- 4 -
Oxnard’s queasy stomach could have been from the hot dog covered in sauerkraut or the slice of custard pie that followed. He skipped the fireworks for the first time in the festival’s history, wanting to get home and out of his wet clothes. The hot shower did not help the shivering.
His hands prickled as he loaded logs into the fireplace in his study. The thought of building a fire in August seemed odd, yet he was willing to do anything to get warm. As the flames crackled the dry logs, Oxnard took his snifter of brandy and bundled up with his favorite fringed blanket.
He stared at the fire and sipped the golden liquid, feeling it warm the places the fireplace heat could not reach. His sister, Beatrice, popped into his mind, accompanied by thoughts of her incessant haranguing a
