When the Fireflies Returned Read online

  Table of Contents

  When the Fireflies Returned (Spookie Town Mysteries, #7)

  Chapter 1 | Lonely Myrtle scoots to town.

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3 | Frank and Sheriff Mearl go to look at old bones.

  Chapter 4 | Myrtle visits Rose and hears from Glinda.

  Chapter 5 | Abigail finds an abandoned hospital to paint.

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

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  When the

  Fireflies

  Returned

  (The Seventh Spookie Town Murder Mystery)

  Scraps of Paper

  All Things Slip away

  Ghosts Beneath Us

  Witches Among Us

  What Lies Beneath the Graves

  All Those Who Came Before

  When the Fireflies Returned

  By Kathryn Meyer Griffith

  Why is the town called Spookie? In this murder mystery series, it is a tongue-in-cheek, a tip-of-my-hat to my earlier roots as a horror writer and little else. This book is for my sweet brother Jim Meyer, who passed away on May 27, 2015. He was a great singer/musician/songwriter. If you’d like to listen to some of his songs, here they are: http://tinyurl.com/pytftzc

  Other books by Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

  Evil Stalks the Night

  The Heart of the Rose

  Blood Forged

  Vampire Blood (prequel to Human No Longer)

  Human No Longer (sequel to Vampire Blood)

  The Last Vampire (2012 Epic EBook Awards Finalist)

  Witches

  Witches II: Apocalypse

  Witches plus bonus Witches II: Apocalypse

  The Calling

  Scraps of Paper-First Spookie Town Murder Mystery

  All Things Slip Away-Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery

  Ghosts Beneath Us-Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery

  Witches Among Us-Fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery

  What Lies Beneath the Graves-Fifth Spookie Town Murder Mystery

  All Those Who Came Before-Sixth Spookie Town Murder Mystery

  When the Fireflies Returned-Seventh Spookie Town Murder Mystery

  Egyptian Heart

  Winter’s Journey

  The Ice Bridge

  Don’t Look Back, Agnes

  A Time of Demons and Angels

  The Woman in Crimson

  Six Spooky Short Stories

  Night Carnival

  Forever and Always Novella

  The Nameless One erotic horror short story

  Dinosaur Lake (2014 Epic EBook Awards Finalist)

  Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising

  Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation

  Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars

  Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors

  Dinosaur Lake VI...coming in 2021

  Memories of My Childhood

  Christmas Magic 1959 non-fiction short story

  *All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found in eBooks

  everywhere, paperbacks and audio books.

  Chapter 1

  Lonely Myrtle scoots to town.

  MYRTLE WOKE, REFUSED to open her eyes, and, for a time, laid in bed feeling sorry for herself. She felt like that often lately. Glinda and Kyle were on their two-week honeymoon and Myrtle decided she didn’t like being alone in the house day after day. There was no one to talk to, cook for or to cook for her, and no one to watch television with.

  Well, there were the cats, but apparently, she didn’t speak cat lingo as well as her grandniece Glinda did; to be truthful, she couldn’t speak it at all. No wonder the furry critters never listened to her. Besides, they tended to sleep most of the day, or moped around from room to room. They ignored her the rest of the time, unless they were hungry or thirsty, then they’d be all over her. Pretending to love her. But she knew better. Food or water was what they wanted. Sneaky felines. Yet, like her they’d been left alone and didn’t like it, so she commiserated with them. They probably missed Glinda...and Kyle, too. Even before the doc had married Glinda, he’d become part of the family unit.

  Squinting at the cat calendar on the wall with its big red x’s over some of the dates, she saw it was October the third and, she made the calculation, the newlyweds had only been gone four days. Only four days. Ten more days to go before they came home. Ten more long days. She sighed and had to finally admit she was lonely. All those years she’d lived by herself in that house of hers out on that isolated piece of land, she hadn’t thought she’d been lonely; she’d treasured her privacy, her independence. Then she came to live with Glinda and understood how lonely she had really been. These days her life was so much better with her niece and Kyle, her friends. She was a lucky old woman.

  Oh, Abby and Frank had stopped by to look in on her a couple times. They brought her food and would visit for a while, which was so sweet of them. Yesterday, Frank, bless his heart, had brought her a big bowl of homemade ham and beans with corn muffins he’d cooked for his family the night before. He’d brought such a huge bowl Myrtle would have the rest of it another night for a second meal. She had stuffed the leftovers in the refrigerator. For a man, Frank could cook as well as any blue-ribbon chef. He’d stayed and had lunch with her and then had gone into town to see how their friend, old Silas, was doing.

  She lingered beneath the covers until her legs began to ache so much from the arthritis, the pain forced her to get out of bed. Moving helped alleviate the aching and stiffness so she walked around the room until her legs began working right again. Good thing Glinda had left her plenty of her magical herbal concoction that worked so well in hot tea. It helped her arthritis better than any doctor’s prescription. She should know, she’d tried enough of doctors’ remedies over the years. Maybe she’d sprinkle some of the herbs into her morning coffee. It worked just as well in coffee as it did in tea. Yeah, that’s what she’d do. Ooh, her old body hurt.

  Slipping on her robe, she hobbled first into her bedroom’s bathroom and then into the kitchen. There were small furry balls of sleeping cats everywhere. On the couch. On the floor. In the corners. Lazy critters. The demon cat, Amadeus, was sleeping on one of the kitchen chairs, but, seeing Myrtle, he yawned and stretched, eyes popping open to stare at her. Probably wanted cat food. That cat sure could eat. Myrtle got out a can of cat food, opened it, and spooned some of the stinky contents into one of a zillion cat bowls Glinda had stashed under the sink. Placing the bowl on the floor in front of Amadeus, she softly chuckled as the cat jumped, a flash of lightning, from the chair and delved into the food. Rapidly, Myrtle was surrounded by a crowd of felines, jumping, meowing and rubbing against her legs, wanting to be fed, too.

  She grabbed more cat bowls, filled them with food and let the cats at them. Cats. It was strange, but living with Glinda and her herd of felines had changed her. She no longer avoided the fur creatures. Sometimes, when they snuck into bed with her and curled up next to her, purring, she even liked them a little. Amused at the cats’ cute antics, she refilled their water bowls and went back to what she’d been doing before the cat attack. When the herd had scarfed down their food they stampeded for the cat door, shoving each other aside as they fought to get out, and escaped into the backyard.

  The sun had been up in the sky for a while and as she made a pot of coffee, she stared out into the autumn day. Opening the window above the sink, she gulped in the crisp air. Oh, she loved fresh air. The day was going to be beautiful; it already was. The op
pressively hot weather and the crazy storms of the summer, thank goodness, were gone. The sky was a vivid blue and there was a breeze tickling the leaves on the trees so they gently fluttered. The last week or so it had been warm during the days but cooler at night. Myrtle loved the fall best. It made her feel more alive when the temperature dipped.

  She finished making her coffee, humming beneath her breath Perry Como’s “Moon River”; not that it applied to anything in the moment, but because the haunting melody had entered her head and had refused to leave. She dropped slices of Glinda’s homemade sour dough bread into the toaster, breathing in the lovely aroma. Glinda had left her five loaves of sour dough in the freezer, so she wouldn’t run out. Besides the bread, there were Tupperware bowls containing leftover stew and chili. Glinda hadn’t wanted her to starve. Not that she would. She could get into town and Stella’s Diner whenever she felt the need to fill her stomach.

  Glinda had cut six fat slices of her wedding cake, sheathed them in plastic wrap, and had also left them in the freezer for her. She’d devour one of them tonight for dessert after supper. Something to look forward to. That girl sure knew how to keep an old lady happy.

  Thinking of the wedding cake reminded her of Glinda and Kyle’s wedding. Oh, it had been such a lovely ceremony at St. Paul’s church; such a joyful celebration afterwards here at the house. Glinda had been a beautiful bride in a lacy ivory long-sleeved wedding gown she’d designed and made herself. Her silver hair had been coiled in elaborate braids on top of her head. Kyle had looked so handsome, a prince in a fairy tale in his white suit with blue tie and silk shirt. His dark hair longer than Myrtle had ever seen it, yet not as long as his dad’s; his olive-colored eyes had been so full of admiration and love for his bride. He’d been so chivalrous towards her, helping her from the church and down the steps to the car, protectively standing by her side the rest of the day. Over the years, he’d grown taller than Frank and now towered over him. Good thing because Glinda was tall for a woman. They had made the most attractive young couple, Myrtle had thought, proudly watching them come down the aisle in the church.

  And in a short time, Kyle would be the town’s doctor. Everything had worked out as well as Frank and Abby had hoped it would. They had Kyle back in Spookie.

  Thinking of the wedding brought back the memory of the wedding cake in all its glory. It had been a five-tier vision of yumminess, with chocolate cake inside and its icing as sweet as sugar. It had been the prettiest cake she’d ever seen. The day had been perfect, too. Warm with just a touch of the coming autumn. Not a drop of rain or a wisp of fog, which alone in Spookie was a rarity. They’d had fantastic food. Kate and her husband, Norman, had outdone themselves catering in delicious sandwiches, lasagna and mountains of delectable finger food. All their family and friends had come to celebrate with them. Half the town had showed up, even the uninvited. Glinda and Kyle hadn’t turned anyone away. She’d wanted everyone to join in her and Kyle’s happiness. After all, Kyle was to be their town doctor and Glinda was the town’s psychic in residence.

  The wedding party had lasted late into the night with Nick’s band playing music in the lit and balloon festooned backyard, even old ladies could like. Nick sang a medley of her favorite Perry Como songs for her; ones she’d requested of him to do and he’d learned just days before. That kid could sing anything. Did a fine job on Perry’s tunes, too. The kid’s band was pretty darn good for young uns. Myrtle had enjoyed watching the young people, the band’s friends and fans, mingle, eat and dance energetically, as all young people were able to do, under the twinkling lights strung all around the perimeter of the yard. Everyone had been chatting and laughing. She’d wished she’d been younger herself and could have danced the night away with them, but she had been happy to sit and observe instead.

  Oh, it had been such a wonderful day and night. Wonderful! And now, if she left this world, she knew her niece had someone to love and watch over her forever. Kyle was a good man.

  Yep, she missed those two roommates of hers. The house wasn’t the same without them. It felt emptier, hollow. The light was gone from it. It was a sadder house.

  Collecting the preserves from the fridge, strawberry today, Myrtle put the jar on the table with the butter and toast, licking her lips. She sat down.

  “Well, good morning, Glinda,” Myrtle whispered across the table with a mischievous smile for her grandniece, who wasn’t really there. A pretend grandniece.

  “Good morning, Auntie,” replied the make-believe woman sitting across from her. She was in her nightgown and robe, her long silver hair loose and flowing down her back. “How did you sleep? Well, I hope.”

  “I slept like a baby, child. Thanks to your homegrown weeds.”

  “Good. What do you have planned for today?”

  “I’m thinking about riding that new three-wheeled scooter of mine into town today to visit Irma. Maybe get some lunch at Stella’s. Hey, I might stop by Lucas’s place first to see how the renovations are coming along. I like seeing how the house is perking up. I know some real short cuts through the woods with paths and all. Won’t take me long to get to town.” Myrtle as well as others in Spookie had started calling the old Theiss place Lucas’s place. Now that he was fixing it up to live in, all the rest of his family long dead, the new name was more appropriate.

  At the table, too, imaginary Kyle looked up from his imaginary laptop, where he’d been reading the news feed for the day as he usually did, and smiled at her. “You be careful riding that machine into town, you hear?”

  “I will. I’m always careful, Doc Kyle.” She’d taken to calling Kyle that since he was to become their town doctor. It had a nice sound to it.

  Myrtle had found it helped to get her through the day if she had these little imaginary conversations with her absent niece, or Kyle, at times. It reminded her that Glinda and Kyle would soon be home again. They’d all be together once more as it should be. She could get through ten more days...if she kept busy. Very busy.

  Make-believe Glinda said, “I’ll see you soon, Auntie. Now you be careful today, old woman. Say hi to Irma for me.”

  “I will. Like I told your new husband here, I always am. I won’t let the old-lady-eating zombies out in the woods, when I go through it, get me. Miss you....”

  Then, with a loving smile, the Glinda-who-wasn’t-really-there faded into the air, invisible once more. When Myrtle peeked over, Doc Kyle was gone, too.

  Time for another cup of coffee.

  As she put sugar and cream in her cup, through the kitchen window, she watched a pair of squirrels cavort around the base of the largest oak tree in the backyard, chattering and nipping playfully at each other. They were joined by two more. Then more. A whole mob of them. Enjoy yourselves while you can, you little tree-climbing rascals, because the cats are on the prowl. You better dig up your hidden nuts and scurry away to a safe place to eat them. The cats are out hunting for rats with fluffy tails.

  As Myrtle ate her breakfast, she pondered in more detail on what she’d do that day. Probably what she’d told the make-believe Glinda she was going to do. It was so nice outside she had decided she’d get out of the house for sure. Go somewhere where there were real people. Less cats. She was mobile these days since she’d bought herself one of those old people scooters like the one Silas had. Once she’d seen and ridden Silas’s scooter the day of the summer festival, she’d known she had to have one. A pretty blue one. She liked the color blue.

  Silas had helped her buy it, top of the line of course with a huge basket on the front, from off the internet. Frank had picked it up for her from the store she’d had it delivered to and brought it to her in his truck. He’d put it together and had put a hook on the back so she could attach and pull her wagon behind it. She’d had the scooter for two weeks and she could go anywhere on it. It gave her freedom again. No longer did she have to beg rides from people or hobble around with her cane. Since she knew all the short cuts into town and between her friends’ houses, the
blue scooter, she’d affectionately christened the blue beast, was all she needed to get wherever she wanted to go. Freedom. It was as if she’d been reborn. She’d even purchased a hooded raincoat, which covered her to her knees, to wear so she could go places in the rain, because in the fall it rained a lot. The rain would come out of nowhere, and there a person was, all wet.

  Yep, after breakfast she’d drive the blue beast over to Lucas’s house using the short cut path through the woods, and then afterwards she’d ride into town. She could also see Frank, because he was supposed to be at the Theiss place that morning helping Lucas work on the house. Abigail had told her that. Real people.

  She ate her meal and got dressed for the journey. She donned a pair of Glinda’s jeans, a little big but they’d work, cinched with a belt, a shirt under a sweat shirt and a ballcap to keep the hair out of her face, and she was ready to go. Money and her cell phone in her pocket, she locked up the house and left it. The sunshine on her skin felt lovely. It was warm, but not too warm. A nice early fall day.

  Out in the garage she unplugged the blue beast from the charger, strapped her cane to the side of it, and climbed onto its seat. Frank had assured her that the battery, fully charged, would last all day. So far, she hadn’t tested it to that length, only riding it for a couple of hours each outing. Even if the battery wore down, Frank said all she had to do was call him or Abigail and one of them would come out, wherever she was, and pick her and the blue beast up. The scooter could be disassembled easily enough into four manageable pieces. It made it real handy to transport it. Even Abigail could disassemble and reassemble it. Heck, she could probably do it if she had to. Frank had shown her how.

  She’d hitched the wagon behind the scooter and would pull it into town with her as she usually did. One never knew when discarded treasures would be found along the way, so she brought her wagon along to cart them home with her. For today, though, she simply wanted to get out in the good weather, the sunshine, and visit some people. The wagon was for the groceries she wanted to bring back with her. She’d hunt for treasures another day.