Stolen Gift Exchange
A Story From the Christmas in Ohio Anthology Collection

 When a portrait, intended as a Christmas gift, is stolen, Honey, Loretta, and Annabelle must solve the mystery before the season comes to an end. Loretta's stolen painting of Edmund's long-lost wife will lead the trio on a merry chase when someone takes it from a locker while they are in a senior aerobics swim class. Edmund, the town's most successful businessman, planned to celebrate Christmas by giving himself the gift of a happy memory of his one true love. Her parents annulled the marriage of their too young daughter and sent her away where he could never find her again. Loretta, with help from Honey, pleads for time to redo the painting from memory before New Year's Eve. The ladies decide to make a list of suspects and mount their own investigation into finding the culprit. It seems that every suspect has an alibi or an excuse for taking some of the evidence. They finally turn to the public with a performance on Annabelle's podcast. Little does Honey know that their search may lead to an unexpected romance when Preacher Jonah is asked to help with some of their investigations. Her friends and the whole church seem to have seen an attraction that neither Jonah nor Honey noticed before. Will their meetings turn into dates? Will the mystery be solved or will Loretta complete the redone artwork before the new year? A surprising answer about who took the portrait will bring true joy to the circle of friends during this season of hope and giving. By the end there may be more than one happy couple.