Author's Note: Originally this was meant to be written for the Tracy Island Writers Forum's 2009 "Crush a Brother" Challenge. However, I never got around to finishing it until a year later.
Author's Note 2: This is not a crossover with the Murder, She Wrote universe . It only ties vaguely to that program. It is a Thunderbirds story.
Permission Acknowledgment: Thank you to Samantha Winchester for allowing me to use her creation World News Network (or WNN) from her story "Secrets and Lies" as a rival broadcast station to Ned Cook's NTBS.
Beta Acknowledgment: My heartfelt thanks to Samantha Winchester and GillyLee for their wonderful conversations with me about this piece, for their infallible advice and for putting up with my unorthodox ideas. GillyLee made it all happen in the end. *grin*
Summary: When the great-niece of best-selling novelist and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher visits Tracy Island, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery that even her great-aunt may not have been able to solve.
Disclaimer: Jessica Fletcher and all characters, places and books from the television show Murder, She Wrote are owned by Corymore Productions. All characters, places and vehicles from the television show Thunderbirds are owned by Granada International. No infringement intended and no monies are being made from this story.
PROLOGUE
To: GrandmaRuth
From:MelWrites
Subject: What a great idea!
Dearest Great-Great-Aunt Ruth,
How very kind of you, your son and grandsons to invite me to your home! I just finished the larger portion of my research on the part of my family tree that reaches to the Tracy branch and am very excited by the prospect of meeting so many relatives I never knew I had! I asked Mom why I'd never heard of you, her great-aunt, but even she didn't know about you! We'll have to talk more when I visit and find out why your niece Marian neglected to pass the Tracy side of things along to us! I wonder if Aunt Jess knew about you.
I just delivered the final draft of my latest book, The Cats Call at Night, to my publisher so I've got a few weeks until I need to start my next one...or at least, until he starts coming after me for one. :-) I understand one of my uncles will be picking me up Tuesday the 5th at LAX. I will make arrangements to get there in time to meet him. Which will it be or do I get to guess? It's a long flight from Cabot Cove, I probably won't be fit to say hello!
I'd better go and get that booked. I may have to do some shopping, too. We don't have much call for tropical island wear here in Maine, as I'm sure you can imagine! I'll bring a copy of my last book, Message from the Dead, as you requested, as well as one of Aunt Jess's books, The Dead Must Sing. I do hope you'll enjoy them. See you in a few days!
Love,
Mel
The family gathered on the edge of the runway, all eagerly anticipating the arrival of Melody Fletcher. From the e-mails she and Grandma had exchanged, they'd discovered that Melody's mother was Ruth's great-niece, and her father had been Grady Fletcher, nephew of the late Jessica Fletcher, highly successful best-selling author for many years and one-time amateur sleuth. Mel was an author in her own right, having followed in her Great-Aunt Jess's footsteps in writing good, solid mysteries, though they had yet to find out if she also encountered as many real life murders as her famous relative.
Scott brought Tracy Two in for a typical smooth landing and ran through the post-flight checks as Ruth scooted toward the jet's rear door. Jeff and John wheeled the stairs up to it and a few moments later the door opened. Standing in the door shielding her eyes from the bright noonday sun was a fair-skinned red-haired lady appropriately decked out in sandals, a lightweight skirt and a tank top.
"Melody?"
"Aunt Ruth!" Melody exclaimed, descending the stairs and coming to stand in the midst of what seemed like an enormous welcoming party. Introductions were made, hugs exchanged among the women of the island and handshakes with the men. Mel felt like her head was spinning, not just because there were so many of them to remember but because the men took her breath away.
Jeff noticed a strange look on their new arrival's face as he wheeled one of her suitcases by. "What it is, Melody?"
"Just Mel," she corrected gently. "It's either that I've lost the ability to count to five or one of your sons is missing."
He chuckled. "Unfortunately, you won't be meeting Alan this trip."
"The youngest."
"Right. He's on a month of much-needed R&R."
Kyrano walked slowly past with the other suitcase wheeling behind him. This unassuming man intrigued Mel, and she began following him before he'd even asked.
A lively bunch made their way up to the main villa and down a long hall to the guest room Grandma had chosen for Melody, then the men left the ladies to chat and get their guest settled. Flowing from the gigantic living room out onto the balcony, the Tracys chatted idly amongst themselves while Kyrano put the finishing touches on lunch.
"Man, I guess red hair runs through every part of our family," Virgil said, ruffling Gordon's hair.
"Her hair isn't red, it's orange!" Gordon protested, smoothing his hair back down.
"Bull, it's red."
"Kinda puts that stripe on Four to shame, eh, Virg?" John chimed in without the barest hint of a smile.
"Ha, very funny. So are you naming a star after her?"
"What? Why would I do that, Gordo?"
"You seem a bit starstruck, is all."
John thrust his nose into the air. "I happen to like reading."
"Yeah, but books or body language?" Scott asked.
They all laughed, with Jeff looking up as Kyrano entered the room. "May I receive assistance with lunch? The weather calls for patio dining, I believe."
"Right you are, Kyrano," Jeff replied. The five of them followed the older man into the kitchen and in short order all the food had been taken up to the roof patio where the sun was bright, the breeze light and life just plain perfect.
Mel fit in right away and regaled them with the Cliff Notes versions of the four books she'd published to date, then stories about her Aunt Jess before Ruth and Jeff started filling her in on Tracy history. The lunch party continued right up through dinner and into the night, with a great deal of laughter ringing throughout the island.
Happy and sated shortly after one in the morning, the family members each retired to their respective rooms and Melody found herself enjoying the night air wafting through the sliding glass door of her first-floor room and the sound of the waves lapping the soft white sand. She drifted off to sleep, amazed at the camaraderie and kinship she felt with this group of people on her first day there. Already her mind was working as to how she could base characters on each and every one of them in her next book.
Ruth sat on the edge of her bed looking through the photo albums she'd had Gordon help her pull out of storage and clucked her tongue, unable to find that single picture of her niece Marian she thought for sure she had somewhere. Ah, well, no matter, she thought. Melody is here, she's a lovely thing and all is well. Turning the lamp at her bedside off, she snuggled beneath her handmade quilt and closed her eyes, looking very much forward to the next day.
