Eggnog Cream & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 12
Page 7
“I kept coming back to who would have known about the secret maps,” Heather said.
“We thought it was only Kris King. That’s the name of the secret Santa, by the way,” Amy said. “But he really doesn’t want his identity revealed. Anyway, we thought it was him or you that knew.”
“But it didn’t feel right that either of you were the killer,” Heather said. “Why would you have told us about the code and make us suspect you? And why would Kris King have only sought out Ben Grimes to kill? So, I realized that there had to be someone else who knew about the cards too. Your editor had access to the information.”
“But why did he kill Ben Grimes?” Hope asked.
“This was something that Ryan found out for me,” Heather said. “There needed to be a connection between him and the victim if he were the killer.”
"And the lady whose dog got bit told us that the reporter she spoke to, who turned out to be Dennis Black, was very excited to run this story," Amy said. "She thought it was because of the funny headline."
“It was a funny headline,” Hope said, quietly.
"But that's not why he was excited. He wanted to shame Ben Grimes in the hopes that he would move away," Amy said.
“But why?” asked Hope.
“Because he owns the building next to Ben Grimes’s house. He’s the landlord that was losing money because renters didn’t want to stay next to such an unpleasant man,” Heather said.
"How come I never knew this?" Hope asked. "Am I a bad reporter?"
“Dennis Black hid all this,” Heather said. “He decided a while ago that he needed to get rid of his neighbor, but he had to wait until the right moment so he wouldn’t be a suspect.”
“We spent so much time chasing Santa that we weren’t focusing as much on who had a hidden motive to kill the guy,” said Amy.
“You’re sure it’s him?” Hope asked.
“Remember when we asked him who the landlord of the neighbor’s house was and he said he couldn’t remember?” Amy asked. “It’s pretty difficult to forget that you are the landlord.”
“And Ryan is looking for a link between Dennis Black and the toxin that was used to kill Ben Grimes,” Heather said. “He was very close. And as soon as he finds it, he’s going to arrest him.”
“Oh dear,” Hope said, realizing. “Dennis is still here. Do you think he heard us?”
There was a commotion down the hall, and they strongly suspected that he had heard them. They ran out of the room and saw Dennis Black leaving the building.
“He’s going to get away,” Amy said.
They chased him outside, worried that the killer was going to escape. However, Ryan and Detective Peters had pulled up in the nick of time.
Peters was putting cuffs on Dennis Black and said, “See? I can chase down suspects too!”
“This thing with Fire Frank isn’t going die anytime soon, is it?” Heather asked.
“Nope,” Amy agreed.
Ryan took over and started reading Dennis Black his rights. They watched as he was put in the police car.
“Another case closed,” Amy said. “Should we get some donuts?”
“Wait,” Hope said. “If the case is closed, this means I get my exclusive now, doesn’t it?”
Heather and Amy stifled their groans.
A Very Merry Christmas
“Open mine next,” Amy insisted.
“Okay,” Heather said, relenting.
She was happy that everyone had gathered around her Christmas tree that afternoon. Lilly and Nicolas had woken up to find many presents under the tree that morning and were playing with what they had gotten. Nicolas had been surprised that there had been so many presents for him and kept saying he didn't know how he would fit them on the plane home with him. His favorite gift was from Lilly though. It was a fun new case for his tablet that the two of communicated on when they were far apart.
Lilly and Nicolas had written a holiday play as a gift for everyone, and they would be performing it that night. Heather was very excited about the performance.
Lilly had loved all of her gifts, but two of them stood out. One was the hand-painted piggy bank that Nicolas had made for her. The other was all the pink writing tools that her parents had gotten for her to complement the pink typewriter that she wrote her stories on.
Dave and Cupcake were sporting their new holiday collars but were more excited about the promise of holiday donuts to come.
Miss Marshmallow, Jamie, and Amy were seated nearby, and Amy was watching excitedly as Heather opened up the gift she got for her.
“You did make me something!” Heather said, admiring the ornament that Amy had created. She was pleased to have something else to add to the tree and promptly did, putting it in a prominent spot.
"Yeah. I had to tell you I wouldn’t have time to make anything so you wouldn’t expect anything fancy,” Amy said.
“It is fancy,” Heather said, hugging her friend. “It’s beautiful.”
They heard a knock at the door, and the dogs barked excitedly.
“That must be Eva and Leila,” Heather said. “They were coming back after the breakfast at the senior center.”
She hurried over to open the door. Eva and Leila were there but were also joined by Vincent Valentino.
“He’s not here as a date,” Eva said quickly. “But he looked so pitiful not having any plans on Christmas that we invited him over.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” Vincent said, following her inside.
“There’s a package out here,” Leila said. “Do you think Santa visited?’
Heather looked at the large red box outside her door and nodded. “I think he did.”
Together, they brought the present inside.
“We don’t have to be scared of this one, do we?” Lilly asked.
"I don't think so," Heather said. "I think this is the Key West Santa telling us that he doesn't blame us for considering him a suspect and thanking us for catching the bad guy."
"Then let's open it,” Lilly said, excitedly.
Heather smiled. They ripped off the red wrapping paper and saw the present inside. It was a popcorn-making machine, shaped like the old ones found in movie theaters.
“He certainly knows us,” Eva said. “This looks like the perfect present for our movie nights.”
“And that’s why it’s exactly what I wanted for Christmas,” Heather said. “Because all I really wanted was to spend time with all of you.”
Ryan hugged his wife close.
Amy smiled. “But if sure doesn’t hurt if there are holiday movies, popcorn and donuts involved?”
“Exactly,” said Heather. “Merry Christmas!”
The End.
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About the Author
Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.
Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters.
Get in Touch with Susan
SusanGillard.com
susan@susangillard.com
Also by Susan Gillard
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Value Boxed Sets- First Appearance of Heather & the Gang
Culinary Cozy Murder Mystery Collection - Books 1-5
Culinary Cozy Murder Mystery Collection 2 - Books 6-10
Culinary Cozy Murder Collection 4 - Books 16-20
Culinary Cozy Murder Collection 5 - Books 21-25
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