A Letter From Winter Break

Dear Son,

Things sure are strange in Winter Break right now. Bitty Flanagan – do you remember her? She owned Miss Bitty’s Bygone Bookstore? Well, she fell off her old library ladder and died. Now her niece, Ivy Towers, is in town. Looks like Bitty left all her earthly possessions to Ivy, including her bookstore. What was she thinking? I mean, why in the world would a pretty little gal like that want to live in this one horse town? Goodness gracious, we don’t even have a gas station. Just my restaurant, one little grocery store, two churches, a funeral home, and Bitty's bookstore. Not much else to speak of. When Ivy first got here, she said she was planning to bury Bitty, close the store, and leave town. But the funny thing is; she’s still here. And she hasn’t even tried to get rid of that old bookstore. Oh, and Amos Parker sure is hanging around a lot. Him and Ivy used to be close when they were kids. Wonder if Amos wants to rekindle that old flame? You never knew him, Bert. He’s younger than you. He was a rambunctious little kid. He’s a deputy sheriff now. Funny, huh? You know I hear lots of talk at the café…

I sure will be glad when you finally get to see Ruby’s Redbird Café, Bert. You’d love it. Course, it was your idea and all. “Mama,” you used to say, “you’re the best cook in the whole world. You should open your own restaurant.” I make lots of your favorite foods, but people sure seem to like my Redbird Burgers the best. In fact, they keep trying to get my recipe, but I ain’t going to give it to them. No way. I tell folks I may go to my grave clutching the very last Redbird Burger in my cold, dead hand. I don’t really mean it, but it sure gets these people riled up.

Well, guess I wandered away from my main point - what was it? Oh, yeah. What I heard around the café. I guess some folks got it in their heads that Bitty was murdered! Can you believe that? Things like that shouldn’t happen in a town this small. We barely have over six-hundred folks, Bert. Not much more than when you left. Anyway, as I said, things here are strange but a sight more interesting than they’ve been in a long time. I think Amos and Ivy are trying to find out just what happened to Bitty. I hope they get to the truth of the matter. Bitty was a wonderful lady and a good friend. Besides, wondering if there’s a killer running around Winter Break makes me nervous.

Guess that’s about it for now. Not much else to share today, Bert. Lots of snow this year, just like every year. Sure wish someone would figure out why it snows more in this town than any other place in Kansas. Seems odd, but we’re used to it. Remember how much you used to love the snow? Kids still skate on Lake Winter Break. I know you ain’t no kid anymore, Bert. Been over thirty years now since you disappeared. But I keep writing these letters to you. Got hundreds of them, I guess. I hope someday you’ll come home and read them.

That’s all for now. Love you, Son.

Your mother, Ruby Bird.

Nancy Mehl is a long time mystery buff who loves to set her novels in her home state of Kansas. “Some people think of Kansas as rolling plains, wheat fields, and cattle,” she says. “But we’re really much more interesting than that!”

Her new “Ivy Towers Mystery Series” for Barbour includes four novels: “In the Dead of Winter,” “Bye, Bye Bertie,” “For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls,” and “There Goes Santa Claus.” In December, an omnibus book, “Cozy in Kansas,” will be released to the public. It will include the first three Ivy Towers mysteries.

In 2009, her new series, the “Curl Up and Dye Mysteries” will make their appearance. “This promises to be a rather unusual series,” Nancy says. “My protagonist is a hairdresser – to the dearly departed. I’m excited about the stories but a little concerned about the research!”

Besides the Ivy Towers series, Nancy has another novel in print. “Sinner’s Song” is about a serial killer who is stalking homeless people in the heart of Wichita, Kansas. It is a little darker than her cozy books but will be enjoyed by readers who like suspense with a little romance thrown in.

Nancy loves to hear from readers. You can visit her Web site at: http://www.nancymehl.com/, or leave her a message on her blog at http://www.nancymehl.blogspot.com/.