The world's atmosphere plunged into a darkness no man has ever seen, the air smelled of sulfur and the wind carried a metallic taste. Nothing was clean, grass was a concept of the old days, and there certainly were no trees. Life was barely still alive. 70% of the earth's past eroded from the radioactive chemicals that had caused fires all over the world, no history to be found. Only memory served those who remained alive, the few who could draw breaths in this cruel environment. Human bodies have become tolerant to curtain chemicals, and cancer was common among those still alive. No one knew exactly what happened. One moment, there was life as we knew it, then, there was a terrible smell and catastrophe hit us like no other. Some said of a nuclear war, others suggested a comet hit the earth; but either way, they would have surely been notified of that, right?
A criminal mastermind makes a bold move against a wealthy client to put himself in a position to retire in comfort. He has no idea what he's up against when a young widow, desperate to make ends meet, sets her eyes on earning the bounty set on his head.
***
Newly widowed housewife Melody Scott needs to earn some major cash, fast. When her bright and busy children learn that a priceless ruby bracelet has been stolen and a six-figure reward is being offered, they convince her to try to do what the police, museum security, and the best private investigators have failed to do. Working against them is a notorious thief who has met people from around the world, but who has never once encountered a woman like Melody Scott. When the sweet innocence of the Scott family clashes against criminal forces more dangerous than they ever imagined, Melody is all too aware that a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do to protect her family.
The Widow, Melody Scott is a 2021 Watty Award Winner!
Content Warning: This story does contain depictions of stalking behavior.