Dorothy Lundegaard and her brother John spent Thanksgiving 1936 in different cities. And they spent Thanksgiving 1935 grieving their father. All Dottie wants is for Thanksgiving 1937 to be a little better. A simple meal with her brother. That's all she longs for.

But even a simple meal costs money. And money is something the Lundegaard siblings always have too little of.

Then a friend from Dottie's past comes to Lundegaard Investigations for help with a family problem. The same long lost cousin keeps turning up. Uncovering which of the cousins belongs at the family table in time for the holiday presents a challenge. But when the reward is a family dinner of their own, the Lundegaards rise to meet it.

"The Bad Penny," a short story in the continuing Dorothy Lundegaard Mysteries.