Christmas Candy Corpse by Ross Rosemarie

Author:Ross, Rosemarie [Ross, Rosemarie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781496722799
Google: PtohEAAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1496722795
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2021-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The trembles in Shannon’s muscles grew stronger. I tightened my grip. Drake turned Marley around and, with hands on his shoulders, marched him forward.

I pulled Shannon to the cross corridor where Drake and I had bumped into each other in the event there were prying eyes and ears in this hallway. All she—or any of us, really—needed was for a cell phone video to hit social media.

“Are you okay?” I whispered my question.

“No!”

I put a finger to my lips.

Shannon read the signal and lowered her voice. “What’s wrong with everyone? Why’s this happening to me? I just don’t need this stress.”

I thought there’d be tears. None came even though fury had bloomed on every inch of her features.

“I’m talking to Brenden and Quintin. Marley needs to be removed from the competition. I don’t expect contestants to like me, but I won’t put up with being called an unfair judge. I’m professional and impartial.”

I didn’t point out the obvious—the multiple samples of Mya’s fudge. Did Shannon not realize how that looked to the other contestants? She’d made a comment about stress. Was she stress eating and not even realizing it? “Wait until you’ve calmed down so you can speak rationally—”

“I’m rational.” Shannon snapped out the words.

This time I decided to point out the obvious and brace for the consequences. “Shannon, you’re not. You haven’t been since you arrived for filming.”

Her blue eyes narrowed and bored into mine.

“How can you, my friend, say that?” She had the audacity to look affronted.

Did she really think she’d been victimized with no just cause? “Because it’s true. You shift between angry, snide and sad.”

Her eyes narrowed further.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” I gently squeezed her hands, hoping that’d be the encouragement she needed.

Resignation washed the anger from her face. She opened her eyes, although her lips stayed pursed. Had I finally gotten through to her? She heaved a sigh, long and loud.

“I guess I have been on edge.”

Now we were getting somewhere.

“The rushed scheduling of the show created chaos.” She took a few steps backward, bit the corner of her lip and looked down the hallway toward the suite she’d exited. “And now, I’ll probably have to pull my apron line off the market.”

She’d been in a bad mood since I arrived, so whatever was troubling her had something to do with the rushed filming and the chaos she’d referenced. The prospect of having to pull her product line just deepened it. I found it odd that she looked down the hallway. Was she checking on the suite? Or if people had come out of their rooms? I’d deliberated about which item I wanted to question, then remembered she had no idea I’d seen her exit the suite two times.

Shannon stopped checking the hallway and picked up her conversation. “You of all people know how much work goes into landing an endorsement product, developing it and getting it ready to market. We had to push to get them released before Christmas.”

“There isn’t a truer statement. I don’t know what I’d do without Eric to take care of that side of the business.

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