The Christmas Fair Killer by Amy Patricia Meade

Author:Amy Patricia Meade [Meade, Amy Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781448304295
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2020-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

As the second performance of A Christmas Carol ended and the cast gave autographs and posed for selfies, the audience dispersed on to the adjacent fairgrounds, inundating the Cookin’ the Books team with orders for late-afternoon drinks, cakes, and snacks.

As per usual, Tish, Jules, Celestine, and Mary Jo kept up with demand and cleared the queue just in time for the cast members to put in their orders for post-performance refreshments and, since the additional Saturday performances put time at a premium, their evening meals, to be delivered to their trailers later.

Lawrence, the young understudy, still dressed in his long black Ghost of the Future robe, was first in line. ‘Can I have a cocoa, please?’ he asked of Jules.

Jules reeled back in mock surprise. ‘Y’all can talk? I was expecting you to point a bony finger at the menu item you wanted.’

‘Yeah, I can talk,’ Lawrence chortled. ‘Since it’s my first role in one of Rolly’s productions, I don’t think he trusted me to do a lot of it onstage, though.’

‘Yes, Rolly told me he called you down with your sister so you could lend a hand with the stage work,’ Tish stated. ‘Lucky for everyone you were here to fill in.’

Lawrence’s brow wrinkled in confusion. ‘Stage work? No, I don’t know a thing about stage production. I’ve performed in small community theater, which is why Rolly thought I could fill for Bailey, but I’m majoring in music composition at Old Dominion.’

‘I must have misunderstood.’ Tish excused herself and took Lawrence’s dinner order.

The rest of the cast and crew having been served, it was finally Lucinda’s turn. She passed her empty mug to Jules, who refilled it with Christmas chai scented with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger.

‘What about dinner?’ Tish asked.

‘Oh, that vegetarian stew sounds divine, but can I do something other than bread with it?’ Lucinda requested.

‘I have salad greens.’

‘Lovely. I’ll have that. See you in a little bit.’ Lucinda, in her silver Ghost of Christmas Past costume, gave a wave and sashayed toward the campground.

A little over an hour later, Tish stood on the steps of Lucinda’s Airstream camper, her right hand on the door and her trusty insulated bag in the other. After a loud metallic clang, Lucinda appeared in the doorway. She was dressed in her customary kimono and her ghostly makeup and pale wig had been shed in favor of red cheeks, red lips, a set of false eyelashes, and her natural auburn tresses.

‘Sorry to make you wait, but I’ve been making sure my door is bolted tight these days.’ She invited Tish to enter and shut the door behind her.

‘Can’t say I blame you.’ Tish removed the cardboard tub of stew from the hot compartment of the bag and the foil container of salad and vinaigrette from the cold and passed both to an eager Lucinda.

‘Tea?’ the actress offered.

‘I’d love one, but it has to be quick. I have other orders to deliver and then I need to get back before the dinner rush – oh, and Jules’s news broadcast.

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