Having never been to a Christmas tree farm in the north before, I was stunned by the site. The rows of lovely fir trees, many with freshly fallen snow still lingering and glittering on the branches, were beautiful.
“I hate to cut one down,” I stated, as Mathew pulled an ax from the back of the truck.
“Yes, I know what you mean, but they are careful here to preserve the beauty. The only trees that can be cut are marked with a red ribbon. If you look closely, that’s like every third tree. It thins the area around the younger trees and allows them room to grow. Plus, for every tree that’s cut down, they plant two more here. The owners are also part of a group that plants trees in other states, where the trees have been wiped out either by fire or by companies who strip the land.”
I was impressed to know this, so I began happily searching for the right tree. There were many bigger ones I would have loved to bring home, but they weren’t right for my small apartment.
“As soon as this murder investigation is over and we prove that Tea by the Sea had nothing to do with it, I want to get serious about finding a house to rent at a reasonable rate until I can afford to buy one. I’ve always loved the idea of setting up a Christmas tree in a room with a large front picture window so anyone walking or driving by can share in the pleasure of seeing it as well.”
Mathew cocked his head and beamed. “That’s exactly how I feel. One of my favorite memories as a child was running home in the evenings around Christmastime, seeing all the lit trees in the front windows. Nowadays people keep their curtains drawn tight. I want my house to be a place where my congregants feel welcomed. Right now I need to focus on becoming a good leader for the church, but once I get married, I’ll be searching for that type of home as well.”
I tried to concentrate on looking at trees, but after his words, images of Mathew and me together in a lovely Victorian house, welcoming guests to share our Christmas tree, kept flashing through my mind along with a question. Lord, is there any chance Mathew is the one for me? Am I the one for him?
“So, what do you think. Does that sound good to you?” Mathew’s words drew me from my reverie. I stared at him blankly. I wasn’t sure what he’d said.
He waved his hand in front of my face. “Hello, hello … anyone home? Georgina, I just asked if you’d like me to help you set up your tree once we get it to your place.”
I gulped. “Yes, that sounds great. But you have the funeral tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you out too late.”
He glanced at his watch. A smirk crossed his face. “I think I can handle staying out till about seven and still get up in the morning.”
I felt rather foolish then. His earlier comments had me so flustered, I wasn’t sure what I was saying. I clamped my lips closed, turned, and really began to search for the perfect tree. Within a few minutes, I found just the right one. I stepped back and allowed Mathew to wield the ax. Before long, we were carrying a five-foot-tall tree between us to his truck.
After placing it in the truck bed, we walked to the checkout area to pay. The woman behind the counter barely glanced at me, but she locked her eyes on Mathew. “Hello, Pastor,” she purred. “If I’d known you needed a tree, I would have happily brought you one.”
Mathew glanced up. I thought I saw him pull back slightly. He spoke in a careful tone. “Hello, Miss Margaret.”
A trill of laughter escaped her lips. “Please, I’ve asked you to call me Maggie. Everyone else does. I was speaking to Miss Savannah, and she mentioned you could use someone to clean your apartment. I’d love to help you out.”
Mathew cleared his throat. “She must have me confused with someone else. I do my own cleaning.”
Margaret didn’t flinch at his words but finally acknowledged my existence with a curt nod.
Mathew held out the money. She snatched the bill from his hand, turned in a huff, and stomped to the other end of the counter to put it in the cash register.
I pressed my lips together to hold in my laughter but kept my eyes averted from Mathew. I could see a blush on his neck, and I didn’t want to cause him any further embarrassment. This was obviously the work of the Bible Study Ladies’ matchmaking.
Once Margaret handed some change back to Mathew, he did an about-face and made a beeline for the door. I jumped in surprise and rushed out after him. We both scrambled into the truck. Before Mathew put the key in the ignition, he turned to face me, his mouth in a crooked grin.
“Well, that was embarrassing.”
I covered my mouth but couldn’t refrain from giggling.
“Okay, that’s enough of that!” Mathew gave me a stern look, but I could see the laughter dancing in his eyes. “I’m taking you home to set up this tree.” He pushed the key in, started the truck, and began to drive.
I didn’t say anything more. I knew he wasn’t angry with me, but I’m sure he felt uncomfortable after being put on the spot by Miss Margaret.
When we arrived at my apartment, Mathew backed into a space where we could get the tree straight from the truck into the apartment. He unstrapped it, and together we lifted the fir over the side of the truck and carried it through the walkway to my apartment door.
I was a little afraid of finding another threatening letter, but there wasn’t anything on the door. With a sigh of relief, I got out my keys and opened the door. Mathew was able to carry the tree the last few feet and leaned it up against the small wall between the fireplace and the sliding glass door that led out onto my minuscule porch.
Mathew turned and scanned the apartment but didn’t speak.
I laughed out loud. “It’s not very nice, is it?”
He shrugged. “I was trying to find something to say, but believe me, it’s no better than mine. Hopefully the tree and a few decorations will brighten the place.”
“What about you? Do you have a tree?”
He nodded. “Yes, one smaller than yours. I’m not home very often, so I didn’t do much decorating.” He moved across the room and glanced out the window. I saw his brow furrow.
“Detective Rawls is walking up the sidewalk.”
I rushed over to the window to look out. The detective was headed toward my apartment.
When we heard knocking on the door, I felt frozen in one spot, so Mathew strode across the room and opened the door.
Detective Rawls stepped into the apartment. “Miss Quin, I want to know what this letter means.” He held up the note I’d found on my apartment door earlier.
The thought of running to my bedroom, slamming the door, and throwing myself on the bed crossed my mind, but I just stood still, staring at the man.
“Um, it’s a threat,” I stated.
“Yes, but why would anyone send you such a letter? What have you been doing?”
I gulped and opened my mouth to respond.
He moved forward. “Don’t even waste your breath. You’ve been questioning all the suspects.” He swung his head around and faced Mathew. “And you’ve been right alongside her, Pastor. Why would you both take such a risk? Don’t you realize someone murdered the mayor? Now that same someone isn’t happy with you sticking your noses where they don’t belong!”
I slunk down onto my couch, and Mathew joined me. He took my hand in his.
“Detective Rawls, we were concerned about the tea shoppe, so we thought if we …” I faltered, and he held up his hand.
“I don’t even want to hear it. You two need to stay away from anyone related to this case. My officers and I are handling it, and we don’t need two amateurs getting in the way.” He walked over and threw the letter in my lap. “This is only a copy of the letter. I kept the original. I want you to keep this as a reminder to stay out of it. Do I make myself clear?”
Both our heads nodded up and down, but neither of us spoke.
“I’m leaving one of my men outside the apartment on patrol. He won’t disturb you, but we have to make sure everyone stays safe,” He stomped to the door, “Though I don’t know why we bother when you obviously aren’t concerned about that yourself.” He grabbed the handle and opened the door. Without a backward glance, he disappeared.
Several moments passed before either of us spoke, but finally Mathew stood up and said, “Should I stop by and get you tomorrow to set up the booth for the festival?”
“That would be nice, if you don’t mind.” I felt relieved he hadn’t said something about Detective Rawls. I was pretty sure we were both done sleuthing. I did wonder if, after the festival, I’d even see Mathew outside of church again.
“I’ll load the baskets into the truck and stop by to get you about one o’clock. We should be able to set everything up before the festival starts at five.” He moved to the door then turned back to face me. “Georgina, I’m sorry I dragged you into this sleuthing business. I never thought about how dangerous it could be.”
I gazed up at him. “Don’t feel that way. I wanted to find the culprit as much as you did. Remember, it’s my tea shoppe that’s on the line, and my reputation.” I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.
Mathew leaned forward and placed a kiss on my forehead. It was soothing.
I tilted my head up, and we locked eyes.
“I don’t want you to get hurt, Georgina.” He pulled my head against his chest, and we stood together for several minutes.
I stepped back. “I’m glad we’re done with the sleuthing. I thought we would find the murderer so easily, but now I’m afraid. I’m sort of glad there’s a patrol car out there.” I paused, then my thoughts brightened. “I’ll be glad to get focused on the festival and leave the mayor’s death to the police.”
“All right, Watson, no more detective work,” Mathew joked. I was standing beside him, and he reached over and ran a finger along my cheek then left the apartment.
When I closed the door, I leaned my head back and took a deep breath. I was glad to be done with the investigating. Remembering his soft caress, I decided I’d like to invite Mathew over for dinner one night before Christmas.