Christmas Caramel Murder Read Free Page A

house?”
    â€œBut it’s in pieces! Really, Mother . . . I don’t think anyone could fix it.”
    â€œI won’t even try to have it fixed. I just want to keep it around for sentimental reasons.”
    Hannah stared at her mother in confusion. Delores wasn’t usually this sentimental. But if Delores wanted the ladder, Hannah was perfectly willing to give it to her. “Okay. Whatever you want, Mother. I’ll call Cliff right now.”
    â€œThank you, dear.” Delores took her usual stool at the stainless-steel workstation while Lisa poured coffee and filled a platter with Red Velvet Whippersnapper Cookies from one of the two baker’s racks at the side of the kitchen.
    Hannah headed for the wall phone in the kitchen, and less than a minute later, she’d ordered the new aluminum ladder for The Cookie Jar and given Cliff instructions to bag up the old wooden ladder and deliver it to her mother’s house.
    â€œOkay,” she said, sitting down at the workstation and addressing her mother. “Now tell us about your emergency, or whatever it is.”
    â€œJust because it may have been downgraded a bit doesn’t mean it’s not important,” Delores maintained.
    â€œAgreed. Tell us, Mother.”
    Delores sighed. “All right. The emergency, or situation, or whatever it is, is Ricky-Ticky.”
    â€œMayor Bascomb,” Lisa said, knowing that Hannah’s mother often used the nickname she’d given Mayor Bascomb when he was a small boy and she was his babysitter. “What else has he done?”
    â€œWhat else ?” Delores asked, and it was clear that she wasn’t sure what Lisa meant.
    â€œYes, what else has he done? Whatever it is, it couldn’t be worse than hiring Phyllis Bates and moving her here just because . . . well, you know why he did it. And then, when his wife, Stephanie, got wind of what was going on between the two of them, re-assigning Phyllis as Herb’s assistant in the town marshal’s office!”
    Neither Hannah nor Delores knew quite what to say. They’d never seen Lisa quite so angry before. But there was no need to respond because Lisa didn’t bother to wait for a reply.
    â€œAt least Stephanie Bascomb got her revenge! I saw that diamond ring she made the mayor buy for her and it’s as big as a boulder!”
    Hannah and Delores exchanged glances. Lisa sounded terribly bitter and they couldn’t blame her for that. Lisa’s husband, Herb Beeseman, had dated Phyllis Bates in high school and everyone had expected them to get married. But Phyllis’s family had moved and Phyllis hadn’t bothered to keep in touch with Herb or anyone else in Lake Eden. She hadn’t been heard from in several years until Mayor Bascomb had somehow found her. And now she was back in Lake Eden, even more attractive than she’d been in high school.
    â€œDon’t keep me in suspense. Tell me what our esteemed mayor did this time,” Lisa said, turning to face Delores. “Nothing you say about that man can possibly surprise me!”
    â€œAll right, but it’s really bad.” Delores took another sip of coffee and sat up a little straighter. “I’m warning you, Lisa. . . . This could be even worse than hiring Phyllis in the first place. I got the news this morning, straight from Rod at the Lake Eden Journal .” She glanced at her watch. “The paper is coming out in an hour, and I wanted to give you advance warning.”
    â€œAdvance warning of what?” Lisa asked, looking worried.
    â€œMayor Bascomb called Rod late last night and said he’s not holding the Mrs. Claus contest this year. Instead, he’s using his executive authority to appoint someone to play Santa’s wife.”
    Lisa began to look a little sick. “Don’t tell me it’s . . .” She stopped and swallowed hard.
    â€œI’m afraid it is,” Delores answered.