Carlotta sighs. “Sorry to say it, kid, but it looks as if curses believe in you.”
Keelie leans her head on my shoulder for a moment. “Try not to think about it, Lottie.”
“That’s right,” Carlotta chirps. “Think about something that makes you happy—like that murder that happened last night. Who’s the first suspect on your hit list?”
I frown her way a moment. “First, murder does not make me happy. Second, I’d ixnay the use of the term hit list, especially since I may or may not still be on the hook for accidentally putting a hit out on Noah. And third, I have a few people I’d love to speak with. But I’d really like to start with a woman whose name I don’t even know.” A swell of emotions hits me all at once. “I guess that means I’m losing my investigative mojo.”
“Aww.” Keelie wraps me in a firm embrace. “I’ll still love you, even if you never solve another case again.”
Carlotta nods. “Foxy and Sexy will appreciate the heck out of it, too. They spent all morning trying to figure out how to stop you from meddling in this one. So who’s this mystery suspect, Lot?”
“She was a tall brunette dressed as an elf. She and the victim were having a few tense exchanges, and then I saw Gloria haul off and smack the poor woman right over the face. I’m betting that put the elf in a killer mood.”
Carlotta chuckles. “If you go meddling in this case, you might actually winnow out the real killer. If you let Foxy and that Detective Fairbanks take the wheel, they might actually put Suze Fox away for good and throw away the key.”
Keelie gasps. “She’s as good as your mother-in-law, Lottie. I don’t know. As much as I want to say I’d save Bear’s mother, I might just opt to let the sheriff’s department handle the case and see where it gets me.”
Those nasty words Suze said about me last night come to the forefront of my mind.
“So what if Suze doesn’t approve of me or even like me? She’s Noah’s mother and perhaps my baby’s grandmother. The last thing I want to give my child is the legacy of having a grandparent in the pokey. I’m not solving this case for Suze. I’m solving it for my unborn child. And my sudden hankering for fried pickles with a side of justice.”
Carlotta squints out at the wall behind me. “Say, did that mystery elf have short brown hair that fringed her forehead and round button eyes?”
“Yes!” I say. “Do you know her?”
“She’s the one that helped me close out my deal on that Van Ugh I bought.”
“Van Ugh sounds about right.” Although Evie called it a Van Gauche, technically both are correct. “So did you get her name?”
“Her nametag read Elf Elodie.”
“Elodie.” I nod as I say it. “A unique name like that will make her twice as easy to track down.”
Carlotta grunts, “Plus, she’s a member of that Christmas cult Suze belongs to.”
“The Christmas Angels!” I gasp. “Why didn’t I think of that? Keelie? You don’t think this baby is eating my brain for breakfast, do you?”
“Yup.” She toasts me with a gingerbread cookie. “Welcome to motherhood, Lottie. First, they steal your brain cells, then they steal your body.”
“Great.” I take up a gingerbread man myself and bite his head off.
“Candles!” Carlotta bellows it out as if she was trying to clear the building. “Come and get your red-hot Christmas gifts! Buy one candle get an eggnog trifle for free!” She winks my way. “Don’t worry, Lot. For what I’m charging, I’ll be able to pay you back for the trifle and we’re still making a killing.”
The entire room flocks this way, and soon Carlotta is raking in the green and I’m almost clear out of my eggnog trifles. I think I’ll put together a platter of Christmas cookies and head over to my mother’s B&B. There’s a certain ex-mother-in-law I’m anxious to speak to.
First, I’m going to track down Elodie, and then I’m going to track down the killer—unless, of course, they’re one and the same.
One thing is for sure, this baby’s potential grandmother isn’t going up the river for a homicide she didn’t commit.
And neither Noah nor Everett can stop me from serving up a side of justice with my eggnog trifle this Christmas.
Nothing can stop me.
Except maybe a bullet to the back.
And that’s exactly what stopped Gloria Abner.
But why?
Chapter 5
The Honey Hollow Bed and Breakfast is a stately building, an oversized white mansion complete with large column pillars that drop down on an expansive porch. And each one of those columns happens to be wrapped in garland and bright red bows. The inside is spacious and yet warm and cozy, thanks to my mother’s heavy handed holiday decorating. A large evergreen sits in the entry, festooned from top to bottom with ornaments and twinkle lights. The walls are covered with dark mahogany, and there’s a sweeping staircase to the right, which leads to innumerous rooms upstairs. Just a few years ago, my mother attached a glass conservatory to the back of the inn, and it’s been the epicenter of many a gatherings—and many a debacle ever since, but that’s another story.
Carlotta called ahead and found out that Suze was hosting a meet and greet of some kind this afternoon, so we took it upon ourselves to crash the shindig. Of course, I upped the number of Christmas cookies and eggnog trifles in keeping with the party theme.
To my surprise, Noah steps out of the conservatory and heads this way.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I say before he has a chance to wrap his arms around me.
Carlotta takes the tray from my hands. “I’ll make the delivery, Lot. Take your time with Foxy. I’ll hold off Suze in the event the two of you want to find a dark corner to play kiss and make up.”
Noah’s brows bounce. “Sounds good to me.”
“Very funny,” I say as we step toward the Christmas tree. “What are you doing here? You’re not making Everett move all that furniture on his own, are you?”
He shoots me a look, and it’s then I notice a dark twinge blooming around his left eye.
“Oh, Noah.” I gently brush my fingers over it and he winces.
“I’m fine. I was checking in on my mom, then I was just about to pick up a pizza and head back to the house. It’s not ready yet or I would have called you.”
“Is Everett making you buy his lunch after he beat you up?”
“You’re hilarious. And for your information, I got in a few good punches myself.” He glowers at the tree a moment. “On second thought, I shouldn’t have done that. He’ll probably make you kiss all his booboos later.”
He’s right, but I won’t admit to it.
Noah places his hand over my blooming belly.
“Feel any kicks today?” His cheek flickers with disappointment as the little sugar cookie baking in there decides to lay low.
“Sorry. But as soon as I feel something else, I’ll let you know. I’ve only felt it twice, once I was tossed in the back of that sheriff’s cruiser and right after I fired that gun. And I only did that to send you running. Hey? I just thought of something. Did you hear the first gunshot?”