Plum Pudding Murder. Joanne Fluke

to face the three of them. “Does anybody know how to tell if a tree is fresh or not?”

      “I do,” Norman spoke up. “All you have to do is feel the needles. If they feel dry and break off in your hand, it’s an old tree.”

      “There’s an easier way,” Mike said. “I flash my badge and demand to see the invoice for the last batch of trees. And then I demand to see a tree from that batch.”

      Norman clapped Mike on the shoulder. “That’s better than my way. Let’s go in and see what they’ve got.”

      As they walked into the park, Hannah noticed the rows of sleds lined up just inside the gate. They were painted bright green and each sled had room for a child. Behind the area where the child would be seated was a large red box that looked like the bed of a supermarket shopping cart. The box was obviously meant to store items to be purchased and it was large enough to hold quite a few.

      “Clever,” Norman said, also noticing the sleds.

      “And how,” Hannah replied. “I wonder what they do if a mother comes in with two kids.”

      “That’s where I come in.”

      All four of them turned to look as a blond girl in a green elf costume spoke to them. “I’m Mary and I’ll be your elf for tonight.”

      “Do you really say that to all the customers?” Hannah asked her.

      “No, just to you. I’m kidding, Miss Swensen. I’m Tricia Barthel’s younger sister, and I don’t blame you for not recognizing me in this getup.”

      “It’s better than the one I wore last Christmas at the Lake Eden Inn. At least your tights aren’t too tight.”

      “Hi, Mary,” Andrea smiled at the girl. “I’m looking for a tree for my daughter’s classroom. It has to be between four and five feet tall with short needles and branches that make it easy for a child to hang ornaments.”

      “We’ve got just the thing. Follow me to the smaller tree tent and I’ll show you a couple you’ll like.”

      They all trooped after Mary to a tent near the edge of the lot. It wasn’t a prime location and Hannah guessed that the larger, more expensive trees were housed in the closer tents. On the way they passed the Crazy Elf Toy Shop, the Crazy Elf Ornament Center, and the Crazy Elf Tree Stand Store. And all the while We Wish You a Merry Christmas was blaring out over the speakers.

      Hannah moved closer to Mary the elf. “Doesn’t the music drive you crazy?” she asked.

      “It did at first, but now I’m so used to it, I don’t even hear it. I guess if it stopped I’d notice, but it won’t stop until eleven tonight.”

      “Haven’t the neighbors complained about the noise?”

      “No. I asked the elf manager how Mr. Jaeger got away with making so much noise, and she told me that he gave everyone in the houses next to the park a free tree and a fifty-dollar gift certificate for the shops.”

      “Smart,” Hannah said. Most people could use extra money around the holidays and a free tree with fifty dollars worth of ornaments or toys was a nice Christmas bonus for anyone.

      “Here we are,” Mary announced, leading the way into one of the large tents that were fashioned out of canvas with green and red stripes. “All of these trees have short needles.”

      The air inside smelled heavenly, like walking through a stand of pines, and Hannah took a deep breath and smiled. She was more than a little relieved to see that the tent was warmed by space heaters and all of the trees were thawed. At least she wouldn’t have to put her father’s trick to the test.

      “The Blue Spruces are here,” Mary pointed to a section that was roped off with blue tape. “I wouldn’t recommend those. The needles might drop off in a warm classroom.”

      “Thanks for telling us,” Andrea said, and Hannah could tell she was grateful. “What are those trees?” she asked, pointing to the largest section.

      “Those are Scotch Pines.” Mary led the way to the green-roped section. “A lot of teachers have been buying those. They’re the most popular Christmas tree and needle retention is really good. They tend to stay on even when the tree is dry.”

      Hannah glanced at Andrea. She was almost positive she knew exactly what her sister was going to do. Andrea was a firm believer that an item’s worth was directly proportional to its price.

      “Well, I don’t want to buy the cheapest,” Andrea said, confirming Hannah’s supposition. “How about those?” she asked, pointing to the smallest red-roped section. “They’re gorgeous.”

      “Oh, those are the Noble Firs. They’re much more expensive, but they’re…” Mary moved a bit closer and lowered her voice even though there was no one else in the tent. “I probably shouldn’t say anything, but they’re the freshest trees we have and they won’t drop their needles in a hot classroom. Not only that, their needles are more pliable.” Mary plucked one off and rubbed it between her fingers. “When the needles get old, they’re really sharp. I guess that’s why they call them needles. These won’t get sharp until the kids leave school for Christmas vacation.”

      “Then I’ll take one,” Andrea said, walking over to take a look. “But they’re all mixed up in the section together. Is there a way to tell how tall they are without measuring?”

      “I’ll show you,” Mary said, gesturing to Andrea. “Just follow me and I’ll explain the color coding on the tags.”

      As Andrea and Mary walked deeper into the forest of trees in the red section, Norman moved closer to Hannah. “They’re only on calling birds and already my head hurts.”

      For a moment Hannah was thoroughly mystified and then she realized that We Wish You a Merry Christmas had ended and The Twelve Days of Christmas had taken its place. “Eight verses to go,” she said. “I’ve probably got some aspirin in my purse. Do you want a couple?”

      “No, thanks. I’ll be fine just as soon as we get out of here.”

      “Hey, Hannah.” Mike walked up to join them. “What do you say we try out the Yule Log?”

      Hannah took one look at the Yule Log ride and shook her head. The “log” part was hollow and it held seats with harness-type safety belts to prevent falling as it swayed back and forth. The seats were divided into sets of pairs facing each other. At the apex of one end the rider was looking straight down at his partner, and at the apex of the other, their positions were reversed. The momentum gained on the downswings must have been fierce because the people who were riding were screaming every time they descended. Perhaps, when she was younger, she would have regarded his invitation as a challenge and gone on the ride just to prove she could. Now that she was older, she was wiser. “Thanks, but no thanks,” she said.

      “Then how about Santa’s Magic Sleigh?”

      “The Ferris wheel?”

      “Yes, but each car is decorated like a sleigh and there’s a plastic reindeer in front. You can see the whole park from the top of the wheel,” Mike gestured toward the designer Ferris wheel that was slowly revolving in the distance.

      Hannah knew she could handle that ride, but there was another consideration. “Only if I can take the reins.”

      “But they don’t really do anything. I mean, the reindeer doesn’t move or anything and…”

      “I know. I was just kidding you. Let’s wait until Andrea picks out her tree and then we can all go.”

      “You two go ahead,” Norman said. “I’ll help Andrea with the tree. It won’t be hard now that Mary’s steered us to the right type.”

      “Are you sure?” Hannah asked, wondering if Norman was just being polite.

      “I’m positive. And don’t worry if you have to