There’s only nine right now, but they’re still sneaky. Little voices call out for the cattery for breakfast. My precious babies. I didn’t think Katie would stay that first day, seventeen cats, a confused old woman, and the knowledge somebody had murdered her grandmother. But here we are, 1975, and it’s Katie, me, my beau, Rick, and Charlie boarding. Oh, and Marlie, when she can be here. I know she and Katie are sweeties, but not a word will cross my lips to bring the community down on them. They saved me and I love them both.
Rick will be making breakfast, its French toast day, so I just put the percolator on and start passing out cat chow. I won’t be making goat cheese with Claire today, so I’ll be here. The cattery needs daily attention; the house vacuuming and dusting. With the sun shining so beautifully, I’ll get all the laundry washed and out on the line. Sounds like drudgery, but it’s not. Katie cooks, Rick fixes, and I am happy.
It’s too bad some fool dropped a body off in the Gypsy Copse. The furthest point across the property from the house. Katie’s got her nose in that one. Not to mention her part-time job as the town animal control officer. I’m taking calls about wandering cats, invading raccoons, and a dog with a dirty habit on a neighbor’s lawn. These are going to keep Katie busy. But I’m sure she and Marlie will still be sticking their noses in where they shouldn’t.
It’s a good thing Rick is at work all day, and on the weekends, he and his buddies are tied up doing repairs so the barn doesn’t come down. Every time he gets his head together with the girls, I know he’s scheming to help them out. Phfft, as if he’s got a clue.
Me, I’ve got the cats, the goat cheese making, the farm stand, and knitting club. It’s almost fete time down at the church, so I’ll be on that committee as well.
Once I get the last of the laundry on the line, I can sit in the sun with a cool drink. I hear Walker down barking at the barn. Probably a varmint holed up in there. I’d go check, but after that prowler conked me with a two by four last summer, I’m not keen on being there alone. Everybody will be coming in from work soon. Besides the animal control calls, Sheriff Lewis telephoned. He’s looking to talk to Katie. The two of them are like oil and water. If there’s a reason for her to take off and leave us again, it’s that bad-tempered fool.
Now, this is nice, feet up, ice cold lemonade, and the warm sun on my face. Oh, heck, there goes the telephone again.
Murder on the Small Farm, An It’s Never Too Late Mystery Book #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: June 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
Katelyn Took is surviving her return to rural Vermont. It’s the 1970s, she’s gay, and nobody knows. But she’s got a BFF/lover, and the depression that’s been riding in the sidecar of her life seems to be abating. Two small boys go missing. While she’s out with the search party, she rides over land that used to belong to her grandfather. There are poignant memories, but not as sharp as when she finds out she traveled right past the dumping ground of an unknown woman. The Small Farm may indeed belong to someone else now, but the Gypsy Copse is still hers. Sheriff Lewis is on it. He knows Katie is not as innocent as she portrays. But she hasn’t got a clue about who the woman is, how she got there, or what to do about a young boy’s strange tale.
About the author
DonnaRae Menard began writing in junior high school and has been scribbling since. She is the author of Murder in the Meadow, 1970 cozy mystery series, In the Shadow of Pharoah, historical fiction series, The Morality Issue, The Waif and The Warlord, fantasy, Detective Carmine Mansuer series, set in Boston, Mass. Dropped from the Sky, It takes Guts, Willa the Wisp, and several short stories. She splits her time between Vermont and New Hampshire, has an affinity for odd jobs, rescued cats, and talking about her 450-pound lap pig. Check out her website donnaraemenardbooks.com. Find her on Facebook.