Page 55 of Christmas Mittens Murder

“You need to try to call that chef Geoffrey was dating and see if she knows anything. Her leaving so quickly seems a little suspicious,” Abigail pointed out. “Do you think nine is too late to call?”

Mia found the picture with the numbers from James. “Not if I’m planning next week’s catering staff roster and lie and say that I didn’t know she quit.”

“Okay then.”

Mia dialed the first number, but it had been disconnected. She tried the second one. It rang four times before someone picked up. “Hello? Is this Tasha Alberts?”

A hesitant yes came over the line.

“Hi, Tasha, this is Mia Malone. I’m the catering director for the Lodge, and I was just checking on your schedule for next week. We’re going to be swamped with parties.” Mia hoped the woman wouldn’t just hang up on her.

“I don’t work at the Lodge anymore. I moved to Boise,” Tasha explained slowly.

“Oh, my phone list must be old. I’m sorry to bother you then. By the way, I saw you at the party on Friday. Where did you get that dress? It was heavenly.” Mia switched tactics to keep Tasha on the line.

“Wasn’t that amazing? A friend who has Hollywood connections loaned it to me. She’s in touch with all the major designers. I’ve never worn a designer dress before,” Tasha gushed, talking about the dress for several minutes.

“That sounds amazing. I’m getting ready for my engagement party.” Mia saw Abigail grin, and she shook her head. “Anyway, I’d love to have something designer for that. Any chance your friend could help a girl out? You know how much we make as chefs. Even with adding director on my title, I’m not sure I can afford a designer gown.”

The line was quiet for a minute. Then Tasha must have made a decision. “I get it. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it without Kate’s help. You can’t tell her I told you though. She’s trying to keep our friendship on the down-low. You know how people get when they think they can scam something off you. She gets a lot of people who just pretend to be her friend.”

“Kate Brewer? She got you that dress?”

Tasha giggled. “Everyone thought I’ve been dating her husband, but actually I’ve just been watching him for Kate. He’s a terrible flirt, though. If I were Kate, I’d divorce him in a heartbeat.”

Chapter Eight

Mia watched Abigail’s face as she relayed the conversation again. Or at least the pieces that Abigail hadn’t heard.

“She really said Kate should divorce him?” Abigail got some cookies out of the cupboard and set them in the middle of the table. “Sorry, I’m making myself at home. I need something sweet after a meal.”

“No worries.” Mia took a cookie and broke it in half. “Kate and Tasha were friends, according to Tasha’s story. She was just pretending to be dating Geoffrey. Or maybe she was his plus-one to events so Kate didn’t have to worry about him being picked up by a lonely student. Or him being more than a flirt.”

“Modern relationships confuse me. In my day, you got married, you stayed married, and then you grew old and died together. Now it seems like people change out partners after one fight. A marriage isn’t tested until you’ve gone through several fights and come out the other side.” She glanced at her ringing phone. “And speaking of, Thomas must have realized he hadn’t heard from me in a while. He’s a good guy but a little needy at times. I’ll talk with you tomorrow. Don’t stay up for Christina. I’ve got her.”

Mia watched Abigail move toward the living room as she answered her husband’s call. She cleaned off the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. She started it and rolled her shoulders. She was beat and still a little chilled from spending so much time out in the Lodge parking lot. Mia decided to take a long bath before trying to sleep.

As she sat in the steaming water, her phone rang. It was Trent. “Hey, you caught me in the bath. I hope you’re not still watching me, creeper.”

“No, I told you I’d turn it off as soon as you got home Saturday night, and I did. But maybe I should be there.” He chuckled. “I could wash your back.”

“I’m so tired I don’t think I would notice. How’s the trip?” Mia had the phone on speaker as she sank deeper into the warm bubbly water.

“It’s fine. Dad’s missing Mom. He talks about her all the time. I guess she suggested that we do this boys’ trip a few months ago. He wanted to take her on a cruise.” He paused as he turned down the television in his hotel room. “She seems to be trying to get him to have at least a little life without her.”

“What about his hunting trips?” Mia closed her eyes. “He’s gone all the time.”

“He sees that as business. This is just about the three of us, and he’s lost in how to have fun. So we’ve been trying to get him out and doing things. We found a zip line today. It was cool, but you could tell Levi’s head was back there with Christina. He’s a lot like Dad. He’s always thinking about her.”

“And you, on the other hand, you can live without me for an entire week.” The Majors men were all pretty close to their significant others. She thought Trent hadn’t noticed it before in his brother.

“Hey now, I could definitely go a full week and a half without talking to you.” He sighed. “And yet, to prove your point, we talked yesterday. Does the fact it’s been crazy there with Christina give me any slack points?”

“Some. Hey, I wanted to run something by you.” She told him about Kate and Geoffrey and the third wheel, Tasha. “From what she told me, she doesn’t know Geoffrey’s dead. She just up and quit. I think Kate’s setting her up for something.”

“But you liked Kate. You said she seemed genuinely upset at Geoffrey’s death. Besides, she was on a plane when her husband was killed. And if this Tasha doesn’t know Geoffrey’s dead, she couldn’t be the killer,” Trent reminded her.

Mia nodded. “That’s why my head’s going in circles. I still think Kate’s involved, even though the facts say differently. Why set her husband up to look like a cheat? Especially when you aren’t in town a lot because of your work? Christina said he was really nice. She liked taking classes from him.”

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