The Last Noel

He stared at the woman, mesmerized for a moment at the destruction that glared back. Then Duke shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the photo hanging on the board.

Such a young life to have been taken away too soon. The only question he wanted to answer was who had taken it.

They’d pulled Beth Terden’s body out of the lake over five months ago, back in May. Oddly enough, about a year from the day she had left town. Or so they thought. She hadn’t left at all. Her life had been snuffed out, taken away from her.

Griffin had handed him the reins to the case. And what had he uncovered so far?

Jack shit!

She’d been a loner in town. When he interviewed people, going shop to shop, they had known who she was, but nobody had taken the time to get to know her. No one had claimed to be her friend. Duke couldn’t figure out if that was due to her personality or the lack of time she’d been in town. She’d been working at the cafe for three months before she disappeared. Everyone assumed she had up and left town without a word goodbye. Because the place she’d been renting had been cleared of her stuff. Why else would they think anything bad had happened? She took all her belongings with her. People had rented after her, so trying to pull prints was a useless endeavor.

Now Duke knew the killer had made it look like she left on a whim.

The body had been submerged in the lake for a year, presuming the killer had tossed her in the lake the day she died. It had wiped away any viable evidence. What the medical examiner could infer was she’d been strangled. Determining if she’d been raped beforehand had been too difficult to pin down due to the deterioration of her body. The killer had tied a rope around her feet that was attached to a slate block. Too bad for the killer, the rope had somehow broken, which was how her body floated to the top. They might not have ever found her if not for that.

So with no evidence, no witnesses seeing her leave town, no idea if she had a problem with anyone, Duke had nowhere to go with the case.

Stone cold.

Yet, he couldn’t let it go.

He’d removed all the photos and documentation he’d built up—which wasn’t a whole lot—from the conference room at the precinct and brought it home. Now he had it all set up in his spare room. Every morning before he left for work, he stared it. Bore a hole in the wall, he stared so hard and for so long.

Nothing new ever jumped out. Not that he expected something to appear before him. But it helped him cope with the feeling that he’d failed this woman. A woman he hadn’t even known that well.

She’d been a lost soul that ventured into town, and she’d remain one until he found her killer. Found her the justice she deserved.

He had figured Juliet, her employer from Noel’s Cafe, would have had most of the answers he wanted. But even Juliet hadn’t known much about her. And in typical Juliet fashion, she hadn’t bothered to do a background check or call any of the references that Beth had given her. When Duke took the time to do so, they all came back fake. Beth had lied up and down her application. If Juliet—

Damn it!

He wasn’t going to let his mind wander to that place. Blaming Juliet wasn’t going to help him solve the case. She saw a woman in need, and that’s all she needed to see to hire her. Juliet had a heart of gold. She’d help anyone who needed it. She had obviously seen something in Beth’s eyes to think she had needed help.

So the big question was why Beth had chosen to lie about herself? What had she been hiding?

When he’d run a check in the police database, he found no criminal record, not even a speeding ticket. While she might’ve lied about her references, she had given her real name. Her driver’s license wasn’t fake. That just brought more questions than answers. Why lie about her references then? The address on her license had been a location in New York. That last-known address hadn’t proven to be helpful in the least. She’d had it marked as her residence, but when he’d called the location, she hadn’t lived there for over two years. So odd. Who was this woman? Why had she lied about everything?

The place she rented didn’t even have her last-known address. He wasn’t sure why Mindy, the previous realtor of the town, hadn’t done more of a background check on her either. It shouldn’t have mattered Beth had been renting month by month. A history of her should’ve been done. To make sure she could make the rent each month. But Duke shouldn’t have been surprised. Not when Mindy’s brother had been revealed to be a predator of the truly sick variety. Putting cameras in the places she managed, spying on the residents. It had never been proven, nor had Mindy or her brother admitted to it, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Mindy had helped him do his dirty work.

Beth was a ghost. A mystery he wanted to solve.

The worse part—besides not finding who killed her—was he was unable to notify her family. If she even had a family. What must they be wondering about her?

They’d buried Beth’s body in the cemetery plot in a small section away from people who grew up and lived their life and then died in town. Maybe because he felt bad for failing her, he visited her on occasion. He didn’t stay long or say much, but it made him feel better letting her know he hadn’t given up on her.

Because he was as bad as the rest of the town.

He hadn’t taken the time to get to know her either. A smile here, a thanks there when he ventured into the cafe to purchase something and she happened to be working. But that was it. He hadn’t bothered to chat with her.

Shit. If he didn’t get going, he’d be late for work.

Pushing all thoughts of Beth out of his mind, he filled his coffee mug one more time, gulping half of it before he even walked out the door.

His first stop was to Mocha’s Merriment for another cup of coffee. Not that he needed a third cup, but he liked supporting the local shops. Lila had done wonders this past summer building their town’s reputation back to some of its former glory. With a freshly found dead body in the mix, it was a damn miracle how well she did. Halloween was a week away and the rental properties around town were full. The town was brimming with tourists, and with Christmas around the corner, it would stay that way—hopefully.

But despite all that, he always supported the local shops as much as he could. Because tides could turn and they could be back to scraping by.

Griffin was in his office when he got to the precinct. He always liked stopping by to say hi to his best friend, and the chief of police.

“How’s it going this morning?” he asked in lieu of a greeting, knocking on the open door.

Griffin looked up from the paperwork plastered across his desk. “Excellent. I plan to meet with Bryce and Lila later today to go over the details of the parade one last time. They are not accepting any more floats and whatnot, which is a damn good thing. This parade is going to last two to three hours with the amount that signed up. It’s insane.”

Duke chuckled. “Lila is a genius. That’s why.”

They’d never had a Halloween parade before. Thanksgiving, yes. Fourth of July, yes. Christmas, sometimes. That one was a tossup. Not everyone liked to sit outside in the freezing cold watching floats go by. The few times they tried it, it’d been pretty much a failure. Knowing Lila, she’d try again this year and it’d be a banging success.

“That she is.” Griffin leaned back in his chair. “Hey, you coming over tonight for supper and game night?”

In the last two months, the Stuarts had started game night on Fridays. Duke wasn’t sure who started it, but it had happened on Friday and then kept happening. Now it was a weekly tradition. Griffin and Eve were partners. Of course, Bryce and Lila always paired up. That left him and Juliet together. It was awkward. Because he’d loved her for most of his life and she had never seen him as more than a brother. Why the hell was he always invited anyway? He wasn’t a Stuart.

Well, that was easy to decipher. He was best friends with Griffin. Being an only child, he’d always been in the mix with the Stuarts growing up. Nothing had changed there.

“I think I have to pass this week.” Like he passed the last two Fridays.

“Well, hey, if you change your mind, your seat is always there.”

“I know that. Thanks, Grif. I’m going to head out on patrol, unless you need me to do anything.”

“We’re good. Have a nice day.”

He returned the sentiment and left the precinct.

How had his life come to this?

A dismal officer that couldn’t solve a murder.

A friend who must look so pathetic he was invited to family game night when he wasn’t family.

A guy who pined over a woman who would never see him as more.

Hell, no!

He was not going down to pity town. He would not do that to himself. The murder case wasn’t his fault. What was he to do when there was no evidence? And Griffin was his best friend. He’d been invited to everything the Stuarts always did. Griffin wasn’t treating him any different. There was no pity involved.

And as for Juliet. He’d come to terms with never having a chance last winter when Aster, Lila’s brother, strolled into town. It had opened his eyes that Juliet would never see him as a potential suitor. Not when someone like Aster captured her attention right away.

So that meant he had to stop wallowing in his own self-pity and forget all about her.

Get back into the dating game.

* * *

She let go of the handle of her suitcase. It wobbled, then toppled to the side with a loud thud. Whatever. The one wheel on the left side had been broken for…she couldn’t remember, and it happened all the time. Nothing had ever broken inside because she packed well. Not that she ever packed anything breakable either. But if she had, it wouldn’t have broken from the fall.

“It’s small.”

She looked at her brother with a wide grin. “But’s it cute. And quaint.”

He rolled his eyes. “We’re not here for cute and quaint.”

She shut the door, ignoring his whiny attitude. He’d been like that from the moment they left the house, all through the airport, and the entire drive to the tiny town of Sleighville.

The cottage she found to rent was small. She couldn’t disagree. The front door opened to the living room where she could see the kitchen right behind it. A dining room next to it, if one could call it that. There was a table in the kitchen, so maybe it was more classified as a nook. There was a small hallway that led to the right. Her brother disappeared down that way.

“You have got to be shitting me!”

So he planned on whining the entire time they were here. Great. At least he had come with. Otherwise, she’d be doing all of this on her own. Deep down, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it on her own. Not that she’d ever admit that to him. One word of worry and he’d make her leave.

He strolled back into the room, glowering. “There’s one bedroom.”

Oh, well, that wasn’t good.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he drawled with sarcasm. “One bedroom. I am not sharing a bed with my sister!”

She threw her hands up in the air. “Well, no one asked you to come with. I’m sorry the cottage is so damn small and only has one bed! I didn’t have time to ask the realtor for two beds because when I told her I wanted to rent something, she only had this one left! I had no choice, asshole!”

During her entire tirade, she had walked closer to him, shoving past him as the last word left her mouth. Even the damn hallway was short. She slammed the bathroom door for extra measure. He had no right to be mad at her. Not at any point when she told him her plans had she asked him to join her. In fact, it was the last thing she wanted. For a moment, she had regretted telling him.

Until she dismissed that notion. She had to tell someone where she was going. Lest her dead body wash up on shore too.

And despite how angry she felt, she knew he had to be here. She couldn’t do this alone. She didn’t want to do this alone. But again, she’d never admit that to him.

A soft knock sounded on the door.

“I’m sorry. I’m an ass.”

Yeah, he was.

A colossal one.

“Come on. Open the door and forgive me. It’s not a big deal. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

No doubt in her mind that’s what would happen. Because she sure in the hell wasn’t. Not when this was her idea to begin with.

She grabbed the knob and twisted, opening the door to see the sincerity in his face.

“You know I yell when I get scared. I’m really scared.” He clutched her shoulders. “I’m not sure this was a great idea.”

“It’s the only idea we have.”

She placed her hands over his, patting them to reassure him, then removed them. “I need a drink. Anything. Food would be good too. We should’ve stopped at a fast-food joint before coming here.” Not that she’d seen any commercial fast-food places. Everything in town looked to be local joints, not allowing the big corporations in.

They’d gotten off the plane, picked up the rental car, and hit the road to Sleighville, stopping by the realtor’s office to get the key to the cottage and directions, and came straight here. She was hungry, which always put her in a dangerous mood. They had barely eaten yesterday either. Her nerves had been too ramped up for much. Though, to be fair, she’d been out of whack and not herself for a few weeks. Her brother was her rock. He kept her grounded and sane when she wanted to forget the world and everything in it. She would’ve fallen apart if not for him. She knew it, and he knew it. Not that he ever rubbed that knowledge in her face.

“Right. That’s a great idea. There’s no food here. So let’s go find a place to eat and then buy some groceries. Come back here and make a game plan.” He cocked a brow. “You do have a game plan, right?”

No. She had no plan whatsoever.

“Of course.”

Not that she’d confess the truth to her brother. He was already pissed she wanted to come here.

A knock sounded on the front door.

“Expecting company?”

Her brother was going to get on her nerves. “We just got here. Can you, at least, wait a full day before acting like an annoying imbecile?”

She didn’t expect a response and didn’t get one as she passed him and opened the door. A pretty woman with shoulder-length auburn hair stood with a plate of cookies. Shaped from Halloween cutouts: bats, ghosts, a witch hat, pumpkins, and a cat. Except they were frosted with Christmas cheer. Red and green on all of them, giving them a very merry vibe. It was an odd combination, but they looked delicious.

“Hi. I’m Eve. I live next door. I saw the car in the driveway and figured someone had rented it. I wanted to welcome you to Sleighville, and I hope you have a wonderful time here.”

Wow. She hadn’t expected this. Talk about friendly. None of her neighbors had ever knocked on her door before. Not even to borrow sugar or something weird like that.

“Umm, thanks. Appreciate the welcome.” She honestly had no idea what to say.

“I made cookies.” Eve giggled, her cheeks dusting a rosy red. “Not in the span of five minutes. I mean, I made them earlier and planned to bring them to town, but I thought I’d bring a few over to you as a welcome gift.” She held out the plate.

“Thank you. They look delicious.”

“Yeah, they do.” Her brother grabbed the plate from her, unwrapping the saran wrap from around them, and gobbled one up like the pig he could be. “Oh, these are amazing.”

Then he walked away with the cookies toward the kitchen. She couldn’t have been more embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. It’s been a long day of traveling. He normally has better manners.”

Eve smiled, though the way she darted glances behind her shoulder at her brother was odd. “Of course. Well, welcome. I’m right next door. If you need me. For anything.”

Okay. Even more odd. The way Eve said it with such seriousness.

“Appreciate it.”

Then she waved goodbye before closing the door. As she walked toward the kitchen to try a cookie herself, she realized she never introduced herself or her brother. She doubted that would be the last time she saw the woman. How rude. She’d have to rectify her mistake because the people of this town needed to like and trust them.

Oh, man. The cookies were delicious. Like, melt in your mouth, eat the whole plate kind of delicious. She ate three before they left.

They got back into the car and drove to Main Street where he found a spot to park right in front of a cafe. Laughter filled the vehicle.

“Look at that shit! I love it.”

She pursed her lips, not amused as she read the sign “Noel’s Cafe” in big bold festive letters. The Christmas lights dangling from the eve didn’t bother her as much as the sign.

“You’re going to fit right in,” he mused. “Noel.”

“Yeah, so are you, jolly St. Nick.”

It was just their luck to have to travel to a town that celebrated Christmas year-round, especially with the names Noel and Nick. It was like a cruel joke had been played on them by their sister. Not that she had planned any of this. Noel knew that.

Nick’s jovial attitude disappeared. “You know this was where she worked before she disappeared.”

Noel knew. She’d read all the newspaper clippings she could find, grabbing as much information as she could before deciding she had to come. Plus, her brother had done his research as well. He hadn’t been happy sharing his findings with her. Always the protector, trying to look out for her. But she had insisted, and he couldn’t keep it from her.

God, she was so glad he decided to come with her. Being alone, she’d fall apart sooner or later, but not with him right by her side. They had come to do one thing, and she would not fail in her mission.

They’d come to Sleighville to find out who murdered their sister Beth.

“So it’s a good place to start our investigation.”

Nick grabbed her arm, though not enough to hurt her. But enough to let her feel the fear he had.

“We don’t know what happened to Beth. We don’t even know why she left us. I lost one sister, and I’m sure in the hell not losing another one. We do all of this my way. I don’t want you poking your nose into shit here.”

She shook his arm off. “Nick, that is the reason we came. To poke our nose in shit. I’m not leaving it all to you. Again, I will remind you I didn’t ask you to come with.”

But she was soooo damn glad he insisted he join her.

He scoffed. “Like I was going to let you come on your own when you told me. You’re damn lucky you told me too.”

“Feed me before I rip your head off.”

“Fine.”

Noel noticed Eve walk into the cafe as she got out of the car. Was the woman following them? Things were off about that woman.

Of course, the whole town was off.

It celebrated Christmas year-round.

And someone in this merry town had killed her sister.

(Copyright © 2025 Amanda Siegrist)

***

To keep reading…

AS Books & Crafts | Amazon | Apple Books | Google Play | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords