Magic in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery (Christmas River Cozy Book 7) by Meg Muldoon Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Meg Muldoon
the glow of the headlights.
“Absolutely not, Sheriff,” she said, shaking her head vehemently. “Uncle Harold doesn’t let any of the waitresses drink on the job. And I would never do anything so irresponsible as drink and drive. That’s just not me.”
She looked queasy, like she might just lose her dinner all over the concrete.
“You see, the reason I pulled out in such a hurry just now was because the babysitter called, saying that Hayden’s come down with a 102-degree fever. He’s been sick all week and I’m worried about the pneumonia. That’s how come I’m leaving halfway through my shift.”
Daniel stared at her hard, sizing the woman’s story up.
She let out a short sigh.
“I know that doesn’t excuse my erratic driving just now, Sheriff. But it’s foggy out here and hard to see. And you can ask Harold if you want to verify my story. Just please – please don’t press charges or sue me, Sheriff. I’m a single mother and I’m barely scraping by. I can’t afford a lawyer on my salary.”
The white hot anger in Daniel’s eyes cooled slightly.
He glanced over at me, giving me a once over.
I nodded at him.
He looked back at Bethany.
“I’m gonna need your insurance information,” Daniel said.
The young woman’s face fell.
“ As a precaution ,” he added. “If Cinnamon is uninjured, then we won’t report this. But you need to pay better attention when you’re driving, Ms. Reid. You’re not gonna do Hayden any good if you get in an accident.”
She let out a long-winded sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank you, Sheriff,” she said. “Thank you, thank you. And I will pay better attention in the future. I promise.”
I watched as she ran back to her car, her heels clicking hard against the concrete. She rummaged around in the glove compartment, looking for her insurance card.
I noticed that Daniel was staring at me.
“You really okay, Cin?”
I looked back at him, biting my lower lip.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” I said.
“C’mon,” he said, gently nudging me. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Better safe than sorry.”
“No, no,” I said. “It’s not that. I’m not hurt.”
“Then what is i…”
He trailed off, understanding suddenly why I was so shaken.
And why I couldn’t stop shivering.
“Cin, this has nothing to do with—”
“Just like the knife this morning had nothing to do with me seeing her either?”
Daniel didn’t say anything for a long moment. He just looked hard at me.
He tried to hide it, but in the strong glow of the headlights, I saw it before he could.
In Daniel’s steadfast eyes, there was something that looked out of place. Something foreign. Something that looked all wrong.
Fear .
Chapter 12
The ring .
I stared up at the ceiling, watching as the shadows of the aspen branches outside the bedroom window writhed across it like snakes.
The alarm clock glowed a hollow 2:55 a.m.
I’d been looking at the ceiling for the past half-hour, thinking about old Hattie Blaylock and all the stories I’d heard about her over the years. Specifically, the deaths that kids around here said she caused with her sinister black magic.
There was Arnold Carrolton, the owner of the Christmas River GasMart back in the mid-90s. Legend had it that Arnold, who was only 53 when he died, had had an argument with his neighbor Hattie just a week before suffering a massive heart attack. I was in middle school then, and I remembered that the kids couldn’t stop talking about his death and the fact that his point of contention with Hattie had to do with her cat, Mr. Adams, using Arnold’s lawn as a litter box.
According to the kids, one evil glare from Hattie had taken care of the problem.
Then there was Suzanne Eagan. Suzanne was the Christmas River Library’s long-suffering head librarian. Legend had it that Hattie paid a visit to the Christmas River Library mere days before Suzanne’s car skidded off a rural country road and down a
“Absolutely not, Sheriff,” she said, shaking her head vehemently. “Uncle Harold doesn’t let any of the waitresses drink on the job. And I would never do anything so irresponsible as drink and drive. That’s just not me.”
She looked queasy, like she might just lose her dinner all over the concrete.
“You see, the reason I pulled out in such a hurry just now was because the babysitter called, saying that Hayden’s come down with a 102-degree fever. He’s been sick all week and I’m worried about the pneumonia. That’s how come I’m leaving halfway through my shift.”
Daniel stared at her hard, sizing the woman’s story up.
She let out a short sigh.
“I know that doesn’t excuse my erratic driving just now, Sheriff. But it’s foggy out here and hard to see. And you can ask Harold if you want to verify my story. Just please – please don’t press charges or sue me, Sheriff. I’m a single mother and I’m barely scraping by. I can’t afford a lawyer on my salary.”
The white hot anger in Daniel’s eyes cooled slightly.
He glanced over at me, giving me a once over.
I nodded at him.
He looked back at Bethany.
“I’m gonna need your insurance information,” Daniel said.
The young woman’s face fell.
“ As a precaution ,” he added. “If Cinnamon is uninjured, then we won’t report this. But you need to pay better attention when you’re driving, Ms. Reid. You’re not gonna do Hayden any good if you get in an accident.”
She let out a long-winded sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank you, Sheriff,” she said. “Thank you, thank you. And I will pay better attention in the future. I promise.”
I watched as she ran back to her car, her heels clicking hard against the concrete. She rummaged around in the glove compartment, looking for her insurance card.
I noticed that Daniel was staring at me.
“You really okay, Cin?”
I looked back at him, biting my lower lip.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” I said.
“C’mon,” he said, gently nudging me. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Better safe than sorry.”
“No, no,” I said. “It’s not that. I’m not hurt.”
“Then what is i…”
He trailed off, understanding suddenly why I was so shaken.
And why I couldn’t stop shivering.
“Cin, this has nothing to do with—”
“Just like the knife this morning had nothing to do with me seeing her either?”
Daniel didn’t say anything for a long moment. He just looked hard at me.
He tried to hide it, but in the strong glow of the headlights, I saw it before he could.
In Daniel’s steadfast eyes, there was something that looked out of place. Something foreign. Something that looked all wrong.
Fear .
Chapter 12
The ring .
I stared up at the ceiling, watching as the shadows of the aspen branches outside the bedroom window writhed across it like snakes.
The alarm clock glowed a hollow 2:55 a.m.
I’d been looking at the ceiling for the past half-hour, thinking about old Hattie Blaylock and all the stories I’d heard about her over the years. Specifically, the deaths that kids around here said she caused with her sinister black magic.
There was Arnold Carrolton, the owner of the Christmas River GasMart back in the mid-90s. Legend had it that Arnold, who was only 53 when he died, had had an argument with his neighbor Hattie just a week before suffering a massive heart attack. I was in middle school then, and I remembered that the kids couldn’t stop talking about his death and the fact that his point of contention with Hattie had to do with her cat, Mr. Adams, using Arnold’s lawn as a litter box.
According to the kids, one evil glare from Hattie had taken care of the problem.
Then there was Suzanne Eagan. Suzanne was the Christmas River Library’s long-suffering head librarian. Legend had it that Hattie paid a visit to the Christmas River Library mere days before Suzanne’s car skidded off a rural country road and down a
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