Christmas Tree Catastrophe (Lily Bloom Cozy Mystery Series Book 6)

by Lyndsey Cole

  Rosie bounded over, wiggling and smiling her goofy dog smile. “Oh Rosie, I can always count on you to get me in a good mood. Did you play all day?” Rosie barked in reply as Ollie and Poppy joined the fun. The two puppies were never far from Rosie or something exciting going on.

  Iris and Daisy hurried Lily along to the living room, telling her to close her eyes. “What have you two been up to?” Lily asked enjoying the excitement building inside. The dogs rushed past her, warm air reflected off her face, the refreshing scent of balsam fir filled her nose and quiet Christmas music played in the background.

  “Open your eyes!”

  Lily’s heart almost stopped at the sight of the beautiful Christmas tree glittering with tiny white lights and all the decorations that Iris had accumulated over the years, including photos of Lily and Daisy when they were in grade school and all the silly ornaments they made for her when they were much younger. The tree stood in front of the big arched picture window, completely blocking it, and Lily had to tilt her head back to find the antique star that always adorned the top of the tree for as long as she could remember. She wrapped her arms around her mother and her sister and pulled them close. “Our first Christmas here with you and Walter in his beautiful house. A new tradition is starting.”

  Iris made Lily sit in a soft chair facing the tree with the glowing fireplace to her right. She couldn’t help but admire the stockings hanging from the mantle since there was barely enough room for all of them. Lily counted them. Nine hand knitted big stockings for Walter, Iris, Lily, Daisy, Adam, Ryan and Jennifer, plus Walter’s daughter and son-in-law who would be arriving in time for the wedding. There was also one medium stocking with a reindeer and snowflake pattern for Katie, Jennifer’s daughter. Finally, three small ones with a dog bone pattern for Rosie, Ollie, Poppy and another small stocking with a red mouse pattern for Sweet Pea rounded out the collection. “Who made all the stockings? They’re awesome.”

  “I guess you didn’t know that Kari is an experienced knitter. She made them all, an early Christmas present for all of us,” Iris explained.

  “I better give her one fantastic Christmas bonus with all the hard work she’s been doing, and finding time for this too.”

  Lily sank deeper into the soft cushions, sighing and feeling quite content. Iris put a glass of red wine in her hand and set a tray of hors d’oeuvres on the coffee table in front of her. “Daisy and I whipped together some recipes for your wedding. What do you think?”

  “If I eat too many of these, there won’t be room left for whatever is smelling so good in the kitchen. And I won’t fit into my wedding dress,” Lily said as she picked up a bacon wrapped scallop. “I guess it won’t hurt to sample a couple.” She laughed as she popped the whole thing into her mouth. She put two thumbs up while she chewed and swallowed. “That was incredible.” She took a guacamole bruschetta next and licked her lips when that was gone. She sipped her wine and her hand hovered over the tray. “One more.”

  Daisy pointed to the spinach, pear, pecan and cranberry pinwheels. “Try one of these, I just found the recipe and I think it’s the best one here.”

  “Oh, Daisy. These flavors meld together perfectly,” Lily said after swallowing the treat and closing her eyes.

  Iris and Daisy finally sat down with their wine. Walter came in and smiled at the three women. “I’ll never get tired of seeing you all sitting here. Can I sample these now?” He focused on Lily. “Those two,” he pointed to Iris and Daisy, “wouldn’t even let me in the kitchen to see what they’ve been doing.”

  Iris patted the seat next to where she was sitting. “We had to let Lily see them before you gobbled everything all up,” she teased.

  Lily’s phone rang. “Maybe that’s Ryan. He said he couldn’t come over tonight but there’s always a chance he changed his mind.” Seeing the number, she pouted. “It’s only Tamara.”

  After listening to Tamara, Lily felt the blood drain from her face. With shaky hands, she silently closed her phone and looked around the comfortable room, pausing at each face. “Tamara is in jail. Ryan arrested her for the murder of Malcolm Moss.”

  Chapter 10

  The sky outside on Sunday morning appeared as bleak as Lily felt. Rolling over, Lily opened her eyes to find Rosie next to the bed staring at her with her head cocked at an angle. “Everything’s okay Rosie. I’ll figure this out. It’s certainly not how I would choose to spend these few days before my wedding, but sometimes helping a friend is more important than anything else.” Rosie wagged her tail. “You always understand. And luckily for me, you always figure out how to help the ones you love.” Lily had to smile at her ever optimistic doggy friend. “Thanks for cheering me up. Come on, let’s find out what’s going on downstairs.” Lily followed the aroma of freshly brewing coffee and found Iris and Walter hunkered down in the kitchen.

  Iris smiled when Lily walked in. “We’ve been busy making a plan to get Tamara out of jail. It should be a cinch.”

  Lily raised an eyebrow as she picked up her favorite coffee mug, the one with a picture of Rosie as a puppy, and poured herself some coffee. “I’m not sure I even want to hear this plan, but go ahead since I’m sure you’ll tell me whether I want to hear it or not.” She pulled out a chair and got comfortable across from Walter.

  “Well,” Iris began, “all you need to do is distract Ryan, which should be simple for you, then steal his keys so Walter and I can unlock her jail cell and whisk her away.”

  “Superb plan. Except for one teeny tiny glitch. Where are you going to whisk her away to before the three of you are apprehended and all of you are tossed into jail and, on top of that, they’ll throw the keys away for good measure.” Lily sucked in a breath and smiled at the scowl on her mother’s face. “Oh, you were serious. No, I won’t seduce Ryan so you can bust Tamara out. I think he would throw me in jail too for aiding and abetting the criminal and jail isn’t exactly the setting I had in mind for my wedding day.”

  Iris chewed on the tip of her pen. “Okay, we’ll go to plan B.”

  “Do I dare ask what plan B is? And if that doesn’t work, is there a plan C?”

  “Plan B will work. You are plan B.” Iris smiled. “You will figure this out. Just like you always do, Lily. Ask some questions, find some clues, throw it all together and BAM, there’s the murderer.” Iris slammed her hand down on the table for emphasis, making both Lily and Walter jump. “Oh, and try not to get yourself killed while you’re doing all of the above.”

  “You make it sound so straight forward and easy. I’ve been going over everything in my head ever since I saw the shadow under the tree on Friday night. I remember Tamara walking out with Malcolm, the murder weapon is her brick, but, come on, we all agree she’s not a killer. What would her motive be?”

  Iris put the dirty cups in the sink and got eggs out of the fridge. “You don’t have to convince us. Tamara has been my friend forever, and under all the pompous exterior, is a decent person.” Iris started to crack eggs into a bowl. “Everyone want eggs and hash browns for breakfast?”

  Rosie stood up and walked toward the front door wagging her tail. “Eggs sound good. Is there enough for me?” Ryan stood in the doorway with dark circles around his eyes.

  Lily thought she would be mad at him but when she saw his tired and sad face, her heart melted. She couldn’t help herself but get up and give him a hug.

  The hash browns sizzled and Iris whisked the eggs into her big glass bowl. “Ryan, grab some coffee and make yourself comfortable. There’s plenty and we’ll let you eat before we give you a hard time about Tamara.”

  Ryan grinned at Iris. “I guess you’re being fair.” He and Lily walked back to the table with their arms wrapped around each other. “But don’t forget, we are the ones listening to all her talking, so it’s not easy at the station at the moment. I had to get out of there before I went completely crazy listening to her yak yak yaking.”

  Plates were filled with steaming scrambled eggs, salsa, hash browns a
nd toast. The silverware clinked on the plates until everyone had their fill. Ryan pushed his chair back, sighed, and told Iris her breakfast was the best food he’d had in the last twenty four hours.

  “Probably the only food you managed to find the time to eat, but thanks anyway. Now, what in tarnation made you arrest that poor woman?” She stood with her hands on her hips giving Ryan her evil eyeball stare.

  Sitting forward, he stared right back at Iris. “You know I can’t tell you the details about this case.” He finished his coffee and placed his cup on the table. “Delicious coffee, by the way. Now, if you want to help your friend, ask her about her past relationship with Malcolm. I found out some interesting information that I’m guessing she hasn’t shared with anyone.” He pushed his chair back and stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, my bed is calling.” He kissed Lily and told her he couldn’t wait to be with her at the opening later.

  “Well, I never,” Iris stammered. “He ate my food and didn’t even give us any information. Lily, I hope you aren’t making a big mistake by marrying that cop.”

  Lily couldn’t help but chuckle at her mother’s attempt to blackmail Ryan. “But he did give us a bit of information. Let’s get these dishes cleaned up and give Tamara a visit. She’s probably out of her mind by now and she’ll be ready to tell us whatever Ryan was hinting about.”

  ***

  Lily and Iris were led into a small room where Tamara was waiting for them. A policeman closed and locked the door, on guard outside the door until they were ready to leave.

  Tamara leaned as far across the table as she could. “You won’t believe who my cellmate is,” she whispered.

  Iris’s eyes widened. “A mass murderer?”

  “No, don’t be ridiculous.” Tamara settled back in her chair. “This is Misty Valley. No mass murderer would be in this jail.”

  “Well, you’re here and they think you’re a murderer.”

  Tamara waved the comment off like it was nothing. “That’s different. No, I’m sharing the cell with a prostitute. Can you believe it? Here? In Misty Valley? And, she’s smart, kind and thoughtful. She just made some bad choices and got down on her luck and got desperate and—”

  “Slow down,” Lily said, interrupting Tamara. “Before you tell us those details, we need to talk about you. I’m not sure how long we’ll be allowed to stay in here, so you need to help us if we’re going to figure out a way to help you.”

  Tamara took a deep breath. “Okay. There isn’t much I can tell you though. I didn’t kill Malcolm and I don’t have a clue who did.”

  Lily wasn’t going to beat around the bush. “What’s your history with Malcolm Moss, Tamara? Is there something that could make it appear like you had a motive to kill him?”

  Tamara’s face turned a light shade of pink. Scrunching up her mouth, her eyes went everywhere else in the room except to face Lily. “History? Is that necessary? All the painful stuff that I blocked out years ago? I’d much rather tell you how I plan to help my cellmate once we’re out of here—therapy, an apartment—”

  Lily stood up. “Stop changing the subject or I’m leaving. I want to help you but I can’t if you don’t level with us. What is it that Ryan thinks is your motive to kill Malcolm?”

  A tear leaked from the corner of Tamara’s eye and she wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. “A few years ago, Malcolm and I went to an event together. I drove. On the way home, I had an accident. Malcolm contacted some of his friends and took care of the problem.”

  Lily sat down and reached across the table, putting her hand on top of Tamara’s. “What was the problem?”

  “I am only aware of what he told me since I had a concussion and lost my memory for the whole night.” She looked up at Lily and Iris. “He told me I hit someone and he made me get in the passenger seat and he drove away.”

  Iris covered her mouth with her hand. “I remember that accident. It was a hit and run and the police never solved the case.”

  Tamara nodded. “That’s right. He’s been blackmailing me ever since. Nothing extravagant, but I helped him with a down payment for his car and stuff like that.”

  Lily slammed her hands on the table, leaping up from her chair so quickly it tipped over backwards, crashing on the floor. “That’s ridiculous. If you have no memory of the night, maybe he made the whole thing up. And, if he drove away, he’s responsible too. How could you let him hold it over you for all this time, Tamara?”

  She hung her head. “I was scared and had no reason not to believe him. Now it’s too late and it certainly makes me appear to be the one most likely to have a motive for wanting him dead.”

  “It’s a good thing he’s dead or I’d kill him myself,” Iris said as she pounded her fist into her open palm for emphasis.

  Chapter 11

  Lily and Iris drove back to Iris’s home trying to form a plan.

  “This can’t be good for Tamara but I don’t believe for one second that she killed Malcolm Moss,” Lily said, expressing both of their frustrations. “We’ll need to keep our eyes and ears sharp at the opening tonight. With Tamara in jail, whoever the real killer is will relax a little and make a mistake.”

  “That’s assuming the killer comes to the opening and Malcolm’s murder wasn’t some random killing,” Iris added.

  “Well, yeah, there is that possibility, but I don’t think it was random. The weather was so bad Friday night, who would have been out to just randomly bump into Malcolm in the library parking lot? I think the murderer was someone already at the library or someone who knew he would be there.”

  “So, who was helping decorate?”

  “Me, but I know I didn’t kill him. Nick left a little after Tamara and Malcolm. Penny and Crystal left about the same time but through another door. I guess it’s possible one of them walked around and waited until Malcolm was alone and whacked him with Tamara’s brick, pulled him under the tree and got back to their car before I went out. But what’s there motive?”

  Lily parked in front of Iris’s house, surprised to see Ryan’s car. “I don’t think he got caught up on his sleep,” she said to Iris.

  Ryan was inside chatting with Daisy who was cooking up a storm. The conversation stopped mid-sentence as Lily and Iris entered the kitchen. Ryan was lounging at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and some kind of muffin in front of him. He questioned Lily before taking a bite. “Did Tamara fill you in on her past?”

  Lily nodded and pulled a chair out next to Ryan. “She did, but the whole thing sounds fishy to me. Malcolm could have told her anything if she had no memory of the night. And how convenient that he’s not around now? I’ve been wondering . . .” Lily paused and took a bite of Ryan’s muffin. “Do you think he was blackmailing someone else too? It seems to be his method of controlling people. And what about his partner, Eddie Parker? Where was he Friday night? His personality switches between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde every time I’m around him.” She wiped some crumbs from her face. “Delicious muffins Daisy. Apple cranberry?”

  Daisy smiled. “Yup. I also added some dates for sweetness which lets me cut down on the sugar.”

  “Get your own muffin.” Ryan slapped Lily’s hand away from his muffin and popped the rest in his mouth before Lily had a chance to steal any more from him. “Eddie Parker was visiting his mother at the Rosewood Assisted Living facility. Tamara walked out with Malcolm, had access to the murder weapon, her prints are all over the murder weapon and she has a pretty strong motive to murder him. Means, motive and opportunity. I’d say your friend better find herself a very good lawyer.”

  “Doesn’t it seem odd for Tamara to use a brick with her name on it, then plant the brick in her own car? And who else’s fingerprints are on the brick. I know I held it, probably everyone at the library Friday night held it.”

  “Lily, sometimes people aren’t what they seem. I like how you are so loyal to your friend but the evidence is all pointing at her.” Ryan stood up. “I’ve got to get back to work. Thanks f
or the coffee and muffin, Daisy.”

  Lily grabbed his arm. “What about the brick through my shop window? Did you make any progress on that yet? Or the break-in at Malcolm’s house? Are they connected?”

  “There’s a good chance the break-ins are connected and we’re getting closer to figuring out who the culprit is, but there isn’t anything concrete yet to connect the break-ins to the murder.”

  “Are you serious? And Crystal Parker had a whole pile of bricks in her car? It’s winter, not exactly the time of year to be building a walkway.”

  “I know you want this solved yesterday and to get Tamara out of jail, but the process doesn’t work at the speed of light. We are moving forward methodically, and with a little luck I won’t be forced to throw you in jail for your own safety.” He smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Even if I do, you still won’t be able to get out of marrying me on Wednesday night. A jail cell ceremony—something unique to make our wedding memorable,” he teased.

  Lily waited until she heard the front door close. “I think his judgment is clouded because of our wedding. Let’s get back to figuring this out or Tamara will be spending more time in jail than she’s planning on.” She waited for Iris and Daisy to offer suggestions.

  Daisy turned back to her baking, pulling another tray of muffins out of the oven. “Ryan does make a valid point. Without any evidence to point to someone else, the only conclusion does seem to point to Tamara having a temporary moment of insanity.”