Christmas Cookie Murder. Leslie Meier

      

      ’TIS THE SEASON … TO DIE

      Lucy felt a surge of anger as she replaced the receiver. It was bad enough the murderer had taken Tucker’s life, but whoever it was had done more than that. So many people would be affected: the little children in the day-care center who had come to trust and love Tucker; Sue would not only have to cope with her own grief, but she would have to find a new assistant; the police officers would have to struggle with their own emotions as they investigated the case.

      Everyone in town would be touched by this violent death in some way. Women who had walked alone at night would now look uneasily over their shoulders. At home, they would be extra careful to make sure the windows and doors were locked at night. Children would be warned not to talk to strangers. No one would be able to rest easy, Lucy realized, until the strangler was caught.

      She refilled Tucker’s emergency folder and snapped the cabinet shut, making a little vow to herself. Tucker’s murderer would be found and punished.

      Books by Leslie Meier

      MISTLETOE MURDER

      TIPPY TOE MURDER

      TRICK OR TREAT MURDER

      BACK TO SCHOOL MURDER

      VALENTINE MURDER

      CHRISTMAS COOKIE MURDER

      TURKEY DAY MURDER

      WEDDING DAY MURDER

      BIRTHDAY PARTY MURDER

      FATHER’S DAY MURDER

      STAR SPANGLED MURDER

      NEW YEAR’S EVE MURDER

      BAKE SALE MURDER

      CANDY CANE MURDER

      ST. PATRICK’S DAY MURDER

      MOTHER’S DAY MURDER

      WICKED WITCH MURDER

      GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER

      ENGLISH TEA MURDER

      CHOCOLATE COVERED MURDER

      EASTER BUNNY MURDER

      CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER

      FRENCH PASTRY MURDER

      CANDY CORN MURDER

      BRITISH MANOR MURDER

      EGGNOG MURDER

      TURKEY TROT MURDER

      SILVER ANNIVERSARY MURDER

      YULE LOG MURDER

      HAUNTED HOUSE MURDER

      INVITATION ONLY MURDER

      Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

      A Lucy Stone Mystery

      CHRISTMAS COOKIE MURDER

      Leslie Meier

      KENSINGTON BOOKS

       Kensington Publishing Corp.

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      CONTENTS

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      CHAPTER TWELVE

      CHAPTER THIRTEEN

      CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      CHAPTER SIXTEEN

      CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

      CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

      CHAPTER NINETEEN

      CHAPTER TWENTY

      CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

      CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

      CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

      PREVIEW

      KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      119 West 40th Street

      New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 1999 by Leslie Meier

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

      If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

      All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund-raising, educational, or institutional use. Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington Special Sales Manager: Attn. Special Sales Depart -ment. Kensington Publishing Corp., 119 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018. Phone: [phone].

      Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-2157-0

      ISBN-10: 1-4967-2157-8

      First Kensington Hardcover Edition: November 1999

      First Kensington Mass Market Edition: October 2000

      ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-5279-1 (ebook)

      ISBN-10: 0-7582-5279-X (ebook)

      20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

      Printed in the United States of America

      

CHAPTER ONE

      28 days ’til Xmas

      “I’d rather die.”

      Judging by her determined expression and her firm tone of voice, Lucy Stone was pretty sure that her best friend, Sue Finch, had made up her mind. Still, ever the optimist, she couldn’t resist trying one last time.

      “Oh, come on,” pleaded Lucy. “It won’t seem like Christmas without it.”

      “Nope.” Sue shook her head and shoved a piece of overpriced lettuce around her plate with a fork. “No cookie exchange this year.”

      The two friends were having lunch at the Chandlery, the toney bistro in the Ropewalk, the newest mall in Tinker’s Cove. The Ropewalk had once been exactly that, a nineteenth-century workshop complete with a long, narrow alley used for twisting hemp fibers into rope for the clipper ships that once sailed all over the globe from their home port in Tinker’s Cove, Maine.

      Long a ramshackle eyesore on the waterfront, it had recently been restored, and local craftsmen had moved in, creating what the developer called “an exciting retail adventure with a seafaring ambiance.”

      Today, the day after Thanksgiving, the Ropewalk was packed with Christmas shoppers and Lucy and Sue had had