“Coming,” she called brightly.No sooner had she opened the door than she was enfolded in a warm hug. “Mary, darling, it’s so good to see you,” her mother, Margaret, said.Mary placed her head on her mother’s shoulder and just enjoyed the sweet comfort of the hug. There was nothing better than a mother’s embrace. “I’ve missed you too, Ma,” she replied.“Oh, well, I see you do still have a car,” her mother replied wryly, stepping back and smiling into the face of her daughter. “Is it too far a drive from Freeport to Chicago?”Mary slipped her arm around her mother’s shoulder and led her into the house. “Well, I have been a wee bit busy lately,” she said, “Solving murder mysteries, chasing serial killers, taking care of Clarissa and planning a wedding. You know, the usual things.”“Excuses, excuses,” her mother teased, wrapping her arm around Mary’s waist. “And do you have time for a cup of tea?”“It just so happens I have a pot steeping right now,”
