Mince Pies and Murder

by Carly Reid

  It was a beautiful spread. And Jessica was looking forward to enjoying it with friends. Finally, her dream of a perfect Scottish Christmas was being realized. And they still had the big day itself to come.

  Reenie arrived first, along with Grant.

  “Oh Ealisaid, this looks amazing! Thank you so much. It’s lovely not to have to think about cooking on Christmas Eve.”

  Jessica was on drinks duty, and poured a glass of prosecco for Reenie and sparkling elderflower for Grant, who was driving. No sooner had she handed them over than Craig arrived, bashfully ushering in Cat in front of him. Her short red hair was clipped back with a barrette, and she wore a lot of sparkly make-up which enhanced her blue eyes.

  “We’ll both need to be up at the pub by nine o’clock,” Craig said anxiously, but Ealisaid soon reassured him.

  “Eat as much or as little as you like, and leave whenever you need to. No formalities here!”

  Craig nodded his thanks as he and Cat removed their layers of outerwear, and hung them over the backs of chairs.

  Next to arrive were Murdo, Magnus and DI Gordon. The Smith brothers both wore kilts and thick knitted Christmas sweaters, and Jessica worried for the state of their knees. Surely their legs must be frozen? They didn’t seem to feel it however, sweeping in with broad smiles. Magnus’ sweater showed a Christmas tree, patterned with brightly colored knitted tinsel wrapped around the tree. Murdo’s bore an illustration of Rudolph the reindeer, complete with a suitably incredible shiny red nose. It appeared to be shot through with some sparkly yarn. Jessica wondered if Murdo had knitted these, too.

  Ealisaid greeted the trio. “I’m glad you could make it, Detective Inspector!”

  “I’m not staying for food,” replied DI Gordon with a nod towards her. “I want to go and spend the evening with my family, and if I leave now I will be back in time for bath-time. We’ve got some new traditions to make. However, I thought I would pop in and have a quick drink, and thank you all. After all, without your help I wouldn’t be able to spend much time with my family this Christmas at all.”

  He too accepted a glass of sparking elderflower, and raised it to the assembled group. Everyone raised their drinks in response, and as they did so, Ealisaid called out:

  “Oh Reenie! Look! Look where you are standing!”

  Ealisaid glanced at Jessica and gave her a wink. Jessica looked over. Reenie and Grant had found themselves underneath some strategically hung mistletoe. Both laughed, and leaned in for a kiss. Eyes wide, Jessica watched as they broke apart and as they did so, she saw Magnus standing behind them, looking at her. The eye contact lasted for several seconds and Jessica felt her stomach flip as Magnus smiled slowly.

  The door opened and Amy arrived, bearing bottles of ginger wine for Ealisaid and Jessica, and full of apologies for her strange behavior when Jessica had visited. “I was in the middle of making this for you, and I didn’t want you to see! You must have thought me so rude.” Jessica and Ealisaid accepted the gifts gratefully. After hearing Amy’s story, they had both resolved to try and get to know the soon-to-be qualified electrician better. Jessica, because she knew what it was like to end up living in Dalkinchie – and at least she had family in the village. Amy’s family wasn’t far away, it was true, but she was making her own life in a new place, and this resonated with Jessica. Ealisaid had an ulterior motive.

  “I’d far rather deal wi’ Amy than Ian Johnston, when I’ve got anything needing sorted at home or in Lissa’s. Honestly, you wouldn’t believe how I’ve been spoken to over the years – as if I know nothing, and I’m just an ignorant wee lassie playing at running a business. Well, a decade later and I’m doing OK, thank you very much, but I’d still rather talk to somebody who gives me the right information and doesnae act like my questions are stupid. Plus, I’d love to support another young woman in business in Dalkinchie.”

  Now Ealisaid smiled and introduced Amy to Reenie. Jessica, pouring Amy’s drink, was sure that Reenie would feel similarly about working with Amy. There was definitely some work needing done in The Bloom Room cellar.

  Last, but by no means least, in came Mairead, accompanied by Solveig, Ealisaid’s girlfriend. The latter had arrived the day before, but had been happy with Ealisaid’s plan to spend the day cooking because she had saved up her Christmas shopping until the last minute. She had therefore taken Mairead to Perth for the day – “Rather her than me,” Ealisaid had remarked – and the two of them burst through the door laughing. Jessica had never seen Mairead so relaxed and cheerful. She was clearly very fond of Solveig.

  This was the first time Jessica and Solveig had met. She saw a petite woman, with blond hair tied back in a practical pony tail. She was wearing a thick, fair isle sweater, cream and patterned with navy, green and red. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold outside, and her eyes glittered.

  “It’s yourself, Solveig!”

  Murdo was immediately by her side, wrapping her in a huge bear hug. When Solveig spoke, it was in perfect, if slightly accented English.

  “Murdo, I am so very pleased to see you again. How are you?”

  “Oh, I’ve lots of news to fill you in on. Sit by me, and we’ll catch up.”

  Solveig laughed. “I have a lot of catching up to do!”

  Magnus chimed in. “You do that! Tell, me, where exactly have you been? I’d love to visit some of your dig locations some day, and take photos.”

  “I would love that too, Magnus.”

  Clearly Solveig was already well known in Dalkinchie. Jessica caught Ealisaid’s eye, and the latter moved to Solveig and drew her over.

  “Before you get settled in, there’s some new people I would like you to meet.”

  Reenie and Grant were standing nearby, and Grant raised his glass. “Merry Christmas, Solveig. Lovely to see you again.”

  “Merry Christmas, Grant!”

  Ealisaid introduced Reenie and Jessica.

  “Solveig, this is Reenie. Remember I told you she moved to the village in the summer and set up a new flower shop across the road? Solveig nodded. “Yes, of course. Nice to meet you, Reenie.”

  Ealisaid continued.

  “Reenie, my girlfriend Solveig. She spends most of her time in exotic locations up to her arms in mud. We met here when she was on a dig location nearby.”

  Reenie switched her glass to her other hand in order to shake Solveig’s.

  “And you. It must be nice to be back in Dalkinchie for Christmas.”

  “It is, thank you. I always like coming here. It is so…peaceful.”

  Reenie’s only response was a small smile, but her eyes met Jessica’s. Ealisaid now turned to her friend.

  “And this is Jessica, Reenie’s niece.”

  Solveig turned to Jessica and smiled warmly. “Jessica, I have heard so much about you. It is nice to finally meet. You are also not from Scotland, I believe? Tell me, how do you find it?”

  Jessica smiled back.

  “It is lovely to meet you, too. And yes, as you can probably tell, I’m American, although my mom is Scottish. I’ve been here six months now. And how do I find it? Well…”

  Jessica paused. It was hard to put into words exactly how she felt about Scotland now. Her initial holiday had turned into an extended stay, and she was surrounded by family, friends and work she found fulfilling. She had felt ‘unfinished’ when she graduated, feeling that she had to push on to the next phase, the next qualification, the next stage of life. Here, she felt free of that, able to focus on everyday details in a way she hadn’t managed for a while, let life unfold as it may.

  This confusion of thoughts all went through her mind simultaneously. She looked at Solveig again, who was still waiting expectantly for her reply. Jessica continued her answer.

  “Home. Scotland feels like home to me now.”

  Author's Note

  Like Jessica, I love Christmas and I always wanted to set one of the Dalkinchie books at that time of year. Cozy Christmas mysteries are amongst my favourites to read, so I
suppose it stands to reason that I wanted to write one!

  Christmas in Scotland is a mish-mash of different traditions. Much of it stems from the Victorians, with their Christmas trees, cards and crackers – all of which are very popular still today. We eat a roast turkey dinner with all ‘the trimmings’ – sausages wrapped in bacon ('pigs in blankets’), cranberry sauce, roast and mash potatoes, Brussel sprouts, red cabbage carrots, stuffing and plentiful gravy. There are, of course, many variations on that theme, and most families these days will find themselves catering for vegetarian and vegan diets as well, my own included. We set the Christmas pudding ablaze by dousing it with rum, but usually have a chocolate dessert option as well.

  None of this, however, is particularly Scottish, which is part of the reason that I didn’t include the Christmas Day scene in this book. (The other was that I wanted the celebratory aspect of all the characters coming together at the end, which made more sense on Christmas Eve). Scotland, historically, had a low-key Christmas. Christmas Day did not become a public holiday until 1871 and the day after, Boxing Day, in 1974. We saved our main celebration for New Year’s Eve – Hogmanay, where there are plentiful Scottish traditions. I will definitely feature these in a future book.

  The Lochside Hydro is fictional, but there are a scattering of Hydro hotels across Scotland with the same history and origins that I described. They are all very luxurious, and well worth a visit.

  Thank you for joining me in Dalkinchie once again, and I look forward to welcoming you to a Clan Gathering at Castle Drummond for the next tale in the series, Death in the Clan! If you want to stay in touch with me along the way, and learn more about the process of writing the Dalkinchie mysteries, then read on to find out how to join my mailing list. (There’s a free bonus story for you, if you do…)

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  I have written a bonus, extra scene for readers of Mince Pies and Murder. If you want to know what happens when Reenie and Grant use their gift voucher from Jessica, and dine out together in Gillespies restaurant then please follow this link.

  In exchange for this story, you will be asked to sign up to my mailing list – just follow the instructions on the linked page. I send out my newsletter approximately every three weeks, with the latest news on my writing and my life. I share promotions, sales and launches of new books from other cozy authors. I also always include my Scots Dictionary Corner which introduces and explains some of the vocabulary my characters use.

  If you are already subscribed to my mailing list then please don’t worry – this story will be sent out as an extra every December. If you are reading this at any other time of year, and just can’t wait that long, please feel free to email me directly at info@carlyreid.com. Put ‘Gillespies’ in the subject line, and I’ll send you the link.

  Enjoy Dinner at Gillespies!

  About the Author

  Carly Reid is the author of the Dalkinchie Mystery series. She is an avid reader who has loved books and stories since childhood, her favourites being cozy mysteries and Golden Age crime. After a career working in all aspects of the book trade, Carly decided it was time to write her own stories. The Dalkinchie Mystery series is the result.

  Carly lives in Scotland with her family, although not in Dalkinchie!

  You can connect with me on:

  http://www.carlyreid.com

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  Also by Carly Reid

  Murder in Bloom

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V4MCN46

  A Dalkinchie Mysteries Novella

  A bad breakup, a new business…

  …and a body in the cellar.

  When Jessica Greer comes to Scotland to help Aunt Reenie set up a new flower shop, she plans to get over her ex-boyfriend and find some comfort in her ancestral home – as well as help Reenie get ready for opening day. But when the local estate agent turns up dead in the new shop cellar, and the locals seem keen to pin the crime on an outsider, Jessica finds herself drawn in to the events, secrets and drama of a not-so-sleepy Scottish village.

  Death in Dalkinchie

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XM87NKM

  Dalkinchie Mysteries Book 1

  It’s the annual Dalkinchie Craft Show, and one thing seems certain – Margaret Mustard’s orange and whisky marmalade will take top prize, again.

  Jessica Greer is settling in to life in a Scottish village, balancing her job as a junior reporter with new friendships and attempting to house-train Willow, her Aunt Reenie’s spaniel puppy. When the head judge is poisoned as Jessica reports on the Craft Show, her extensive notes, observational skills and ability to be in the wrong place at the right time are put to the test again. Can Jessica narrow down the list of suspects to find the killer before there’s another victim?

  If you love locked room mysteries, quirky characters, and a Scottish small-town setting, you’ll love Death in Dalkinchie.