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it this time, if there were any villains in this story. “Let me see what I can do. But, I can't promise anything.”
    “When do we start?” Martin's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. It wasn't hard to like him.
    I winced slightly at the word “we.” “Tomorrow's Christmas Eve. Whatever I can do will have to wait until the twenty-sixth. We can all think about it until then. Meanwhile, don't go looking for trouble.” I smiled. “Try to have a nice holiday.”
    Martin winked, grinned, then rubbed his hands together.
    That look...I didn't like. I stood up to leave and wished all of them a Merry Christmas.
    Sarah walked me to the door. “Thank you, Kay. I thought I had gotten away from murder when I moved here.”
    * * * *
    Every year I made a double batch of cutout cookies. When the kids were still at home, Phil, Andy, Will, and I would spend a good part of an evening decorating all the snowmen, Christmas trees, stars, and bells. Phil's specialty was putting yellow sugar down the legs of the snowmen like they had wet their pants. He and the boys always thought that potty humor hilarious.
    As I cleaned up the mess from baking the cutouts, the phone rang.
    “Hello, Mom. I hope you don't mind, but I sort of invited Frances' mom, Linda, for Christmas dinner.”
    “William, you sort of invited her?”
    “Yes, and I haven't had time to buy her a gift, what with finishing up my school job before Christmas and packing up my things for my new apartment. Do you think you could pick something up and wrap it for me?”
    “Do you want me to write a personal note on it from you also?”
    “Sure, Mom...sounds good. I have another call. See you tomorrow afternoon.”
    I could hear Phil playing his guitar in the lower level. I went downstairs.
    “Phil, that was Will. He needs a gift for his girlfriend's mom, and I need to get out of the house. I'm going to walk downtown. Want to come along?'
    “I just started practising songs for our show.”
    “I'll pick up something small to eat, to hold us over until we go to Elizabeth's Christmas party tonight.”
    “Tonight? I forgot about her party. Suppose I have to go.”
    “Of course you have to go! Elizabeth wants you and your band to bring your instruments. You're the entertainment!”
    Phil suddenly played a dissonant chord. I smiled.
    Bundled up in my black wool coat, wearing a warm hat and mittens, I put on my boots and hurried out of the house. I walked down our driveway to the snow covered street. A blanket of soft white snow crunched under my feet.
    Down the street, I saw a neighbor taking their Christmas tree off of their car roof. They saw me and waved. The rooftops were covered deep in snow after a week of snowfall. Many of the front yards had snowmen standing watch. None with yellow legs. I smiled thinking of Phil. A Dodge Caravan passed by. A black labrador followed, running down the street in the minivan's tracks. Smart dog!
    Light snow danced in the air. At Evergreen Park, kids sledded down the blue and purple tinged hills, squealing with excitement. It looked like I was transported into the middle of a snow globe. The boughs of the fir trees in the park were bent heavy with snow.
    Christmas lights started to come on. The doors to St. Mary's were propped open. School children carried large wreaths into the church. I could hear the choir practicing for the Christmas Eve mass tomorrow night.
    Silent night, holy night
    All is calm, all is bright
    Another holiday, another murder. At least no one got murdered at Thanksgiving dinner! How did I end up, in the season of peace and goodwill toward men, investigating another homicide? All I wanted was to spend a calm and bright Christmas with my family. But that would be tarnished by the investigation that would immediately follow the Christmas festivities.
    By the time I reached Main Street, the lights of the tree covered boulevard flickered to life. Store windows lit the sidewalks. The sound of the ringing bell carried