Page 5 of Christmas Fudge Fatality

“They were all headed that way, to the woods.”

“There’s an overlook there. Maybe they were looking at the view?”

A thought comes to me. “Hey? Maybe Tamara’s still there taking in the lights of Honey Hollow. You know, clearing her head?”

Noah and I speed off to the woods and make our way to the overlook, but there’s no sign of Tamara anywhere.

“She’s not here.” I sigh as I go to lean against the old fence railing that butts up to a steep embankment, but Noah pulls me back.

“Careful, Lottie. That old wooden fence looks as if it’s rotted away. You almost fell right into the ravine.”

“Oh my God.” I press up against his chest just as my eye snags on jagged pieces of wood. “Noah, the fence doesn’t look rotted out. It looks as if it’s been snapped.”

Noah pulls out his phone and uses it as a flashlight as we lean over to inspect the ravine below.

Lying at the bottom is an all too familiar brunette with her limbs splayed out, and she just so happens to have my walnut fudge strewn all over her chest. Beside her sits a faithful French bulldog whose flesh glows an ethereal blue.

Tamara won’t have to worry about spending the rest of her life in court.

Tamara Gray is dead.

Chapter 3

Aviolent wind whistles by and the earth beneath my feet seems to grow unsteady.

A horrid cry comes from my throat as I quickly tuck my face into Noah’s neck.

“I’m sorry, Lottie.” He presses a hot kiss to my forehead. “Let me call for help.” Noah does just that. In a moment it seems as if I’ve been transported into Everett’s arms and the entire place is crawling with deputies from the sheriff’s department. Both Noah and Detective Ivy Fairbanks are at the bottom of the ravine, analyzing the scene from every angle.

“She was pushed, Everett.” My breath comes out in long powder-like plumes. “The fence snapped right there.” I’m quick to point out the jagged pieces of wood that alone look as if they could cost someone their life. “I bet it was her soon-to-be ex-husband. They went after each other just moments before. And he threatened her. I was there. I heard everything.”

Everett takes a breath and presses those deep blue eyes into mine. “You might be right, but I think we should keep any theories we have to ourselves for now.” He nods to the blooming crowd growing alongside us. “We don’t want to start any rumors.”

Waffles lets out an egregiously loud meow and I startle as if waking.

“Oh, my poor kitties,” I say, carefully extracting one from Everett’s arms. I just about forgot they were here at the tree lot with us, what with the blind terror that struck as soon as I saw poor Tamara’s body. “My mom and my sisters are here. I’ll have them take Pancake and Waffles home for me.”

Everett’s head inches back a notch as if he were the one who was startled now.

“Lemon, I suggest I take you all home. There’s no point in either you or me hanging around.”

“Are you kidding? I’m awitness. I can help. I need to go find Scott and make sure he doesn’t get away—that he doesn’t get away with murder.”

Noah and Ivy pop up next to us and Noah grimaces as if he heard every word.

He shakes his head. “No can do, Lottie. You found the body. You’ve done plenty. The deputies are cordoning off the area.”

Ivy smirks my way as her luscious crimson locks shimmer in the moonlight. Her features are well-chiseled and she has legs for days, but it’s her confidence and acumen as a detective that I’ve always admired about her. What I don’t admire is the fact she’s always doing her best to hoard Noah.

Okay.

Fine.

She gets a pass in that respect because they’re partners.

“We’re asking everyone to go home, Lottie.” She manufactures a tight smile that disappears as quick as it came. “And I’m asking you, personally, to stay out of this investigation. Things will move a lot smoother if we don’t have you nosying around and asking questions. In the event you weren’t aware, people get skittish when they think they’re being probed. One wrong move and the killer could run free forever.”

“Killer?” a female shrills from behind and we turn to find Bonnie standing there with Joyce, Stacy, and Lainey a few feet behind.