The Coffee House Sleuths: Sleighed (Book 1) (The Coffee House Sleuths: A Christmas Cozy Mystery) by T. Lockhaven

Author:T. Lockhaven [Lockhaven, T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisted Key Publishing, LLC
Published: 2019-12-10T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

“I’m telling you, it was like something out of The Twilight Zone,” Michael said, carrying three piping-hot cups of tea into the living room. “Be right back.” He hurried into the kitchen and came back moments later with sugar, honey, and spoons.

“Can I give you a hand?” Olivia asked, watching Michael disappear into the kitchen for the third time.

“No, it’s my last trip,” he shouted. He returned with a plate stacked with pastries. “Harry and David cookies,” Michael explained. “They’re from my old boss in Boston. He’s still trying to lure me back, one delicious treat at a time.”

“That’s nice.” Ellie grabbed a coconut macaroon. “But he’ll just have to accept the fact that you’re ours now, so hands off.”

“Agreed.” Olivia laughed. “But let him down slowly so he keeps sending cookies.”

“So,” Ellie asked, “you said that you had hush-hush information. What did you find out?”

“Ladies, you’re not going to believe this one. Our mystery man had photos of Ed Reed with the elf,” Michael said.

“What kind of photos?” Ellie asked, knowing there was more to the story.

“These.” Michael opened the images on his phone. “Swipe through them, they kind of speak for themselves.”

“Is that Drew with a camera in the—?”

“Yep, Drew was sitting in another car, taking pictures of everything. He’s blackmailing Ed. That’s how he got the Santa gig, and I’m pretty sure Ed made a call and that’s how Drew got the Bernstein gig.”

“Wow, as long as he knows Drew has these…he’s not going to do anything. These pictures will destroy Ed,” Ellie stated.

“So what do we do, go to the police?” Olivia asked. “Say that we have proof that an ex-con is extorting Ed Reed? This whole thing could explode in our faces. I mean, if we bust Drew, who’s to stop his assistant from sending those pictures to the news?”

“Yep,” Michael said, “the whole thing could unravel like an ugly Christmas sweater. I wish blackmail worked in reverse. I mean, if you look at Ed, he has Bernie Sanders hair, massive eyebrows—which I have my own theory: that he’s growing them out as a makeshift comb-over—and gargantuan teeth.

“We could tell the woman that if she doesn’t back down, we’ll release the pictures of her going to a hotel with him. Thusly destroying her street cred and saving Ed and his family simultaneously.”

“Thank you, Michael. Now, do you mind if Olivia and I get back to the world of reality and figure out our next move?”

“Sure, yes, certainly. Where were we?”

“So far, all we know is that Drew is guilty of blackmailing Ed. If we could prove that he was behind the theft of Mrs. Mallory’s necklace, then he’d be arrested. Then, most likely Ed’s indiscretions wouldn’t have to be made public.”

“At this point, he may want to take the option of telling his wife that he was fooled by a professional con artist,” Olivia surmised.

“It would be the noble, right thing to do,” Michael acknowledged, “but I don’t know if he has it in him.

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