And thanks to Mayor Nash’s Santa hat campaign, along with the fresh snow that never seems to stop, every last one of us looks as if we work at the North Pole.
The Honey Hollow Public Library is festooned with its best holiday finery, with red bows and garland everywhere the eye can see. I spot Lainey seated behind her desk looking perfectly bored. There is only a smattering of patrons milling around, and most of those are mothers with toddlers in tow who have showed up early for story time.
“Here you go!” I sing while gliding a giant pink box of sweet treats across her desk. “A little something to add a little sweetness to that salty bash you’re about to have.”
“What salty bash?” She takes the box from me and lifts the lid. “Ooh, peppermint bark, my favorite.”
“You know, the office party.”
She moans and shakes her head. “That was yesterday. I forgot to tell Lily we changed the date.”
“Oh, I feel terrible! I really wanted to make it a special day for you guys.”
“No worries. We still had a great time. We all gathered after church and went out to the Wicked Wok. I’ll put these in the break room so I don’t eat them all. What else is on your agenda today? On the scent of the Rosenberg killer?” She bounces in her seat as if it were the best gossip going.
“I wish. Noah is trying to pin down their old maid so we can speak to her. A woman by the name of Magdalena Denizen. Everett’s mother heard she was working in her area.”
“Magdalena Denizen?” Lainey inches back. “I know her.”
“You know her?”
“Yup. Maggie used to come down to the library all the time while she was working there. But she’s not a maid anymore. She’s a librarian in Fallbrook.”
“What? Lainey, I have to speak with her. Do you think she’s working today?”
“She should be. She’s the head librarian, like me. If you’ve got some time, we can check it out.”
“Yes! I mean, no. If Forest finds out I took you out to shake down a suspect, he’ll wrap my entire body in garland and toss me in the river.”
“Very funny.” She reaches back and grabs her jacket. “But just because I’m married and knocked up doesn’t mean I let Forest rule over me. Besides, he would never stop me from heading to Fallbrook to visit a friend. Let me get the rest of my shift covered.”
“Perfect.” I pull out my phone, ready to text Noah everything I’ve gleaned, but then a thought hits me. Noah wouldn’t want me heading to Fallbrook to speak to her alone. But then again, I won’t be alone. Besides, Lainey sounds perfectly chummy with the woman.
Lainey comes back, and I drop my phone back into my purse and link arms with her.
“Just two ladies headed out to Fallbrook, not letting a single man tell us where we can and cannot go.”
Lainey bursts out laughing. “Hey? Speaking of men. You wouldn’t need me to pee in another cup, would you?” she teases. “Forest says I should start charging by the ounce. He’s calling it liquid gold.”
“Not funny.”
Nope, there is not one funny thing about my unexpected nonexistent bundle of joy.
Only it won’t be bringing joy to anyone.
It will bring one big heap of misery.
The drive to Fallbrook is peppered with jovial conversation of all things pink and blue. Forest is hoping for a boy and Lainey is hoping for a girl, but they would never admit that to anyone so I’m to forget I ever heard it.
I tell her about the Mistletoe Mania, and she regales me with tales of cozying up by the fire with Forest while internet shopping for adorable miniature outfits that not even my cats could fit in.
I’m beginning to think I should get knocked up for real. It does sound rather idyllic. I’d trade witnessing Lily and Naomi yanking their hair out for a fireside cuddle with my favorite detective any day of the week.
We end up at the Fallbrook Public Library quicker than anticipated, and I link arms with Lainey again as we make our way inside the polished stone building.
“Would you let go?” She tries to wriggle free. “I’m not some feeble old woman.”
“Not on your life. If you slip on the snow, it’ll be my fault. And I can’t risk a thing happening to that baby. It’s the only real one we’ve got in the family.”
We step into the warm building, only to meet with intricate art pieces made of glass and mosaic. The floors are marble and the walls are covered in expansive oil paintings, and that’s just the foyer. The interior of the library is spacious and airy, a double story doozie with rows and rows of books that look as if they go on for miles. The warm scent of parchment greets us with its sweetness, and immediately I feel warm and fuzzy all over. If I wasn’t a baker, I would have been a librarian for sure.
The librarians behind the desk up front have each donned a Santa hat, a far plusher version than the ones that Mayor Nash handed out a few weeks back, and each one is decorated with a rhinestone brooch in the shape of a snowflake.
Lainey leans in. “I haven’t been here in years. Wow. The remodel they underwent really paid off. It’s like an upscale version of where I work. Maybe I should put in for a transfer?”
“Not on your life. Fallbrook is way too far from Honey Hollow. And once the baby comes, I bet the library will feel as if it’s a million miles away. You’re not going to want to leave that precious angel.”
“You’re probably right.” She stops abruptly. “Lottie, that’s her.” She points to an older woman, about our mother’s age, removing books from a cart and shelving them. Her hair is short and wiry, and she has a serene look on her face as if she was meant to do this all along.
“Let’s go over. You can introduce me.”
Lainey pulls me along. “Maggie? Is that you?”
The older woman looks our way, and we’re met with a pair of green and yellow eyes that I feel like I’ve seen before.
“Lainey Lemon! As I live and breathe.” She throws her arms around my sister, and they exchange a hearty embrace.
“It’s Lainey Donovan now, and I’ve got a baby book in the bin,” she says, patting her tummy.
Maggie gasps with delight, and I can’t help but chuckle. That must be a librarian’s version of a bun in the oven.
“Congratulations! Can I get you anything? Some water? I think I’ve got a box of donuts in the back left over from this morning.”
“No, no. I just came to check out your selection on baby books. I’ve already plowed through the ones at my place.” She turns my way. “True story. Oh hey, Lottie, this is my old friend, Magdalena. She used to come into the library all the time and we’d talk about our favorite authors for hours. Maggie, this is my sister, Lottie. She owns the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery, the finest bakery in all of Honey Hollow.”
“The only bakery in Honey Hollow.” I shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Lainey winces. “Uh-oh. Baby on the bladder. I’ll be right back.” She makes a beeline to the bathroom, and this is my chance.
“Honey Hollow.” Maggie shakes her head wistfully. “Boy, do I have memories there. It’s a beautiful town, though. Especially this time of year.”
“Especially tonight. It’s the official tree lighting ceremony. You should stop by if you have time. Mayor Nash has the entire town in a festive fervor. I can tell it’s going to be a special event.”
“Mayor Harry Nash—now there’s a name that’s a blast from the past. I used to work at the Rosenberg mansion. I was the maid there for years.”
“Oh goodness. Did you hear the news?” I whisper those last few words, and she gives a covert nod.
“Larson is gone.” She squeezes her eyes shut tight for a moment. “She was about the same age as my girls. It’s a tragedy, but you know, I can’t say I’m too surprised. She was never that nice to my Essie and Kitty.”
I inch back. “Essie and Kitty?” My mind is grappling for something just out of reach. “You mean Esmerelda and Kitty?”
A smile glides over her
face. “Yup. Those are my girls. I’m proud of them, too.”
“You should be. They seem very down-to-earth.”
A hearty chuckle emits from her. “Goodness yes. As do you, Lottie. You know, Larson was the farthest thing from it. She was mean to me, and she was mean to my girls. They used to make fun of Esmeralda’s name and hire her out to pretend she was a fortune-teller at their highfalutin parties. Still do. Kitty got in on the act.” She shrugs. “The girls say it’s a great way to earn a little cash on the side. Kitty works as a paralegal down in Ashford. And right now, Esmeralda is between jobs. She used to manage the Horseshoe Inn out at the edge of Fallbrook until the owners closed the location.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. And I’m sorry to hear Larson was so mean-spirited to your girls. It sounds as if they found a way to make it work for them, though.”
She tosses a hand in the air. “I suppose. But I have never appreciated the way she treated my girls like a couple of circus freaks. My girls are just as smart and beautiful as any of Larson’s snobby friends.”
“What was her mother like?”
She wrinkles her nose. “Twice as bad as the daughter. But from her, I expected it. I could take what she could dish out, you know? If only I had known what a trauma that entire nightmare would have been for my girls, I never would have taken the job to begin with. Essie once told me she’d never felt good enough for anyone, and she could point the finger right at Larson for telling her it was true.”
My heart aches just hearing it.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did Mrs. Rosenberg die?” Of course, I already know, but I’d love to hear it from an eyewitness, and I know I’ve got one. Or at least I think do.
“Fire poker to the head.” She shrugs before leaning in. “Or so they think. I saw her that evening. She was staggering around, complained that her chest felt tight. She was arguing on the phone with someone—probably that lover she took. He wasn’t the nicest to her.”
“And then what happened?”
“You know, she didn’t drink. Never touched the stuff, but she was slurring her words. Anyway, the next thing I knew, she said something about heading to the library. I was worried about her, so I followed along. Larson had some friends over that afternoon. They were out by the pool. I crept up to the library slowly and heard voices escalating. It sounded like two women, but I saw the shadow of someone stretching into the hall and I couldn’t tell if it was a woman or a man. I peered in, and sure enough she was already on the floor. I called 911 right away.” She shudders. “By the time I turned around, I saw Larson and a friend of hers standing there. Larson looked unfazed, but her friend looked as if she was going to be sick. The poor girl had a hard time recovering.” She motions to her head.
“That does sound traumatic.”
I’m assuming the girl she’s talking about is Ella.
Funny. Ella didn’t mention that Larson saw it, too. In fact, she denied seeing it herself.
“I wonder if Larson saw her mother getting killed?”
She shrugs. “Who would know? The girl never shed a tear. They said she was in shock, but I knew better. She was missing a ticker, if you know what I mean.”
Unfortunately, I do know what she means.
“Can I ask you something else?” I wince in fear she’ll catch onto me. I am interrogating her, after all.
“Anything.” She picks up another book off the cart.
“You said the guy she was having an affair with wasn’t the nicest to her. Do you think he could have done it?”
Her lips purse as she considers this. “For years I thought it was so. I mean, it seemed obvious, but as time went on, I began to doubt this. He was too into himself. You know the type, always needing to be pawed over. He liked the attention a pretty girl could bring. He was obnoxious but not controlling. Sort of like Mayor Harry Nash. Do you know what I mean?”
I make a face. “I know exactly what you mean.”
Lainey comes back, and we wrap up our visit. I thank Maggie and tell her that it was a pleasure to meet her.
That night all of Honey Hollow gathers at the end of Main Street in Town Square for the official lighting of the Christmas tree.
I tell both Noah and Everett what I gleaned today, and neither is too happy that I went ahead and spoke to this woman without any backup—without Ethel, my trusty Glock they chipped in to buy me.
Everyone we know has come out this evening to join the festivities. Alex has Naomi on one arm and Lily on the other. Keelie and Bear are snuggled up like two ladybugs in a rug. My mother is here with both Topper and Royce Rosenberg, and that alone sends a shiver up my spine. There’s Meg and Hook, Carlotta and both Cat and Connie wearing Santa hats complete with fuzzy white beards. Suze, Noah’s mother, even came out to see the spectacle, as did Greer, Winslow, Lea, Thirteen, and Rudolph.
Mayor Nash’s family is front and center, my three newly discovered half-siblings, Finn, my brother—who is still dating Britney— and Kelleth and Aspen, my new sisters, and even Chrissy and her new beau, Flip.
Mayor Nash leans into the microphone to do the countdown, and we all shout along with him.
And then, poof, our little corner of Vermont glows with a million dazzling twinkle lights. And it’s a beautiful, beautiful sight.
“Merry Christmas, Lottie.” Noah pulls me in close and lands a tender kiss to my lips.
“Merry Christmas, Noah.” I kiss the scruff on his cheek. “Merry Christmas, Everett.” I look his way.
“Merry Christmas, Lemon.” He gives a sly wink.
Yes, it’s a season of secrets, of murder, of liars and lies.
I can’t do much about my own deceptions, but I can sure as heck do something about those half-truths that seem to be haunting the Rosenberg mansion.
Rudolph flies around the tree as his ghostly frame lights up as bright as that evergreen, and it’s a sight to behold. A light peppering of snow begins to fall, and it only adds to the magical appeal.
Rudolph is here to see to it that Larson gets justice, and I’m going to see to it that her mother does, too.
This holiday season, I won’t allow the homicides of Christmas present or Christmas past to rule the wicked roost.
Chapter 15
“Enough is enough,” Everett growls the words out. “This has gone on far too long.”
Noah nods as he looks pensively my way. “He’s right. You have to choose, Lottie. It’s time. If you wait any longer, it will be too late. This kind of thing doesn’t last forever.”
A heavy sigh expels from me. I’ve just had a long day at the bakery and want nothing more than to soak in the tub, curl up with my cats on the sofa, and sip on hot cocoa. But they do have a point.
Everett and Noah are standing in my living room looking unfairly handsome per usual. Noah just dropped me off, and Everett happened to pull into his driveway just as we were walking up my porch.
“We’re getting you a tree, Lemon.” Everett’s lips twitch with the hint of a smile.
Both Everett and Noah seem pretty insistent about it, and I think it’s adorable. Apparently, they came up with the idea this afternoon. Noah went down to Ashford to visit the precinct and then hit the pizza shop across the street from the civic center where he ran into Everett and they had lunch together.
Noah nods my way. “Pancake and Waffles have waited all year to play with the ornaments. We can’t let them down now. Everett and I tried to settle it between us who would do it, but I decided to let him tag along.”
“In other words, you argued the entire time you were at lunch together.” That makes total sense.
Everett snarls at Noah. “He argued. I listened. Does that sound like a familiar pattern to you, Lemon?”
A tiny laugh bubbles from me.
“Hardly.” I pull back on my down coat. “Fine, I’ll get a tree tonight, but only under one condition.”
They both tip their heads in my direction.
“The two of you each get a tree, too.”
Noah shrugs. “I’m fine with it.”
I look to Everett, and he closes his eyes a moment too long before offering the hint of a nod.
“Then it’s settled,” I say, bouncing on my heels. “Off to the Jolly Holly Tree Lot we go!”
Everett leans in. The warm scent of his cologne coupled with those stormy blue eyes is simply electrifying, and it feels wrong to admit this in every single way.
“I’ve got a surprise for you when we get there.”
Noah growls.
“What kind of surprise?” I ask, hoping to shake the truth out of this handsome man.
“Now it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?”
And Everett doesn’t say a single word all the way there.
As the crow flies, the Jolly Holly Tree Lot isn’t all that far from Country Cottage Road. But seeing that we’re not crows, we took the back road that wraps around the Evergreen Manor and leads us straight to a vast parking lot already filled with cars. But it’s not the overcrowded lot that has my attention. It’s the massive red and white circus tent that houses what seems like miles of flocked trees. The outdoor portion of the tree lot goes on for what seems like miles, and the entire expanse has twinkle lights strung up above. I’ve spent every year of my life coming here in December to pick out a tree, and each time the magic feels just as fresh as the first time—at least the first time I remember. Of course, this month I’ve already been up here at least a dozen times making cookie deliveries, but it doesn’t change the fact I’m dazzled by the glamour of the holiday upon us.
Thick strands of fresh evergreen garland decorate the periphery of the candy cane striped tent, and every few feet there’s a fat red velvet bow making its festive presence known.
Through some miracle, Noah finds a parking space near the front. Everett had offered to drive us, but Noah said we could fit three trees easily in the back of his truck. He’s right, of course. He could fit ten.
Everett helps me out and a blast of icy air hits me, penetrating right through every layer of clothing I have on.
Yule Log Eulogy Page 14
