The Mystery Before Christmas

Saturday

This just couldn’t get any worse.

I looked at myself in the mirror and groaned. “I thought I was going to be wearing a sweater with the tights.”

“You were,” Hope confirmed, “but one of the volunteers ripped the sweater last week, so we needed an alternative.”

“Ripped the sweater? You only had one sweater?”

“No, we have several, but the others are all checked out to other volunteers. The sweater that was ripped is the one we’d set aside for you to use this weekend. I know this costume is a bit much, but it was all we had with such short notice. Personally, I think you look adorable.”

Adorable? The heavy red sweater that had fallen to a point just past mid-thigh had been replaced with a green leotard topping the green tights. The outfit did include a short red skirt that barely covered my backside, but when combined with the red boots, I looked more like a holiday hooker than an elf.

“Are you sure there isn’t another option?” I turned just a bit to confirm that my backside was actually covered. It was, but still.

“I’m afraid this is all I have. But you really needn’t worry. You are completely covered from the neck down. The shorts and t-shirts you probably wore over the summer were much more revealing.”

I supposed Hope had a point. It wasn’t like there was skin showing, but the overall effect was just so… I really didn’t want to dwell on it. If wearing this outfit was going to help Hope, I’d do it. She’d been nothing but nice to me since I’d been back.

“Okay, where do I go, and what do I do?”

Hope explained the routine and sent me on my way. Santa was a man named Dover Ledford. He’d worked at the local hardware store in town for a lot of years before retiring, and seemed to know pretty much everyone who stopped by to grab a photo with Santa and to share their wishes. The four-hour shift I’d agreed to, actually flew by. I would have considered it a complete success had Cass not stopped by during the last hour, making me feel self-conscience about my outfit all over again.

“Aren’t you a cute elf,” he chuckled.

I wanted to tell him to bite me, but instead, I just smiled. “Are you working today?” I’d noticed that he was wearing his uniform.

“Rafe, Trent, and I are volunteering our time to provide security over the weekend.”

“That’s nice. Any problems?”

“Not so far. Are you volunteering all day?”

“Just until two. After that, I thought I’d look around and maybe grab a bite to eat. How about you? Will you be here all day?”

“My shift goes until five when Trent takes over. If you’re still in town, maybe we can meet up and grab some dinner.”

I nodded. “I’d like that. Text when you’re done, and we’ll figure out where to meet.” I glanced back at the line. “I should get back.”

“Okay. Have fun, and I’ll see you later.”

“Wait,” I said as he started to walk away. “What happened with Ford? Did you arrest him?”

“No, he has been released on his own recognizance. I’m not saying he is totally in the clear, but at this point, we don’t have enough to charge him, and I really don’t consider him a flight risk. Besides, I’m fairly confident that the coroner will determine that the blows suffered during the fight Ford and Buford engaged in were not the reason he passed out.”

“So, with time, he should be cleared.”

“I hope so. We’ll talk more over dinner.”

I nodded as he walked away.

The rest of the shift flew by, and I was actually looking forward to tomorrow’s volunteer duty. After I changed back into my street clothes, I headed toward the community center where the craft displays had been set up. I thought it would be nice to buy a hand-crafted decoration of some sort for Ethel. Other than the tree Paisley and I had purchased and decorated, she really hadn’t taken the time to set out any other items. Perhaps a centerpiece for her dining table or a wreath for her door. Nothing that she’d have to fuss with, but something she would see often and could enjoy. I knew that Tom and Gracie planned to bring Paisley by later in the day. I supposed I’d spend some time with them before meeting up with Cass for dinner.

“Oh, good. I’m glad I ran into you.”

I looked up from the table centerpieces I’d been looking through. “Hi, Dex. How are you? Were you looking for me?”

He nodded. “I have a job for you if you are free for a couple of hours.”

I narrowed my gaze. “What sort of job?”

“I need someone to cover the ice fishing competition out at Logan Pond. Brock was going to do it, but he got held up with some family issues.”

“What do you mean by cover?” I asked, picturing the frozen landscape and below freezing temperatures that covering the event was going to entail.

“I just need someone to head out there, take some photos of the participants with their fish, and maybe get a few quotes to weave into a story.”

Okay, that sounded doable. “Okay. Should I go now?”

He nodded. “The event should already be underway. You can turn the photos and story into me on Monday, along with your Secret Santa story. How are you doing on it?”

I forced a smile. “Great. Really, really great.”

As I drove along the frozen highway toward Logan Pond, it occurred to me that this assignment might actually be a godsend. I planned to let Dex know on Monday that I’d decided I was unable to identify Secret Santa. Maybe having a second story to offer would soften the blow a bit. When I arrived at Logan Pond, I was expecting to find the entrants spread out across the surface of the frozen lake, but instead found everyone standing in one location. I wasn’t an expert on ice fishing, but wasn’t everyone supposed to have their own hole?

“What’s going on?” I asked the man closest to where I was standing after joining the group.

He stepped aside. I took a step forward and gasped. “Is that?”

“Ford Fisher,” the man confirmed as my eyes focused onto the frozen body just below the surface of a thin sheet of ice.