Demanding bunch was one way to describe the production team.
“I’ll talk to Thad about it when I go to the Christmas Market,” I said. “Swissmen Sweets has a table there.”
“I would expect you would. Your grandfather made the very best candies. Why don’t you girls take a look at the trees here? You might find something you like.”
“We should really get back to the village,” I said. “My grandmother will be wondering what became of us.”
Grandma Leah nodded.
I was about to thank her and head back to the car when Cass said, “Bailey, I think we should take a peek at those trees. They might be important.”
I frowned. “How?”
“The advertisement,” she whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “Maybe the trees will give us a clue as to why Rocky had that ad.”
I didn’t know how they could, but I was willing to give it a shot to get to the bottom of this baffling piece of evidence.
“We’d like to see the trees after all,” I said to Grandma Leah.
Grandma Leah smiled. “Gut. Follow me.” She walked us to the edge of the trees. “This is where I will leave you to it, then. I don’t go into the trees any longer. It’s far too easy to lose your way.”
I stared at the dense rows of trees as she said that.
“And stick to the path when you are out there. My grandson likes to catch rabbits, so he has some snares set among the trees,” Grandma Leah added. “You wouldn’t want to be caught in one of those.”
“Great,” Cass muttered.
“If you pick a tree, let me know before you go, and I will make sure we save that one for you. I will let my grandson know. He’s a good man.” Grandma Leah turned to go.
“Grandma Leah,” I said, stopping her. “Can I ask you one more question about the guest house down the street? You said that some TV people were staying there.”
She nodded.
“Does the name Rocky Rivers mean anything to you?”
She cocked her head. “Rocky Rivers? Is that a place?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s a person who was staying at the guest house.”
“Was staying?” Grandma Leah asked. “So, she’s not staying there any longer?”
I swallowed. “No, she isn’t.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know that name. Must be an Englischer with a name like that. My grandson, Thad, might know of her. As I said, he helps with the guest house.”
I had a feeling Thad might know Rocky very well, but their connection was still unknown.
“Now, if that is all, I will leave you girls to pick your trees.” She continued on her way.
Cass and I stood at the edge of the trees after Grandma Leah shuffled back to the house.
“You know,” Cass said. “If I was going to hide a dead body . . .”
“Don’t even say it. We aren’t finding any more dead bodies today. I’ve reached my quota for the week.”
“I’m just sayin’ . . .”
“I know.”
The pine trees grew in what felt like endless rows. One row was barely three feet from the next. I could hold out my arms and touch the trees on either side of me. “What could be Rocky’s connection to this place?”
Cass shook her head. “No idea. Grandma Leah didn’t seem to have a clue, and she seemed as sharp as a tack.”
I nodded.
The pine needles rustled. I told myself that it was just the wind. Maybe a winter storm was coming on. The temperature seemed to have dropped by ten degrees since we’d met Grandma Leah. I had to admit that I liked the old woman, and I prayed for her sake that neither her grandson nor her great-grandson were involved in this murder, but I knew they just might be. The only way to be sure was to find Thad Keim and confirm that he was the man we’d seen running away from Rocky’s room.
I followed Cass through the rows of trees. The bristly branches on either side of me caught at my sleeves and the sides of my coat. They felt like fingers poking and prodding me. I shivered. It wasn’t a pleasant image. “Where are we going?” I asked Cass.
She looked back at me. Snow dusted the top of her black hair. “Grandma Leah seemed keen on our finding a Christmas tree, so I figured we should at least take a look. Could be a good one here for the shop.”
“What about this one?” she called. She was about twenty feet away from me, standing in a clearing in the middle of the rows of trees. She shook the branch of the tree.
It was a perfectly shaped Christmas tree, and I could see it in the front window of the candy shop covered in gumdrops and candy canes. “It’s beautiful,” I said. Then the wind picked up, and gusts blew all the snow clinging to the tree’s branches onto Cass.
“Ahhh!” she screamed.
I stifled a laugh as she shook the snow out of her hair and brushed it off her designer coat.
“I can tell you want to laugh,” Cass said. “Are you ready to go?”
“More than ready,” I said.
She nodded. “Even though the tree attacked me, I’ll stop by the house and tell Grandma Leah we want it for the candy shop.”
Again, I didn’t tell Cass I couldn’t have a shop tree.
* * *
On the ride back to the village, Jethro sat on Cass’s lap. He had his hooves pressed up against the dashboard, and he stared intently out the windshield.
“This is one intense pig,” Cass said. “He really might have a chance to make it in the big time.”
I didn’t answer. I was too deep in thought. My brain whirled over thoughts of Rocky, the murder, Grandma Leah, Eric, and Aiden. For some reason, Aiden was on my mind most of all.
It wasn’t a long drive back to the village, maybe twenty minutes on a normal day, but this wasn’t a normal day. The closer I got to Harvest, the worse the traffic became. Traffic was known to be bad in Berlin on Route 39 at the height of tourist season, but never in Harvest. There were no major roads that came into the village, which was one reason why Margot was so determined to have events like the Christmas Market, to convince tourists to come off the beaten path to Sugarcreek and Berlin and visit our village.
I drove up Apple Street and parked behind a buggy. Getting into the spot was tricky because there were so many buggies and cars backed up on Main Street, which ran perpendicular to Apple.
“I guess the Christmas Market is a big deal around here,” Cass mused.
“I don’t know if this is just the Christmas Market. The Amish Confectionary Competition this fall brought over two thousand people to Harvest, and the traffic wasn’t this bad.”
Cass and I climbed out of my car. Jethro was in her arms. I could tell Cass and the little pig were bonding. The sidewalk was crammed with pedestrians, standing and staring. Cass led the way. “Excuse us, excuse us, pig coming through.”
English and Amish tourists jumped out of her way. I followed in her wake.
“I really can’t figure out what all the commotion is,” I said in Cass’s ear.
She stopped on the corner. “You will.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as I came up behind her.
She pointed to our left, and that’s when I saw the camel standing in the middle of Main Street.
Chapter 22
“I don’t know much about camels,” Cass said, “but I don’t believe they are native to Ohio.”
“I think this is Margot’s big surprise,” I said.
The camel stopped in the middle of the street and chewed. His long, crooked teeth clicked back and forth across one another. I didn’t know much about camels either, but it looked like a big one to me. It had one hump, and a red, orange, and yellow woven blanket was over its back. Falling snow gathered on the blanket. Just like a horse, it had a bit connected to a lead in its mouth. Abel Esh yanked on the lead, but to no avail. The camel wasn’t having it.
All the camel did in response was blink its long lashes.
“Abel doesn’t seem to be having any luck with that camel.” Cass laug
hed.
The camel spat at Abel and hit him in the side of the face. The crowd gave a collective “Yuck!”
I grimaced. “I would say that’s an understatement.”
Abel removed a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped it down the side of his face.
Margot Rawlings ran out into the street. It was the first time I had seen her since all the talk about Eric’s show and the Christmas Market had begun. Her short curls bounced on her head as she rushed over to Abel. “Now, take care of Melchior,” she said. “He’s on loan from a friend.”
“Margot has friends who lend out camels?” Cass asked out of the side of her mouth. “Why don’t I have friends like that? You don’t own a camel I don’t know about, do you?”
I didn’t bother to answer.
Abel said something in Pennsylvania Dutch. I didn’t understand the words, but from his hand gestures I guessed it wasn’t a compliment to Margot or to Melchior, the camel. He threw down the lead and stomped across the street.
Margot watched him go. “Abel! Come back! I don’t know how to take care of a camel! I hired you to do it!”
Abel threw one arm up in the air and kept going.
Margot listlessly picked up the rope and looked around at the crowd. “Can someone help me with the camel? He really is a sweet animal.”
No one moved. I believe that we all were collectively recalling the camel spittle that hit Abel in the face.
“Anyone?” Margot asked in plaintive voice.
I sighed and pushed through the crowd.
“Oh, come on,” Cass said, but she followed me, still carrying Jethro.
Margot beamed. “Bailey. I knew someone as kind as you would come to my rescue. Could you help me get Melchior over to the manger scene?” She pointed to the square. To the right of the gazebo where Rocky had died was the Christmas Market. It was in full swing now, and shoppers moved through the booths carrying fresh-made holiday wreaths and cups of steaming hot chocolate. To the left of the gazebo was the nativity scene. Members of the big white church milled around in biblical robes and head coverings. Would-be shepherds carried staffs, and two of the three wise men shared a laugh. A donkey chewed on one of the snow-covered bushes on the green.
A car honked. The camel was backing up traffic for at least a mile.
Margot held out Melchior’s lead to me. I sighed and took it from her hand. Looking Melchior in the eye, I whispered, “Please move. And don’t spit on me, please! The last couple of days have been a little rough for me.”
The camel blinked one long-lashed eyelid.
I pulled on the lead, and he took a step forward, then another, then one after the other until we were standing on the green.
Traffic resumed.
Cass stared at me in awe. “When were you going to tell me that you’re a camel whisperer? I think this was something I should have known.”
“It was an untapped talent until now,” I confessed.
Margot clasped her hands in front of her chest. “That was amazing, Bailey, and it’s just so perfect. It makes sense for what we need.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “For what we need?”
“This might be a case where it’s better not to ask too many questions,” Cass whispered into my ear. “I suggest a hasty retreat.” She handed Jethro to me. “Or you can use the little oinker as a pig shield.”
The camel leaned down. I winced, certain I was going to be camel slobbered. Instead the large animal bumped noses with Jethro. The pig wiggled in my arms, kicking his little hooved feet. I didn’t know if that meant he was excited or terrified. In any case, Jethro’s presence seemed to be just what the camel needed.
Margot smiled. “They want to be friends,” she cooed.
“Retreat! Retreat!” Cass whispered harshly in my ear.
“Bailey, thank goodness you got the camel under control,” Margot said breathlessly. “I’m so glad that we were able to snag Melchior for the live nativity. There were lots of animals at the first Christmas. We had to have animals! How can it be a real live nativity without animals? We have a donkey, sheep, and a goose, of course, but I knew we needed more, and that’s when I called in a favor and got Melchior.”
“You have connections where you can call in a favor and get a camel lined up?” Cass asked.
“Doesn’t everyone?” She sounded surprised.
“No,” Cass said. “Everyone does not.”
“I’ve had the most wonderful idea,” Margot said.
“I think you missed your opportunity to get away,” Cass said to me.
“Mary is in the hospital!” Margot exclaimed.
“Geez! I didn’t even know they had a hospital in Bethlehem back then,” Cass said.
“You are not helping,” I muttered out of the side of my mouth.
“And I need a new Mary. You would make a perfect Mary. You have the long dark hair. The soulful blue eyes.”
I frowned. I had never viewed my eyes as soulful, and since Mary had been Middle Eastern, I highly doubted she had blue eyes.
“What happened to Mary? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She’s just in the hospital having her baby two weeks early.” She threw up her hands. “Can you believe that she would have her baby early when we need her to play the part of the Blessed Virgin?”
“I’m sure she didn’t plan to ruin your nativity,” I said.
“I thought the point of the nativity was that baby Jesus was already born,” Cass said with a laugh. “If she’s pregnant, how was that going to work?”
Margot sighed. “We were hoping to do a before-and-after thing. We planned to put her behind Joseph or the donkey to hide her baby bump after the miraculous birth.”
I took a step back. Cass was right. I should have retreated a long time ago. “I’m so very sorry that the nativity isn’t going the way you would like, but I’m sure you will find a replacement. There are so many ladies who attend your church. Surely one of them will help you out.”
Margot shook her head. “No! Not a one would agree to do it. You’re my last hope for a Mary. I asked four other young women before I asked you, and you know the Amish won’t do it.”
“You’re a fifth-string Mary,” Cass said.
“Margot,” I said as calmly as possible. “I’m not pregnant for starters, so I can’t do that before-and-after thing you want.”
Margot waved away my concern. “We aren’t asking you to do that. It’s too late to figure out how to make it work. All you have to do is sit on a donkey, look pretty, and hold the baby Jesus. Is that really too much to ask?”
It kind of was. “Swissmen Sweets has a table at the Christmas Market. There’s only an hour left before the market closes. I should be helping Charlotte,” I said aloud, and then I thought to myself, I have a murder to solve.
“Charlotte can handle it. She told me that she could. I checked with her before speaking to you.”
I scowled.
She patted the curls that wove around her puffy pink earmuffs. The earmuffs were huge, twice the size of my fist. It was a wonder that she could hear anything. Her hearing must have been top-notch. “I have something to show you.” She stepped into the manger and came out a second later with a life-sized baby doll.
Cass grimaced. “Dolls that look like real babies creep me out.”
“Shh,” I said to Cass. “Really.” I waved my hands as if to fend off the doll. “I can’t. I have so much going on at the store with the Christmas sale and the Christmas Market, and Eric and his production team are in town.” I eyed her. “It would have been nice to know about it before his arrival.”
“Surprises are always nice,” Margot said brightly.
Not all surprises.
“Aiden Brody will be playing Joseph.” She waggled her eyebrows. “It just seems fitting in this case that you should be Mary.”
“I—”
“She’ll do it,” Cass interrupted. “She would love to.”
My mouth fell open as I st
ared at Cass.
“Brilliant!” Margot shouted. “Oh, and Bailey, I heard that you were here this morning when that unfortunate discovery was made.”
I grimaced as I remembered the scene. “I was.”
“Did you happen to see a shepherd’s hook lying about? It seems one the shepherds had left his hook in the stable overnight and now it’s missing. It is a tall hooked staff and has been used in the Harvest village nativity scene for years. It belonged to my father originally and has his initials on it—JR. It would be an absolute shame to lose it. Did you see it?”
“I didn’t,” I said.
She sighed. “What a pity!” She closed her eyes for a moment. “You’ll dress at the church. All the costumes are there, and the parade will leave from there too.” She flounced away.
“Parade?” I asked.
She wiggled her fingers at me and walked away, leaving me holding the baby Jesus and Jethro in my arms. When had my life taken such a strange turn?
Chapter 23
I stood outside the manger scene with Melchior looming over me and handed Cass the doll and the pig. It was a little after three, and the Christmas Market was humming. Shoppers bought Amish-made scarves, quilts, cheese, honey, maple syrup, and our candy from Swissmen Sweets. Others staked out prime spots along the parade route. I hadn’t known about the parade, and it made me nervous that people were already claiming spots two hours before the parade was to begin. How extravagant was it? I dreaded the parade.
“Whoa, I’ll take Jethro, but I don’t want that doll,” Cass said.
“Just hold on to it while I secure the camel,” I said, and tethered Melchior’s lead to a tree.
“I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“You wouldn’t believe the things I have said since moving to Amish Country that I never would have believed would come out of my mouth.” After Melchior was secure, I took the doll from Cass and tucked it back in the manger. The goose that was nestled in a pile of straw inside honked at me. I adjusted baby Jesus in place and ran out.
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