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had promised to help guard the body until after the interview.
    But now the interview was over. It was time to call the police. And face the music.

Chapter Fourteen
    “Look, Mark, I know you’re mad, but I swear to you, Holly and her family never had any intention of not reporting this. They were just…delaying a little while.”
    Detective Mark Santori, who Zach had befriended shortly after he’d begun covering the crime beat in Chicago, continued to scowl. He’d had that expression on his face since the minute he’d arrived a half-hour ago, having come down from Chicago after Zach’s call.
    Zach was just glad he’d come, not only because the local cops were inexperienced in dealing with murder, but also because he knew Mark to be a reasonable, laid-back kind of guy. As laid back as a Chicago detective could be, of course.
    “Is there any particular reason the body was moved after it—” he consulted his notes, “— fell out of the Christmas tree?”
    Zach and Holly exchanged a glance and he saw the question in her eyes. How much detail should they go into? Would a potential foreclosure on the inn and a single chance to save it with a story on a popular travel show make any difference to an angry cop?
    In this instance, knowing the angry cop was a decent man, Zach thought yes. So he told Mark the whole story, stressing the very real possibility that Holly’s elderly grandparents could lose the home that had been in her family for a century. And that the Cavanaughs had genuinely believed the guy in the tree had died in some kind of freak accident—they’d never imagined he’d been murdered.
    Sighing heavily, Mark ran a hand through his dark hair and then shook his head. “Okay. I guess it wouldn’t be too obvious to a civilian that Meaney had been suffocated.” Grinning wryly, he added, “Though I’d really like to know what kind of town this is if guys routinely do stupid stuff like diving through tree binders.”
    “Thank you,” Holly murmured. “I really am sorry for the trouble we caused.”
    Mark shook his head once. “Meaney and Kipling caused the trouble. You just got sucked into it. I’ll try to smooth things over with the department.” He smiled broadly. “The local guys are already laughing about it. I guess you’re well-liked.”
    Mark Santori was the kind of guy women typically melted over, but Zach happened to know he was very happily married and expecting his first child. Good thing. Because if he thought his friend was trying to hit on Holly, he might seriously have to belt him.
    True to his word, over the next couple of hours, Mark got the police’s attention off the game of body-mover and onto the crime itself. The tree lot owner had verified Fred Kipling’s preoccupation with Holly’s Christmas tree and there was a lot of circumstantial evidence. When they found Kipling—and the diamonds—they should have enough to nail him for all his crimes. And, hopefully, any potential evidence lost because of the body’s travels wouldn’t matter.
    Hopefully.
    By 5:00 p.m., the body had been taken away and all the officers had left except Detective Santori. After he’d been persuaded to pause for a cup of Nana’s famous cider and ginger cookies, Zach and Holly walked him out. Though they’d invited him to stay for dinner, he said, “Sorry, I’ve got to swing by a tux shop and get fitted. My brother Nick’s getting married in a couple of weeks.” A tender look appeared on his face. “Plus, I don’t like to leave Noelle alone at night, now that she’s seven months along.”
    Thanking him again, Zach and Holly watched Mark pull away. Zach couldn’t help thinking for a moment about how much his friend had changed in two years. From a determined bachelor to a married father-to-be, he seemed entirely happy. All because he’d met the right woman.
    Well, Zach had met the right woman once, too. But he’d been stupid enough to let her believe the worst of him and get away. Now that