“At first glance, Edith Baxter seemed a tiny, fragile septuagenarian with slightly stooped shoulders. Wrinkles lined her pink complexion, and wisps of white dominated the auburn strands of her hair like clouds on a sunny day. However, these signs of age could not mask the vitality in her sky‑blue eyes.”
Edith Baxter, née Pontmercy, married late in life, shortly before the onset of World War II. After nearly fifteen years of marriage, her husband vanishes, leaving her alone to cope with raising two daughters. Her beloved bachelor brother invites her to stay with him in Rutland, Vermont. A few years later though, he passes away, but his legacy allows Edith to start a new life along with her daughters in Syracuse, New York. She settles into a ranch house on Stoneridge Drive.
Though her early years were a hardscrabble life, her golden years have been one of comfort. Remarkably spry and agile for her age, Edith has a sharp mind and the occasional sharp tongue. Sweet, pious, and stubborn, she has a generous nature but can be stingy with her money. She eats little but speaks her mind a lot.
After having lived alone for several years, Edith makes a momentous decision. Her eldest grandson has recently married. No longer wishing to live alone, she gifts her home to him and his new wife. She’ll visit some friends in Rutland before returning to move in with one of her daughters.
On the last night in her home on Stoneridge, Edith becomes a witness. She hears an anguished cry, two loud pops, a car door slam, and an engine roar to life. There have been troubles in the neighborhood of late. Several burglaries have occurred. Could a murder have taken place?
***
Edith Baxter is just one of the characters you’ll meet in the forthcoming Death on Stoneridge, A Syracuse Mystery, coming soon. Find out more here.
The Poisoned Martini 