Page 10 of No Business Like Snow Business

“Well, there you go,” Harvey said around the mouthful.

“I’d try Bob. Like I said, Carol probably knew him if he stuck around for more than a season, but Bob’s more likely to know. And, if he wasn’t working there by the time I was, Bob ought to be able to tell you when and why he left. That might give you some idea where he went after. Maybe he told Bob he was moving or had received a job offer elsewhere or something.”

“You don’t think he stayed in Christmas Falls?” I asked.

“Youthink he stayed in Christmas Falls?” she replied.

“No, not necessarily. I mean, I guess I sort of hoped…that would make it easy, if he was still here.”

She gave me a small smile and nodded at the mug of cocoa I still hadn’t touched. I was honestly afraid if I had any more cocoa today, I’d give myself a gastric disorder. “I know almost everyone in this town. But neither of these boys looks familiar.”

I drank some cocoa, not wanting to be impolite. I knew I should be doing more of the talking, since it was my mystery and I was the one who’d roped Harvey into it. But I knew so little about the town, and Harvey seemed so comfortable talking to his fellow Christmas Fallsians. Very much the opposite of where I came from. My father greeting people with a nod and a wave at the country club bore little resemblance to Harvey rolling up to Mary Kilmartin’s house unannounced, plopping himself down at her table and helping himself to cookies. My heart ached in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I refocused on the matter of Freddy. Had he really left Christmas Falls soon after the photo was taken? If Mary had joined the Blitzen’s crew the next year, and Freddy’s guy wasn’t there… Had Freddy just been passing through, or had they both been drifting? Taken a job doing boat tours for a few months tosave enough money to head to the next town? It would help if I knew anything about Freddy himself. If he was the capricious sort, blowing wherever the wind took him. Or if he’d longed for a place to settle, a place to belong—the way I sometimes did. Or both? Had he wanted to blow in the wind a bit before he landed on home?

It was sort of a nice thought, I supposed, that I might share something in common with my uncle.

“We’ll definitely see what Bob knows,” Harvey said. “Is he still out by the mill?”

Mary nodded and proceeded to give directions to Bob’s house. “And Harvey? I assume you’ve already thought of this, but: old newspapers. Bob always used to buy a big front-page ad. It would say things like ‘Pop in and visit Tyler and Kelsey for some caramel corn’ or ‘Come and say hello-ho-ho to Rachel and Mary at the cotton candy stand.’” She twisted her mouth wryly. “I remember because my brother used to greet me with ‘Hello, ho’ for years after. Anyway, you might check those.”

Harvey snapped his fingers. “Right. Iwouldhave thought of that. Eventually. Probably. I think we have a bunch of old newspapers in storage at the museum.”

“Of course you would have,” Mary said smoothly. “Why don’t you take a few cookies for Bob? He could use them. What kind of person becomes a health nut in retirement? When I retire, it’s going to be my excuse to sit on my ass eating whatever I want, let me tell you.”

We took a few cookies for Bob, thanked Mary, and got back in the car. As we drove away, I said, “Think we should look at those newspapers first? I mean, even if it only has a first name, it’s a start.”

Harvey didn’t answer right away. I waited for him to tell me why that wasn’t our best move and to suggest we go call on Bob Hanks right now even though it was pitch dark and Bob wasprobably trying to enjoy a peaceful winter’s evening at home. Instead he said, “Hmm.”

“Hmm?” I pressed.

“Thatisprobably what we should do.”

“But?”

“But Festival Hall is open.”

“Okay.”

“Because of the Arts and Crafts. The photographer will want to get pictures at night with the hall lit up with tree lights and candles.”

“Right.” I was clearly missing something.

Harvey let out a sigh. “The photographer is my ex.”

Ah. I couldn’t deny that my heart lifted a little at the knowledge there was an ex. It didn’t mean there couldn’t also be a current. But an ex sounded promising.

Which was a horrible thought.

Obviously I didn’t want Harvey to have endured a painful breakup, but I definitely enjoyed the idea he was single. “Not on good terms?” I asked. I shouldn’t be digging like this. But maybe he wanted to talk about it?

“We parted on okay terms, it’s just he doesn’t want us to have parted at all.”

Ah. “Maybe he’ll be so busy taking photos he won’t notice us slipping into the museum.”

“Maybe.” He was chewing his lower lip in a way that suggested he was genuinely anxious about the possible encounter.

I didn’t know if I was riding a sugar high from all the cookies and cocoa or what, but what came out of my mouth next was out of character, possibly very inappropriate, and yet…

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