In 2011, Beatrice Anchor (aka "Blue") witnessed something she could never unsee. Her brother coming in from the kitchen, covered in her fathers blood. Someone she'd always trusted, a murderer. At only 12 years old, she was asked to testify either for or against her own brother. She chose against and vowed never to forgive him, no matter what the court decided. The judge ruled 1st degree murder as a minor and her brother, Austin, was ordered to stay at a maximum security juvenile detention until he was 18 and three years of community service after he was released.
Four years after the incident, Austin was released and sent back home to complete his community service until he could prove to be stable enough to provide living accommodations for himself. When he gets home, he discovers a pile of papers stacked up in the corner of the living room. He is startled to realize they were all unopened letters he had sent to his sister warning her of a haunting danger that had gotten him into the entire mess in the first place and realizes it will not be as easy to get back into her life as he thought.
Around the same time Beatrice's brother returns home, she begins to receive ominous notes with threatening content. Assuming it is just Austin or a prankster with a sick mind, she waves it off until it begins to get serious. Meeting a new friend along her unusual journey, the two try and figure out who is sending the notes and what her brother is trying to warn her of. She soon discovers that there is more to the twisted story than she originally thought.
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.