Felled in Little Leaf Creek
A Little Leaf Creek Cozy Mystery
Cindy Bell
Copyright © 2022 Cindy Bell
All rights reserved.
Chapter One
Cassie Alberta tightened the laces of her boots and tied a strong knot. A buzz of excitement crackled through the air all around her. She smiled as she listened to the words exchanged above her head.
“I want that tree.” Stephanie Vail crossed her arms as she looked at her older brother.
“But who gets it will be determined by who wins, right?” Sebastian Vail glanced over at Cassie as she straightened up, and his smile widened. “And since I have Cassie on my team, I’m pretty sure that we’re going to win.”
“No way.” Stephanie pursed her lips. “I’m great at scavenger hunts. I’ll be done in the blink of an eye.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Cassie looked over the list that a woman who looked about twenty handed to her. “There are quite a few items on here.”
“And they’re all different.” The young woman waved Stephanie away as she tried to get a look at Cassie’s list. “Here, this one is for you.” She held out another list to Stephanie.
“Wait, all of us have a different list?” Stephanie glanced at hers. “That makes things harder.”
“Exactly, it means that you can’t follow each other around the farm. You have to look for your own items. Here you are.” She passed a list to Tessa Watters as she stepped closer to the group. “I think this is such a fun idea. You will all have a great time, and the trees on this farm are spectacular. And it’s for a good cause. The scavenger hunt is to raise money for a children’s charity, to help families that can’t afford gifts for Christmas. Even if you don’t happen to win a tree, I’m sure you’ll want to buy one to take home with you.”
“You make a pretty good saleswoman.” Tessa looked at her. “But I don’t think I know you, and I know just about everyone in this town. This is Nancy’s farm, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. But I’m helping her out. My name is Nina.” She smiled at Tessa. “And I’ve heard all about you.”
“You have?” Tessa raised her eyebrows. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”
“I’ve heard quite a few complaints about a retired police detective being part of the scavenger hunt.” Nina’s smile widened. “I believe people think you will have an unfair advantage.”
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to prove them right.” Mark Collingswood, dressed in a bright green suit and coat, with a Christmas ornament on his tie, draped his arm around Tessa’s shoulders. “With the two of us working together, no one else stands a chance.”
“What am I going to do with a Christmas tree?” Tessa shrugged his arm off, then looked back at Nina. “So, you’re a new employee of Nancy’s, then?”
“Not exactly.” Nina swallowed hard, then glanced at another group gathered together. “I should keep handing these out. The hunt will be starting soon. Good luck to all of you!”
“Thank you. No matter what, I’m sure we’re all going to have a blast.” Cassie grinned as she looped her arm through Sebastian’s. “It’s all about the experience.”
“Cassie! Tessa!” Mirabel Light yelled from the parking lot as she and Detective Oliver Graham hurried toward them through the snow-covered ground. “Are we too late?”
“No, it hasn’t started, yet. That young lady over there, Nina, is handing out lists.” Tessa pointed her out.
“I’ll go grab us one.” Oliver squeezed Mirabel’s shoulder, then walked over to Nina.
“So you’ve met her?” Mirabel leaned close to Cassie and Tessa and lowered her voice. “She’s the talk of the whole town.”
“What do you mean?” Cassie asked. “What could people possibly have to say about her? She seems nice enough.”
“You haven’t heard?” Mirabel looked between them. “I don’t like to gossip, but it’s all around town, so you’ll hear soon enough. Nina is Nancy’s daughter.”
“What?” Tessa shook her head. “Nancy doesn’t have a daughter. She’s never had any children.”
“That’s what most of us thought.” Mirabel crossed her arms as she smiled. “But our little town has more secrets than it has residents. Apparently, Nancy had a secret pregnancy and gave the baby up for adoption. Nina recently showed up to reunite with her mother. Now, the whole town is out here for the scavenger hunt, more to get a good look at Nancy and Nina than for charity, or to win a Christmas tree. Although, Ollie and I are determined to get one. If we don’t win one, we’ll just buy one. We want to make Maisy’s Christmas with us special. June will be joining us, and we’re all looking forward to it.”
Mirabel had become Maisy’s guardian when June, Maisy’s grandmother, could no longer take care of the young teen.
“That’s wonderful.” Cassie bit into her bottom lip. She’d come to the tree farm to get a tree and introduce Sebastian to a few of the family traditions she had during childhood, which she had left behind during her life of luxury, but now she felt herself rooting as much for her friends to win.
“It looks like they’re getting ready to start.” Stephanie pointed toward a small group of women who stood at the front of the crowd.
Cassie recognized them from when they had occasionally come into the diner, but she had never really spoken to any of them.
“That’s Nancy, and her sister Sally.” Tessa squinted and took a step forward. “And that’s Marie, Nancy’s best friend.” She sighed as she shook her head. “Nina’s really Nancy’s daughter? I don’t see the resemblance.”
“She probably takes after her father.” Mirabel shrugged. “Who remains a complete mystery. Though, if the gossips in this town have anything to say about it, we’ll know who it is by the end of the day.”
“Maybe it’s best to leave it alone.” Tessa’s voice softened. “Nancy must have had a good reason to keep it all a secret.”
“This is a first.” Mark looked into Tessa’s eyes. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when you would want to leave a mystery a mystery.”
“Some secrets have a purpose.” Tessa looked back at Nancy. “She’s lived a good life, and now she has a chance to share that with her daughter. That’s resolved enough for me.”
“All right, everyone!” Nancy waved her gloved hands through the air. “You will have exactly one hour to find as many things as you can on your list. When you hear the bells ring, that means you’re done, and you must return your list to one of us within five minutes, or you will be disqualified. Good luck, and Merry Christmas!” She grinned as the crowd began to rush forward to hunt through the trees.
A man in the crowd strode straight toward Nancy, caught her by the arm, and steered her away from the rest of the group. Cassie recognized him from serving him at the diner a couple of times. She knew his name was Kevin. She hadn’t really spoken to him aside from the usual pleasantries, but he seemed friendly.
“Let’s go!” Sebastian grabbed Cassie’s hand and tugged her toward the trees. “Stephanie already has a head start.”
Oliver and Mirabel took off in another direction.
Cassie’s gaze lingered on Kevin and Nancy for a moment longer as she sensed the tension in their interaction. Another tug from Sebastian drew her attention back to him.
“Yes, let’s go!” She grinned. “Although, I don’t know if we stand a chance with Tessa and Mark in the competition.”
“I think you might be overestimating their ability to work as a team.” Sebastian chuckled as he pointed to the pair squabbling over which way to go. He squeezed Cassie’s hand and smiled. “Whether or not we win, I’ll never doubt what a great team we make.”
Cassie hugged him.
“Agreed.”
A cool breeze ruffled the hair off the back of her neck, sending a chill down her spine. She hugged Sebastian a little tighter, then followed his lead into the trees. As the rest of the crowd began searching, she heard shouts and laughter all around her. A rush of Christmas spirit filled her. Things had certainly changed in her life. She’d gone from a youth, when her family was struggling for money, to a wealthy man’s wife, to his widow, and now she clung to the hand of a man she never expected to meet but couldn’t imagine living without. She couldn’t be happier.
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