Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

“ O h, Noel,” I groan as the pieces fall into place faster than I can process them. “The day after Nick was killed you came by the inn. When I asked if Virginia and Nick were close, you were quick to tell me that not only were they close, but that they were having trouble. You painted a dark picture and then sent me to Chris for answers.”

“That’s right.” She nods. “Virginia heard me suggest it, of course.” She shakes her head. “That’s an awfully big coincidence that right afterward Chris ended up with a knife in his back.” Come on, Bizzy. Put it together. If you’re as smart as Macy says, you should have Virginia sitting in the back of a patrol car by the end of the night.

I frown at the thought.

Fortunately for me, I’m smart enough to know when I’m being manipulated—or at least I am in hindsight.

I lean her way. “The day we were at the bakery, you said something that should have tipped me off. You seemed to know I had found him. But I never alluded to as much. It’s because you were there at the tree lot, watching from a distance, weren’t you?”

She gasps and takes a half step back.

How does she know that? How could I have been so sloppy to say anything at all?

Knew it. She did this.

Now to get her to admit to it out loud.

“At the time you said you didn’t think Virginia did the deadly deed, and yet you expertly set her up. Leading me to Ember was just a ruse.”

“Set her up?” She blinks my way. This is going very wrong. “I didn’t set anybody up. Virginia wanted those men dead.”

“She may not have cared for them, but she didn’t want them dead. You did. Nick had an affair with Virginia while she was still married to your father. Nick had it out for your dad, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” Her entire body quivers when she says it. “He hated my dad. He blamed him for everything that went wrong. He wanted that company back. He never forgave my father for ousting him as co-owner, so he seduced Virginia. He got her drunk and that started an affair that led to my father’s death.”

“How is that?”

“He had a heart attack on the heels of hearing of it. Not a fatal one at first. That followed suit two weeks later. The coroner said he died of a broken heart.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say just as that odd gift Nick gave her enters my mind. The key to a safe… It had pictures of her father, but didn’t she mention something about stock information? “Oh, Noel, you knew that Nick was looking to do a hostile takeover of the company, didn’t you?”

She gives a few quick blinks my way. “Boy, you are good. Yes, he was going to do a takeover. I couldn’t have that. My father would roll over in his grave if I let that happen. He stole everything from my father, including his life. And as long as I had breath in my body, I wasn’t about to let him steal the company, too.”

“That’s why you killed him.”

She flinches as if I struck her.

Okay, Bizzy, Sherlock whimpers. I think we should all leave and find Jasper now. This looks as if it could get dangerous. But, of course, you’re not budging. Fish, why don’t you leave and get Jasper? I’ll stand guard with Jingle. Someone needs to protect Bizzy and the baby!

Fish yowls in response, I’m not leaving Bizzy’s side, you big oaf. You go and get Jasper. The man never listens to me anyway .

I’m not leaving your side either, Bizzy, Jingle says as he spins himself around my ankles.

“Bizzy, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Noel pants as she eyes the area, presumably for an exit. “Why would I kill Chris? Don’t you see? All of the clues point to Virginia.”

“They do,” I tell her. “But they point to you a little crisper. It was you who had an affair with Chris. It was you Virginia was trying to protect even after that. She loves you.”

“She hates me, just like she hated my father,” she bellows. “Yes, I killed Nick—and I killed Chris, too. He knew, so he had to go. And Virginia was the perfect person to take the fall. And she will. I didn’t want to do this.” She pulls something long and shiny from her purse and I recognize it instantly.

“That’s my cake knife,” I say in disbelief. “That belongs to the inn.”

She nods. “I’m sorry, Bizzy. I’ll leave it here on the grounds—buried inside of you. I’m so very sorry for you. And I’m sorry for your child, too. But you’ve left me no choice.”

She lunges my way and I grab her by the wrist as a struggle ensues.

Both Sherlock and Jingle start in on riotous barking while Fish leaps from my arms and onto the woman.

Fish digs her claws into the woman’s neck and leaves a crimson line in her wake before scampering to the ground.

Take that, Fish yowls. And take this, too, she says as she rakes her claws over the woman’s legs.

“Stop it,” Noel screams as she tries her best to kick the animals away. Her arm jerks and the knife swings down, narrowly missing my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Bizzy. But I can’t let you live.”

And I can’t let you hurt her or my new baby brother or sister, Sherlock howls, and soon both dogs knock Noel to the ground, inadvertently taking me with her—albeit I manage to fall softly over her body.

We roll feverishly in the snow, our limbs tangled, our heads knocking into one another.

The knife comes down next to me, falling like lead as she spears the blade between my arm and ribcage.

She yanks the blade out of the ground with a grunt. “This time I won’t miss.”

I bring my knee up and kick her in the gut before she can make a second attempt and she lets out a hearty groan. It takes two seconds to land her on her stomach, with her hands behind her back, just as I hear Jasper shout my name.

“In the courtyard,” I scream as he bolts from the parking lot with his weapon drawn.

“ Everybody freeze ,” Jasper thunders, and soon enough he has the woman in handcuffs. “Bizzy, are you okay?”

Sirens break out in the distance, and in seconds the entire area is swarming with deputies.

“I’m fine,” I pant. “She did it. She killed both Nick and Chris. She confessed.”

Jasper lands me hard in his arms. “I know.” He rests a hand over my stomach as if he’s shielding the baby. “Forensics just confirmed her hair was found on both of the deceased and traces of fingerprints were on the murder weapons despite the fact she attempted to wipe them clean. I bet they will be a perfect match.”

“A perfect match.” I nod up at him. “Like us,” I say with a shrug.

A tiny laugh rumbles through his chest. “Like us.”

Jasper lands a searing kiss on my lips that sends more than a warm tingle all the way down to my toes and both me and my new raging hormones agree.

He pulls back a notch before resting his forehead against mine. “You know, we’re going to have to keep this little one out of trouble, right? I can’t have you and the baby chasing down killers every Christmas.”

A dull laugh rumbles through me. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure our little bundle will have us too exhausted to chase anyone.” I press my lips to his. “But you have to admit, this baby is already a good detective by association.”

He chuckles and his voice softens. “A killer has been caught. And now, we get to focus on the most important thing of all.”

I raise a brow his way. “The baby or hot cocoa?”

He laughs in response. “Both, of course.”

It’s the most wonderful time of year after all. And with our family growing, it’s only going to get more magical.