Read Christmas Cookie Murder #6 for Free Online

is?”
    â€œSure thing.”
    Lee dashed off through the kitchen, while Lucy added her platter of cookies to the others on the table. It was filling up, Lucy saw with satisfaction, surveying the array of homemade baked goods. The women had packed the cookies in sandwich bags, each holding six cookies, and a few had decorated them with bright holiday ribbons and stickers. The table was so crowded, in fact, that Steffie’s little brochures had disappeared from sight.
    â€œSo, what’s it like to be the proud mother of a genius?” asked Lydia, striking up a conversation with Rachel. “You must be so proud of Richie.”
    â€œI am,” admitted Rachel. “But I was proud of him before we got the letter, too.”
    â€œYou don’t have to be modest,” said Lydia. “Harvard is the top American college, after all.”
    â€œThere are plenty of other good schools, too,” said Pam, who was growing tired of hearing about other people’s kids. “Adam wants to go to Boston University, or maybe Northeastern.”
    â€œMCU’s awfully good, too,” said Andrea. “Especially if you have a full scholarship like Tim does.”
    â€œAnd a lot of kids can’t take the pressure at a place like Harvard,” continued Pam. “They crash and burn.”
    â€œThat’s right,” added Steffie. “There’s a lot of alcohol abuse at those fraternities. Was it Harvard? Maybe it was MIT. I’m not sure which, but I remember reading that a freshman died from alcohol poisoning.”
    â€œThat was MIT,” said Lee, joining the group. “But I don’t think Harvard’s much better. It certainly didn’t do much for Steve, I can tell you that.”
    There was a sudden commotion as Rachel dropped her coffee cup, shattering the cup and saucer and spilling the coffee on the rug. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Lucy,” she said, dropping to her knees and attempting to clean up the mess with a holiday napkin.
    â€œHere, let me take care of that,” said Lucy. As she knelt beside Rachel, she saw that tears were filling her eyes. “It’s nothing…” began Lucy, reaching for more napkins. “We spill stuff all the time—why do you think I’m having this little do by candlelight?”
    Rachel giggled, and Lucy gave her a quick hug. She didn’t think for a minute that Rachel was crying over spilt coffee; she had been upset by her friends’ meanness.
    â€œDon’t pay any mind,” whispered Lucy, taking the sponge Franny was offering her. “They’re just jealous.”
    â€œOh, I know. But I’ve really had to bite my tongue tonight, let me tell you. Especially with Andrea,” hissed Rachel, picking up the broken pieces of china and handing them to Franny. “To listen to her, you’d never know Tim isn’t quite the paragon she wants everyone to think he is.”
    â€œHe isn’t?” Lucy was definitely interested.
    â€œNo. He was arrested last week for driving under the influence. He’s in big trouble.”
    â€œMy goodness,” said Franny.
    â€œHow do you know?” asked Lucy.
    â€œThey hired Bob to defend him.” Bob, Rachel’s husband, was a lawyer.
    Rachel’s hand flew to her mouth as she rose to her feet. “Don’t tell anybody, okay? I’m not supposed to know about this—client confidentiality and all that.”
    â€œYour secret’s safe with me,” said Lucy, now standing and scanning the table for the brochures. She finally found them under Franny’s Chinese noodle cookies. Making sure no one was watching, she lifted the plate and scooped up the brochures, wadding them into a ball along with the sodden napkins. Then she turned, intending to throw the whole mess into the kitchen garbage.
    â€œOh my goodness, Lucy,” said Lee, suddenly appearing at her elbow. “Who brought those awful Chinese