by Ellen Hart
“You really love those dogs, don’t you,” said Leslie. It was a statement, not a question.
“They’re my family.”
“I’m beginning to understand that. Will you call me, too, let me know how Mouse is doing?”
“Of course. I’m really sorry about our dinner tonight.”
“Don’t give it another thought. We’ve got time. At least, I hope we do.”
“So, does that mean you’re not so angry at what I did last night that you never want to see me again?”
She laughed. “Hardly. I’m just trying to figure out who you are. I learned long ago that trying to change someone is impossible.”
“So there will be a romantic dinner in our future?”
“Many, I hope, if I have anything to say about it.”
As they stood between Leslie’s Audi and one of the catering vans, another van drove up and parked. Three men got out, each with a cleaning caddy, and headed around the side of the house.
“There’s so much I want to show you,” said Leslie, reaching for Jane’s hands.
“That’s a question of mine: How does the world-traveling Leslie Anne Harrow spend her free time?”
“Truthfully, I walk.”
Jane hadn’t expected that. “As in … hike?”
“No, just regular old walks. And drives. I’ve spent the last few years visiting all the small towns in the area. So, for instance, I can take you on an architectural walk, show you the historic buildings that fascinate me. All the strange doors. I adore old doors. I have hundreds of pictures of doors from all over the world. I can take you on a local garden tour, show you all of our wonderful summer gardens. Then there are the lake walks. Oh, and we can’t forget the simple town walk, just strolling around a town, visiting favorite shops. We could do the ten-best-bakeries tour. Or the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants tour. And the dive bars. So many to choose from.”
Jane laughed. “I want to do all of them.”
“The ordinary, the familiar, they’re magical. That’s what I learned on my travels. I don’t have to travel to Borneo to find beauty or meaning.”
Squeezing Leslie’s hands, Jane said, “You’re magical.” She wanted to do more than just hold hands, but felt she needed to respect Leslie’s boundaries, especially with all the catering people wandering around.
Leslie seemed to have no such qualms. She wrapped Jane in her arms and kissed her. “Maybe we can extend that magic to us,” she whispered.
Jane wanted that, too, whatever it meant, wherever it led. She wanted it more than she could say.
ALSO BY ELLEN HART
Twisted at the Root
A Whisper of Bones
Fever in the Dark
The Grave Soul
The Old Deep and Dark
Taken by the Wind
Rest for the Wicked
The Lost Women of Lost Lake
The Cruel Ever After
The Mirror and the Mask
Sweet Poison
The Mortal Groove
Night Vision
The Iron Girl
An Intimate Ghost
Immaculate Midnight
No Reservations Required
Death on a Silver Platter
The Merchant of Venus
Slice and Dice
Hunting the Witch
Wicked Games
Murder in the Air
Robber’s Wine
The Oldest Sin
Faint Praise
A Small Sacrifice
For Every Evil
The Little Piggy Went to Murder
A Killing Cure
Stage Fright
Vital Lies
Hallowed Murder
About the Author
ELLEN HART, named the 2017 Mystery Writers of America’s Grandmaster and the recipient of the 2020 Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement, is the author of more than thirty mysteries. Entertainment Weekly has called her “a top novelist in the cultishly popular gay mystery genre.” She has won multiple Minnesota Book Awards and has been nominated twenty-three times for the Lambda Literary Award, Winning six. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her partner of forty years. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Cast of Characters
Epigraph
Sam
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Kurt
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Kurt
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Kurt
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Sam
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Dave
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Also by Ellen Hart
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
IN A MIDNIGHT WOOD. Copyright © 2020 by Ellen Hart. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover illustration by Teresa Fasolino
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Hart, Ellen, author.
Title: In a midnight wood / Ellen Hart.
Description: First edition. | New York : Minotaur Books, 2020. | Series: Jane Lawless mysteries; 27
Identifiers: LCCN 2020012779 | ISBN 9781250308443 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250308450 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Lawless, Jane (Fictitious character)—Fiction. | Women detectives—Minnesota—Minneapolis—Fiction. | Murder—Investigation—Fiction. | Lesbians--Fiction. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3558.A6775 I5 2020 | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020012779
eISBN 9781250308450
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: 2020
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