“I think I need to sit down,” Lucy said, tears blurring her vision. “Why was Timmy with Mallory? She’s not his mother.”
“You’ll have to ask Mary,” Petunia said.
“I was just about ready to. Why did you lie to me about who you really are, Mary?”
“When you didn’t seem to know I was Mary I didn’t see the harm in telling you I was Mallory.”
“I should have known,” Lucy said. “I blame myself for not getting to know you girls through the years. Your mother took you with her to Arizona, and my health was too poor to visit.”
“We stayed there only two years,” Mary said. “I sent you an invitation to my wedding, or I thought I had. I found out years later that Mateo intercepted it.”
“Is he that controlling?” Petunia asked.
“Yes, and that’s why I had to get Timmy away from him. I hoped he wouldn’t figure out where I went. Mallory decided to keep Timmy with her until we could be certain Mateo wouldn’t find me.”
“She put herself in danger. Why would you let her do that?”
“I didn’t mean to, I swear, but I had planned on leaving Lake Forest after the holidays. Mallory insisted I stay with grandmother. If Mateo did come to town, I was sure Mallory would be able to slip away from him and contact the police before he could harm her. But neither of us thought he’d really come to Lake Forest looking for me.”
“She should have realized how dangerous it was, especially when she had Timmy with her,” Pinkerton said.
“Why did you act so strange when I came looking for Lucy? You wouldn’t tell me where she went,” Petunia said.
“You were the one acting strange. You went through the photo album asking questions, and when I brought out hot chocolate you hurried out the door as if I poisoned it!”
“Well, that’s how it felt. I thought you did something to Lucy.”
“Do what exactly?” Pinkerton asked with furrowed brow.
“Put her on cold storage or killed her.”
“Why would I do that?” Mary asked in a pained voice.
“I thought Lucy might have found out you weren’t Mallory,” Petunia said. “Did you tell your husband that Mallory was in Lake Forest with Timmy?”
“Why would I do that when I was in town too?”
“So Mateo would kill Mallory thinking it was you. He wouldn’t be a danger to you if he thought he’d killed you.”
“Y-you think I’d put my own sister’s life in jeopardy? That I wanted her dead?”
“Really, Petunia,” Lucy said, “that doesn’t sound plausible at all. Mallory and Mary were quite close.”
“We were before I married Mateo and he made it impossible to continue our relationship. Do you think Mateo killed Mallory?”
“We’re still investigating,” Pinkerton said, “and continuing to search for your son Timmy.”
“You don’t know where he is?” Mary gasped.
“I’d think that Timmy would be your top priority when you found out Mallory’s body was discovered.”
“Mateo would never harm his son, not even to get to me. If Mateo is involved, Timmy would be with him.”
“And if he’s not?”
“Find my great-grandson, sheriff,” Lucy demanded. “I can’t lose another member of my family.”
“You said something about hunting cabins?” Petunia asked.
“We’ve searched them all,” Pinkerton said. “I’ll contact the police in Grand Rapids to have them see if Mateo is back home.”
“He wasn’t there when we wanted to speak to him,” Petunia said.
“Shouldn’t you go there personally, sheriff?” Noah asked.
“It’s their jurisdiction. And we’re still searching for Timmy.”
“Please take me home,” Lucy barely whispered. Her face blanched and tears leaked down her face. “I can’t bear to hear anymore.”
Noah dropped Mary and Lucy off, and then pulled a U-turn, stopping as a black cat crossed the street. “Tell me that’s not your crazy cat crossing the street, Petunia.”
“I think it might be.”
Noah stopped and Petunia exited the car and retrieved a freezing Pansy.
“What’s going on?”
“They insisted I come and look for you.”
“Who?”
“They’re riding on my back.”
Petunia gasped after looking closer to see Chloe and Vincent holding onto Pansy’s fur for dear life. She quickly pocketed the elves, scooped up Pansy and jumped back into the car.
“Where are we heading now?” Petunia asked.
“To check the hunting cabins. The sheriff might have missed something. I hope you know where they are.”
“How will we find them in the dark?”
“You’re from Lake Forest, you tell me,” Noah said. “I have flashlights. You never know when you’ll have to traipse around in the dark with your girlfriend.”
“Very funny.”
“The lughead has a point,” Pansy said.
“Why were you wandering around in the dark?”
“I was looking for you. Merlin has a taste for elves. Did you know elves are quite magical and they don’t even have to use a wand?”
“I would have thought they planned to wait for Santa to take them back to the North Pole.”
“It’s hard to do that with Merlin on the prowl.”
“He certainly changed from the fraidy cat of not too long ago.”
“He’s territorial. He might think they’re after his food. That’s one cat whose life revolves around food.”
“That’s all cats.”
Petunia pointed out the road to Miller’s River and Noah parked on the edge of the plowed road. “I can’t risk driving in any deeper.”
“I’m glad I’m wearing boots.”
“I’ll get the flashlights,” Noah said as he climbed out of the car.
“What’s going on?” Chloe asked from Petunia’s pocket.
“We’re searching for lost little boy,” Petunia whispered, not wanting to go into detail.
“We’ll be happy to help. We’ll ride on your hat to help direct you.”
“And what if I fall? You’d be buried in the snow.”
“You’re probably right; we’ll stay in your pocket.”
Once the elves were settled, Petunia joined Noah outside. She didn’t get far when her phone rang. She answered it and motioned Noah back to the car. “I see,” Petunia said as Noah hopped back in the car. “But are you sure?” She nodded to Noah to start the car. “We’ll check it out, but are you sure about Ned Lewis?”
Petunia ended the call and Noah was already backing up. “So what does Ned Lewis have to do with finding Timmy?”
“Apparently he’s Timmy’s grandfather.”
Noah buckled his seatbelt and zoomed back into town.
Ned Lewis lived in a two-story two blocks from Petunia’s house. Noah parked at the curb. “So what’s our plan of action?” Noah asked.
“Why not knock on the front door?”
“And you think he’ll open the door to you?”
“He might.” Petunia shrugged. She had to admit that Ned was an ornery old cuss, but a potential murderer? “Pinkerton called Lucy and told her Mateo’s body was found north of town.”
“Pinkerton told Lucy about Ned?”
“No, Mary remembered he lived in town.”
“Why doesn’t he have the same last name as Mateo?”
“Shouldn’t we ask Ned that question?”
Petunia waited as Noah knocked on the door.
“Come inside. I’ve been expecting you,” Ned mumbled as he opened the door. “I figured you’d have questions.”
Petunia led the way inside, but Noah grabbed her arm to stop her from moving any further.
“Where’s Timmy?” Petunia asked.
“Timmy?”
“You know, your grandson.”
“Ah, so you know about Timmy?”
“The sheriff has been search
ing for him since his Aunt Mallory’s body was found at the country club.”
“I think you’re mistaken. I believe Timmy was in town with his mother Mary.”
“A wrong assumption. Timmy’s mother is very much alive.”
“Are you protecting your son, Mateo?” Noah pressed as Ned’s face lost some of its color.
“No! He’s a poor excuse for a man.”
“Why don’t you have the same last name?” Petunia asked.
“Because that blasted ex-wife of mine let her husband adopt him without my permission.”
“Why did you kill Mallory?”
“Do I appear capable of dragging Mallory’s body from the river to the country club?”
“So it was you!” Petunia accused. “You knew her body was in the river!”
“Unless you had Mateo kill Mallory and do all the work,” Noah said. “He’s not familiar with Lake Forest, but I’ll bet you led the way. But why did you kill your son?”
“Mateo’s dead?” Ned asked without emotion.
“You wanted both of them out of the way. Why?”
“So he could keep Timmy,” Petunia said. “Of course, Mary is alive and she’ll get her son back. And then there is always Lucy.”
“Not that old crow,” Ned shook his head.
“She won’t like hearing you call her that,” Petunia said. “Why don’t you call the sheriff and give yourself up?”
“Are you telling me you didn’t call the cops before you showed up? How stupid can you be?”
Ned was old, but he was agile when he swung a fireplace poker at Petunia. She hit the floor with thud, seeing stars. She sat up dazed, her vision blurry. Through the fog she thought she saw Noah fighting with Ned. Noah hit the floor next to Petunia, his eyes widening.
Sirens screamed and police cars skidded to a stop outside as Ned made a hasty exit. Sheriff Pinkerton and his deputies burst through the door and Petunia shouted, “He’s escaping. I think Timmy is here!”
Deputy Cartwright tried to block the door, but Mary and Lucy squeezed through the door and raced up the stairs. “Get back here,” Cartwright called as she pursued them.
“What happened?” Pansy asked as he raced through the door.
“I thought I left you in the car.”
“Someone had to save you.”
Noah’s eyes widened when he looked at Petunia. “You lost your hat.” Petunia grabbed it, but before she could put it back on, he added, “And why do you have elf ears?”
“That’s funny.” Petunia carefully felt the pointed ears and grumbled. “I drank one of Hazel’s potions.”
“Willingly?”
“No,” Petunia squeaked out.
“Hurry up and put the hat back on.”
Mary and Lucy came back down the stairs with Timmy. “Daddy brought me here,” Timmy said.
“We’ll talk about that later, after we take you to the hospital,” Mary said as she hugged him.
“I can’t go there or Santa won’t know where to find me,” the boy complained.
“He’ll leave your presents at your great-grandmother’s house,” Mary said.
“That’s right,” Lucy added. “And you’ll be able to open them tonight if the doctor says you’re okay.”
“If you say so,” Timmy capitulated as Mary kissed her son.
Cartwright led Timmy to the ambulance waiting outside. Petunia felt the sticky blood at her hairline. “Ned’s pretty swift for grumpy old man.”
“There’s another ambulance coming,” Cartwright said. “You might want to sit back down until it arrives, Miss Patterson.”
For a hot second Petunia half suspected Cartwright actually cared about her injuries. Referring to her as Miss Patterson put that thought to rest. She was merely doing her job.
When the other ambulance arrived Petunia was ready to sign the refusal to be treated form.
“You really need to get checked out,” Noah insisted.
“What do you think they’ll say when they see I have elf ears?”
“Good point, but I don’t like the look of that bump on your head. You’ll have to keep your hair over your ears.”
Aunt Maxine rolled up and raced to them, fussing over Petunia.
“It’s only a bump,” Petunia complained, as she gripped Pansy.
“You’ll need to see a doctor, and I know just the one.”
Petunia rolled her eyes and spotted Sheriff Pinkerton hauling a handcuffed Ned Lewis to a squad car. At least he didn’t get away, and Timmy had been found.
“I still can’t believe Mallory died like that, freezing to death because Mateo thought she was his wife,” Petunia said.
“I imagine Ned didn’t think his son was capable of being a good father to Timmy,” Noah said.
“Ned killed Mateo,” Petunia added.
“I have something for you, Petunia,” Hazel said as she waved a small bottle. “It will make the elf ears go away.”
“I don’t think she should be drinking anyone’s potions after this fiasco,” Noah said.
“You’re cute, Noah, but this is between us. You can follow us to the hospital.”
Aunt Maxine pushed Petunia into her car and drove off as Noah looked on.
“There’s one thing I never figured out,” Petunia said. “I fell in the middle of the street the other day and something pulled me to safety. But nobody was there.”
Aunt Maxine smiled in the rearview mirror. “Christmas elves work in mysterious ways.”
Petunia jumped at a racket in the trunk. “What is that noise?” she asked.
“It’s the Christmas decorations I let Noah borrow. Apparently they caused trouble in town.”
“What do the decorations have to do with the elves in my pocket?”
“I thought you’d have figured that out by now. A very special spell had been cast on them. Had I known that at the time I would never have let them leave the cellar,” Aunt Maxine said.
Petunia reached into her pocket. It was empty. “Where did the elves go?”
“They disappeared?” Pansy asked.
“Disappeared where?” Petunia said out loud.
“To the North Pole, I imagine,” Hazel said as she insisted Petunia drink the potion.
Petunia pinched her nose as she drank the bitter potion. She grabbed her throat and gingerly checked her ears. “Whew! The pointy ears are finally gone.”
“Sorry about that,” Hazel said. “I need to tweak that potion.”
“How about losing the recipe?”
“I agree. Losing the recipe is a better idea,” Aunt Maxine said.
Epilogue
Petunia snuggled on Noah’s couch as he handed her a glass of eggnog. They were both too full to move after the large Christmas meal Bonnie Hopkins sent over because Petunia wasn’t feeling up to moving.
Noah insisted she stay at his house tonight. He refused to allow anyone else to watch over her while she recuperated from her concussion.
Noah frowned. “I think Cora is up to her old tricks.”
“What did she do this time?”
“Removed my Christmas decorations.”
“Just yours?” Petunia asked.
“I knew you must have known something about this. Whoever redecorated the houses undecorated them just as quickly. I don’t know what I’ll tell Aunt Maxine about the decorations I borrowed from her.”
“She took them home,” Petunia said. “Strange things certainly happened when we brought them to your house.”
“Strange things always happen in Lake Forest or to us.” Noah laughed. “I’m glad you left Pansy home tonight. I finally feel like I have you all to myself.”
“You always have, but whatever you do, don’t tell Aunt Maxine I stayed the night. I don’t think telling her I stayed in the guest room will stop her from grumbling.”
“Who said you were leaving this couch?” Noah asked with a grin. He took her eggnog and set it on the table, and then enveloped her in his warm embrace.
About th
e Author
USA Today Bestseller Madison Johns is most known for her Agnes Barton Senior sleuths mystery series featuring lively and zany senior citizen sleuths — Agnes Barton and Eleanor Mason. Her time working at a nursing home was all the inspiration she needed to portray realistic characters that readers have gone on to love. Her first book Armed and Outrageous has solidified her in the publishing world and her series has been well received.
Madison’s aim was simple; she wanted to change how the world viewed senior citizens. Why you could take a stroll through her neighborhood in Mid-Michigan where some of the liveliest seniors live to know she wasn’t that far off the mark.
She knew if she used what she had learned while caring for senior citizens to good use, it would result in something quite unique.
She now works full time as a writer from home where she continues to write cozy mysteries and sweet romances. She also writes historical romances as Clara Kincaid.
Visit her on the web at: http://madisonjohns.com. Sign up for Madison's newsletter list to receive new release alerts at http://eepurl.com/4kFsH.
Other books by this Author
Armed and Outrageous
Grannies, Guns & Ghosts
Senior Snoops
Trouble in Tawas
Treasure in Tawas
Bigfoot in Tawas
High Seas Honeymoon
Outrageous Vegas Vacation
Birds of a Feather
Undercover Inmates
Camping Caper
Hawaiian Hangover
Scandal in Tawas
Tawas Goes Hollywood
An Agnes Barton Paranormal Mystery Series
Haunted Hijinks
Ghostly Hijinks
Spooky Hijinks
Hair-Raising Hijinks
Ghastly Hijinks
An Agnes Barton Holiday Mystery
The Great Turkey Caper
The Great Christmas Caper
Lucky Strike
Kimberly Steele Sweet Romance
Pretty and Pregnant
Pretty and Pregnant Again
An Agnes Barton/Kimberly Steele Romance
Meows, Magic & Elves Page 14