A Christmas to Dismember by Addison Moore (best desktop ebook reader TXT) 📕

man turned out to be a cad as well—a conniving one at that. He gambled away her fortune. Eve was a trust fund baby. And from what I hear, she hardly has two dimes to rub together these days. Oh, she has that shop of hers, but that’s about it.”

“That’s terrible,” I say. “I met her daughter last night. She was very sweet.”

“She’s precocious is what she is. She takes after her mother. The paternity was in question for a while, but boy, was she fuming when she found out the kid didn’t belong to Quinn. She wanted to anchor herself to that big pile of money he had. But she did marry the kid’s father. He was the aforementioned gambling louse.”

“But why would any of that drive Eve to bury an axe into the man’s chest?”

Angelica shudders as if reliving a very bad memory.

“Actually”—she glances over her shoulder before leaning my way—“it would. You see, Eve blames Quinn for her downfall. And I have no doubt she not only wanted him back last night—she wanted to get him back. That axe was a prop from the play.” She shakes her head at me. “That wasn’t premeditated. It was an act of passion, and no one felt more passionate last night than Eve.” And perhaps me, but I’m not giving that away for free. Nope. That little passionate tidbit is just for me.

And me.

Lunch wraps up, and the socialites take off as if the table were on fire.

Soon, it’s just Angelica left holding the bag, or the cute little puppy as it were.

“Would you mind?” She hands Rudolph over to me with his smiling face and frenetically wagging tail. “I’ve got to powder my nose.” She makes a run for the front door, and we see her speeding off into the snowy afternoon.

“Hey!” Georgie calls after her. “The restroom is that way.” She hitches a thumb behind her just as the waitress places something in her hand. “What’s this?” Georgie pulls the slim black leather case forward. “How do you like that? I think I get a purse out of the deal.”

“That’s the check,” I say, taking it from her and opening it up. “Oh my God. This can’t be right.” I glance up at the blonde waitress hovering above on standby. “Has this been paid?”

“It will be.” She offers a stern look my way.

I fork over my credit card and watch as all the money I’ve saved to do my Christmas shopping with—for the next two years—does a disappearing act.

Someone may have iced Quinn Bennet, but I have feeling I was just frosted by a gaggle of socialites.

Chapter 6

Main Street is covered in a blanket of white sparkling fluff that gives Cider Cove all the magic a month like December demands. The lampposts are wrapped in garland and twinkle lights, and each one is dotted with an enormous red velvet bow. The entire town looks as if it’s out of a storybook, and a part of me wishes we could leave the decorations up all year long.

Georgie asked to be dropped off at her new store, so I park and Rudolph and I head in with her. As soon as we step inside the dusty shop cluttered with boxes, Mom drops the broom she’s holding and dashes our way.

“Give me that baby!” She shuffles over in her slippers and a red bandana wrapped around her head. “I’ve just broken myself today.” She groans as she takes Rudolph from me and he proceeds to lick her face silly.

Macy comes up from behind with her hair neatly combed, wearing a festive red sweater dress paired with long black boots.

“I’m not lifting a finger around here.” She steals Rudolph from my mother. “I’m simply checking out the competition.” She holds Rudolph out a notch and examines the fun-loving, smiling pup. “Hey, you’re pretty cute.” She nods my way. “Why don’t you let me have him for a few hours? I bet he could double my sales.” Macy’s shop, Lather and Light, is located exactly across the street and has never been short of customers, especially not this time of year.

My sister isn’t exactly what I would call an animal lover, but I see she has no problem profiting off their adorable looks. Can’t say I blame her. Rudolph has the ability to brighten anyone’s day and is apparently wildly adored by socialites and common folk alike. I’m betting she’s onto something with that whole fiscal increase she’s sure his furry features will bring.

“Sorry,” I tell her. “Puppy labor laws prohibit him from working more than his concentration will allow. And seeing that’s about two minutes, I’m afraid no can do.”

I take a quick look around. The shop is rectangular in nature, with large bay windows set in front, rustic wood floors, and a register that sits on a long counter situated in the back. Last month there were nefarious things happening right here in this very store, but now with the killer behind bars, and with Georgie and my mother at the helm, I think they’re about to give this place the cheerful resurrection it deserves.

Georgie rips open a small box and begins pulling out one wonky quilt after another, far more than that tiny box looks like it could hold to begin with. Each quilt was handcrafted by whatever senior guild Georgie was able to bamboozle into doing her dirty work this month. And each one is alive with both vibrant colors and buzzing patterns.

“Come on, Toots.” Georgie motions my mother over. “Don’t just stand there growing old. We’ve got inventory to offload. We want to get this hovel open by Christmas, don’t we?”

Mom shoots her a look. “Who are you calling old?” She makes her way over with a groan. “And I’ve been thinking we need to expand our inventory. You know, in case someone strolls in and they don’t need a quilt. I say we keep a few candles on hand. In fact, I’ve got two boxes