Peppermint Cookie Murder: Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Christmas Catastrophe Mysteries Book 1) by Trixie Silvertale

Author:Trixie Silvertale [Silvertale, Trixie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781952739910
Publisher: Sittin' On A Goldmine Productions LLC
Published: 2023-11-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

My heart is thudding in my chest like the feet of a thousand elves tap dancing. A North Pole favorite.

Artikoa can take care of himself — unless the killer has a gun . . .

Papa always told me I was quiet as a mouse. The only person he knew that could ever sneak up on Santa. Time to test the theory.

Ducking under the crime-scene tape, I ease the door shut behind me and tiptoe toward the staircase. Hugging against the railing and walking on the more sturdy side of each step, rather than the squeaky center, I make it to the landing without a sound.

There are no voices, so whoever is up there is alone.

Alone, like me.

For a moment, I consider running out and asking to use the phone across the street. But if the person who hurt Betty has returned, I want to make sure I get a good look at them this time.

I’ll peek through her door and retreat to the safety of my apartment before they even notice me. The perfect plan.

Using the same technique on the second flight of stairs, I make it to the top and inch toward Betty’s partially open door. Peering around the corner, between two rows of crime-scene tape, I can only see the back of whoever is in the apartment.

Based on the size of the shoe and broad shoulders, it’s most likely a man. As I lean to get a closer look, the floorboard beneath my snow boots squeaks, and the man turns sharply.

“Who’s there? This is a crime scene. No one’s allowed in here.”

“Well, you’re in there. Who are you?”

The man gets to his feet, scans me and my Christmas attire, and smiles. “You must be the neighbor I read about in the report. Nice to meet you, Cindy Claus. I’m Keith Winters, the medical examiner.”

He extends a hand toward me, and I eagerly grip his hand and shake it vigorously, as I learned from Ronnie.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Winters. What are you doing back here?”

“Please, call me Keith. There were some anomalies in the evidence. I came back to see if I could provide myself with a better explanation.”

“What kind of anomalies?”

He smiles. “It’s not appropriate for me to discuss an ongoing investigation, Miss Claus.”

His gaze causes me to blush. “You can call me Cindy. I might be able to help. Betty was a friend. The accusations against me are false. Honestly. I would never hurt Betty.”

He nods. “My gut tells me you’re right. The evidence is all over the place. I can probably ask you a couple of questions without compromising the investigation.”

“Sure. I’m happy to help.” A soft growl from my apartment causes my mouth to go dry. I’ll keep going, for now. Keith Winters is definitely on the Nice List. And he’s been so kind.

“This is probably going to sound a little nuts, but do you know if Betty kept any exotic pets?”

“Exotic? What do you mean?”

“Um, let’s see . . . exotic pets means not your normal cat or dog.

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