Delaney Roberts is back in this second book in Deborah Milton's mystery series. It's Christmas time in New England and Delaney is bored to tears with her mundane life with three young boys and a CPA husband. All that changes the moment she discovers a very special package left in the back of her Suburban...a newborn baby girl. As this story of deception and betrayal unfolds, Delaney realizes that yet another crime has occurred. A crime of theft. It happened the moment she looked into the eyes of this little baby. Delaney's heart had been captured and completely stolen away.

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Read an Excerpt...
Joy to the World?
by Deborah Milton

CHAPTER ONE
"Rain!" Frustrated, I flicked the windshield wiper speed up as far as it would go."Why does it have to be rain?" I continued to mutter under my breath as my wheels found yet another puddle of icy slush, splashing the mixture of half-frozen water and mud up onto the sides and front of my maroon Suburban. Rain. There was nothing worse than rain in New England...in December, just two weeks before Christmas. I turned the corner into my neighborhood and sighed. It just didn't feel like Christmas somehow. And now, with this weather, it just made everything seem even less festive. I suppose being the mother of three smallish boys had something to do with the pervasive tiredness I felt, but it didn't necessarily explain my overall depression. I guess a better way to describe how I was feeling was numb, just numb. Nothing seemed to be able to reach through the fog I was walking around in. I saw all the holiday decorations and could mentally tag them as pretty, but they failed to lift my spirits as in seasons past. I heard all the Christmas carols and good wishes of all those around, but none of it seemed to really penetrate into my heart this year. The sermons at church, filled with remembrances of the birth of the Christ child all sounded trite and repetitive. The buying of presents and the wrapping of those same presents, instead of bringing the delight of years gone by, were just more chores to do before I could finally lay my weary head down to rest at the end of each long day. My annual buying and delivering of Christmas presents to the needy families of Woonsocket, from which I was just returning, had been just another job this year, as well. I had always gotten such joy from this outreach to the community. Even the laughter of my children, usually such a delight to my ears no matter how tired or sick I was, made me want to clap my hands over my ears and run into another room. I shook my head. I should have been so happy, so filled with joy. What was wrong with me? I turned the car into my driveway. The sounds of the wind and rain cut off abruptly as I entered the sanctuary of my garage. I turned off the car and removed the keys from the ignition. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the headrest. Blessed quiet. The only noise was the muffled sound of the pounding rain as it hit the rooftop. I took another deep breath, stretching out this moment alone. Another wave of unreasonable sadness swept over me, bringing a dampness to my eyes that I had become accustomed to over the past few months. A deep sense of melancholy sent a dull ache echoing throughout my body. I felt as if I were one hundred years old. I was only thirty. The funny thing was no one else knew what I was going through. I felt too stupid and too unable to express how I was feeling to talk to anyone about it. I hadn't even mentioned it to Francine Carter, my closest neighbor and friend. It was because I knew I had nothing to complain about. My life was great. I knew that. I had an incredible husband who adored me and our three boys: Isaac, six; Nate, almost three; and Elijah, who had just celebrated his first birthday this past October. Charley's job as one of the most sought after accountants in the greater Boston area provided us with sufficient income to allow me to stay home and be a full-time mother to our children. I hated to think that perhaps I was simply bored with life, that things had become too predictable. Suddenly, my melancholy thoughts were interrupted by a slight rustling noise. I held the breath I had just taken. What was that? I was alone in my car, alone in the garage. In fact, there was no one even in my house at the moment. Charley wouldn't be home for another hour and the boys were across the street with Frannie. So, then what was that noise? Perhaps, I had imagined it. No, there it was again. A very distinct rustling sound was coming from the back end of the Suburban. I froze, my heart racing, my mind running in circles. I strained my ears and shifted my eyes toward the rearview mirror, hoping to spy whatever, or whoever, was in the back of my car. I had loved the room in this vehicle from the moment I had driven it off the lot, but at that moment, I was wishing for a model with a few less dark corners in which a person could hide, if they so desired. I couldn't see a thing without moving my head. I was too afraid to move. I was too frightened to do anything but sit there and breathe in small, tight breaths. The next few moments stretched out. The only sound was the steady pounding of the rainstorm outside. I waited a few more minutes before I decided that I had to do something. I slowly inched my hand toward the door handle by my side. If I opened my door, the overhead light would come on. Maybe then, I would be able to see just who, or what, was in my car. I clutched my keys in my hand, arranging them to ensure easy access to the house door key. Sucking in one more deep, quiet breath, I tightened my fingers around the handle. Gathering what little courage I had, I suddenly yanked on the lever, flung open the door, slid out of the car, and crouched down below window level, heart pounding wildly. I sidled, crab-like toward the door of the house, never taking my eyes off the car, the interior of which was now well lit by the dome light. Curious. There was still no sign of anyone or anything. I paused in my journey toward the house, listening. Nothing. I waited, counting silently in my head. Several minutes passed. Still no noise. I began to think I had imagined the whole thing. Almost laughing aloud with relief, I rose slowly to an upright position, still never taking my eyes off the inside of my car. Now standing, I peered on tiptoe for a better view into the recesses of the back compartment. Funny, it did look like something was there, but, not a person. It was the wrong shape. It almost looked like it was one of the bags I had been delivering that afternoon. "Oh, for Pete's sake," I said, loudly into the silence, shaking my head. "Delaney, you've done it this time." I laughed out loud as my body flooded with relief. I had obviously simply forgotten to deliver one of the bags of presents. The boxes must have been settling as the car came to a stop in the garage, causing the noise I had heard. Feeling rather silly, but immensely relieved, I walked over and unlocked the tailgate so I could check which bag I had overlooked. I would have to make another trip out tomorrow morning. I was just too tired tonight. "Well, that's odd," I said, my voice echoing eerily in the garage. My hand froze in the act of lowering the tailgate. Even without touching it, I could see that the bag sitting in my car was not one of the ones I had picked up from the agency that afternoon. For one thing, it was a large, cloth bag of some sort; maybe a laundry bag. It was loosely tied, very dirty, and, it was moving. I felt a little numb as my hand reached out, almost of its own volition, and gently dragged the bag toward me. The wriggling increased and was now accompanied by an unmistakable sound. Hands trembling, I untied the top of the bag and uncovered what I now expected to find. Someone had left us something very special this Christmas season. I reached down and picked up the little bundle. Cradled in my arms, as if it belonged there, was a baby, ...a very real, very new, and very beautiful baby.