The minivan pulled away, and Noah turned to face them fully. He was a big man, broad-shouldered, wearing a Carhartt jacket and work gloves. His cheeks were red from the cold.
“We have questions,” Nans said.
Noah sighed and pulled off his gloves. “Is this about Stanley?”
“We heard you and Stanley had business disagreements,” Ruth said, her iPad already in hand.
Noah snorted. “Stanley had disagreements with everything. The man argued with the weather.”
Ida wandered over to a display of wreaths, touching the pine boughs gently. “These are beautiful.”
“Thanks. Made them myself.” Noah’s voice softened slightly, then hardened again. “Stanley said they were overpriced.”
“Did he threaten you?” Helen asked gently.
Noah leaned against a wooden fence post. “He threatened to ‘make sure the town never buys from me again.’ Said I was trying to ‘undercut his lighting supplier’ and that he’d make sure everyone knew I was unreliable.”
“Were you? Undercutting his supplier?” Ruth’s fingers hovered over her iPad.
“I was offering a better deal. That’s called business.” Noah shrugged. “Stanley didn’t like competition. He wanted the town to use his guy—some outfit from Manchester that charges twice what they should.”
Nans stepped closer. “Noah, where were you early this morning?”
Noah wiped his hands on his jacket. “Here. I came out at five to prep trees for delivery. My brother was with me—Jake. We had three deliveries scheduled for before eight.”
“Can Jake confirm that?” Ruth asked.
“He’d better. He spent twenty minutes complaining about the cold.” Noah’s mouth twitched. “Check with him if you want. He’s out around back.”
“Good. That’s an alibi,” Ida said cheerfully, still examining wreaths.
Helen pulled her coat tighter against the wind. “Noah, have you been in town hall recently?”
“No reason to. I don’t do committee work. Too much talking, not enough doing.”
A customer approached—a young couple looking at trees. Noah held up a finger. “Give me one minute.”
He walked over and greeted them warmly, gesturing to different varieties, explaining the difference between Fraser firs and Douglas firs like he was talking about old friends. The ladies waited, watching him work.
When he returned, Nans said, “You’re good with people.”
“Trees are easier,” Noah said. “They don’t argue.”
“Unlike Stanley,” Ruth said.
“Unlike Stanley,” Noah agreed.
As they turned to leave, Noah called after them, “If this mess delays the tree lighting, people are going to riot. I’ve got half the town coming here afterward to buy wreaths. They’re already on edge.”
Ida paused, turning back. “Do you think they’ll riot before or after the hot chocolate?”
Noah’s mouth twitched, almost a smile. “Probably during. It’s always during the hot chocolate.”
Nans smiled. “Thank you, Noah.”
“Just find out what happened,” Noah said, his voice quieter now. “Stanley was a pain, but he didn’t deserve to die.”
Helen nodded. “We will.”
