Deadly Holiday (Georgia Rae Winston Mysteries Book 2) Read online

  “I’m sorry, Preston.” I motioned to an empty table. “Let’s have a seat and talk. I’ll explain everything.”

  A slow grin spread over his face, and a chuckle bubbled in his throat. He clapped his hands. “You should’ve seen the expression on your face. Why wasn’t I ready with my camera?” He shook his head. “Total fail. Austy would’ve loved to see how panicked you looked.”

  I gritted my teeth. How much damage would hot coffee do to a pretty-boy face? He was about to find out.

  “I had no idea you liked us that much,” he said.

  “Don’t be so sure.” I tightened my grip on my coffee cup.

  He slapped my shoulder. “Aw. Lighten up, babe. I’m kidding. Sort of.”

  Nice Georgia. Jesus loves Preston too. I drew a deep breath. “Let’s sit. Can I buy you a coffee?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  “You came in here to stalk me.”

  “Totally.” He pulled out a stool and sat.

  “You know that’s creepy, right?”

  “Whatever. We’re family.” Preston folded his hands and rested them on the table. “Seriously, do you have something I can do? Some way I can help?” He sounded like an eager student waiting for an assignment from a teacher.

  Life Lesson #501: Never underestimate the power of sibling rivalry.

  I choked back a laugh. It was quite the dilemma. Should I give him a task to keep him busy or risk the consequences of encouraging him in this ridiculous sidekick business?

  Since I was busy with the Christmas program, I decided to live dangerously. “You know, I’ve been wondering if Final Rejuvenation LLC owns other properties. Besides, Austin hasn’t figured out who the owner is yet, so you—”

  “I’m on it.” He jumped up. “I’ll call when I’ve got your answers.” He darted out the door before I could say another word.

  Sweet baby lambs in a pasture.

  I ventured a sip of mocha and surveyed the room, expecting to see patrons gawking at me after the ridiculous spectacle. Instead, Bobbi Sue was busy cleaning behind the counter. A couple of men worked at laptops, and two women were laughing at a table in the corner.

  My eyes fell on a sign near the entrance to Miller’s Books—the adjoining store that Bobbi Sue’s husband Hemingway ran. According to the ad, they were having a pre-Christmas, forty-percent-off sale.

  I should take a look and see if I could find a gift for Ashley. I’d already found an antique serving platter for Brandi at an estate sale in August. We never spent a lot of money on gifts for each other, but we always got each other a little something and made a night of exchanging presents.

  I wandered into the bookstore where I found the Christian suspense section. As I surveyed the titles, I chewed my lip. Though I wasn’t a reader, the books looked good. I just didn’t know what Ashley had already read.

  Dumb idea.

  As I moved to the door, I caught sight of Cal. In the self-help section. Looking at relationship books. He held a book and flipped through the pages.

  If I could get close enough to see what it was…

  He slapped the book closed, stuck it back on the shelf, and started to turn.

  I shot out of sight behind a shelf of romance books—the bodice-ripping kind. Mocha splashed onto my coat.

  Biting back a naughty word, I dug in my purse for a tissue. Mopping my coat, I glanced around the shelf to see if he was still there.

  “Good morning.”

  Heat crept into my cheeks as I faced Cal. “Morning. Beautiful day. You have to appreciate sunshine this time of year since we don’t get very much of it in December. I came in to look for a Christmas gift for Ashley, but I realized I don’t know what books she’s read, so that won’t work very well, and since I don’t read books that often, this was probably a bad idea.”

  He pointed to the shelf behind me. “She’s into romance, I see.”

  “No. Uh. She likes Christian suspense. Clean stuff. Which is totally what I would pick. If I read books for fun.” I tucked a stray hair behind my ears. “Do you like reading?” My voice had reached an unnaturally high pitch.

  “As a matter of fact, I do, and I have quite the book collection.” His blue eyes twinkled. “They’re still boxed up in my spare room.”

  “What genre do you—?”

  His phone jangled, and he held up a finger. “Perkins.” His pleasant expression melted away, and his eyes darkened. “Where?” He shifted. “Be there in five.”

  He disconnected. “Sorry. Got to go.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  “What happened?”

  “Vic Sloan was fishing and found Olivia Scott’s car submerged in his pond.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  That afternoon, when I arrived at church to prepare for dress rehearsal, Mona greeted me with a sad smile.

  “I’m glad you’re here.” She stood up from her desk. “You’re good at calming Ruby down. I haven’t had any luck, and Pastor Mark’s gone.”

  Great. Now I had a reputation as the Ruby Whisperer. “What’s wrong?” I leaned against the counter and wondered what the newest production catastrophe was.

  “Carsyn called a few minutes ago and told her Vic Sloan found Olivia’s car in his pond.”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I heard. I’m praying it’s only her car, so there’s a chance she’s still alive.”

  Vic’s property was located between Wildcat Springs and Richardville, and it spanned a couple of acres. The east edge of the pond—a former rock quarry—wasn’t that far from the highway.

  “I hope so.” Tears shone in Mona’s eyes. “She’s such a sweet girl, and she was planning to start selling makeup for me.” She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “I hate to think of her dying that way.”

  “Yeah.” A lump welled in my throat. “That’d be awful.”

  She nodded. “Pastor Mark went to be with her dad.”

  Mona’s reaction seemed sincere enough—unless guilt was the reason for her tears. I blew out a breath. “I’ll go find Ruby.” I motioned toward the greenroom.

  As I approached the door, I tiptoed, expecting to hear sobbing. Instead, Ruby sat on the couch staring at the wall. Her gaze didn’t move as I entered.

  “Ruby?” I said softly.

  “It could’ve been Carsyn.” She blinked but didn’t look at me.

  I sat down next to Ruby. “Why?”

  “Because I pushed her to date Zach. She could’ve been tangled up in this mess—like Olivia.” Her tone was flat—almost robotic.

  “You couldn’t have known.”

  “I should’ve.”

  “Why?” Did Ruby have information about the killer?

  “Mother’s intuition.”

  I opened my mouth to protest but snapped it shut. I didn’t know what to say—and Ruby shocking me into speechlessness was quite the accomplishment. Her nearly catatonic reaction seemed over-the-top, even for a drama queen. Still, a person didn’t have to be close to someone to be affected by a tragedy. Sometimes it triggered buried feelings.

  “How about some water?” That’d worked before.

  “Please.”

  I walked over to her mini fridge. “This is the last one.” I handed her the bottle.

  Ruby cracked open the lid. “I don’t mind sharing once in a while, but it’s not my job to supply water—and Teddy Grahams—for the entire church. People have been helping themselves. No one cares that I get low blood sugar,” she said in a monotone.

  Wait a second. Sharing.

  Ruby’s dwindling food and water stash jolted me into considering a different angle. Until now, I’d assumed that Zach had been the killer’s primary target. Maybe even Olivia’s target, which was why she’d vanished.

  But what if Olivia truly was innocent, and the poisoned tea had been intended for her? Instead of drinking it herself, she’d shared it with Zach—because she knew he was a connoisseur. Then, what if the killer had tried another way to finish her off, and that’s why her car was at the bottom of Slo
an’s Pond?

  If that were the case, then we could be looking at a whole new group of suspects.

  About twenty minutes before dress rehearsal started, Ruby came out of her daze and started bustling around as if she could work herself into forgetting the day’s events. After scarfing down the honey-barbecue wings I’d ordered from Pizza Heaven, I changed into my biblical costume—minus the head covering—and was headed into the auditorium, when Pastor Mark passed me in the hallway and stopped.

  “Just the person I wanted to see.” He pointed to his office. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure.” Was I about to get a lecture because I’d disregarded his advice about staying out of the case?

  He stepped aside so I could enter and motioned toward the chairs arranged in front of his desk. His Bible lay open next to his computer.

  “What’s on your mind?” I folded my hands and rested them in my lap.

  “I owe you an apology.” He took off his wool coat and hung it on a hook next to the door.

  “For what?”

  “The day you came to me and asked about Zach.” He rolled out his plush, high-backed chair and sat. “I blew you off and discouraged you from investigating. Even brought your dad into it.”

  I’m used to it. “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. I was dealing with my own guilt over coming down too hard on Zach for accidentally spending the night at Olivia’s house.” He emitted a wry chuckle. “Turns out she was helping him study for his real estate licensing exam, and they both fell asleep.”

  “I can see how that might happen.” The edge of my mouth twitched. Not the time, Georgia Rae.

  “I never should’ve laid a guilt trip on you for wanting to help—especially when God might be using you to help bring about justice.”

  I’d never thought of my meddling that way. “Thank you.” I twisted the ends of the rope belt that gathered my tunic. “I need to ask you something else.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Did Zach ever tell you why he was quitting youth ministry?”

  Pastor Mark leaned forward. “He decided it wasn’t the career for him. I offered to give him a good reference.” He sighed. “I know there are rumors that I played a role in running him out so we could hire my son-in-law. The truth is, Zach wasn’t here a month, and I sensed he already had one foot out the door. That irritated me, because no matter how much I tried to make him feel welcome, he wasn’t fitting in.”

  “Why?”

  “His heart wasn’t in it. Ministry isn’t easy, and he was getting pressure from his dad to quit and become a real estate agent. I think he hoped that if he made a career change, it would improve his relationship with his dad. My impression was that Zach never felt like he measured up to his older brother.”

  “That’s sad.” All of this information was interesting and cleared up any of my lingering doubts about Pastor Mark’s innocence, but it wasn’t getting me any closer to answers about Zach’s death—and Olivia’s disappearance. “Mona mentioned you were with Olivia’s dad earlier. Was her body in the car?”

  He shook his head. “No—and the divers didn’t recover her from the pond either.”

  I rubbed my arms. Had she escaped her car just to be taken out by the killer in another way? “How’s her dad?”

  Sorrow flickered in his eyes. “A mess. She’s his only child. He needs our prayers.”

  “Is Jon coming to the show?” I asked Brandi as I buttoned my coat that night after rehearsal.

  She put on her leather gloves. “He’ll be here Friday night.” Her matter-of-fact tone didn’t convey any excitement.

  We hunched against the cold as we walked to our vehicles, which were parked side-by-side.

  Beep, beep!

  Rob stopped his car next to my truck and rolled down the window. “Evening ladies.” He poked his head out. “Georgia, I wanted to thank you for standing up for me the other night at rehearsal.”

  “No problem. You’re a great angel.” I shoved an imaginary sock in my mouth. No need to disparage Ruby. “You did even better tonight.”

  “Thanks. Hey, would you like to have dinner sometime?”

  Ducking her head, Brandi slipped away and got in her car.

  The deluge of men I’d prayed for a couple of months ago continued to materialize. “Um…well…I’m seeing someone. But thank you.” I glanced around the parking lot to see if anyone else had overheard, but Brandi was the only one. I didn’t want it getting back to Cal that I’d been flirting with another guy. Although it might not hurt since Cal still hadn’t told me he wanted to be exclusive.

  Disappointment flickered in Rob’s expression for a second before it rebounded into a toothy smile. “All right. Well, if it doesn’t work out…”

  “I appreciate the offer.”

  He nodded. “Could you do me a favor, though?”

  “What?”

  He shifted. “That Carsyn chick? Before you took over for Jessica, Carsyn was at a couple drama rehearsals helping her mom, and we talked. Now she keeps messaging me. I’ve tried to be nice, but she’s not getting the hint that I’m not interested.”

  Nothing like a stalker chick to make a man’s motives clear. Rob obviously had hoped that by taking me on a date, he’d discourage Carsyn. No surprise. That was how things usually went for me.

  Until Cal.

  I shoved my hands in my pocket. Carsyn must’ve broken up with the man that Ruby’d been worried about. “How can I help?’

  “If she shows up to help her mom again and starts bugging me, will you find some director-y thing for me to do? Give me an assignment. Pull me aside to critique my performance. Anything.”

  “Sure. But have you thought about blocking her? That might help her get the hint.”

  “Totally.” He lowered his voice. “But Carsyn’s into some weird stuff, and I hate to cut her off in case she needs a friend.”

  “What kind of weird stuff?” I remembered what Ruby had told me and how Mona had indicated that Carsyn was trying different religions.

  He looked around the empty lot. “She’s into a cult.”

  “What?” I flipped my scarf over my shoulder. “How do you know?” Goosebumps rose on my arms.

  “She keeps talking about how her life’s been adrift, and she’s been searching. I asked her what she wanted that God couldn’t provide, and she gave me some song and dance about Christianity being too restrictive.”

  She’d basically said the same thing during my manicure. “What’d she tell you about the cult?”

  “They meet in that old country church between here and Richardville. Just bought it a couple of months ago. Anyway, she said her life is way more anchored now.”

  Anchored? I rested my hand on his car door as my breath hitched. “Did she tell you the name of the place?”

  “Yeah. True Mooring Life Center.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Taxes or finding out more about True Mooring Life Center? This was the dilemma I confronted the next morning while my coffee brewed. Considering the calendar had yet to roll over to the next year, there was no hurry.

  True Mooring won the battle.

  The night before, I’d nosed around online trying to learn more about the place, but I couldn’t get anywhere because they didn’t have a website—not even a Facebook page. I’d scoured Carsyn’s Facebook and Instagram profiles hoping to find more information, but all she’d shared were inspirational memes, pictures of her cat, and photos of fancy nail designs she’d created.

  I poured coffee into my Santa mug and ambled into my dining room where I wrote True Mooring Life Center on the board. Gus wandered over and perched next to me while I caffeinated and contemplated my next move.

  After a full cup of coffee, I decided it was time to take Carsyn’s suggestion and volunteer at Solid Rock Mission.

  “You’re totally my mom’s hero,” Carsyn said.

  We were sitting on the floor in Jim Phillips’s office at Solid Rock Mission stuffing envelop
es with fundraising materials. When I’d called Carsyn to ask about volunteering, she’d told me she was planning to stop in before work, and I was welcome to join her.

  “How so?”

  “I heard about how you calmed Mom down the other night when Rob kept messing up his lines. Jessica Myers would’ve run out screaming—most people would’ve.”

  “Glad I could help.” I added an envelope to a pile. “How’s everybody at work doing with the news about Olivia’s car?”

  Carsyn’s shoulders drooped, and she looked away. “Awful. Pretty much what you’d expect.” She shivered and rubbed her arms. “Still, there’s a possibility she’s alive.”

  “I hope so. Hey, I know this is random, but do you know if Olivia was a tea drinker?” I kept my voice light—casual.

  “Yeah. She and Zach were creating their own special blend for Christmas gifts.” Her hand trembled as she put an envelope on the stack and met my gaze. “Anyway, if you need me to touch up your nails before the program, I’d be happy to.” She glanced back and forth between my fingers and my eyes with a critical look that would’ve made her mother proud.

  Nice Georgia. “I’ll give you a call.”

  “Perfect. You’ll want to look good for your boyfriend.” She sounded as if she were trying to force cheerfulness into her tone. “How are things going with him?”

  “Great.” Except that he wasn’t officially my boyfriend and hadn’t even kissed me yet. But other than that… I folded a letter and stuffed it into an envelope. “Are you seeing anyone?”

  “Yes.” She giggled.

  “Tell me about him.”

  “He’s completely amazing.” She glanced down at her phone and typed with her thumbs before putting it in her hoodie pocket. “He’s totally helped me change my entire outlook on life.”

  “How so?” Apparently, the guy Ruby was worried about was still in the picture, and Rob had misread Carsyn’s intentions.