Murder and a Merry Christmas by Ellie McDougan

Author:Ellie McDougan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cozy Mystery, Cozy Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries Cat, Cozy Mysteries Holiday, Cozy Mysteries Christmas, Cozy Mysteries ebooks
Publisher: Cherryville Titles
Published: 2022-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Harvey left to take the box of Christmas lights to one of the trucks and Belle turned her attention back to the booth.

There were fewer customers arriving now. The morning flurry of activity was over. Most of the early morning deliveries had been picked up already, and only the occasional out-of-towners came through.

Belle stirred the Crock-Pot of chocolate, sprinkled in some freshly grated nutmeg, and then replaced the lid. She had sold the morning's batch and had only a few cups left. Checking on the marshmallow levels, she made a mental note to order some more from Mrs. Haggerty at the grocery store. Adding extra marshmallows to everyone's cups meant that she was getting through them faster than expected.

Her mind drifted back to her conversation with Harvey. She felt better now that she had spoken with him. She had to believe that he was innocent. The poor man had looked so worried about everything, and now he was in financial difficulties because he had generously lent money to a woman in an expensive coat who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—repay him. He didn’t deserve this. And he didn’t deserve all of the town gossiping about him either. It could destroy his business. The Christmas Tree Farm was his life, and he had worked so hard on it.

Between serving customers steaming cups of hot chocolate, Belle tried to come up with a plan. She had to do something. But what could she do?

While she was racking her brain, a truck driver ambled over to the booth and asked for a cup. He put some coins on the counter. She realized that he was the same tall, thin guy who had come with Jerry when they discovered the body in the dumpster. He didn’t smile much.

“Merry Christmas,” said Belle politely. “What will it be? A large or an extra-large?”

“Extra-large,” replied the man shortly.

Belle wondered if he was an ex-con, and if he was the type of criminal who wouldn’t think twice about murdering someone. He certainly looked unfriendly and strong enough to lift another person, with his biceps bulging through his checked shirt. Belle glanced sideways at the man and tried not to let her thoughts show on her face as she prepared his cup of hot chocolate.

Just then, a police car cruised into the tree farm car park and came to a halt, its tires crunching on the churned-up snow. The lights of the police car were flashing, although the siren wasn’t blaring.

Sheriff Barnes climbed out, pushing the car door closed in a business-like way. When he turned to face Belle, his face was stern.

“Good morning, Belle. I need to speak with Harvey. Have you seen him today?”

Belle's heart sank. She could tell that it wasn't good news. The sheriff had that look about him, like he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.

The truck driver spoke up. “Yes, officer. The boss is in his office.” He pointed up the hill to the pre-fabricated building that served as Harvey's office. “He was just helping me with a bulk order a minute ago.

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