Bump And Rake

A foundry about to fall. A witness about to talk. A small-town cozy mystery with a past someone will kill to keep. The demolition crews are arriving at Corliss Foundry, and Corliss Landing is gathering its memories before the old walls come down. Retired night foreman Chet Vroman has something more than a memory to contribute. After years of being ignored, he is ready to explain what he saw around the unsolved 1974 payroll robbery. He never gets the chance. Chet is found dead at home, and a door that opens too cleanly makes locksmith Rachel Harlow question the familiar story of a tragic fall. Break-ins around the empty foundry houses suggest a new way through old locks. A missing notebook suggests someone wanted more than pocket change. And Rachel's father has left marks in the family Ledger that she is finally beginning to understand. With Nate Brandt helping follow the evidence—and facing a decision about his own future—Rachel must confront the possibility that the town's oldest unanswered question reaches into her family. The people she has trusted all her life may know more than they have ever admitted. Before the foundry becomes rubble, can Rachel recover the truth somebody is still willing to bury? Bump and Rake is Book Nine of The Master Key Mysteries, bringing modern lock clues, autumn atmosphere, family loyalty, and the long-running foundry mystery into a clean, deeply personal whodunit. For readers who love: • An old payroll robbery colliding with a new suspicious death • Physical clues that challenge a convincing cover story • A daughter unraveling the meaning of her father's records • Small-town history and a romance at a crossroads