The Mysterious Christmas Phone Message
AN ARABELA CROX MYSTERY
It was a crisp Christmas Eve in Cedarwood Grove, and Jade Salton was enjoying the holiday festivities when she received an unexpected message on her phone. It was a Christmas-themed photo message from her late father, Reginald Salton, who had passed away four years ago. The phone he had used was never found. Jade’s mind raced with questions: Who could have sent the message?
In her time of need, Jade remembered her good friend, Arabela Crox, a renowned crime writer with a knack for solving mysteries. Arabella agreed to help and promptly arrived at Jade’s home. Together, they examined the message — a cheerful Christmas animation wishing Jade a Merry Christmas. Looking through the old messages on the phone, they realized the last ones were from four years ago, right before Reginald’s final fishing trip. Jade and Arabella speculated that Reginald might have lost his phone during that trip and replaced it with a new one.
Determined to uncover the truth, Arabela ventured to the lake where Reginald often went fishing. There, she encountered a group of local fishing enthusiasts who remembered Reginald well. Among them was Clive. He recalled that a fellow fishing enthusiast Robert, an elderly man in his eighties had found a phone in the lake a few days prior. Arabela went with Clive to Robert’s home to be told that Robert passed away a day before.
Robert had taken the phone home, and upon discovering that it still worked, he decided to send a Christmas message to its owner’s daughter, hoping to bring some holiday cheer. He planned to call Jade and return her father’s phone but sadly passed away before he could do so.
As Arabella pieced together the story, Jade felt a mixture of emotions. While saddened by Robert’s passing, she was deeply moved by his kindness. Thanks to Arabela’s diligent efforts, the mystery of the Christmas phone call was solved, and Jade received a touching reminder of her father’s love and the kindness of a stranger during the holiday season.
The town of Cedarwood Grove was once again filled with the warmth and joy of Christmas, and Jade cherished the unexpected connection to her father’s memory.
A sweet story