Christmas Tree Catastrophe (Lily Bloom Cozy Mystery Series Book 6)

by Lyndsey Cole

  Iris shook her head. “No. I don’t believe insanity for one second. There isn’t a violent bone in Tamara’s body. She tries too hard to get everyone to like her. I suppose that’s why she never questioned Malcolm’s story about the car accident. Let’s get ready for the opening and see what can of worms we can stir up tonight.”

  ***

  At three o’clock, Lily looked out of the sunroom windows toward the library and was happy that the blue spruce’s Christmas lights were already twinkling. “Hurry up, I told Jennifer I’d meet her at three,” she yelled to her mother and sister.

  “Hold your horses. Jennifer’s a big girl, she’ll figure out what to do if we’re a little bit late.” Iris twirled around. “What do you think?”

  Lily hid a smile with the back of her hand. “You’re outfit is, well, festive.”

  “Of course, I’m festive, it’s a Christmas party, right?”

  “Actually, it’s the library opening and the Christmas season, so if you stand next to the Christmas tree, I think someone will think you’re a present.” Lily looked at the bright red wool skirt and red and green plaid sweater combination, which clashed with Iris’s purple hair. “Where did you even get your colorful outfit?”

  Iris glanced down at herself. “This has been in my closet for years, waiting for the right occasion to pull it out again. Should I change? You aren’t dressed in the Christmas spirit.”

  “Sure I am. Dark green skirt, white cashmere sweater and a hint of red in this ruby and silver necklace that Ryan gave me.”

  Daisy entered the sunroom looking elegant in her plum velvet dress and raised her eyebrows when she took in the effect of Iris’s outfit. “Are you going dressed like that Mom?” Daisy started to giggle and Lily joined in, unable to control herself any longer.

  Iris joined in the laughter. “I know, I’ll save this for Lily’s wedding.” She laughed even louder when she saw their horrified expressions. “Just kidding. I’ll go change. I certainly don’t want to embarrass you girls.”

  Returning, she had on a black skirt, red blouse and a white string of pearls. “Better?”

  Walter followed her into the sunroom with his camera. He motioned with his hands for them to move together. “Stand in front of the Christmas tree. I want a photo of all of you together in your holiday finest.” He clicked several times and checked to be sure he had a good shot with everyone’s eyes open and nice smiles. “Perfect. I’ll meet you three beautiful blooms at the library later.”

  The front entrance of the library was designed to be a replica of one of Noah Lyman’s books. As they walked up to the doorway, lights twinkled around the edges, and it felt like they were walking right into one of his mysteries. Apparently, the timer for the lights was working properly and everything sparkled with the many tiny white Christmas lights decorating every available space. Lily had seen all the decorations on Friday night but Iris and Daisy were seeing everything for the first time.

  Daisy put her plate of Christmas cookies on the table that Jennifer had set up. “This is gorgeous in here. Lights, flowers, greens and presents under the tree. Did you do all this Lily?”

  “No, lots of people helped. Let me get that for you Jennifer.” Lily pulled one folding table open and set it next to the one Jennifer already had in place. She fluffed the white tablecloth and let the cloth settle in place on the table. “Do you need help carrying anything else in?”

  Jennifer set a big punch bowl in the center of one table. “There are a few more containers in my car if you’re looking for something to do. I hope I brought enough. How many people are you expecting?”

  “The whole town will probably show up with all the drama connected to the library. You know how gossip takes on a life of its own.”

  Lily and Iris started lugging the rest of Jennifer’s food inside as she arranged her appetizers on plates and Daisy set out the desserts on another table. She popped a mini black bottom cheesecake bar into her mouth when she thought no one was looking.

  “I saw you sneak a bar, Daisy.” Jennifer wagged her finger, pretending to scold.

  With her mouth full, Daisy mumbled, “This is so good. I want to try one of everything.”

  Three musicians came in carrying their instruments, chairs and music stands. “Where do you want us to setup? We’re a little early so we can get warmed up and be playing when the guests start arriving,” a tall blond asked.

  Lily pointed to the corner. “Over next to the Christmas tree should be the best spot.

  Everything screamed out a festive atmosphere as the music softly played in the background. The four women helped themselves to glasses of eggnog, surveyed the room and sighed with relief that everything was in place just in time.

  The library door opened and Crystal and Penny pushed through yelling at each other.

  Lily rolled her eyes. Of course it was too much to expect for tonight to go without any problems, she thought. How convenient for the two of them. With Malcolm dead and Tamara in jail, they better expect to be involved in a power struggle for who should fill the void in the library hierarchy. Crystal Parker or Penny Jackson? Lily was going to keep a sharp eye on them throughout the night.

  Chapter 12

  The piano player launched into a rousing version of Jingle Bells which silenced Crystal and Penny’s argument for the moment. More town folks came through the doorway with wide eyes taking in the festive display which made the already magnificent building sparkle like it was dressed to the nines.

  Crystal made her way over to the eggnog bowl as Lily went for a refill. “You look lovely tonight, Crystal. You’re necklace is stunning. Where did you get it?”

  Crystal’s hand went to the silver reindeer hanging on a delicate silver chain around her neck. “This? Oh, it’s one of my favorites. My mother gave it to me when I turned sixteen. Unfortunately, I recently lost one of the matching earrings. Did anyone find one after we were here Friday night? That’s the last time I remember having them both.”

  “No, I’m not aware of anyone finding anything.” Lily was delighted when the guests began to stream through the door. “I expect there will be a big turnout tonight. Are you and Penny running the show since—” she paused and lowered her voice, “Malcolm and Tamara can’t be here?” She caught a fleeting twitch move across Crystal’s face before she managed to paste her smile back in place.

  “It’s such a shame that Tamara can’t be here. She always loves this type of huge event. She is so good at organizing everything perfectly.” Crystal leaned closer to Lily with her hand cupped around her mouth. “How is she managing? I can’t imagine being in her shoes, the poor thing,” Crystal asked, trying to sound sincere. “Someone told me her cellmate is a prostitute.”

  “Well, you know Tamara. She’s always thinking about everyone but herself. She is already making big plans to help her cellmate. I expect she’ll be out soon since I can’t believe for one second that she killed Malcolm.” Lily turned to stare squarely at Crystal’s face. “Do you?”

  Crystal stepped back from Lily with her mouth forming a perfect O. “She didn’t? I heard all the evidence points to her, and, well, apparently she had a motive. Everyone knew about of the constant fighting between Tamara and Malcolm.”

  Lily leaned closer and draped her arm around Crystal’s shoulders as if they were best girlfriends, not letting her walk away. “What did you hear?” Silent Night playing in the background helped cover their conversation.

  Crystal furtively glanced around the room. “Malcolm told me—”

  “Oh, there you are.” Eddie pushed in between Lily and Crystal and put an arm around each one. “Are you two having an interesting girl chat?”

  Lily felt the hairs on her neck stand up when Eddie touched her but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she looked directly at Eddie. “Why, yes we were. Crystal was about to tell me something Malcolm told her about Tamara, weren’t you Crystal?”

  Crystal’s cheeks blushed as she pretended to brush some lint off her sweate
r. “It wasn’t anything important, just that Malcolm wanted to help get me the head librarian job and Tamara laughed in his face, said it would never happen.”

  Crystal fidgeted with her necklace, making Lily suspect she was hiding whatever else it was she had been about to tell Lily. Something she didn’t want Eddie to find out?

  Interesting, and the plot thickens, Lily thought to herself and smiled sweetly. “I’m sure you and Penny will work together well for the benefit of the library.” She turned her body, maneuvering out of Eddie’s grasp. “Oh, and if I find your other earring, I’ll let you know.” Lily noticed Eddie sneak a peek at Crystal but he didn’t say anything.

  The musical trio launched into Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and Lily saw Iris start to kick up her heels to the beat. She pulled Walter onto dance with her and he swayed back in forth, obviously not much of a dancer, but certainly a faithful partner. Daisy clapped her hands, encouraging Iris to continue the show, which, Lily had to admit, was pretty good. A warm hand rested on the small of Lily’s back and a familiar scent of cologne filled her nose. Without even turning around, she leaned back into the strong arms of her fiancé.

  He leaned so close, his words tickled her neck. “So, you aren’t mad at me?”

  “Of course I am,” Lily murmured back. “But I still love you and I’ll prove you wrong about Tamara.”

  Ryan squeezed her close. “You are something special. I love your strong will and loyalty.” He turned her around to gaze into her eyes. “Don’t be foolish and get yourself into trouble, though. Promise?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” She murmured with her eyes half closed.

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “If only not worrying were possible.” He leaned down and his lips brushed against hers, sending sparks through her body.

  As the song ended, Penny rang a small bell she held high above her head. With a smile plastered on her face going from ear to ear, she patiently waited with her hands clasped together until it was quiet and she had everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for coming tonight to this magnificent library that Noah Lyman so generously had the foresight to envision, plan, and fund for our wonderful town. I’m excited to be able to announce that all of his novels, signed by Mr. Lyman and dedicated to the library, plus his unpublished manuscripts, are in a special room here in the Noah Lyman Room.” She motioned to a room to the left of the Christmas tree. “Be sure to enjoy his books while you’re here enjoying the wonderful food catered by Jennifer Steele from the Sunflower Café and the seasonal Christmas music providing a festive atmosphere for all of us.”

  The buzz of conversation started up again and Lily noticed Crystal standing in the back of the crowd with a scowl on her face. It looked like she lost the battle for control of the festivities, Lily thought.

  Nina bumped her elbow into Lily, bringing her out of her thoughts. “I can see the wheels turning in your head. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t have a clue what it means, but Crystal and Penny are in some kind of power struggle. My guess is one of them wanted Malcolm out of the way? I feel like I’m missing something important.”

  “Maybe Crystal and Penny were in love with Malcolm and one of them killed him in a jealous moment of passion.”

  Lily smirked. “There you go again with the fiction side of your personality getting the best of you. Do you think one of them confronted him in the parking lot in the middle of a blizzard?”

  Nina shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

  “You’ve given me an idea. Do you want to help me search Malcolm’s house to look for any evidence the police missed?”

  Nina’s eyes lit up as bright as the star at the top of the Christmas tree. “Definitely. Maybe that’s who broke into his house; someone looking for something incriminating she left behind.”

  Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer picked up the energy in the room and everyone started to sing along. This was followed by several more traditional Christmas songs making the room vibrate with the singing. Lily was thinking the spiked eggnog probably helped loosen up all the vocal chords as more and more people started to shout out their favorites and the musical trio was happy to oblige the requests.

  Lily grabbed Nina’s arm as she noticed Crystal slipping out the side door. “I can’t leave now,” she whispered, “but you can. Follow Crystal and find out what she’s up to.”

  “I’ll text you if she does anything interesting.” And Nina was off.

  Nick sidled up to Lily. “Where did Nina dash off to? I thought she was having a good time. Nice decorating, by the way. The library oozes fantastic.”

  Lily filled a small plate with food—mini quiche, fruit skewers and a crab cake for starters—and moved to a corner where it was a tad bit quieter. “She’s doing some investigating. Following Crystal to see if she’s up to anything.”

  “Crystal?” Nick answered, surprise in his voice. “Do you think she’s involved with Malcolm’s murder?”

  Lily nibbled on the quiche as she settled down on a maple bench. Talking quietly, she explained to Nick, “I’m trying to think of any possibility to figure out who murdered Malcolm and get Tamara out of jail. Crystal has been acting strange right from the start. I’m sure she’s hiding something. What do you think?”

  Nick sat next to Lily, crossed his legs and rested his arm on the back of the bench. “I haven’t known these people for as long as you, but I can’t help but agree with you about Crystal. She certainly acts like she’s hiding something and is a little paranoid. But what about Penny? She and Malcolm did not like each other one bit and he’s the only one who voted against Penny to be the head librarian. I overheard Malcolm telling Crystal on Friday night that there was nothing else he could do to get rid of Penny except keep a close eye on her performance and try to get her fired. Crystal was steaming mad and left seconds before Penny went out. It’s possible Penny overheard the conversation and snuck around to the front and took care of Malcolm before he could get her fired.”

  “I suppose that’s a possibility.” Lily jumped when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Checking it, she read a text from Nina. Crystal went into Malcolm’s house. What should I do?

  Chapter 13

  Don’t follow her inside, Lily texted. Keep an eye on her and track what she does next.

  Lily ran one hand through her hair, wondering why Crystal went to Malcolm’s house. She certainly didn’t want Crystal to know Nina was following her.

  Nick’s knee bumped into her. “Everything okay? You seem to be kind of distracted.”

  Lily’s far away eyes focused on Nick, almost surprised to find him sitting next to her since her mind had wandered away from the library event. “Oh, yeah, sorry, I was thinking about something else.”

  Nick laughed and leaned forward, jerking his head in the direction of the main entrance. “Hey, check who’s walking in. Who do you think she’s searching for?”

  Lily followed where Nick’s eyes were looking and she stood up waving when she saw Melinda Biotchi. Melinda smiled and hurried over to the corner where Lily was sitting.

  “I’m not staying long. I don’t feel comfortable in this crowd,” Melinda said as she quickly scanned the room while avoiding any actual eye contact.

  “Nick, this is Melinda.” Lily introduced them, not sure if they knew each other.

  Melinda quickly gazed at Nick and nodded a hello before turning her full attention back to Lily. “Can we talk somewhere?”

  Nick got the hint. “Nice to see you,” he said to Melinda as he stood up. “I think I’ll go find Iris and try to charm her into dancing with me if they play another snappy song.”

  Melinda took the spot next to Lily where Nick had been sitting. “I only came to deliver a message from my mother.”

  “Is she alright?” Lily asked.

  “Much better than I ever expected. She totally surprises me sometimes. There’s something about her cellmate that she wants to discuss with you. She wouldn’t tell me but she says it could be important. Will y
ou be able to visit her tomorrow?”

  Lily put her hand on Melinda’s arm. “I’ll make time. She didn’t give you any idea what this is about?”

  Melinda shook her head as she stood up. “I can’t stay. I don’t feel like chatting with anyone or having everyone looking at me and asking about Mom. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Of course, and don’t worry. I’ll visit Tamara as soon as I can.” Lily watched Melinda head toward the door but Nick intercepted her. They chatted for a couple of minutes before Melinda pulled away and made her way out the door, smiling. Maybe they did know each other, Lily thought.

  The buzz inside the library came to a sudden halt when Nick, who was in charge of the library planning committee, rang the bell for everyone’s attention. “This opening is an enormous success. I’d like to thank the musicians for the wonderful Christmas music that entertained us all tonight.” The flutist played a little trill for emphasis. “Also, a huge thanks to Jennifer Steele for the food which is melt in your mouth delicious. Don’t forget, she’s the owner of the Sunflower Café which is right on Main Street, so be sure to support our little gem. And, of course, a big thanks to Lily Bloom for all the laurel roping, poinsettias and flowers making the library come to life. Her Beautiful Blooms Flower Shop was recently vandalized so be sure to stop in and show your support of another one of Misty Valley’s wonderful local businesswoman. One last acknowledgement I want to make is to Tamara Biotchi who, unfortunately, couldn’t be here tonight.” He paused to get everyone’s attention and quiet the low buzz that started in the room. “But, nevertheless, is always thinking about the library and had a wonderful idea to raise money for a handicap walkway. Her idea is for anyone who would like to be part of this project, to buy a brick and have their name engraved on it. The bricks will become a path from the main entrance to the gardens that will be installed in the spring. All the details will be available from Crystal Parker who volunteered to manage the fundraiser.” Nick pointed to Crystal who stood behind the main desk. Lily couldn’t help but wonder when she’d slipped back inside from her trip to Malcolm’s house. “There is a signup at the main desk if you want to get your name on the list tonight. Let’s all show our support and pull together to get this plan in motion.”