Harvest Moon Misfortune

Frostfall Island is getting ready for a big harvest moon celebration! Dozens of boats have arrived in Bayberry Harbor, and the island is buzzing with activity. Anna is looking forward to the delicious food and dancing. Her sister, Cora, is looking forward to meeting all the yacht owners, especially the single ones. Anna’s plan for a fun weekend is thrown into turmoil when the current owner of her late husband’s fishing boat shows up at the boarding house. He hands her a photo that he found in the wheelhouse. It’s a photo that stirs up far more worrisome questions than it does fond memories.

The weekend is further disrupted when one of the yacht owners dies in a deadly fire. As usual, Detective Norwich jumps to the conclusion that the death is an accident, but Anna finds evidence that points to murder. Looking for a killer is always a nice distraction when your life has taken a bittersweet turn.

A sprinkle of sun on the horizon provided the perfect light for my painting. My hand flew back and forth across the paper like a broom whisking along a dusty floor. My model, a personal favorite, was a 40-foot-tall silky sassafras tree. How could anyone not love a tree named silky sassafras? There was fun in every syllable. My timing was perfect. The tree's distinctive three-lobed leaves were in the middle of their color change from banana yellow to crimson red. As was always the case in my nature-bound art studio, I was racing against the light. Once the sun lifted higher, the shadows, the colors and the groggy state of the tree would change entirely.

I plunged my brush into the cup of water, pressed it into the tray of watercolors and picked up a good amount of red and brown. The result was perfectly blended smears of rust for the tips of the leaves. A dab more brown and I could add the dimension I needed to the craggy trunk.

Huck's bark echoed off Calico Peak. We'd traveled especially far for our morning walk, all the way to the top of Calico Trail and on to North Pond where the tree had sat for probably 40-plus years. The sassafras tree was an old friend and regular model. He never seemed to mind sitting for long periods of time while I caught all the different colors and lines of his handsome silhouette. I made a point of painting his portrait at least once during each of the four seasons. His fall sitting was always my favorite.

Huck barked again. I glanced around and found him staring out toward the landscape at nothing in particular. At least, that's what I thought until his tail began gyrating like a helicopter blade and his single, loud bark became a series of excited yelps. He only chirped like a puppy for one person. A little spark of joy shot through me. I started to clean up my paints. Nate had gone for a run around the island. He knew I was hiking up to the old sassafras tree.

I poured out the brush water and snapped shut the tray of paints, then dropped everything into my bag. A breeze pushed a ghostly whistle through the leaves of the sassafras. It pushed a strand of hair across my face. As I flicked it back, something made me pause. A shiver ran up my spine, but it wasn't from the cold. I pushed back the sleeve of my sweater. Goosebumps. I shook myself to get rid of the creepy feeling. I was still out of sorts by the time Nate and Huck reached me, but seeing both of their enthusiastic smiles made me feel instantly better. Nate hadn't missed the few seconds before though. He must have been an excellent detective because he never missed anything. He scrutinized me with a look of concern.

"What's wrong, Anna?"

I forced a smile. "Nothing. Sorry. It's just a breeze kicked up, and I thought it messed up my picture, but all is good." I was a terrible liar. And darn if his detective instincts didn't also make him an expert at detecting lies.

He stepped closer, as usual, disarming me with his navy blue gaze. "You are the worst liar on the planet."

I wriggled a little and added a chin lift. "How do you know? Have you met all the liars on the planet?"

"And now, you're trying to change the subject with your overall cuteness." He splashed on a smile that, for a second, made me forget the rest of the world existed.

I smiled back and moved closer. "How dare you accuse me of weaponizing my cuteness, sir."

He laughed and leaned over to kiss me. My "moving closer" maneuver worked.

Huck barked again, something he did whenever he wanted to be included. Only this time, he'd trotted off toward the trail. The big dog, a chaotic mix of shepherd and wolfhound, stared into the surrounding landscape. The hair stood up on his nape, and his ears and tail were at attention. The creepy feeling returned. An involuntary shiver followed.

Nate's face snapped my direction. "See, something is bothering you." Nate gave me the look, the one that said out with it, Anna.

"It's ridiculous and it will sound silly."

"Anna—" he prodded.

"Fine. I was painting, and, for a second, it felt like someone was watching me. See, it's silly."