Murder in the Mix Boxed Set 28-30: Cozy Mystery Addison Moore (the reading strategies book .txt) 📖

“Good to know. I saw you talking to Candy. She didn’t bring up anything about Suze, did she?”

Kringle nods. “Look at the man. You can tell he’s sick just mentioning it to you.”

A polar opposite of Candy’s near glee.

“She did,” I say, glancing around for signs of her. “It’s hard to believe. But I guess the proof was all there. I mean, Noah mentioned she was logging into your accounting software quite a bit.” I figure it couldn’t hurt to mention at this point.

Kringle lights up a bright shade of pink. “That was sort of a fib, Lottie, but don’t worry. The big guy probably isn’t keeping track of that one. You like heat, don’t you?”

I shoot the furry phantasm a look.

Chris tips his head to the side. “You know, Suze shared her login—with Elodie, I think. So if that’s all the sheriff’s department is basing their case on, they’ll have to dig deeper.” He holds up his plate. “I’m off to tell everyone I know about this. Great job. Expect to see me at the bakery.” He takes off, and I’m dazed by what he just told me.

“Kringle, we need to find Elodie Frost,” I say as we begin to thread through the crowd, and I spot her over by the exit bobbing her head to the cheery tune blasting through the speakers. “Elodie,” I practically spit her name out. “How could you?”

Of all the ways to interrogate a suspect, I have yet to go down this abrupt yet brutally honest path, and something tells me it won’t bode so well for either of us.

Kringle smacks his forehead with his paw. “I’m no expert, kid, but you should probably ease into these things.”

“Pardon?” She squints as she leans her ear my way.

“Elodie, can I ask you a question? Did you owe Gloria Abner twenty thousand dollars?”

Her mouth falls open, and her cheeks grow ruddy.

“Where did you—” She shakes her head. “So what? I was in a tight spot, and Gloria was happy to help.”

“Was she buying your silence?” I ask.

Kringle jolts as he looks my way. “Ease up on the gas, kiddo. If we move any faster, we’re bound to collide with a stationary object. And it just might be a bullet.”

My lips pinch tightly because I’m suddenly feeling remorseful that I didn’t bother to bring Ethel along for the ride tonight. Ethel and I have been sort of having a long-distance relationship for quite some time now. I really don’t like the idea of carrying a gun around with me, and I don’t want one in the bakery. And it’s probably to Everett’s benefit that I won’t be packing heat once I confront him and his mistress later tonight.

Elodie hitches her dark hair behind her ear as she studies me with a rather calm look on her face.

“Whatever do you mean, Lottie?”

“You knew that Gloria Abner was Gloria Markus, didn’t you?”

Elodie blows out a breath as her shoulders sag a notch, and it genuinely seems as if she’s finally relaxed after spending years at attention.

“You know?” She shakes her head. “I can’t tell you how hard it was for me to keep that secret for her. But she’s gone now. Oddly enough, it was Suze who told me about it. And as soon as I hinted at it with Gloria, out came the threats. So when I found myself in a financial pickle, I knew who to call.” She chuckles. “And boy, was Gloria ever glad to help out. But she warned me that it would be the first and last time.”

“The money is running out, isn’t it?” I say, taking a step in close. “And that’s why you’ve been dipping into the Christmas Angels fund, isn’t it? You’re a shopaholic, Elodie, and you can’t keep two dimes together without finding something to exchange them for. It’s an expensive problem to have. Gloria knew, and she was going to turn you in for stealing wasn’t she?”

Elodie leans my way, and she’s right back to squinting. “What?” She shakes her head. “I might be a shopaholic, but I’m no thief. In fact, that’s what Gloria and I were bickering about before she went off and got shot in the back. She accused me of stealing, and I set her straight. Then I had to get a zinger in. I told her I’d rather be a thief than a murderer if I had the choice, and she slapped me a good one.”

“But she didn’t murder her ex-husband. It was an accidental discharge.”

She shakes her head. “Nope. Gloria told me all about it over drinks one night. That man was two-timing her, and she let him have it. She said she got away with murder, and she would wear that banner as her crowning glory until the day she died. She said she went skiing in Vail to celebrate.”

Kringle pretends to faint.

“Okay.” I shake my head. Maybe I need to rephrase the question. “But why did you break into the Christmas Angels’ accounting software and use Chris’ initials when making withdrawals?”

“I never did that. I’m not proficient with all that computer stuff.”

“You didn’t share a login with Suze?”

“Nope. Wasn’t me.” She heads over to the dessert table without missing a beat.

“Now what, Lot Lot?” Kringle does his best impersonation of Carlotta.

“I don’t know. I’m truly stumped.” No sooner do the words leave my mouth than Suze stalks this way with a rather dowdy Mrs. Claus costume on and a white curly wig, along with something that looks like a shower cap on over that.

“Out of my way,” she grouses as she attempts to steamroll past me.

“Not so fast,” I grouse right back. “You killed her, didn’t you?”

“I’m not a killer.” Her jowls keep moving long after she’s said the words.

“But you stole the money from the Christmas Angels, and you put Chris’ initials in after each transaction. And you had the gun, Suze. You were at the crime scene!”

“You were at