A Frightening Fangs-giving

my lights kept flickering on and off for over an hour.” She shakes her head my way. “If I thought Ember Sweet was trying to make my life a living hell while she still had breath in her lungs, it looks as if she’s about to kick that up a notch now that she’s gone. She’s not even giving me the opportunity to have a single nice thought about her now.” She takes up two fistfuls of apple cider mini donuts. “I’m going to look at kittens and inhale carbs for the rest of the morning. If you see Jordy, tell him I’ll need him to pull out his ghost-busting vacuum. Macy Baker ain’t afraid of no ghost. At least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself,” she says as she takes off for the pet menagerie surrounding Georgie.
Emmie steps in. “I’m going to refill this platter, and you’d better pray there’s not a ghost in the kitchen or you’ll be hearing me scream all the way to Canada.” She takes off, and I close my eyes a moment too long.
“I’m so sorry, Bizzy.” Marigold grabs at the diamond pendant suspended on a thin gold chain and swishes it back and forth over her neck.
“Please, don’t worry about it. What can I do to help with this? Hey? Maybe it’s not a ghost. Maybe you’re sleepwalking due to all the stress and you just have no recollection of dumping out your makeup bag last night?”
“Maybe.” She shrugs. “But I’ve heard things from Willow, too. And knowing Ember, haunting those she wanted to impart a little vengeance on isn’t anything that would surprise me.”
Me either at this point, but I think better of voicing my opinion.
“Oh hey”—a thought comes to me—“I ran into Hunter Knox yesterday at the pumpkin festival. My sister is dating him.” I shoot Macy a quick look. “He seems like a really nice guy.”
Marigold’s lips knot up. He was a nice guy until Ember had her way with him. “How did he seem?”
“He seemed to be doing well. He thought the sheriff’s department should look into Flint.”
Her lips fall open. “I hate to say it, but he’s right. Flint is your quintessential politician—with a closet full of skeletons and the determination to keep them in there forever. He once told me he’d do anything to ensure his political career stayed intact. And now with Ember gone, I wonder if he’s done just that.”
“Do you think Flint had it in him to kill his own girlfriend? Judging by the things Hunter said about him, Flint wasn’t having an easy time with Ember. But to kill her? That would be the quickest way to tank a political career.”
A huff of a laugh pumps from her. “Flint wasn’t sticking around Ember because he wanted to. They argued more than they did anything else. Something wasn’t right between the two of them.” She shrugs. “I guess the sheriff’s department will get to the bottom of it soon enough. Here’s hoping they make an arrest before Thanksgiving. I’d hate to start the holidays off with a killer out there somewhere.” She sighs as she looks out at the crowd. “I couldn’t sleep at night if that were the case.” As it stands now, I’m sleeping like a baby. I wonder how Flint is sleeping these days? I bet Laurel is warming his bed. She’ll be the end of him right along with Ember. And not a person on this planet will have to lift a finger to make that happen. “You know”—she looks down at the quilt in her arms—“I think I’ll start my holiday shopping right now and pick up a few more of these. You should do the same. It looks like this is the hot ticket item this year.”
Wait… Did she say Laurel? I bet that’s another one of Flint’s side-pieces. Ember should have kicked him to the curb long ago. Revenge isn’t a real solution. It only creates more problems, and it might have ended Ember Sweet’s life.
Marigold dissolves into the crowd, and I’m about to join in on the wonky fun when a tall, dark, and handsome homicide detective steps up before me.
Jasper flashes his badge my way, those serious gray eyes pinned to mine.
“Seaview County Sheriff’s Department. Have you got a permit for this?”
“For the wonky quilt spectacular spectacle?” I take a step in his way, amused.
“For looking hotter than a forest fire. I’m thinking of hauling you in—for your own safety, of course.”
Fish flits over and practically jumps right into my arms.
I saw Jasper flash his badge your way. Oh, tell me he’s shutting this circus down. I don’t care how rich Georgie is professing she’ll be.
Sherlock barks as he bolts on over. He’s not shutting the circus down. Georgie is already rich where it counts—with bacon.
I shrug his way. “They want to know what that flash of the badge meant.”
A devilish grin curls in the corner of his lips. “It means I’ve got a wife I’d like to protect from the masses. I was just on my way to track down Hunter Knox, Ember’s ex, and thought I’d take a quick break to see if you wanted to find a creative way to help me spend it.” His lids hood a notch because we both know exactly how we’ll be spending that break.
“Hunter?” I try to sound surprised at the mention of this name. I may have conveniently forgotten to mention the meet and greet I had with Ember Sweet’s ex last night on that hayride. But in my defense, Jasper and I found a creative way to spend last night as well. It involved some of those apple cider mini donuts, and come to think of it, I’ll have to steal a platter before we head back for the cottage to replicate that good time.
Jasper leans in, his eyes narrowing over mine. “You beat me to him, didn’t you?”
I freeze solid. “I may have.” I give a guilty shrug. “But only because Macy was