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On Miss Matilda's way to Echo Lake to let her rescued pit bull, Red, take a swim in its cold, blue waters, she stumbles upon the body of Gerald Skinner. She immediately phones Sheriff McGurin and has to wait at the crime scene until he arrives. Once he and Deputy Valva appear, she continues on to Echo Lake to let Red go swimming. On the way she encounters Gerald Skinner's father Douglas out for his morning walk, causing her day to go from bad to worse. With no other choice, she's forced to tell him of her discovery of his son's body. After the father hurries down the trail to the crime scene Matilda lets Red finish his swim. Then she decides to take a different trail back to her car, one that passes by the Skinners' home atop Maple Hill. Her bad day turns into a terrible, no good day when she encounters Gerald's mother out searching for her missing dog. Thus begins the most challenging murder mystery Matilda has faced.Please Note: Fourth Volume of the the Sugar Hill Mystery Series. Approximately 51,000 words in length. It is a standalone (reading prior or future volumes not required to enjoy the book, no cliffhanger). Themes include: Cozy mystery, New Hampshire, murder, off-beat characters, brainy parrot, innkeeping, female sleuth, amateur detective, animals.