After newspaperman Jim Qwilleran began working at the Daily Fluxion, Fanny Klingenschoen, a
friend of his late mother, wrote
to Qwill, and the two began corresponding. “Aunt Fanny,” as Qwill called her when he was a little boy, offers her “nephew” the use of her cabin by the late in Moose County, a place that is four hundred miles north of everywhere. Qwill wants to see Aunt Fanny again, and seriously considers the offer, and not only using his vacation time, but taking a leave of absence from the paper and writing a book.
Arch Riker, Qwill’s best
friend and an editor at the Flux, does his best to persuade Qwill not to go because he knows that the managing editor has a plum new assignment that is right up Qwill’s alley. But Qwill resists the temptation. When Qwill learns that he and the rest of the tenants where he lives are going to have to move because the landlord has just sold the property, he decides for sure to go to Moose County.
With his mind firmly set on going, Qwill stops at a used car lot and buys a car. He doesn’t care about the color, or whether the transmission is standard or automatic because he can drive anything. All that matters to him is that the care get good mileage (he is Scottish), and be long enough to accommodate his long legs in the front of the car and the cat’s litter box on the floor of the back seat at the same time. This was
obviously more important to Qwill than it was to the cats because they refused to use it until after they arrived at the cabin.
Yum Yum made sure that Qwill took time to enjoy the scenery by howling Siamese profanity every time he went faster than 40 miles per hour.
When Qwill and the cats finally arrive at Aunt Fanny’s Qwill is impressed with the elaborate mansion and her flamboyant clothing. She’s nearly ninety and still wears make-up. Qwill talks briefly with her, and promises to join her for lunch or dinner soon, but at the moment he’s anxious to get the cats to the cabin.
Sometime later, while fishing on a foggy day, Qwill nearly reels in a dead body. The captain of the fishing boat cuts the line, and pretends there was nothing out of the ordinary, and then hurries back to the dock. A retired police officer who can’t stop being a cop would have been interested in Qwill’s experience, but is killed before Qwill thinks to tell him about it.
Qwill and his visiting lady friend from down below have a memorable lunch with Aunt Fanny. The next day Aunt Fanny takes a fatal fall down a flight of stairs. Obviously the elderly lady allowed someone to get close to her who was not worthy of her trust.
Now in this rural paradise, Qwill has three mysterious deaths to explain, and he also needs to find Aunt Fanny’s will. During the search he learns many fascinating things about Aunt Fanny before Koko finally leads him to the will.
Since his hostess is now deceased, Qwill assumes that her lawyers will either evict him or charge rent. Arch Riker calls to tell him that the Daily Fluxion wants him to be their new investigative reporter, an assignment Qwill has always wanted. The Flux’s competition calls and give him a better offer. It seems that his vacation is almost over. But James Mackintosh Qwilleran is in for the surprise of his life.