Page 49 of Peach Cobbler Confessions

Everett pulls me close. “Lemon, that was dangerous. Not just for you, but for Carlotta and the baby. Please, you can’t do that again.”

I close my eyes and nod. “I won’t have to.” I look to Noah and Everett. “I think I have a pretty good idea who could have killed Dane Gannon.”

Noah rakes his fingers through his hair in a fit of frustration.

“Lottie, do you realize any evidence you may have come by is now tainted? Not to mention your direct relationship to me can land both of us in hot water and let a potential killer go free? Besides, I’d need a search warrant to head in there myself, and a modicum of reasoning to get one. Let me see what I can find on Kent to make this whole thing make sense from a legal standpoint.”

I nod without saying another word.

God forbid Kent go free because of some foolish misstep of mine.

I may have a pretty good idea who could have killed Dane Gannon. But I know for certain who killed seven other people.

I think we have a serial killer on our hands.

I just need to figure out how to stick the landing with this one and get Kent Noble locked away without locking myself away in the process.

Chapter 16

Last night Collette and I curled up with my laptop and researched each of those seven cases fromUnsolved Mysteries Tonight.

And as fate and perhaps the serial killer himself would allow, it turns out, all seven of those murders and disappearances have taken place in and around Vermont primarily, with one case taking place in Connecticut and one in Maine. We don’t know for certain, but we were able to deduce the long strand of hair, which under better inspection of those photos was dark blonde and belonged to Alison, the nurse that lived in Templeton. She wore her hair long and blonde, and we were able to discern that through the unfortunate missing picture still circulating on the internet.

I’m pretty sure the pink pacifier belonged to the au pair Jenika Tate. She was minding twin toddlers at the time, and I’m certain that’s why she had it in her pocket.

The unfinished crossword came from the episode of the home invasion. The older gentlemen up in Scooter Springs loved them so much they found stacks of finished crosswords tucked all around the crime scene. An easy trophy for the killer to steal.

Gerald Watson from Wilson Township School District had his nametag swiped. A bold and stupid move by the killer. The young couple who went missing, I’m betting it’s their blood on that KOA pamphlet.

The triangular pin belonging to the Harford Hogs was confirmed to belong to the same club that missing biker belonged to, the poor soul from episode one.

And that keychain that readsConner’s Coffee Shop? There’s only one Conner’s Coffee Shop, and it just so happens to be located across the street from where the dead landlord in question lived.

Collette Jenner and I just spent the last ten minutes explaining this to all the ghosts who haunt my mother’s B&B.

It’s Saturday, the day of the big filming session at my mother’s bed and breakfast, and we’re standing in the kitchen after unloading some of the dessert platters from my van. I’ve already set up enough platters to feed an army in the conservatory, and there are still a lot of boxes of sweet treats in my van.

The ghosts in question are all gathered around and listening intently. There are Greer Giles, a beautiful twenty-something who died about a year and a half ago, and her two-hundred-year-old boyfriend, Winslow Decker, a handsome stud with dirty blond hair who used to own a pig farm right over this land.

And then there is their six-year-old adopted little ghoul, Lea. She’s a bit of a trauma to witness with her long, dark hair combed straight over her face, her dirty pinafore, and scuffed MaryJanes, but it’s the hatchet she wields in her hand that’s a bit unnerving. Her entire family was killed over this land and she’s come back to avenge them.

Then there’s the ghostly family pet, a small black cat named Thirteen who once belonged to a man who tried to kill me.

I’m not sure why these ghosts get to remain, and yet those who come back to help solve a homicide need to go back, but I’m glad this motley crew gets to stay.

Winslow leans in as the five of us huddle in the empty kitchen of the B&B. The counters are a beautiful creamy marble and it’s stocked with top-of-the-line appliances. My mother has never been known to skimp on style or the best when it comes to modern technology.

“Lottie”—Winslow’s voice reverberates in a ghostly manner—“that just leaves the dark cloth with the triangular gold flecks.”

Collette lets out a throaty laugh as she floats on over to him.

“My, my”—Collette Jenner muses as she wraps her glowing arms around him—“aren’t you just the strongest, most handsome, otherworldly detective?”

Greer smacks her silly until Collette floats back by my side and sheds a smattering of stars off the back of her long mane in the process.

“What’s the next episode about?” Greer’s eyes widen as she awaits my answer.

“There isn’t one,” I say. “They’re dedicating their season finale to a recap of the other mysteries, and a tribute to Dane.”