When McKenzie and Neck were finished reuniting from being apart for so long, McKenzie
took a long, hot, steamy bath in the claw foot tub. She
found some candles and matches in the bathroom and led those to create a soothing
and relaxing ambiance for herself. McKenzie was used to traveling long distances for her
job, but it always seemed to wear her out no matter what. Once
she was done in the bath, she dried her hair and hung up her
clothes she had brought. She agonized over what to wear for the evening.
She had only brought so many clothes for the cold weather, but she hated
to admit to herself that she was a tiny bit nervous about meeting the Mistletoe
clan. They seemed aloof and unwelcoming, and mackenzie had not yet met even
one member of the family. She settled in a long, black and shimmery
metallic v neck dress that accentuated all of her curves. It was fancy enough,
but not too elegant. She brushed out her hair to leave it long
and straight, and accessorized with a pair of gold toned dangle earrings and simple
chain necklace with a tiny charm. She slipped on her black shiny pumps,
the one pair of non functional and impractical foot where she allowed herself to bring,
and with one last glance in the mirror, stepped out into the hall.
She met up with Nick, coming out of his own room down the
hall, who was looking very handsome in a pair of dress pants and a
green sports coat. Nick did a double take when he saw Mackenzie. Well,
well, well, someone looks ready for cocktails and I could use one
or five, Mackenzie replied, linging her arm through Nick's and leading him down
the spiral staircase. I'm oddly nervous. You look absolutely stunning, and don't
be nervous, Nick finished. The Mistletoe family is eccentric, yes, but
they're harmless. I promise we'll see about that, Mackenzie replied. As they
made their way into the library for the drinks that were to start precisely at
six. Nick checked his watch, five fifty nine. Right on time,
he said, as he swung open the double French doors that led into the
library. As McKenzie's eyes adjusted to the dim and somewhat creepy looking library,
lit only by flickering candles. She made out four people sitting in the swede
wing backed armchairs that flanked the bookshelves, plus James Smith, the butler hovering
over an older woman with a tray of what looked to be glasses of dark
liquor. James straightened as Mackenzie and Nick walked into the room. Hello everyone,
remember me, I'm Nick, trailed off as James interrupted him. May
I present mister Nicholas Tanenbaum and miss Mackenzie Munroe. The younger looking of the
two women, snorted into her tumbler. James, she scolded, we know
who they are. You don't have to be so formal all of the time.
She rolled her eyes and cast a glance at Nick and Mackenzie's direction.
Hello, Nick, She greeted him with a small smile and nod of her
head. Long time, no see, what's it been about thirty years?
Something like that? Nick replied, Hello, Catherine, you look like you're
doing well. May introduce you to my girlfriend, Mackenzie Monroe. Nick grabbed
a tumbler of whiskey for both he and Mackenzie from James. Mackenzie looked at
the young woman, who looked to be about in her early thirties. She
had long, dark hair and dark, almost black eyes. She was pretty
in a kind of conventional way. She wore a green velvet off the shoulder
dress and expensive looking diamonds in her ears. Mackenzie was glad she had gotten
dressed up. The woman got out of her chair, slowly made her way
toward Mackenzie and took her hand. Very nice to meet you. I'm Catherine
Mistletoe. I'm afraid Nick and I go way back to when we were just
kids. If I remember correctly, I believe I used to beat him up
and make fun of him when he would come to visit the manor over the
Christmas holidays were about the same age. I do apologize for that, Nick,
how inconsiderate and rude of me. Catherine shrugged and dropped Mackenzie's hand and
then turned toward Nick, not looking the least bit sorry. Well, I
wouldn't say you beat me up, per se. Nick replied, but you
are kind of a bully, so was your brother. Nick turned to the
young man sitting in the nearby chair, Alex, it's nice to see you
again. The young man looked a bit older than his sister, maybe in
his late thirties and had lighter brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He barely
looked up from his phone, on which he was furiously pressing buttons. Ha
me a bully, imagine that, the man said sarcastically. Finally looking up
from his phone, his eyes landed on Nick and then lingered on Mackenzie a
little too long. He gripped the phone in one hand and shot up from
his chair, making his way over to the couple with a confident swagger that
came off as quite cocky. Mackenzie thought, Sorry, don't mind me,
just doing a bit of day trading, you know, the man said,
still holding Mackenzie's gaze, and Nick, Old buddy, it's good to see
you, he said, clapping Nick on the back so hard. Nick stumbled
forward. How have you been? And who is this ravishing, beautiful young
lady you have with you? Hey, idiot, Catherine yelled from her chair.
He just introduced her two seconds ago, McKenzie his girlfriend. Catherine emphasized
the word girlfriend. Nick spoke up, then, Mackenzie, this is Alex
Bully number one. Alex laughed a little too hard at Nick's joke, and
then took McKenzie's hand. And kissed it. Mackenzie pulled her hand away the
minute she got the chance. She was getting creepy vibes out of Alex,
in fact, out of everyone in the room. Nice to meet you,
she muttered. Day trading? Is that what you do? Alex? Fod
for a living, he asked, turning around to grab a drink from james
outstretched tray. God know that's for fools and the unemployed. I simply dabble
in it, he recited as he sat back down in his chair. I'm
an equestrian broker, and what is that, Nick asked, genuinely perplexed.
It's a very complicated and intriguing profession, and Alex trailed off as Catherine interrupted
him. He sells horses for a living, that's it. He sells pets,
Catherine, that is not the extent of it. I perform an integral
part of the equestrian buying and selling dialogue and relationship surrounding Thoroughbred horses, which,
as you may know, are very extensive in this area. I did
not know that, Mackenzie said, Yeah, definitely a big business here.
Nick entered, directed, what with it being so close to Kentucky and all?
Alex spoke up again. I house my professional horses off manner, but
we do have one prize horse we have had for years in the paddock,
quite the stallion and Thoroughbred racing horse, Chestnut. Would you be interested in
seeing her perhaps tomorrow afternoon, he finished, staring at McKenzie. Oh sure,
Mackenzie stammered. Catherine pretended to yawn. Alex, don't bore our guests
already with your fake job. Speaking of fake jobs, the older woman in
the corner piped up. Katherine, tell Nick and Mackenzie what it is you
do for a living. Catherine got quiet and cast her eyes down toward her
drink. No, that's okay, it's not very interesting. No, do
come on, the woman goaded. I'm sure our guests would love to know,
she finished with a smirk. I have a true crime podcast. Maybe
you've heard of it, True Crime in the fifty It's pretty new, so
I only have like a thousand listeners. Pretty new, Alex laughed and almost
spit out his drink. You've been doing it for over a year and no
one wants to listen to it because it sucks. Before Catherine could defend herself,
the older woman spoke again, I myself am not a fan of Catherine's
radio show. Whatever it's called, much too morbid for my taste. Such
a silly thing and quite embarrassing for the family. She gave a pointed look
at Catherine, who again looked sheepishly into her glass. Mackenzie turned to her
attention toward the woman and scrutinized her. She was probably in her mid sixties,
but looked older as the lines and wrinkles were pronounced on her face.
She wore a black dress with a high neck and lace trim at the wrists.
Her white hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her
head. She wore heavy makeup that did little to hide her aging countenance,
and her only jewelry was a massive diamond wedding ring on her finger. As
Mackenzie's gaze traveled down, she finally noticed the shockingly white and shockingly skinny cat
lounging upon her lap. The cat's glittering her eyes locked with hers, and
Mackenzie detected evil. As the cat continued to purr on its master's lap,
the old woman stroked the cat's fur slowly. I am Magdalena Mistletoe, Lady
of the house. The old woman introduced herself, and this she motioned toward
the cat. Is missus Snowball. A very nice to meet you, missus
mistletoe, Mackenzie stammered, And snowball, she added, for good measure,
raising her hand up to wave half hard at the cat. You may call
me Magdalena, and it's missus Snowball, she replied, gesturing towards the beast
on her lap that had narrowed its eyes into slits. Oh, missus snowball,
what is the cat? Married? Nick chuckled at his own joke,
but was met with four blank faces staring back at him. I mean missus,
not miss h never mind, he stammered, Missus snowball. If you
must know, Magdalena continued, without so much as a smile, has a
very rare form of colon cancer. So we try to make her as comfortable
as possible and make it a point to treat her with respect and dignity.
Finally, the old man piped up from his swede chair, downing the rest
of his whiskey drink. God damn it, Magdalena, Enough about that stupid
cat, I say, why won't the mangy old beast just up and die.
Already three years I've been paying for cancer treatments for that cat, and
it's cost me a fortune. Magdalena turned to look at her husband, contempt
and hatred in her eyes. And now you have stopped paying for the treatments,
haven't you, dear goddamn right, I have nothing more to do for
the old cat. That's what the vets said, though many different vets.
I should say, with you and your second and third and fourth opinions exhausted
all the treatments and my sanity. Finally, the old man grabbed another tumbler
of whiskey and nodded curtly toward Mackenzie and Nick. Nick, good to have
you again. I hope your mother as well. We were sorry to hear
about your uncle's passing. Also a part in my behavior earlier when you arrived,
When I was on the phone, I was dealing with some very confidential
matters. Nick said hello, that it was fine, then introduced Mackenzie to
Maxwell Mistletoe, the Lord of Mistletoe Manor. Before any more niceties were exchanged,
Maxwell rose and ushered them all out of the library, muttering about how
they were about to be late for the sit down dinner precisely at seven pm.
Mackenzie couldn't believe an hour had gone by already. The five of them
followed behind Maxwell, who had charged ahead with a distinct purpose to his stride.
The man was either famished or eager to get away from his guests,
or both. As Mackenzie and Nick took their places at the extremely long mahogany
wood dining table, she took a good look at her surroundings. They had
passed through the living room with a gigantic Christmas tree that sparkled and shone.
The dining room was sparse except for a bar cart set along the far wall
and a lone chair in the other corner. A large window faced out towards
the back yard or huge meadow it looked more to McKenzie on the other wall.
But and this was the most interesting thing of all about the manner.
Everywhere one looked was a sprig of mistletoe or a family crest bearing the plant's
design or ornate carvings of it woven into the funiture, the tapestries, the
upscale accessories and decor. Mackenzie had never seen so much the plant in her
entire life. As James and Lucy set about serving the Mistletoes and their guests
a full five course meal consisting of a kale, pomegranate and almond winter salad,
hardy rolls, piping hot butternut squashed soup, a roasted turkey and stuffing
with time, rosemary and sage, and a chocolate cake for dessert, along
with bottles and bottles of wine. McKenzie looked out the window and noticed snow
was beginning to fall again. To write the awkward silence, Magdalena's voice rang
out, So, my dear Mackenzie, do you know anything at all about
mistletoe? The woman picked up a spoon and disdainfully eyed the butternut squash soup
before setting the utensil down again. Mackenzie noticed that missus snowball remained on her
lap throughout the meal. Mackenzie put down her spoon and shrugged. I mean,
I know that you kiss underneath it. She phrased the words as more
of a question than a statement. Yes everyone knows that, dear, But
what else do you know about it? I guess that's about it. Well,
I will have you know that mistletoe is the only species of plant native
to the British Aisles and much of Europe. More than twenty species globally are
endangered. The Celtic Druids hundreds of years ago associated it with fertility and life.
We as mistletoe farmers harvest the plant from the trees it grows on and
ship it off to more than two hundred locations worldwide. Mackenzie pretended to pay
attention to the woman, but she was growing sleepy with all of her travels
and the copious amounts of wine. Do you know why, Magdalena continued,
There is the abhorrent tradition that plebeians and heathens kiss underneath it, Magdalena continued,
without a response from Mackenzie or Nick. It is because back in the
Victorian days, it was said that a servant man could request a kiss from
another woman's servant if they were standing beneath it, and that would bring good
luck. For each kiss, a berry from the plant was removed, and
once all of the berries were gone, no more kisses. The custom is
performed at Christmas because while not many plants or trees survived the harsh winters,
the mistletoe plant, much like the evergreen tree, blooms all year round.
That is very fascinating. I had no idea about that, Nick said.
Alex's fork clattered on to his plate as he pushed it away from him.
But mother, he began, you are forgetting to tell our guests the best
part. And what is that, dear Magdalena stroked the cat surreptitiously. Well.
The fact that mistletoe cannot survive on its own, and to harvest it
one must literally tear it from the branches of trees and shrubs. It is
quite a tedious and sometimes violent process, Alex winked at Mackenzie and Nick.
Mistletoe comes from the Greek word torridendrum, which means tree thief. You see,
the mistletoe plant attaches itself to a shrub, bush or tree and then
sucks all of the nutrients out of that tree. Mistletoe, in all its
glory and however glamorous and festive it may seem, is nothing without other plants.
Fetic parasitic. It is literally a parasite. The table went quiet for
a length of time, and then Magdalena spoke up as James and Lucy appeared
carrying the dessert. What Alex says is true, mistletoe is parasitic, much
like my own children. She took a tiny bite of cake and then wiped
her mouth daintily with her napkin. I'm afraid Missus Snowball and I must retire
to our chambers. Nick, please coordinate with Maxwell your duties and chores for
tomorrow. Mackenzie, I am sure my parasitic children can entertain you tomorrow if
you do not already have any plans. And with that, Magdalina swept off
into the hallway carrying Missus Snowball. The remaining five individuals looked at one another
in silence. Finally, Maxwell cleared his throat and started to speak. Nick.
Yes, we need to prepare for the annual Mistletoe manor Christmas Eve party.
I will introduce you to Luise, the gardener tomorrow. I know he
will need some help getting things set up outdoors, and such sounds good,
Nick replied, I'm here to help, however you need me and Mackenzie,
he continued, I am sure my children, he looked pointedly at both Alex
and Catherine, would be happy to show you the stables and the rest of
the property. Perhaps take you on a tour of the mistletoe farm. That
is unless you have plans. Mackenzie finished her chocolate cake and graciously accepted the
offer, saying that she had no plans for the next few days leading up
to Christmas Eve besides checking out the little town. Alex and Catherine looked less
than enthusiastic about their duties for tomorrow, but Mackenzie figured that their father had
offered, so they probably always had to do what they were told. Mackenzie
wondered why the two siblings, grown adult and their thirties still lived in Mistletoe
Manor and seemed to cowtown to their parents, but she also figured it was
probably none of her business. As the dinner wound down and everyone made plans
for the next day, Mackenzie yawned and realized how tired she truly was,
Excusing herself. Nick led her through the drafty hallways and up the staircase.
She dressed in her warmest pajamas, gave Nick a kiss good night, and
was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. Murder at Mistletoe Manor is
written, produced, and performed by Me Katie Accardo, sound mixing and edding
behind Me God Rescue, Mary Gentleman, music written, recorded, and performed
by Jack Wire and Steve Baine, Jim Fanry and The Angel Wire. Tune
in in one week on Tuesday, November twenty nine for Part three of the
Mackenzie rome Smiss Mystery series. Make sure to check out our first season or
orders available wherever you dial. Podcast As we always true Crime fifty podcasts,
Crime stories all the great states throughout this country, Alabama food. Why thank
you so much for h