“Ho, ho, ho!” Mayor Wright bellows while a woman in an elf costume snaps a few pictures. The jolly old elf stands gingerly and lands Pixie back in my arms.
“Detective Wexler?” He looks to Shep. “How’s the case going?”
“It’s going well.” Shep’s chest expands. “I’ve got a few leads I’m actively pursuing. Things are falling into place nicely. I’m sure we’ll have this buttoned up soon.”
“Good to hear.” He gives a wistful nod. “It’s darn right grisly what that killer did to poor Holly. Lucky for us, we didn’t have children, but her folks are pretty devastated.”
“I can imagine,” I say. “It’s a horrible thing to happen any time of the year, especially this one. Carol Bransford didn’t seem all that upset, though. I guess she and Holly had a falling-out.”
He grunts at the thought. “You want to know the irony in that? They used to be thick as thieves. But I guess some people simply grow apart.”
Shep nods. “That’s right, they worked at the distillery together for a while before Holly left for the library.”
I look to the man with the polyester beard. “Why did she leave?”
Mayor Wright’s expression grows dark. “Holly had a falling-out with a couple of the board members. But that was years ago. She was at the library right here in town for the last three years. From what I understood, she enjoyed it, too.”
Holly and Carol were having it out the night of the murder. If they were such good friends, what could that have been about? She mentioned they quibbled, but that looked more like a rumble to me.
Shep bounces his brows my way. “How about we go pick out those trees now?”
“Sure,” I say, shooting him a look. “Mayor Wright?” I press against his overstuffed belly without meaning to. “Did you have an exchange with Holly that night?”
His eyes narrow over mine before drifting to Shep. “Is this about those boots again? I told you I went back there to have a quick smoke. All those kids were jangling my nerves. And I just so happened to step into Opal’s border garden. How was I to know there was mud underneath that thin layer of snow?”
“This isn’t about the boots,” I say. “I was just curious. It’s my nature.”
He glowers over at Shep. “You’re a real couple of bookends, aren’t you?” He gives a light chuckle and his belly jiggles up and down. “Don’t worry, little lady. I couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a woman. Especially not the one I was married to for half a decade.” He glances past us a moment. She was having trouble”—he nods to Shep—“at the library, of all places. I’m telling you that woman couldn’t go ten steps without stirring the pot. It’s no surprise to me she was lying out there with the life snuffed out of her. I’m just surprised it took so long to happen.” He pauses a moment. “And, of course, there were those less than savory social media posts. Holly was falling apart in every area of her life.”
The elf manning the camera calls for him to take a seat as a line of little ones wait anxiously for their turn.
He nods over to the two of us.
“I’m looking forward to putting this far behind me.” He glances to Shep. “You know where to find me.” He sniffs my way. “It’s Bowie, right?” I nod. “I wouldn’t dig too deep into this. A lot of people wanted Holly to go away. Just enjoy your holidays, sweetheart. I’m sure the sheriff’s department will button this up in no time.” He winks over at Shep before taking off, and Pixie hisses his way.
“Did you see that?” I whisper as Shep navigates us toward the woods. “That man was mocking you.”
“That man was feeling like he was getting a shakedown for his ex-wife’s murder while wearing a Santa suit.”
“Are you saying I’m a lousy detective?”
He pulls us to a stop just shy of the entry to the woods, right in front of the chainsaw rentals, and pulls me close. “I’m saying you’re not a detective.”
Pixie lets out a sharp yowl as she smushes her furry little body between us.
“I think she takes umbrage to that,” I say.
“No need to.” Shep gives Pixie a scratch over her forehead. “It’s the truth.”
I shake my head. “I choose to ignore your lunacy. Clearly, you’re ornery because you don’t have enough hot cocoa in you. I can fix that. And if you’re good, I might give you a cookie to go with it. How long ago did Mayor Wright and Holly divorce?”
“Six months.” He frowns.
“So what do you think Holly and Carol had a falling-out about? I mean, I clearly saw them going at it. But then again, I saw her having it out with Kaila, Mayor Wright, and his brother, too. And what do you think he meant by the less than savory social media posts?” Another thought hits me. “Hey? Mayor Wright said that Holly was stirring the pot at the library. And last night when I talked to Carol, she said Holly and Kaila, the librarian, were having a sharp disagreement that night. I think we should talk to her next.”
“We? As in Nora and I?”
I hold Pixie close. “This might come as a surprise to you, Detective Wexler, but I rarely think of you and your ex-fiancée as the royal we.”
“Good.” He touches his forehead to mine, and I can feel Pixie purring like a jet engine. “Because I’d like to think of us as the royal we.”
“I do like how you think.” I bite down on a smile. “I like how you kiss even better.”
“That is exactly why we’re here.” He points up, and I look skyward to see a sprig of mistletoe hanging over our heads.
“You’re a smart man,” I say. “I
