Holiday Heist: Holiday Corner Christmas Cozy Mystery Book 9 by Ileana Muñoz Renfroe

Author:Ileana Muñoz Renfroe [Renfroe, Ileana Muñoz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ileana Muñoz Renfroe
Published: 2024-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

A SUSPECT IS REVEALED

The wedding festivities had ended on a bittersweet note, and with the tragic events still casting a shadow over Holiday Corner, Celeste and Edwin decided to postpone their honeymoon. They felt a responsibility to stay and see justice served—not only for Elise but also for Amelia and for the community who had poured so much into the fundraiser.

Early the next morning, Celeste couldn’t shake the urge to visit Sarah. The image of Otis Gleason, Sarah’s troubled brother, lingered in her mind. There had been whispers about him recently, and his strange behavior during the wedding hadn’t gone unnoticed. He had hovered around the guests, shying away whenever anyone approached, casting furtive glances at Amelia whenever she appeared nearby. With Francis busy diving into new leads from the evidence at the manor, Celeste felt compelled to follow her own instincts.

After bundling herself up in her winter coat, she walked briskly along the frosty streets of Holiday Corner toward Sarah’s small, cozy house near the town’s edge. When she arrived, Celeste knocked on the door, and a moment later, Sarah answered, looking both surprised and a little weary. She was wrapped in a thick sweater, her eyes tired, but she greeted Celeste with a soft smile.

“Celeste! I didn’t expect you so early,” Sarah said, stepping back to let her in.

“Thank you, Sarah,” Celeste replied, stepping into the warmth of the house.

“I just wanted to check on you. She paused, choosing her words carefully. “And I wanted to ask you about Otis.”

Sarah’s expression softened but grew guarded. She closed the door behind Celeste, guiding her into the living room.

“I know… I can’t help but worry about him. He’s been acting strange lately, and I’ve tried to talk to him, but he just shuts me out.”

Celeste nodded, settling on the edge of an armchair across from Sarah. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I noticed he seemed anxious during the wedding. Did he tell you anything about that?”

Sarah sighed, her fingers twisting the edge of her sweater. “He came over yesterday, just before the ceremony. He said he was in trouble. At first, I thought it was just him struggling with money again, but he seemed… different this time. More desperate. When I tried to press him on it, he just shook his head and kept saying he’d ‘fix it.’”

“Did he mention the necklace or Elise?” Celeste asked gently, watching Sarah’s face closely.

Sarah blinked, looking away for a moment before responding. “What would you ask such a thing? My brother had nothing to do with Elise or the necklace! What he said was something about needing to make things right. I asked him if he’d done something he regretted, but he wouldn’t answer me. He just kept pacing, saying he was running out of time.” She paused, her face clouded with worry. “I haven’t seen him since then.”

Celeste’s mind raced, piecing together Sarah’s words with what Haylee had told her the day before. Elise had said she trusted the wrong person—and Otis was someone who often found himself on the wrong side of trouble.

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