A Humbug Holiday

It's holiday time in Firefly Junction but not everything is sweet sugarplums and glittery tinsel.

Sunni Taylor has been too busy to get into the holiday spirit, even with her mom coming to town for a visit. Her festive spirit gets a spark when Detective Brady Jackson asks her to attend the town's production of A Christmas Carol. But when the holiday classic takes a grim turn, Sunni's date night turns into a murder investigation. And in the middle of a winter festival, Sunni and Jackson must figure out who killed Ebenezer Scrooge.

Book 4 of the Firefly Junction Cozy Mystery series

"Why does it not surprise me to find my best friend in the donut shop on this chilly Tuesday morning?" Raine chirped from behind.

I pulled my focus from the fabulous trays of donuts, crullers and muffins long enough to greet her. She was wearing a red dress with a dark green knitted shawl dropped low over her shoulders. Silver bells dangled from her earrings.

"Hello. Someone is certainly in the holiday spirit," I quipped before turning back to the donut case. There were still three people ahead of me, so I had time to decide which donuts to pick for the office. It was my week and it was extremely important that I made wise choices.

Raine came up next to me to survey the treats too. "I'm feeling very merry. Just finished decorating my tree. It takes up half my living room. Now my entire house smells like a forest."

"I wish I could get into the spirit. Even with my mom coming to town, my money pit of a home is draining away my merriness. I didn't even bother with a tree. Ursula and Henry are still putting up crown moulding in the dining room. There's such chaos in the house, I'm just not in the mood to decorate."

"What a bah humbugger you are," Raine noted accurately. "Your sister has her place ready for a magazine shoot."

"I know. I figured I can never compete with Lana's incredible eye for perfection or Emily's knack for cozy country, so I just don't bother. Besides, I can go to their houses when I'm in the holiday mood."

"Nonsense. We need to get you in a permanently merry spirit. We'll walk through town for lunch today. They've started selling the goodies for the Firefly Junction Holiday Festival. The theme is Celebrating a Victorian Christmas. I've heard they're selling mincemeat pies and sugarplums. Whatever those are. We can't have you acting like a Scrooge all winter." Raine's tone hardened and her face drew into a scowl as she watched the woman in front of us buy up the last dozen green and red sprinkled cake donuts. "Hope you're proud of yourself, leaving the rest of us without any holiday sprinkled donuts," Raine snapped.

The woman turned around. "First come, first served," she said with a smirk.

"Donut hog," Raine muttered under her breath.

I leaned my head closer to her to lower my voice. "What was that about Scrooge and merry spirit?" I asked.

"I came here for the red and green sprinkled donuts," Raine complained.

"There are still plenty with the rainbow sprinkles." I pointed them out.

"Not the same. It's Christmastime. The red and green ones taste like a holiday treat. Rainbow sprinkles are for summer and birthdays."

I smiled at her. "And that's why I like you. Not many people have categorized donuts by season or celebration."

"Coffee latte for Aurora," the coffee barista called from the other end of the counter. A fit and trim woman carrying a black velvet top hat adorned with holly leaves and wearing a forest green blazer buttoned over riding breeches walked up to the counter to pick up her coffee. Her hair was tied neatly in a ponytail at the nape of her neck and she was wearing a sleek black pair of tall boots. Both the hairstyle and boots reminded me of Edward, who was at home, no doubt pouting in an upstairs room as Henry and Ursula pounded their 'blasted' hammers against nails.

"I've always considered her an underappreciated Disney princess," Raine said lightly.

I looked at her. "That woman is a Disney princess?"

"No, don't be ridiculous. She's the woman running the horse-drawn carriage for the festival." Raine shook her head as if I was completely daft. "I'm talking about Aurora, the Disney princess from Sleeping Beauty. She's my favorite."

"Of course. Silly of me not to follow your odd train of thought. And I think Princess Rapunzel is the best with all that magical hair."

"Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion," Raine said with a chin lift.

The customers ahead of me had nearly cleared out the shelves. "I guess Tuesday is donut morning in this town." I finally reached the counter. My choices were limited now, which was probably a good thing. The young man working the counter filled the box for me. Raine ordered a maple cruller, and we walked out of the shop together.

School was out and the street was crowded with kids enjoying their freedom. The snow edged landscape vibrated with the excitement of the upcoming holidays. The town had started blasting Christmas carols from speakers set up around the shops. It seemed I was doomed to have Silver Bells and Rudolph stuck in my head for the next two weeks. A moment of nostalgia hit me as I watched three kids, dressed in beanies and puffy coats, drag a sled down the sidewalk and toward the end of town where several plump hills provided a perfect snowy playground for sleds and snowman building.

"Have you noticed that the princes all have a bigger part now? In fact some of them aren't even proper royalty, just off the street kind of guys, like Kristoff in Frozen." Raine posed the question and took a bite of cruller, keeping her hand beneath it to catch any falling shards of maple glaze.

"I see we're still talking about Disney. Yes, that's true. In the old movies like Sleeping Beauty, the prince was strictly eye candy. He had very little substance." We stopped at my jeep. "I don't know what's more disturbing," I said. "That we know so much about Disney movies, especially since neither of us have children or that we can actually spend time psychoanalyzing them."

A loud truck rumbled along the road. It was brimming with holly garland shaped like massive stars. "I was wondering when they were going to hang the stars on the streetlamps," Raine said. "I heard they had to delay it until the big tent was constructed for the holiday play. It's just not Christmas without those stars." As she spoke her earrings jangled.

I glanced down at my navy blue sweater and black pants. I really was starting to feel a little Scrooge-ish standing next to my holiday bedecked friend. "I suppose I should get more in the spirit. A walk to town is probably just what I need. But I'm not sure about mincemeat pie."

"Come on. Where's your Victorian sense of adventure?" Raine asked.

"I'm fairly certain Victorians weren't known for their sense of adventure. And it's less about the adventure and more about the idea of mixing meat and fruit together in a pie. But I'm happy to try sugarplums and whatever else they're selling at the festival."

"Great. Then we'll have you humming Christmas tunes in no time. By the way, when's your mom getting in?"

"Lana's picking her up at the airport in a few hours. I'm looking forward to her visit and her holiday stuffing. She makes the best."

Raine was halfway through her donut. "Lana said the same thing. I think she's looking forward to having your mom help out. She's managed to overbook herself for the holidays . . . as usual."

A police car rolled past following the crew that was about to hang the stars from lampposts.

"I better get to work before the police block off the streets." I unlocked the jeep. "And before my boss starts demanding his donut."

"Speaking of police," Raine said slyly. I knew exactly what would come next. Thus far, there was only a faint, unspoken thing happening between Brady Jackson, the town detective, and me. It was so faint, in fact, that it was basically invisible. "What has Firefly's most spectacular detective been up to and more importantly have the two of you kissed yet?"

"Sorry to leave you disappointed, my friend, but I don't know what he's up to at the moment. We've both been busy. I haven't heard from him in several weeks. And, no, there has not been a kiss. We've come close, but Jax decided the moment needed to be just right. We need a kaboom moment. And that just right moment has eluded us time and time again."

Raine shook her head in dismay. "Silly friend, a kiss from that man is the kaboom moment."

I laughed. "Hope so." As tempted as I was to add in that my nosy posy house ghost made sure the right time never happened, I was sworn to secrecy about my haunted inn. It was especially aggravating when I knew that, of all people, Raine would understand and be thrilled about it. "To be honest, I'm relieved that we haven't moved past a flirtatious friendship."

"Yes, of course you are," Raine said wryly.

"No, I mean it. I've suffered terrible heartbreak once. And my intuition tells me that handing my heart over to Brady Jackson would be equally dangerous. I don't want to go through anything like that again."

"Your ex-boyfriend, Brett, sounded like a real jerk. You were younger and not as savvy back then. You're a good match for Detective Jackson. Heaven knows someone has to rein in that man. He's been bouncing around as the town's most eligible bachelor for far too long. It's time he settles down."

I laughed. "I'll be sure to let him know that Raine thinks he should settle down. In the meantime, I've got to get these donuts to the office before Parker Seymour has a donut fit and decides to hand me the local grannies' knitting club for my next assignment."

Raine lifted her shawl higher to cover her shoulders. "Perfect. I need a lift back. I've got a card reading at nine." She hurried around the jeep and climbed into the passenger's side. "So lunch at noon?" she asked as I pulled away from the curb.

"Sounds good to me. Sometimes it feels like my work day is just a series of eating events connected by the occasional moments of writing."