Gingerdead Man (The Early Bird Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 6)

by Ginny Gold

  ***

  Kori didn’t know if Addie would still be in her office on the afternoon of Christmas Eve but she would take her chances. She left Ibis at home, content to sleep some more after a quick walk. There was still enough snow on the ground to make Ibis want nothing to do with outside. Even with the sun shining, it was still cold.

  Kori could see lights on in the offices of Aunt Addie’s Red Barn Foods but the front door was locked. The secretary wasn’t at her desk so Kori knocked. Loudly. If someone was in there, she wanted them to be able to hear her.

  After a few minutes of waiting, and knocking again and again, the door opened and Kori breathed a sigh relieved to see Addie in front of her.

  “Kori. It’s . . . good to see you. Come on in,” Addie said, stepping aside and holding the door for her.

  “Sorry I didn’t call first. I wasn’t even sure you’d be here still. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what you told me about Thomas Worth and I needed to ask you more about him. Do you think he killed Donnie?” Kori asked directly.

  “Why don’t we go sit in my office. I have a feeling we’re going to be working together on this moving forward.”

  Kori wasn’t sure what she meant, but she was glad to have Addie in her corner. Addie seemed to know more about Donnie and the possible suspects than anyone else Kori had talked to.

  They sat in the same chairs as earlier in the week and Kori started to relax. She was in a familiar setting and could tell Addie was getting more comfortable with all of her questions.

  “So, Thomas. The gun was his, that certainly doesn’t look good. Have you spoken with him?” Addie asked.

  Kori shook her head. “I don’t know the guy. But the truck was also driven from the scene, and if he used to work here, wouldn’t he know a thing or two about the trucks?” Kori didn’t think she would be able to drive a big truck away from a crime scene.

  Addie chuckled. “He was the accountant, remember?”

  Kori had forgotten that key bit of information. “Right.”

  “So I’m not sure your theory holds up about driving the truck away—”

  “Do you have it back?” Kori asked, hoping she’d be able to take a look at it. Not that she expected to find anything the police hadn’t already discovered.

  Addie shook her head. “No. It’s still with the police. So not only are we down a driver, but we’re also down a delivery truck.”

  “Do you know where Thomas lives?” Kori asked. “Can we go talk to him?”

  “Well, that’s the other thing.” Addie looked at her feet. “He was in an accident a few months ago and is in a wheelchair. There’s really no way he could have killed Donnie and driven away.”

  CHAPTER 14

  He was in a wheelchair? Why hadn’t Addie told her that this morning? He obviously couldn’t be guilty, but a new thought popped into Kori’s mind.

  “Could he have worked with someone to kill Donnie? If Donnie got Thomas fired, and his gun was the murder weapon, do you think he hired someone to kill him?” Kori asked, leaning forward in her chair, excited about this new idea.

  Addie nodded slowly. “There’s that possibility . . .”

  “I want to talk to Cecilia Blake again. Can we go visit her?” Kori asked, already standing and ready to go.

  “Sorry, she’s out of town for the weekend.”

  Kori sat again. “Right. Holidays. Well, what about Victoria or Jordan? Their names have both come up several times and their car was seen Wednesday morning right around when Donnie was killed. Could they have worked with Thomas?”

  “It’s possible . . .” Addie didn’t offer anything else.

  Kori kept quiet about her friend Anita or her mother knowing the DeLeons. She’d have to get one of them to bring her to Victoria and Jordan’s house if Addie wasn’t willing.

  “Okay. Well, then I don’t know what else to do,” Kori said, feigning defeat.

  “Why don’t we give it the weekend, enjoy our Christmas, and reconvene on Monday?” Addie asked, standing to indicate they were finished talking for now.

  Kori stood and shook her hand, showing that there were no hard feelings. But her gut was telling her Addie wasn’t being completely forthcoming about everything. Maybe Cecilia wasn’t really out of town. Or she was hiding another possible suspect. Or she was blocking Kori from seeing the DeLeons. Could Chip Gordon be involved? Kori knew there was something going on that Addie hadn’t shared.

  Kori left the office and got in her car, not quite sure where she wanted to go. She could go home and just enjoy some downtime before the cookie exchange; or she could go to her mom’s house and ask her more about Victoria; or she could do the same with Anita. She settled on visiting her mom.

  Kori called her mother before leaving the parking lot of Aunt Addie’s Red Barn Foods. But there was no answer. “Well, I guess I won’t go there, then,” she said out loud to no one. She felt like she was running in circles, only getting more suspects and questions but no answers or true leads. She hoped Zach and the police were faring better. The image of Donnie’s body in the snow kept popping into her thoughts throughout the day and she hoped that finding the murderer would end those moments of panic, create some closure.

  Finally, Kori started the car and headed home. She owed Ibis a play date with Nora’s dogs, Milo and Otis, and this would be a perfect opportunity. She picked up Ibis and loaded all of her cookies and gingerbread houses that had been made with Jenna and the kids into the car and headed out to Red Clover Farm. It had been days since she’d really been able to chat with Nora at all, something they usually did nearly daily.

  Kori pulled into Nora’s short driveway and parked, Milo and Otis already barking from inside to let Nora know someone was there. Ibis stood on the back seat and her whole body shook with excitement. Kori felt mildly guilty for not bringing her sooner in the week to get some exercise.

  Kori let herself in the front door and found Nora washing dishes in the kitchen. The three dogs ran around the yard in a tumble of fur and tails and Kori watched them go.

  “I wondered when you’d find the time to stop by,” Nora said, not taking a break from washing. “Any development in the Donnie murder?”

  Kori sat at the island in the kitchen and explained everything she knew. “You know any of the suspects?” Kori asked when she finished.

  Nora shook her head. “Not well enough to go talk to any of them. But maybe someone will be at the cookie exchange. Pretty much the whole town will be there.”

  “Even you?” Kori asked. She knew Nora was busier than she was with a whole farm to run and get ready for the winter.

  “Yup. I made pumpkin sugar cookies from homegrown pumpkins.”

  “Yum. Can’t wait to try them.” Kori made a move to open the box on the counter she assumed was full of cookies.

  Nora was too fast and pushed Kori’s hand out of the way. Laughing, she said, “Not yet. You have to wait, just like everyone else.”

  In the silence that followed while Nora turned back to the sink, Kori realized she could smell the Christmas tree in the living room. She’d helped Nora decorate it weeks earlier and she suddenly wished she’d gotten a tree of her own. But in her small apartment, she couldn’t justify lugging a tree all the way upstairs and filling a whole room with it. So she relished in the scent here instead.

  Kori caught the very end of a question Nora asked and said, “What?”

  “You’re totally lost in this case, aren’t you? I asked what you and Zach are doing for Christmas.”

  Kori nearly leapt off her stool and shoved her left hand in her friend’s face. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten to tell Nora she got engaged this morning.

  “What? When did this happen?” Nora squealed, a reaction totally unlike her, and wrapped Kori in a hug.

  “This morning. He surprised me at the café. Kiera, my mom and Jay were all there. I’m surprised he didn’t invite you to come.”

  Nora placed a hand on her hip in mock hurt. “I can�
��t believe he forgot about me, too.”

  “Will you be my maid of honor?” Kori asked.

  Nora’s hands flew to her mouth and another squeal escaped. “Of course! When’s the wedding?”

  Kori laughed. “I don’t know, but I know I want you in it. Can we get married on your farm?”

  “That’d be perfect. Absolutely!”

  “But I guess I should talk to Zach about that first.”

  Kori and Nora headed to the living room where the aroma of the Christmas tree overtook everything else. They sat on the couch for the next hour, planning the perfect wedding down to the last napkin. They wrote nothing down, but the picture that formed in Kori’s mind was exactly what she wanted.

  “I guess I’ll have my work cut out for me,” Kori said, sighing at the thought of everything that went in to planning a wedding while she ran a business.

  “It’ll be fun. I’ll help with everything. And Zach will too, you know that.”

  “I know, he just can’t see what I want.”

  Nora nodded. “Let’s get going.”

  Kori glanced at a clock and saw that they should have already left since she had to drop Ibis off at home. She was surprised the dogs were still happily running around outside. This was the most outside time Ibis had all week. All she needed was a dog friend to help her ignore the cold.

  “I’ll meet you there so I can drop off Ibis,” Kori said, putting her coat back on and grabbing her keys. She was out the door in a flash and calling Ibis, who came running straight to the car.

  As she quickly drove back home, Kori’s mind returned to Donnie rather than what her wedding might be like. She passed homes on the outskirts of town when she suddenly saw a familiar face. She slowed down and realized it was Cecilia Blake leaving a house.

  Cecilia was supposed to be out of town. Had Addie intentionally lied about that? Or did she really not know Cecilia was still around because Cecilia had lied to Addie? Maybe she was leaving tonight.

  But it wasn’t just Cecilia who caught her eye. The house she was leaving had a wheelchair ramp up to the front door.

  CHAPTER 15

  Kori had to make a quick decision—should she approach Cecilia right now or not. She knew she wouldn’t make it to the cookie exchange on time if she stopped and dropped off Ibis at home. Maybe she could bring Ibis. Everyone in town knew her and she wouldn’t be a problem at the library. Or she could arrive late. She wasn’t hosting, and things always came up unexpectedly.

  Deciding that she had to find out if Addie lied about Cecilia being out of town or if Cecilia lied to Addie about it, Kori pulled over and jumped out of her car. She waved to Cecilia and called her name.

  Cecilia looked up, surprise registering on her face as she walked toward Kori’s car. “Kori, hi,” she said hesitantly.

  “Hi Cecilia,” Kori replied, not really sure what to say now that she’d gotten her attention.

  “What are you doing here?” Cecilia stopped about ten feet away and made no move to come any closer.

  Kori waved her hand dismissively, like she stopped to say hi to virtual strangers all the time. “Oh, I just saw you coming out of your house and wondered if you needed a ride to the cookie exchange.”

  Cecilia’s face contorted into a smile that told Kori she knew that was a lie. “No, thanks,” she said, ignoring everything else Kori had said.

  “So, this is your house? With the wheelchair ramp?”

  Cecilia tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out Kori’s angle. “No,” she answered slowly. “This is Thomas Worth’s house.”

  Kori had been right to stop. Something was going on. What was Cecilia doing at Thomas’ house? They both had a motive to want Donnie dead. Were they conspiring? “A friend of yours?” Kori dug further.

  Cecilia could have walked away and not answered, Kori knew that. There was no reason for Kori to be asking her all of these questions, yet she couldn’t stop herself now that she was here. She didn’t want to lose this opportunity. “Something like that,” Cecilia said slowly, noncommittally. “I care for him. I’m a nurse.”

  Kori nodded. Her whole theory had just been blown. She nodded. “I’d heard you were out of town, that’s all. I was just surprised to see you here. So you don’t need a ride to the library? I’m heading there now.”

  Cecilia shook her head. “No. But who told you I was out of town?”

  “Addie Winter.”

  Kori got into her car and drove off slowly, watching Cecilia shrink into the background, her eyes never leaving Kori’s car.

  Kori didn’t have time now to drop off Ibis so she decided to bring her to the library. As she drove, she thought about all of Cecilia’s verbal and physical reactions. Kori had to admit, she would have even been surprised if someone she barely knew had stopped and offered her a ride to the library.

  But it was the way Cecilia had asked her final questions, Who told you I was out of town, that threw Kori. She’d been incredibly defensive. Her body had turned rigid and the tone of her voice had become more harsh. Was Addie supposed to hide the fact that Cecilia was still around?

  Kori couldn’t know the answer, and as she parked with dozens of other cars at the library, she pushed those questions from her mind. Tonight was Christmas Eve and she was going to enjoy it.

  Once inside, Kori finally felt the holiday envelope her. She hadn’t taken the time to put on festive clothes, but almost everyone else had. She was surrounded by whites and reds and greens of all shades. Kori kept Ibis on a short leash and put her cookies on the table that was already overflowing with beautifully decorated Christmas cookies of all shapes and sizes. Then she started mingling.

  She saw Nora talking toward the very pregnant Jenna Rhodes on one side of the room and headed in their direction. Before she made it to them, Holly Barton of Meadowlark Dairy intercepted her.

  “Kori, Merry Christmas,” Holly gushed, placing a glass of something delicious smelling in her hand. “Eggnog. From the farm. With rum.”

  Kori gladly accepted the glass and took a sip. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

  “They really went above and beyond this year with the decorations.” Kori looked around and nodded, taking another sip of the eggnog. Then Holly quickly walked off, capturing another unwitting recipient of the next glass of eggnog.

  Kori took in her surroundings. All of the display books had been removed from the tops of book shelves and winter scenes had been setup in their places. Fake snow, in the form of cotton stuffing, now sat on top of nearly every book shelf, gingerbread houses—including the ones she’d made earlier in the week with Jenna and her daycare charges now that she’d delivered them—sleighs, reindeer, Santas and Nutcrackers were arranged artfully on top. White Christmas lights gave the room a festive glow, accompanied with the colored lights on a very tall Christmas tree.

  Kori tried to walk toward Nora again, but this time her mother got to her first. “Kori, I’m so happy for you,” she said, smothering Kori in a hug. “I can’t believe it took Zach so long to propose.” The smile on Gale’s face threatened to rip her mouth wide open.

  Kori looked again at the ring on her finger and the lights bounced off of it. It truly was perfect.

  “You know, he didn’t actually tell us why he wanted us at the café this morning,” Gale continued. “But we had our suspicions. I think only Kiera knew what was really going on. Have you talked about a date yet? Oh, what about a dress?”

  Kori interrupted her mother before she got too out of control with questions. “We haven’t picked a date yet. In fact, I haven’t seen or heard from him all day. I guess he had to stay late at the office with the murder investigation.”

  Gale seemed not to hear Kori’s answer as she waved down someone in the crowd instead. “Here he is, the man of the day,” she said, placing a kiss on Zach’s cheek. “My future son-in-law.”

  Kori smiled at the sight of Zach putting up with her mother’s affections and then placed a kiss of her own on Zach’s lips. “I’ll l
eave you two alone then,” Gale said, and sauntered off to socialize with someone else.

  “I didn’t think you were going to make it.” Kori couldn’t let go of Zach’s hand now that he was at her side. She had Ibis’ leash in the other hand and had to put her empty glass down.

  “I didn’t think I was going to either. But then I realized there was nowhere else I’d rather be and seeing you would be better than anything else. So here I am.”

  “You’re done for the whole night?” Kori asked hopefully.

  Zach shook his head and his smile shrunk. “But I have at least an hour.”

  Kori planned to take advantage of that hour and she led him to the table of cookies. The piles of boxes and plates had grown even more since Kori had placed hers there and she had to take a few moments searching for them. “Here are mine. The truffles are the best, I think.”

  Zach looked around furtively and picked one up. He put the whole thing in his mouth before Kori could stop him and his eyes bulged out. “It’ll be hard to eat just one.”

  Kori slapped him playfully on the arm. “Well you weren’t supposed to eat any, so you better behave yourself.”

  Zach winked, drawing Kori’s attention to his electric blue eyes, and led her into the middle of the room where they were quickly swallowed by the crowd. They could easily feel like they were alone by keeping their backs to everyone else and having their own conversation, which Zach constantly steered away from Donnie’s investigation despite Kori’s best efforts.

  An hour later, with everyone in the room now knowing that the two of them were engaged thanks to Gale spreading the news, Zach quietly snuck out. The evening was far from over, so Kori mingled until everyone was welcome to create plates of cookies to bring home.

  As usual, Kori found that the cookies she’ brought were some of the first to disappear. She made a point of avoiding them since she’d kept enough of each to share with family tomorrow and binge on for the next week. This was one of the only times of the year where she really let herself indulge.