"There's a man in the woods."
"The man he's-he's a murderer-"
"He's an escaped convict-"
"He's a peeping Tom-"
"He's a demon."
When Rusty Lee sees a man in the woods, curiosity sends her into the dark to follow the man.
"He's a ghost that haunts the woods-"
"A homeless man-"
"A werewolf."
Into the dark she ran after the man who ran faster. All the secrets she hoped to reveal; all the rumours she hoped to dispel. She was getting excited just thinking about it.
"He's-he's crazy, I tell you!-"
"My cousins, cousins, best friends, mothers, brother, told him The Man was in the Army-"
"He escaped the looney bin-"
"I watched him kill a man-"
"That man, he's a monster."
All the juicy details only she got to know. If only she realized back then how big of a secret it would be-- how she would have to die to keep it; how she couldn't be with the man she loved because of it-- she would have ran the other way and locked the doors.
"Because there's a man in the woods, and he's dangerous, didn't you hear?"
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.