Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
“I like to keep track of certain topics,” he said with an unashamed shrug.
This man. Oh, this man. “So the run-in with Tiffany. She’s desperate, even suggesting part of this land belongs to her, but I set her straight. Besides, you know the golden rule. Whoever has gold, rules.”
“You’ll be the one to find it, I have no doubts.”
“You aren’t wrong.” She fluffed her hair. “But when you become sheriff, I expect you to arrest Tiffany Hotchkins and Abigail Waynes-Kirkland immediately. As my boyfriend, it’s practically your sworn duty. In fact, it should be your first act upon taking office. Charge them with inciting a riot in my head. And kidnapping my calm!”
He thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Sounds fair.”
“We must solve the mystery before they do. Bragging rights, the most important prize of all, are at stake.”
“And possibly gold.”
“Yes, that too. I’m kicking myself for even considering trying to become Tiffany’s friend.”
“I predict you’ll be best friends in the coming months.”
Ha! He’d see. They reached the mausoleum, where silvery moonlight glistened from the aged stones. Bright Christmas bulbs glowed, spotlighting the tinsel Jane and Fiona had hung on the pine trees.
Inside the elaborate structure, Conrad and Jane paused to examine the mural. For some reason, Paradise Ladling snagged her attention. She had searched Silas Ladling’s headstone and grave in about every way possible. Heck, she and Beau had even dug it up during the first murder investigation. Nothing. And yet…that niggling in the back of her mind wouldn’t let up. But what was she missing?
She circled Silas’s gravesite with her finger, then recalled the circles Benjamin had drawn all over the list. Wait. Circles. She moved to William King’s gravesite and circled it with her finger, too.
Was this location different from the maps she presented to guests?
“The artist did exceptional work,” Conrad said. “Highly detailed.”
Information spilled from her by route. “That’s because of Evangeline Ladling, the oldest daughter of Silas. She was the original artist of the family, known for throwing lavish parties in her old age and stealing the heart of every suitor in town during her younger years. She’s the reason we were cursed, you know. Anyway. Other artistically inclined Ladlings have added details to the map throughout the years.” She might have told him that already. This time, the tidbit caught her attention. Changes…circles. Circles, changes.
“Lavish parties and stealing hearts, hmm? Did she happen to have long dark hair and big blue eyes full of possibilities?”
Jane’s blush returned. “If we were texting this conversation, I would so message you L.O.L. right now.”
“Lots of love?” he asked with a teasing tone. Her blush burned hotter, and he barked out a full blown laugh. “Too soon? You’re the one shouting it in cars.”
Her lips parted to protest, but…protest what? His contagious amusement?
The cruel tormentor showed a smidgen of mercy and drew an air circle around a monument. “If I’m looking at this correctly, this is in Paradise Ladling, yes?”
“Yes,” she verified. Changes, circles.
“The ancestor who hid the gold probably put it in a section reserved for family. Or at least a portion of it. Fewer disturbances, higher level of control.”
“Good thinking.” She returned to the image depicting Silas’s gravesite, joining Conrad at the wall. They automatically drew together, and the most delicious contentment washed over her.
“Hmm,” he said, staring intently at the map.
“What else are you theorizing?” she asked, nudging her shoulder against his arm.
“I don’t know yet,” he replied. “But there’s definitely something here…” He wound his arm around her waist, cupping her hip, and she felt her blush return. He wasn’t just talking about clues in the mausoleum. And to think, she’d wasted so much time pushing him away, avoiding feelings.
Jane leaned her head against Conrad’s shoulder and looked from Silas to William to Sueann Pickens.
Circles, changes.
She breathed in her companion’s scent. Yes, there was definitely something here.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Legend says a piper gets to pipping when two hearts become one. Or something like that. Wouldn’t you like to hear some music, Jay Bird?
–Lily Ladling’s Holiday Advice for Ladies Cursed in Love
As one day after another passed, Tiffany and Abigail never snuck onto cemetery grounds with shovels. Strange, considering the widow’s dire financial straits. According to the Headliner, she’d put the mansion up for sale and sought a job overseeing events at the Manor on Prospect, the fanciest hotel in town.
According to sources, rumors also claimed a couple of lawsuits were headed her way, thanks to her husband, who might have done more than use his exam rooms as a rotating harem. Apparently, Tiffany’s lawyer—the widow did have one, after all—had advised her to keep her nose clean. Being arrested for trespassing on Jane’s property certainly wouldn’t classify as walking the straight and narrow.
Whatever the reason for the reprieve, Jane was grateful. But. Thanks to holiday prep, she’d gotten no further in her own investigation. Now, with the arrival of Christmas Eve, she had even more to do. At least she knew deep down she finally hovered at the cusp of a solve. It felt as if every possibility she’d ever entertained filled a mental bottle and any upcoming ideas would drip inside and force an overflow. So close I can taste it!