Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

“ N o, no,” I say loud enough to reassure the merry masses that there’s no serial killer at large as we decorate gingerbread houses here at the cozy Cider Cove Bake Shop. “Nothing like that, I promise. Whoever killed those men—well, it was most likely personal.” The room begins to buzz once again as if that somehow makes it less vile.

“What do you mean, personal?” Noel waits for me to answer with bated breath.

“Jasper says as long as the two men knew one another, the odds of there being a shared motive with the killer is high.”

“Wow.” Noel blinks at the thought. “I guess it makes sense. Well, let’s hope it stops with those two. Were you at least able to talk to Chris and ask him any questions before the poor man’s life was taken?”

I shake my head. “He was about to tell me everything, but there was a mishap with his wardrobe and he had to change.”

Georgie nods. “He had an unfortunate accident with a cup of hot cocoa before he had an unfortunate accident with a knife.”

Macy sniffs my way. “Is it any surprise that you were the unfortunate common denominator?” And now she’s bringing a baby into this equation, she thinks to herself. I might just have to kidnap my niece or nephew just to keep them safe. Leave it to Bizzy to make me a mother before my time.

I bite down on a smile at the thought. Despite her misgivings about the fact I’m expecting, I know for a fact Macy will be a wonderful mother one day. She treats her sweet pooch, Candy, like a princess despite the fact she’s not a fan of other people’s pets—Fish and Sherlock aside.

Not to mention that Macy is hot and heavy with Emmie’s brother, Jordy. The two of them have been destined to be together from the start—despite the fact I may have been hitched to Jordy once upon a time myself.

That little matrimonial malfeasance lasted less than a day—and had more to do with the fact we were in Vegas and found ourselves in front of an Elvis impersonator while in a rather shnockered state.

Suffice it to say, my legal eagle brother put his newly minted law degree to the test when he helped dismantle the unholy union—which was never consummated, by the way. And thankfully so now that he’s on track to become my brother-in-law.

Noel shakes her head. “Oh, Bizzy, you must feel terrible. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt. You were awfully close to a dangerous person.”

“I agree,” I tell her. “Say, actually, I did talk to Chris for a bit before he took off for the dressing room—and, well, was met by fate. He said something about the fact he and Virginia once dated.”

“They sure did.” She gives a dark chuckle while stabbing miniature candy canes into the frosting she’s piped around the border of her gingerbread house. “I still consider her my stepmother so I have thoughts about this, but they started up a couple of years after my dad died. Virginia was slow to move on, and I appreciated that. It was very hard losing my father. I had already lost my mother at a young age. So when I lost my father, Virginia was all I had. But it was actually me who set Virginia and Chris up. I’m just sad it didn’t work out.”

“That was very sweet of you,” I say.

Macy groans, “I’d rather poke my eyes out than set either of my parents up with anyone. They’re divorced, but still. I wouldn’t even set them up together . I don’t like to think of my parents as amorous beings.”

“Of course, they’re not.” Georgie chuckles while shooting her gingerbread house with green frosting. It’s coming out so fast you’d think she had that frosting bag hooked up to a fire hose. “You and your siblings were hatched from a pod.” She nods my way. “Your mother and I didn’t want to tell you, but an alien spacecraft dropped you off in the middle of the woods all those years ago. You ate nothing but grass for the first three years of your life.”

Both Macy and Noel chortle at the thought.

“Very funny,” I say, sticking colorful gumdrops onto the roof of my culinary creation. “So, Noel, can I ask why Virginia and Chris broke up?”

She glances around at the other women as they chat, laugh, and have a general good time.

Her shoulders inch up a notch. “I guess it’s okay for me to say this now. For so long it was a nasty secret, but two of the three are dead so I don’t see the harm.”

“You let rats run around in the cookie dough?” Georgie says a touch too loud and the owner of the bakery gives us the stink eye. “Not this cookie factory,” she shouts. “The other one. The better one.” She winks at Noel.

But Noel isn’t laughing. In fact, she looks downright mournful.

“In a moment of weakness, Virginia had an affair with Nick.” She sighs. “It was while she and Chris were together but rocky. And I’m not sure how they did it, but they managed to pull through that. The only reason I know about it is because I caught them together—Virginia and Nick. Anyway, they ended it, and Virginia, being the saint she is, confessed it all to Chris. And—he took her back. I’ll admit, I was surprised to see it.”

“That must have been painful,” I say.

“That means Virginia did it,” Georgie says, hoisting up her frosting bag as if it were a knife. “She killed them both because they made lousy bedmates.”

Macy nods. “I think you might be onto something.”

“You would,” I say, and I wish I was teasing.

“I don’t think Virginia did this,” Noel says. “In fact, I’ve got other theories.”

“Such as?” I lean my ear her way so as to not miss a vowel.

“Such as Ember Jewel.” She makes a face before licking the frosting off her fingertip. “Ember had some strange disagreement with Nick these past few weeks. Every time I asked her about it, she said it was none of my business. But boy, was she angry whenever they were together.”

“Ember?” I ask, surprised to hear it. “The pretty brunette? The one Nick gave a globe to that night?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.” She nods. “Nick said something about her only being able to control what went on in that globe, remember? It was creepy.” She shudders. “Maybe Ember has control issues?”

“Maybe she does,” I say. “Can I ask you what’s inside that brass puzzle he gave you that night? I’ll admit, that looked like a pretty clever gift.”

She sniffs hard. “I haven’t been able to open it.” Although I know for a fact it’s a key that leads to a safe. Presumably the one in his office. “But if I do get it open, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

A key to a safe? I muse.

I wonder what could possibly be in that safe to make him think Noel would be interested?

Our time decorating gingerbread houses comes to a close and we gather into a circle right there in the bake shop as we ready to embark on our white elephant gift exchange.

Why do I get the feeling things are about to go sideways?

Most likely because Georgie is here.

And me.

Mostly me.