A Riverside Christmas Mystery
Chapter 1
Prologue
"In the bleak midwinter the frosty wind did moan
The Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone."
Christina Rossetti
The young woman looked down from the window of the small ancient flitter she was piloting and saw nothing but deep darkness and ghostly fields of cold hearty crops below her. The little flitter, old though it was, flew silent and smooth; that's why she loved it so, that and the fact that it has been a gift from her father long ago. In the distance she saw the house; it looked dark and deserted, but she had to be very cautious. She approached the house from the rear and did a high fly by, looking down carefully. Nothing stirred, not even a wild animal in the surrounding woods. She then turned the flitter and came back and approached the house from the front and flew a low pass directly over the roof. Again nothing stirred. She flew past the house once more and did another low pass over the adjoining tree line and checked carefully. It all looked peaceful and quiet. It was 2 a.m. with only a sliver of a moon over head. The oppressive darkness was a blessing.
She flew to the vegetable crop behind the house and brought the quiet little flitter down in the field. She landed perfectly; soft, with not a single bump. She took a deep breath and looked over at the cot securely strapped in the seat beside her. The baby had not stirred…he was still deeply asleep, his long eyelashes casting shadows on the soft rosy cheeks. Her heart clenched, but with ruthless determination, she put her feelings aside. She must be strong; now when it was most needed, her courage must not fail her.
She unstrapped the baby cot and gathered the sleeping baby to her breast. He didn't stir. She wrapped him up carefully; it was very cold. A heavy snow fall earlier in the evening would make walking to the house precarious and difficult with the sleeping baby in her arms, but she was strong and motivated. She was thankful she had her cold weather boots and heavy coat, hat and mittens on.
She carefully made her way to the back of the house and opened the back door. She stood inside the cold kitchen and listened carefully; it was deathly quiet. The baby moved in her arms and whimpered softly and she rocked him gently then carefully turned him around and put him on her back in his baby carrier.
"Hush, my darling. Sleep now, mama needs her hands free."
She took a large shopping bag from one of the cupboards and began to fill it with baby formula and bottles, baby food jars, and finger foods. She walked softly to a bedroom and took a small suitcase from under the bed and took it into the baby's nursery. She filled the small suitcase with diapers, baby clothes, a teething ring, a small teddy bear, and baby elephant. She looked around carefully, making sure there was no sign she had been there. She went into her own bedroom and from her chest of drawers, she pulled out a change of clothes, some underwear, socks, and a soft hat, all which she rolled up and stuffed inside her jacket. She went to a far wall and removed one of the pictures and opened a small wall safe. She pulled out the credit chips that were in there and some document flimsies, which she also stuffed in her pocket. She carefully replaced the picture, and looked around. Satisfied that everything looked untouched, she quietly closed the door.
She walked back to the kitchen picked up the grocery bag which she slung over her shoulder and walked to the back door. She stood there silently and looked out. Nothing stirred. Satisfied, she took a broom from the closet and closed the door behind her. She was careful to step in the same footprints she had made coming to the house and she dragged the broom behind her to obliterate her boot prints. The softly falling snow would hide the broom tracks quickly.
As she approached the flitter, she turned and looked back to the house. It looked bleak and sad…her little house that she loved so much and had worked so hard to make into a loving and happy home. Ruthlessly, she turned her back on the house, and once more gathered her courage. She would be back here even if she had to move the entire universe to do it.
She put the suitcase, broom, and bag into the back of the flitter, put the baby back into his cot, secured him carefully in the seat beside her and got in the pilot's seat. She took off, flying low to the ground until she was well away from the house. Then she lifted the little flitter up and away and headed west. She still had a lot to do.
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