Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

T he rest of the week goes by in a blur with pies flying out of the bakery at record speeds. Before I know it, the big day arrives.

It's Thanksgiving morning, and I'm standing outside the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery alongside Suze and Lily, giving away free pumpkin cheesecakes to the grabby hands in the crowd. Okay, so we're charging a nominal fee, but with the way they're flying off the proverbial shelves, you'd think they were free.

The crowds are thick, the scent of roasted turkey drifts from just about every oven in Vermont, and there's a palpable excitement in the air as the official Turkey Trot is about to kick off, followed by the big parade.

Lottie stands nearby, chatting with both of her men, Noah and Everett. And her smile is as bright as the festive decorations adorning Main Street, making all of Honey Hollow look like a Thanksgiving postcard.

Face it, I'd have a megawatt smile on my face, too, if I had two hot men totally devoted to me.

"Effie! Come here for a second," Lottie calls out, waving me in her direction with a cheerful grin. I hand the muffin duties over to Suze and Lily and make my way to where Lottie and her two hunky companions are standing.

Both Noah and Everett are wearing sweats and long-sleeved T-shirts, which in and of itself is an anomaly since I've only ever seen these two in suits. But I suppose it would be hard to trot with the rest of the turkeys while outfitted as if you belonged on Wall Street.

The rest of the turkeys would include me. The things I let Niki talk me into.

But I digress. Both Noah and Everett are wildly delicious looking on your average day, but today with that whole we're-about-to-bench-press-the-bakery look in their eyes, they look hotter than a forest fire and it's not one I'd be willing to put out. They both have dark hair, but that's where the similarities stop.

Noah has green eyes and dimples deep enough to sink a cannoli in. And Everett, aka Judge Baxter, aka Mr. Sexy, has a mean, brooding look on his far too handsome face that makes the women swoon. And don't get me started on those blue eyes of his and what I wouldn't mind letting them see.

I shake my head as I come to.

What am I saying? I have a perfectly good, far too handsome boyfriend of my own that I've yet to let his baby blue peepers take a gander of what I've got.

All in due time.

Have I mentioned that we're almost past due? I say it's time to live a little.

"Happy Gobble Gobble Day. What's up?" I ask.

Lottie's expression sobers up a bit. "Noah was wondering if you've made any progress on the case."

"Either case." Noah blows out a breath. "I'll tell you, I did not see that second homicide coming."

"You don't see any homicide coming." Everett is quick with the dig.

Noah shoots him a look before reverting his attention back to me. "Any news? Have you gleaned anything that might lead to the killer?"

I shake my head. "I wish. I've been so busy at the bakery, I'm still stuck in last week as far as the investigation goes. Besides, Cooper wanted me to step aside. He's determined to solve the case himself."

Noah and Everett exchange a glance before breaking out into a guttural laugh.

"What's so funny?" I ask just as Lottie swats them both.

"Nothing is funny, Effie," she says with a mild look of irritation. "It's just that any time these two adamantly insist I stay out of a case?—"

"She tends to do the opposite," Everett finishes for her. "In fact, I'm about to start implementing reverse psychology and see if that works any better."

"It wouldn't on me," I'm quick to attest. "But seriously, I don't have much to go on anyway. Harmony is Peter's ex, and she sure had a motive to want him out of the picture, not to mention there were rumors he was blackmailing her. And when I spoke to Fiona Harper about Peter, she said Frank Santoro might know more about his enemies. But by the time I got around to grilling Frank, he was already sitting on a cloud and strumming on a harp."

"How did Fiona know Frank?" Noah asks.

"She mentioned they worked on the same charity together." I'm about to say something else just as I spot a handsome homicide detective—outside of Noah—striding down the street on his way to the beginning of the Turkey Trot and he just so happens to have a turkey latching onto him.

The turkey in question would be Naomi Turner, all decked out like a slutty Mrs. Claus.

I scowl just looking at her.

Why couldn't I be the slutty Mrs. Claus? Who's a girl gotta kill around here to be the big guy's number one?

Naomi, obviously.

"A charity, huh?" Everett shakes his head. "You wouldn't believe how many shady charities pop up around the holidays. People are so eager to give, but not everyone's intentions are pure."

"I can assure you Fiona's intentions are pure," Lottie says. "This isn't some fly-by-night foundation. She's been running Honey Hollow Hearts for a few years now."

A whistle goes off, and soon we hear Mayor Nash's voice booming from an unseen speaker, asking all of the participants of the Turkey Trot to head to the starting line.

"You'd better get going," Lottie says to the three of us. " Oh, and before I forget, Effie, there's an elf costume for you in my office that Naomi dropped off for after the race. Now go on and get. I'm rooting for you guys, especially you." She points my way.

Noah pats my shoulder. "We're all rooting for you, Effie. And if anyone can get to the bottom of these homicide cases, I hate to break it to Cooper, but it's most likely you."

"That's right." Everett nudges Noah. "Effie's the new Sherlock Holmes. Maybe you should take some notes."

"Oh, I'm taking notes, all right." Noah chuckles. "Rule number one, don't mess with Effie Canelli."

We share a quick laugh as we migrate to the starting line, and I'm not sure why, but I can't seem to spot Cooper or Niki in all the melee.

The starting gun goes off, and soon we're off to the races, or the finish line as it were, and suddenly that finish line seems way too far away.