The Brass Key — Francis Swann

A young girl steps off a bus in a small Maine town and claims to be the granddaughter of the richest man in town. Seeking to find the truth about her father, she is stonewalled by everyone, with her only clue a brass key.

Anne Dunham comes to Seco, Maine, on an affair of honor and finds an affair of the heart. In seeking to restore her father's reputation, she must fight her grandfather, who has branded him a murderer. Her way is cased by the young lawyer who falls in love with her and relinquishes the Dunhams' patronization for her cause. The non-talking townsfolk, a former portrait painter, a feeble-minded sanitarium inmate and the inevitable clue lead to guilt placed at another door. Despite the snow scene, little chill in the air. Comfortable.