Gold Frankincense And Morphine – Winnie Frolik (1)

Such a magical time of year, don’t you think?” “Of course,” she agreed amiably. Shaefer gave out a huff that sounded suspiciously like “Bah! Humbug!”, which Miss Ross thought unworthy on his part. Even though she didn’t celebrate Christmas any more than Shaefer did, she still found the presence of decorations reassuring. It was a sign, after all, that this was a proper, respectable, English sort of establishment as opposed to whatever the devil sort of place The Jug and Bottle had been. Miss Ross’s mood was further brightened when Mrs. Crockett, upon learning she hadn’t had a proper supper, immediately offered to make her up a sandwich.

Having noted the lack of wedding rings on either Shaefer or Miss Ross’s hand, it was a great relief to Mrs. Crockett that the newcomers themselves insisted on separate bedrooms. For the further sake of propriety, she deliberately chose rooms which were not side by side. * They were up the next morning before it was even fully light out to continue their drive.

The surrounding countryside was now blanketed in white, rather like a glazed gingerbread coat. “It’s quite picturesque, isn’t it, with the snow?” Miss Ross noted. “Just makes it harder to drive,” Shaefer observed morosely. He then voiced a thought that had been weighing on his mind for some time.

“Don’t tell me you actually like the Christmas season?” “Actually, I do!” Miss Ross answered defiantly. “But you’re a Jew! It’s their holiday not ours.” “But we Rosses try to pass as Gentiles,” she reminded him as Shaefer groaned. “What? It’s proven a very good survival strategy over the years. And one thing that helps you pass is celebrating Christmas. It’s a lot easier than attending weekly church sermons, that’s for sure.” “Or volunteering at the vicarage rummage sale,” Shaefer remarked drily. “Precisely. Besides, you must admit it’s all rather pretty, isn’t it?

The lights and trees and so forth. There’s a lot of good food, and I quite like exchanging gifts. And so much of what the English call traditional Christmas isn’t really Christian at all, is it? Traditions rather from the pagan days when they celebrated the Winter Solstice. So, I can get away with celebrating figures like Father Christmas, snow fairies, and woodland elves without even mentioning that bloody manger at all.”

“That is true,” Shaefer admitted. “Not to mention how many traditions the English stole from Germany thanks to their beloved Prince Albert. Funny, though, they never got into Krampus, did they?” “Krampus?” Miss Ross was confused. “A horned goat man who goes around at Christmas time not to reward but to punish. He whips bad children with the birch rod.” “Sounds ghastly,” Miss Ross pronounced.

© 2025 Winnie Frolik Cover Art © 2025 Jaycee DeLorenzo Published in December 2025 by NineStar Press, New Mexico, USA. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher.

To request permission and all other inquiries, contact NineStar Press at [email protected]. Also available in Print, ISBN: 978-1-64890-911-5 WARNING: This book contains the death of a secondary character, murder, references to medical procedures. OceanofPDF.com Gold, Frankincense, and Morphine Mary Grey Mysteries, Book Five Winnie Frolik OceanofPDF.com To everyone like Greta and Franz who’s needed to leave home for safety elsewhere.

OceanofPDF.com ​Prologue “That is my ambition, to have killed more people—more helpless people— than any man or woman who has ever lived.” Jane Toppan, otherwise known as Jolly Jane, who confessed to murdering thirty-one people Once more the murderer felt the old excitement rising. The anticipatory joys of plotting another killing. Other people talked about power in terms of money and politics, and other people were idiots.

For the murderer had long ago discovered that the truest, purest form of power lay in taking human lives. To look at a room full of people stupidly going about their inane meaningless days and know yourself to be the wolf among the sheep, so cleverly disguised in false lambskin. There was no shortage of potential victims at their disposal.

Indeed, the sheer opportunities for killing were a source of occasional giddiness to the killer who sometimes toyed with the notion of a mass slaying. It would be so easy. They could literally fill the halls with corpses with but a single stroke. They could imagine the headlines blaring in every paper in the British Empire. Hospital of Death! Horrific Massacre Shocks England! They could outdo Jack the Ripper in fame just as they’d already outdone him in body count.

But their own natural prudence dictated otherwise. When all was said and done, Jack the Ripper had been nothing more than a butcher with a penchant for self-promotion. The killer knew themselves to be something far grander. Instead of gluttonously consuming an entire box of chocolates and making themselves sick in the process, a true connoisseur will savor them slowly over time.

It made you savor the decadent sweetness all the more. To appreciate a good wine, you sip it delicately not swill it down in a single gulp. That was what differentiated true gourmands from philistines. And then there was the joy of selection. It was the murderer’s choice— and their choice alone—that ultimately decided who lived and who died. Such a heady decision and the murderer always gave it careful thought.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 06ee986e5659122b
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,929,673 bytes (1.84 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9781648909108, 9781648909115
• Pages: 228
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 280.25 minutes
• Total Words: 56,050
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