Speaker 1: The Evergreen Murders returned to Evergreen, Part four, another murder.
Speaker 2: Mackenzie couldn't believe her ears.
Speaker 1: Deputy Dave had just told Nick over the phone that
two extremely dangerous criminals, Miranda Sebastian and Tom de Witt,
had just escaped from prison not twenty miles away from Evergreen. Furthermore,
Mackenzie and Nick had been the ones to catch them
and put them away for what they thought was life,
and now it was almost eve of their wedding. Mackenzie
was sure that Miranda and Tom would be out for
revenge and out for blood. After Deputy Dave promised to
come over to take a statement about the break in
and Mackenzie's ruined dress, Mackenzie turned to Nick. You don't
think that Miranda and Tom could have broken in here
and left this warning note, do you? I think it's
entirely possible. I wouldn't put anything past those two. I
also think it's entirely possible that Miranda and Tom killed
Sheriff Cutler as a sort of threat to the town.
Speaker 2: I mean, yes, we caught them.
Speaker 1: Both, but Sheriff Cutler did arrest them and put them
away for life in prison. Wait a minute, Wait a minute.
Cameron looked at Nick a shocked expression on his face.
Sheriff Cutler is dead. Someone killed him. Kevin put a hand.
Speaker 2: Up to his mouth in horror.
Speaker 1: Oh right, sorry, you didn't know, Mackenzie said, turning toward
her friend and his boyfriend as Maria the bartender, Nick
and I were leaving the party last night, we found
Sheriff Cutler dead and buried in the snow outside of
the back entrance to the Reindeer Pub. We thought he
had died from hypothermia, but he had actually died because
someone stabbed.
Speaker 2: Him with a corkscrew. Oh my god, not again.
Speaker 1: Cameron cried, Mackenzie, What are we going to do? Nick
spoke up next. Mackenzie and I have already talked to
Deputy Dave and Roland about the fight that they had
last night, but I have to say we didn't come
up with much. Both men are very secretive, but both
had a grudge against Sheriff Cutler. But now it seems
we have two more suspects in Miranda and Tom. Do
you really think they could be here in Evergreen? Cameron
looked even more worried. I guess we really don't know,
Nick said, But I wonder if they heard that Mac
and I were getting ready and wanted to take the
revenge this weekend. It would be the perfect way to
do it, and both of them would know how to
pick a lot to get in here and ruin Max's
dress and leave the note your dress, Cameron wailed, clutching
Kevin tightly. What are you going to do about your
wedding dress? It's ruined and the wedding is only days away.
That dress is the least of my worries right now,
Mackenzie admitted, although it really is such a shame. The
dress was so beautiful. We'll figure something out, won't we.
Kevin Cameron turned to his boyfriend, There is no way,
as your maid of honor that I will let you
walk down the aisle in anything less than stunning. Mackenzie
let out a laugh for what felt like the first
time in days. Is that what you are? My maid
of honor? Well, I'm the only one standing up for
you in the wedding, so yes, that would make me
the maid of honor, and trust me, I take my
duties very seriously. It's not every day your very best
friend gets married to the love of her life. The
very extremely handsome love of her life. Cameron winked at Nick.
Speaker 2: In all four left.
Speaker 1: It definitely broke the somber mood that had settled over
them before long. Deputy Dave was back and took a
statement from Nick and Mackenzie. He told Mackenzie that he
would go ahead and have the dress run for Prince,
but did not have high hopes. It appeared as if
the intruder or intruders had picked the lock on Nick's
front door and had gotten in that way. It was
a very inconspicuous job and one well done. Mackenzie and
Nick wondered how the intruder would have known that no
one would be in the house at the time. Mackenzie
shuddered to think what would have happened if Mackenzie, Nick, Cameron,
or Kevin or anyone else had been in the house
when the break in happened. She was extremely grateful no
one had been home. Deputy Dave left after taking their statement,
as did Cameron and Kevin. They gave Nick and Mackenzie
hugs and promised that they would come up with some
sort of plan for a new dress for Mackenzie to
get married in. In just two days, the rehearsal dinner
was the next night, and luckily Mackenzie still had her
nice dress ready for that occasion. The intruders had only
ruined her wedding dress, but that was the dress that
was most important to Mackenzie.
Speaker 2: She sighed.
Speaker 1: She was still excited for her wedding, but she had
to admit that Sheriff Cutler's murder and now the break in,
had really put a damper on things. Mackenzie was scared
and scared for the well being of all her family
and friends that had come to celebrate with them.
Speaker 2: Nick wrapped her up in a big hug.
Speaker 1: Once he could tell that Mackenzie was starting to unravel.
A single tear slid down her cheek. She really wasn't
a crier. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time
she had cried, but she could tell she was starting
to get extremely overwhelmed. Hey, hey, don't cry, Nick whispered
into her ear. Everything is going to.
Speaker 2: Be all right, I promise.
Speaker 1: I know, Mackenzie said, sniffling and drawing back from Nick.
I'm just worried. Whoever is out there killed Sheriff Cutler
and broke into your house. Who knows we might be next.
Don't think that way, Nick told her, we are going
to catch whoever did this. I'm not going to let
a killer ruin our perfect wedding day. But right now,
it's getting late and we have a meeting with Jesse
and Steve in about twenty minutes.
Speaker 2: Do you still want to go?
Speaker 1: Yes, let's go, Mackenzie agreed, straightening up and applying fresh lipstick.
We owe it to Steve and Jesse to make things
as normal as possible, and we need an update on
the video recordings. Anyway, maybe we can pick their brains
more about Roland and Deputy Dave. That's the spirit, Nick said,
patting her on the back. That's the mac I know.
After the meeting, I'm taking you out for a nice
dinner in Columbus at a new French restaurant that I
have been wanting to try. You deserve a nice meal,
but we'd better hurry, but we're going to be late.
Twenty minutes later, Nick and Mackenzie were sitting with Steve
and Jesse in Jesse's two bedroom apartment about ten miles
east of Evergreen in a town called Gehanna. Jesse's apartment
was neat and tidy and was nicely decorated. One bedroom
was where she slept, and the other bedroom had been
turned into an editing room, complete with sound and video equipment, television,
and a myriad of other wires and chords and systems
that Mackenzie had no idea what they were. Mackenzie was
impressed with the young girl's drive to really make it
as a director and told her so. Thanks, Jesse said,
offering Nick and Mackenzie a glass of wine. I was
so excited when I found this apartment for a considerably
lower price that once in the surrounding towns. I definitely
wanted to turn one bedroom into an editing room. That's
where all the magic happens from my videography about my
documentary about Evergreen. It's coming along really great. By the way,
good to hear, Nick told her, setting down his wineglass
with a serious expression on his face. But we have
some news for you, and it's not good. Uh. Oh,
what happened, Jesse asked, Steve lean forward in his chair. First,
of all, Sheriff Cutler was found dead last night, buried
in the snow. We believe he died at the hands
of a killer. Oh no, Jesse said, wringing her hands.
And that's not all Mackenzie said. Earlier today, Nick's house
was broken into and my wedding dress was ruined. Pinned
to the dress was a note with a threatening message,
warning Nick and I to stop looking into Sheriff Cutler's murder.
That happened just before Deputy Dave told us that Miranda
Sebastian and Tom de Witt escaped from prison yesterday morning.
Jesse's face turned white as a sheet. You don't think
that Miranda and Tom could be back looking for revenge,
do you? We think it's entirely possible, Nick answered her.
And the fact that you are doing a documentary on
Evergreen and the murders from years ago could mean that
you could be in danger. So please, both of you,
he continued, gesturing towards Steve, be very very careful. Steve
got up to sit beside Jesse and put his arm
around her. Maybe you should take a break from the documentary, babe,
just for now. I don't like to think about you
uncovering secrets when there's a murderer on the loose and
two convicts.
Speaker 2: Escaped from prison. Jesse shrugged.
Speaker 1: But I can't stop now. I'm just uncovering some really
good stuff, like what Mackenzie asked. Jesse shrugged again and
looked at Steve.
Speaker 2: Should I tell them? I think you should.
Speaker 1: Steve agreed, especially now that Sheriff Cutler is dead. Jesse
spoke up. I wasn't going to tell you because I
didn't want to have you guys distracted from your wedding planning.
But I may have uncovered something illegal.
Speaker 2: Going on here in Evergreen.
Speaker 1: What sort of illegal activity are we talking about, Nick asked.
I think it has to do with Roland Hayes at
the Bow's Bed and Breakfast. I think he was being blackmailed.
Speaker 2: Why do you think that, Mackenzie asked the girl. I
was taking some.
Speaker 1: B roll shots over in the alley behind the Bows
about a week ago. You know, still shots that can
be used in the final video, put to music, and
stuff that can really give the viewer a sense of Evergreen.
When Roland came out the back door of the hotel
into the alley, I ducked behind a bush because I
didn't want him to see me. He hasn't exactly been
super friendly to me or supportive of the documentary I'm making.
He told me I would have to get a permit
to video on his ground, so I just, you know,
was trying to get some shots of the hotel without
him knowing. He was on the phone and smoking a cigarette.
He seemed really upset. What was he saying, Mackenzie asked.
He was saying things like, you can't do this. You
know it's illegal what you're doing. He also said, well,
I guess I really have no other choice. If you're
going to expose me, I can't lose the hotel. You'll
get your money by tonight, and then he hung up
and stormed back.
Speaker 2: Into the hotel.
Speaker 1: Does Roland know that you overheard this phone conversation, Nick asked, No,
I don't think he saw me. Jesse said, but my
video camera was still recording, so it caught the whole thing.
I kept the video just in case I thought it
would be good to hang on to it. It's in
my video room, labeled as Bow's footage. That was smart,
Mackenzie told Jesse, taking a sip of her wine. And
it does sound like Roland is being blackmailed. But the
question is by whom and why? I don't know, but
we need to find out. Nick said, I wonder if
this has anything to do with what Deputy Dave and
Sheriff Cutler were fighting about the other day. What was
it Operation Sheep they called it. What could that mean?
There aren't any sheep around on these parts. Steve said, yeah,
I mean what could it mean? When I think about sheep,
I think about wool and farms, or children's nursery rhymes,
or the black sheep of the family. Wait a minute,
Mackenzie sat up straight sleep what Nick, Jesse and Steve
looked at her like she was crazy. Steve just said
that when he thinks about sheep, he thinks about all
those things. But when I think about sheep, I think
about sleep, all right, Nick said, like counting sheep, of course.
So that has to have something to do with Roland
and the Bow's Been and Breakfast. Operation Sheep is the
code name for the hotel because people count sheep when
they try to sleep. Nick piped up, Mac, you're a genius. Now,
we just have to find a way to figure out
what is going on down there at the Bow's Hotel
and rolland is mixed up in Tomorrow before the rehearsal dinner,
I'll have to find a way to sneak in there
and see if I can dig anything up, but until then,
McKenzie pointed to the couple, you two lay low Roland
or Deputy Dave could be dangerous. Not to mention Miranda
Sebastian and Tom de Witt. We will, we promised, Steve said,
I have been warning Steven Spielberg over here to take
a little break from the documentary just until things die down.
Speaker 2: But she's a stubborn one.
Speaker 1: Jesse walked Nick and mackenzie to the door and bid
them good night, promising them that she and Steve would
be at the rehearsal dinner the next night, early enough
to set up and get ready for the evening. McKenzie
and Nick thanked her and walked to Nick's truck. Soon
they were speeding down the highway, heading toward the French
restaurant Nick had been wanting to try. When they arrived
for their eight pm reservation, McKenzie realized she was starving.
She hadn't eaten much at all that day. Nick ordered
them a bottle of Sanseer and the roast chicken for dinner.
Mackenzie ordered the mussels with grilled bread. Once their food
was placed in front of them, Nick brought up the
subject of where the two of them were going to
live after the wedding. Mackenzie suddenly lost her appetite. She
hated talking about their living situation. It always led to
a fight. Mackenzie signed and looked at Nick. I know
this is not what you want to hear, but I
just don't think I can leave the Talent Agency. I'm
on track to become a partner in a year or two.
I wouldn't mind living here in Evergreen with you, but
I just don't see how I can further my career
from central Ohio. I need to be in La. Nick said,
I know that, Mac, but what about my life. I
can't just up and go live in LA with my career.
Speaker 2: Either.
Speaker 1: My law practice is here and the people depend on
me here. Besides, I'm only licensed to practice in Ohio. Also,
my mom is here and she's not getting any younger.
She needs my help more and more, and she'd be
devastated if I moved all the way across the country.
I know, Mackenzie said, but she has George. Now. George
is not a replacement for me. I never said he was.
Mackenzie said, it's just I don't know how we are
going to resolve this. Nick placed his napkin on the
table and pushed his plate away, his food half eaten.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: Either, but I know that I love you, and we're
getting married, and I'm not going to have my wife
live halfway across the country. It's just not happening.
Speaker 2: Sorry.
Speaker 1: Mackenzie could tell that Nick was getting worked up, and
the last thing she wanted to do after her long
day was continue fighting with her fiance, especially with their
wedding just a day away. It's fine, we'll figure it out,
Mackenzie said, signaling to the waiter for their check. I
just really can't fight anymore tonight. It's late and we
need to get ready for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night.
Nick made a face that reflected that he wasn't pleased
and placed his credit card down on the table. Okay, mac,
whatever you say. You just let me know when would
be a good time for us to talk about this,
considering we're getting married in less than forty eight hours.
Mackenzie and Nick stood up and walked out of the
restaurant to Nick's truck. Mackenzie started to speak up to
say something to him, but she was at a loss
for words. They spent the car ride back home in silence,
and without speaking, went right to bed. The next morning
dawned cold and clear, with a hint of flurries in
the air. Mackenzie woke to her phone chiming and realized
she had a text message from Cameron. It said, good morning, bestie.
All ready for your big rehearsel dinner tonight. PS. I'm
working on the dress situation, but don't you worry you
are going to slay at your wedding. Mackenzie yawned and
stretched and reached over beside her in bed, only to
feel an empty place where Nick should have been sleeping.
Then she remembered their fight from the night before. She
hoped Nick wasn't still angry. She knew she wasn't. She
knew they would figure out the living situation, even if
they had to live apart for a few more years.
Suddenly she smelled the unmistakable aroma of frying bacon, and
she knew that Nick had woken up early to make breakfast.
Jumping out of bed, Mackenzie threw on her robe and
hurried downstairs. There she saw Nick at the kitchen island,
setting out fresh coffee, orange juice, scrambled eggs, bagels, and
locks and bacon. When he caught sight of her, he
made an exaggerated bow. A breakfast fit for my queen,
he said, I thought you might be hungry since we
didn't eat much last night. Mackenzie opened her mouth to
say something, but Nick held up a.
Speaker 2: Hand and silenced her.
Speaker 1: No, No, before you say anything, I want to apologize
to you. I love you, Mac, and we'll figure out
this living situation. Even if we have to live apart
for a couple more years, that would be okay.
Speaker 2: We've done it so far.
Speaker 1: Mackenzie burst out laughing and reached out to hug her fiance.
I'm glad you said that, because that's exactly what I
was just about to say. I know we'll figure it
out too, but right now I'm going to finish every
last bite of this delicious breakfast. Smart move, Nick said,
biting into a sesame seed bagel, especially because it's the
rehearsal dinner tonight. And you know what they say, the
bride and groom never get to eat or drink enough
at these things. They're too busy socializing and talking to
people they don't want to talk to. Nick trailed off
as he noticed Mackenzie chewing slowly.
Speaker 2: Lost in thought.
Speaker 1: I know that. Look, Mac, what is it you have
in mind? Well, I really want to get over to
the Bows again before the rehearsal dinner starts to see
what if anything is.
Speaker 2: Going on over there. Well, we can do that.
Speaker 1: I mean, we'll just pretend like we want one last
look through of the hotel before the dinner starts, right,
But we need to cause a distraction somehow. I really
want to snoop in some of the files there to
see if there's something fishy going on with Roland. Mackenzie
thought for a moment and then snapped her fingers and
picked up her phone. I know, I have a great idea.
We just need Cameron. Mackenzie started typing furiously on her phone,
tapping out a response to Cameron and asking him to
meet her in an hour in front of the Bows.
Cameron will go into the Bows and tell Bernadette and
Roland that he wants to do a plug for the hotel.
Tell on his Instagram and ask them to take pictures
outside and around the town. There's no way they could
turn that down. Cameron has a couple million followers and
it would be great business for the hotel. Once they leave,
I'll sneak in the back door and do some digging.
You can stay in the car by the alleyway and
act as a lookout.
Speaker 2: It's the perfect plan.
Speaker 1: Nick's side, I would try to say something like, I'm
not really sure that this is a good idea, it's
too dangerous, YadA, YadA YadA. But I'm afraid I know
better than that by now. Once you put your mind
to something, there's no talking you out of it. Okay,
let's do it, but don't spend too much time in there.
I don't want Roland catching you and something bad to happen.
Mackenzie hopped up and gave Nick a quick peck on
the cheek. Thanks, you're the best.
Speaker 2: Now, let's get ready to go.
Speaker 1: One hour and twenty minutes later, Nick and Mackenzie were
parked well downe on the street from the Bows Bed
and Breakfast in Nick's truck. As if right on cue,
Cameron came bounding out of the hotel with Rowan and
Bernadette in tow. Cameron was gesturing wildly with his phone.
The three stopped posed together and took a picture with
Cameron's phone with the bows behind them. Cameron indicated to
the two that they should walk down the street, still
holding his phone, and the three set off in the
opposite direction of where Nick and Mackenzie were waiting. Once
the three were completely out of sight, Mackenzie quietly exited
the truck. Okay, like we agreed, Nick said, Cameron is
going to text me when they are a few minutes away,
But I don't want you staying in there more than
ten minutes. You get that, I I, Mackenzie said, doing
a mock salute before quietly slipping inside.
Speaker 2: The back door of the hotel.
Speaker 1: When she entered, the hotel was quiet, no guests occupied
the ground floor. In the early afternoon, Mackenzie caught a
glimpse of the room where their rehearsal dinner was to
be held in just a few short hours. It looked beautiful,
but she wasn't able to really enjoy the decor or
the place settings because she had to hurry if she
wanted to find any information that could lead her to
Sheriff Cutler's killer. She looked around her furtively before ducking
into Roland Hayes's office. Luckily, she had timed it so
that his computer had not gone to sleep yet, and
the desktop awaited her without a password. Mackenzie quickly scanned
the folders in front of her one set accounting and
she clicked on that. She saw a bunch of records
and files that looked normal until she scrolled down to
the last day of every month. On the last day
of every month was a withdrawal made for ten thousand dollars,
and she saw that that money was sent by wire
transfer to an unmarked bank account outside of the US.
These withdrawals and transfers had been going on for the
better part of the year since March. McKenzie tried to
find out any more information she could regarding the numerous transfers,
but there was no more information available. They just did
not seem to fit with the rest of the accounting records.
Mackenzie checked her watch. She only had about another three
minutes before Cameron, Roland and Bernadette would certainly be back.
She scanned the desktop again and working quickly. There in
the corner of the desktop was a folder labeled Receipts.
But what caught her eye was that the folder was
much bigger than the rest. It held much more data
than all the rest combined. Mackenzie clicked on the folder
and what popped up made her gasp. Inside were tiny
camera shots of physical credit cards, back and front, complete
with the credit card holder's name, expiration date, number, and
security code. Mackenzie scroll and scrolled and couldn't believe her eyes.
The tiny camera shots were almost never ending. There must
have been hundreds of them. Mackenzie thought for a moment
about what these could be from, and then it hit
her she had a hunch about what these were. She
ran out of Roland's office and snuck behind the front
desk of the hotel. She then scrabbled on the desk
for the credit card reader attached to the computer. She
located it quickly and expected it closely. It looked like
any other credit card reader, with a slot for the
credit card to go in and a swiping mechanism on
the side. As usual, there was a keypad on the front.
Mackenzie turned the device over in her hands and held
it up close to her eyes until she found what
she was looking for. She pulled at a little plastic
panel at the back of the card reader that was
sticking out from the rest of the machine, and that
panel fell easily away. Inside that panel was exactly what
Mackenzie had been looking for, a tiny camera. Suddenly, Mackenzie's
phone pinged with two text messages. They were from Nick
and all Caps, telling her to get out of there
now that Cameron, Roland and Bernadette were on their way back.
Mackenzie quickly took a picture of the card reader and
the tiny camera inside. She then placed the plastic panel
back over the machine. She turned to her right and
took another picture of the desktop screen showing the wire
transfers and the pictures of credit cards, and then she
exited out of the program. She ducked away from the
front desk and ran down the hall to the back exit.
Just as she heard Cameron, Roland and Bernadette coming in.
She shut the back door and hopped into the truck
that was idling by the alleyway. Without a word. Nick
peeled away from the curb and down Main street. Whow
that was close, he said, pointing the truck in the
direction of his house.
Speaker 2: Did you find anything?
Speaker 1: I sure did, Mackenzie said, scrolling through the pictures on
her phone. Nick, I'm pretty sure Roland Hayes is stealing
credit card information from his guests and has been for almost.
Speaker 2: A year or more.
Speaker 1: What makes you say that, Nick asked, I saw some
suspicious pictures of credit cards on his computer in his office,
so I ran around to the front desk where the
credit card reader was. I remembered I had read an
article a few months back about how credit card scammers
can steal your credit card information. One way is with
card skimmers that can be installed on credit card readers
to collect numbers and information that can be in the
form of an actual camera that takes pictures of every
credit card inserted or scanned into the machine. Sure enough,
I found a tiny camera on the back that Roland
must have attached to it. That camera takes a picture
and sends it to his computer in order to be
used for credit card fraud an identity theft. And you
said Roland has been doing this a while, Yes, definitely
for months. And also I found strange withdrawals that were
unmarked in the form of ten thousand dollars every month
from Roland's account into an unnamed one every day on
the last day of the month. That sounds like blackmail
money to me. What if, Nick mused, pulling into his
driveway and turning toward Mackenzie, What if Roland was stealing
credit card numbers and had an accomplice and Deputy Dave,
we know they both hated shareff Culor what if Sheriff
Cutler found out that Roland was stealing credit card numbers
from guests, Dave was in on it, and Sheriff Cutler
blackmailed them to the tune of ten thousand dollars every
month to keep quiet. Dave and Roland got sick of
paying Sheriff Cutler and finally decided to kill him. I
think that sounds a tried and true motive for murder,
Mackenzie said, and I agree with you about the money.
It definitely does reek a blackmail. Well, at least we
know now that Roland Hughes is up to no good.
Too bad our rehearsal dinner in a few hours is
going to be held in a space occupied by a criminal.
I know Mackenzie agreed, but I think the best course
of action is to just act normal. We can't let
him know that we're on to him. It's just the
thing that is still bugging me is I really don't
think that he killed Sheriff Cutler. Yes, he got into
a fight with him that night, but his alibi is
air tight for the time of the murder. Also, we
were with Roland when your house got broken into and
my dress got ruined.
Speaker 2: You're forgetting to think about the obvious, Nick reminded Mackenzie.
Speaker 1: Deputy Dave warned us that Miranda Sebastian and Tom de
Witt escaped from prison. It could have easily killed shreff
of Cutler and could be coming for us.
Speaker 2: Next.
Speaker 1: I'm going to talk to Bub about being security detailed
tonight at the rehearsal dinner. We don't need anything else
happening on our big night. Good idea, Mackenzie agreed. Bub
can screen attendees at the door, and everyone needs to
know to be on the lookout for Miranda and Tom
and anything or anyone else suspicious. And now she glanced
down at her phone. We need to head back to
get changed. It's almost time for the big night. When
Mackenzie and Nick walked into the space at the Bows,
where their rehearsal dinner was in full swing, Mackenzie almost
forgot about the fact that they were smack dab in
the middle of a criminal investigation. The hotel was decorated
beautifully with silver and gold garlands, gorgeous candelabras on every table,
and a four piece string quartet playing Christmas music softly
in the corner. Mackenzie wore a slinky silver dress and
sparkling silver drop earrings. Nick looked handsome in his suit
with a gold and silver tie. For almost three hours,
Mackenzie and Nick danced, drank, socialized with all of their friends.
Speaker 2: They also ate a.
Speaker 1: Splendid meal of pomegranate and pear green salad with ginger dressing,
steak freets with black garlic butter and mushroom risotto, and
a decadent cranberry bread pudding for dessert. Mackenzie and Nick
were sufficiently stuffed and sufficiently buzzed from all of the
champagne that kept reappearing, as if by magic, in their glasses.
As Mackenzie took a head count of all the people there,
she knew bub was outside making sure that no one
uninvited tried to come in. She saw Cameron and Kevin
talking to Harriet Hirsch. She saw Bernadette in the corner
with her mother, who she had invited as her guest.
She noticed Nick's friends, Mike and Kathleen slow dancing on
the dance floor alongside Diane and George. Maria was busy
directing the caterers on where to take the last glasses
of champagne, and finally she noticed Steve standing dutifully beside Jesse,
who was busy videotaping the party. Mackenzie was about to
make her way over to the young couple to see
how the filming was going, when suddenly a loud crash
silenced everyone. Mackenzie turned to see the source of the
noise and realized that it was the double doors to
the ballroom that had crashed open and hit the walls
behind them. Just inside the doors stood Roland Hughes with
Bub behind him. Bub had his arms crossed, and Roland
looked as if he had just seen a ghost. His
hair was sticking up in all directions and his tie
was askew. He looked as if he had been running
at full speed and was out of breath. His face
was deathly pale, and his eyes were wild with fright.
Collectively the room turned to look at him, and before
anyone could say anything, Roland spoke up, it's it's I
went to talk to I swear it wasn't me.
Speaker 2: I found him. He's I can't believe.
Speaker 1: Roland sputtered, bending down and putting his hands on his knees.
Bub moved beside the haired man and put a beefy
hand on his shoulder. It's all right, man, just tell
him what you told me. Roland straightened, and, looking at Bub,
nodded in affirmation. I just came from the police station precinct.
I needed to talk to Deputy Dave about a private matter.
But when I got there, Roland paused and winced. But
when I got there, Deputy Dave was dead. The Evergreen
Murders returned to Evergreen. A Mackenzie Monroe Christmas Mystery is written,
produced and performed by Me Katie Accardo, sound mixing and
editing by Me. God Rest you, merry gentleman. Instrumental music
recorded and performed by Jack Hire, Steve Babe, Jim Vanreith
and the Angel Biir. Tune in in one week on Tuesday,
December seventeenth for the fifth and final episode.
Speaker 2: Of the series.
Speaker 1: Make sure to check out our first and second seasons,
The Evergreen Murders and Murder at Mistletoe manor available wherever
you get your podcasts, and for you true crime fans,
check out both seasons of True Crime in the fifty
podcast for some crazy true crime stories from all of
the great states throughout this country. Thank you so much
for listening like