Speaker 1: The Evergreen Murders Returned to Evergreen Part two, The Cocktail Party.
The minute Mackenzie and Nick walked into the Evergreen Diner
in the late afternoon a few days before Christmas, they
were greeted by a loud and shrill whooping sound. It
was Diane Tannenbaum, of course, Nick's mom and head waitress
at the restaurant. Diane's white hair bobbed up and down,
and her glasses fell from their chain around her neck,
off her nose, and onto her chest as she literally
flew across the floor and enveloped Mackenzie into a tight hug.
I can't breathe, Mackenzie joked, gesturing wildly toward her mouth.
As Diane continued to embrace her mom, Can you please
not kill my bride to be days before our wedding?
Nick folded his arms across his chest and shrugged his
shoulders in what can you do kind of fashion. Oh,
I'm sorry, dear, but I'm just so excited to see her,
and I'm so excited for the wedding. Diane stepped back
and placed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose.
Mackenzie saw a tear fall from the corner of her eye.
Aren't you excited to see me?
Speaker 2: Geez?
Speaker 1: What am I chopped liver? Nick asked, putting his arm
around Mackenzie's shoulder. Oh, I see you all the time.
Diane waved her hand at her only son dismissively. Come on,
come on, you must be starving. Take a seat, and
I'll have Raoul make you anything you want. And please
don't tell me you're only having a diet coke and
a salad because you're trying to lose weight for the
wedding Rabbit. Food like that is not allowed here, and
you're gorgeous and skinny enough as it is, Mackenzie Monroe.
I won't hear of it. Mackenzie laughed as Diane led
them to a quiet booth in the back of the restaurant. Okay, okay,
no salad for me. I promise what's good here today?
Diane bobbed her head and answered assuredly. The ruben is
on special. So is the meat loaf sandwich. Nick piped up,
without even looking at the menu. I'll take the meat
loaf sandwich. Mom, light on the onions and I'll try
that Reuben. Mackenzie said, But can I still get a
diet coke. Yes, dearie, you can still have a diet
coke coming right up. And then I want to hear
about all the plans for the cocktail party and wedding.
Speaker 2: By the way, do you like my new ensemble?
Speaker 1: Diane gestured to the Christmas themed vest she was wearing
over a bright red turtleneck. On the vest were snowflakes
that lit up, and a necklace made of colorful light strands.
In her ears dangled earrings made of holiday bells that
chimed when she moved. Diane was famous for her eclectic
holiday and winter themed outfits. Every year, on the day
after Halloween, Diane donned her most Christmasy outfits and wore
them every day until the actual day. Tourists and town
spoke alike would come into the diner not only for
the excellent food, but also to see Diane's crazy clothing.
She would also always sneak the kids who came into
the diner a candy cane or two during the holidays.
That is a very nice vest, yes, Mackenzie said, shooting
Nick a look across the table, but Diane had already
turned and was yelling their orders into the kitchen. At Raoul,
the head cook, telling him to put a rush on it.
Mackenzie laughed again as she surveyed the Evergreen Diner, and
Nick took her hand across the table. I'm glad to
see that this place hasn't changed at all. The Evergreen Diner,
like its head server, was known for its eclectic holiday
de corps plastic blow up snowmen smiled happily in the
back corner. Evergreen boughs and fake snowflakes hung from the ceiling.
A fake Christmas tree took up the other back corner
with brightly wrapped gifts beneath its branches. A decked out
Chuchu train ran around the ledges surrounding the diner, and
a huge statue of the man himself. Santa Claus greeted
customers as they walked in, and of course, Chris music
played over the loud speakers. All throughout the months of
November and December, Mackenzie could hear Trans Siberian Orchestra's rendition
of Silent Night. Today, a family of four sat happily
eating near the front of the diner near the front door,
and one lone older man with white hair sat at
the bar drinking coffee. Other than that, the restaurant was
quiet and comforting. Mackenzie always felt this way when she
came back to Evergreen, like this was home. Mackenzie sighed
and turned back to her fiance. She still found it
weird to think of him like that. Excited to see
everyone tomorrow night, Nick asked. Mackenzie and Nick were throwing
a cocktail party the next night for the guests at
the wedding, a kind of welcoming evening to get the
festivities started. The party would be held at the Reindeer Pub,
which was the only pub in town and was a
pretty die ivy place, but Bub, their friend, the bartender,
was closing the bar down for the night, and their
wedding planner, Maria, was working with him to get the
place looking much more presentable for a cocktail party. I
am definitely excited, and we meet with Maria and Bub
tomorrow morning, right for the final preparations. That's right, Nick answered,
ten am. So you can still sleep in a little bit.
I know you've had a long day and you'll probably
be tired, maybe, Mackenzie answered thoughtfully, Either that or I'll
be too excited to sleep. Just then, Diane returned with
two diet cokes and two steaming.
Speaker 2: Plates of food.
Speaker 1: Good Lord, Mackenzie said out loud, looking at her heaping sandwich.
I take that back. I'll probably sleep just fine tonight.
After this meal, Diane set down their drinks and then
told them she'd be right back after checking on her
other customers, but instead of visiting the table of four,
she made a beeline to the man at the counter.
Once there, the man looked up at Diane and smiled.
Diane leaned against the counter and touched the man lightly
on the arm as she reached for the coffee pot
and refilled the man's cup. The man said something inaudible,
and Diane threw her head back and laughed. If Mackenzie
didn't know any better, she would have thought that the
two were flirting with each other. Who is that? She
asked Nick, gesturing toward the man with her fork. Nick
looked up from a sandwich and smirked, Oh, that's George,
my mom's uh friend. Nick wiped his mouth with a
napkin and chuckled to himself, Does your mom have a boyfriend?
Mackenzie spun around in the booth to get a better look.
The man was probably in his early seven and was
attractive with neat white hair and sparkling blue eyes. She
doesn't call him that, but if I had to guess,
I'd say that, yeah, he's her boyfriend. George is a
great guy. Widowed about a year ago. He was married
to his wife, Sandra, and they lived in Evergreen for
years until she died of cancer in twenty twenty three.
George always came to the diner, but then a couple
of months ago he starts coming in like a lot more,
and then it was practically every day. Sometimes eats, sometimes
just has coffee, but always comes to talk to my mom.
Oh my god, Mackenzie said, that's amazing. Is she inviting
him to the wedding? I don't know, Nick said, I
bet he'd like to be invited. He did wrangle himself
an invitation to Thanksgiving. You never told me that, Mackenzie said. Yeah.
He came over and it was just him and my
mom and me. Usually it's just me and my mom,
so it was nice to have another guy carve the
turkey for once. He's a really nice guy. Mackenzie smiled.
She was glad to hear that Diane had a new
male friend. Or was maybe even dating again. She had
lost her husband, Nick's father to a heart attack many
years ago and had been alone since then. She deserved
somebody nice. Mackenzie and Nick watched as Diane picked up
the check from the table of four and ran their card.
After bidding them goodbye and surreptitiously handing candy canes to
the two children, she made her way back over to
Mackenzie and Nick, and, with a weary sigh, plucked down
in the booth.
Speaker 2: Next to them.
Speaker 1: Okay, tell me everything about the cocktail party coming up
tomorrow night. Nick winked and got up out of his chair. Sorry, no,
can do, mom. You have to wait, Mac and I
need to get back to my place and get settled in.
She's exhausted, and you spent too much time talking to
your boyfriend over there. George is not my boyfriend, seems
like he is to me. Nick replied, But seriously, thanks
for the food. We need to get going. We have
a meeting with the wedding planner bright and early tomorrow.
Oh okay, go on, get out of here, Diane replied.
But I'll see you at the cocktail party tomorrow night,
and you two behave yourselves until then. As Diane headed
over to talk to George once again, Nick laughed and said,
I could say the same for you. The next morning,
Mackenzie woke up refreshed after a wonderful night's sleep. Once
she had gotten back to Nick's place and unpacked, she
had hung up her wedding dress safely in the guest
room closet. In the morning, she was happy to awaken
to the smell of bacon, eggs and freshly brewed coffee,
which Nick brought to her bed. Hey, I could get
used to this, Mackenzie said, sitting up and taking a
bite of avocado toast breakfast in bed. I am one
lucky girl. Don't get too used to it, Nick said,
planting a kiss on her cheek. We are going to
be busy over the next few days. Speaking of, we
better get going to meet with Maria, the wedding planner,
about the cocktail party. We don't want to be late.
Mackenzie donned a warm, chunky sweater, leggings and boots and
followed Nick out into the cold morning. Snow had continued
to fall overnight and had blanketed the ground, making it
look sparkly and christmasy. Nick and Mackenzie held hands as
they walked a few short blocks to the Reindeer Pub.
Opening the door, the couple were greeted by Bub, the bartender,
who was wearing his usual uniform of a T shirt
and shorts, even though the temperature outside was thirty five degrees.
Bub gave Mackenzie a hug and shook Nick's hand, and
then led them into the back where Maria was putting
the finishing touches on Nick and Mackenzie's decorations for the
cocktail party. Maria was petite and sophisticated looking, with long,
dark hair and hazel eyes. She shook Mackenzie in Nick's
hands and then stepped back so they could see the
transformation of the Reindeer Pub. And the transformation was just that.
Instead of rickety tables in the center of the room
with chairs with scratched upholstery, Nick and Mackenzie saw beautifully
draped high tops with sparkly silver tablecloths. The booze along
the wall had also been draped to display winter scenes.
Lights twinkled above them, and a bar had been brought
in to stand at the back of the room. The
bar was also decorated with white string lights and soft
Christmas music played in the background. A six foot Christmas
tree had been placed in the back of the room,
and a sparkly banner with the words congratulations Mackenzie and
Nick was displayed above their heads. Mackenzie gasped as she
surveyed the room that once had been a dive bar.
This was something completely different and upscale. Oh it's perfect,
Mackenzie said, blinking back tears. See, I told you I
would get a nice looking for you, bub said, folding
his arms across his chest and surveying the back room
with a nod. Actually, I can't take any credit at all.
This was all Maria's doing. Maria smiled and thanked him.
Asking Nick and Mackenzie if there was anything else they
could think of for the decorations. Mackenzie said no, that
it was just perfect for a welcoming event, and then
they took a look at the menu. There would be
an open bar and heavy past or dirvs like pigs
in a blanket, many grilled cheese sandwiches, thummus and crew
de tay cups, and bacon wrapped dates. They were expecting
about forty guests, so it would be tight, but Maria
and bub assured them everyone would fit and be comfortable.
All of a sudden, the bell above the front door rang,
signaling that someone had entered the pub. Mackenzie looked up
and was surprised to see Jesse Thompson, the intern from
Cameron's first Christmas movie and their videographer, bursting through the door.
As Jesse hurtled toward Mackenzie and breakneck speed, Mackenzie was
surprised to see none other than Steve Shapiro, Tom DeWitt's
former assistant, walking in behind her. Jesse, Steve, what are
you two doing here? Jesse rapped Mackenzie into a big
hug and then step back. We're here to survey the
place for tonight. You said you want to meet a
videotape as much as I could, so that's what I'll
be doing. Wow, this place looks totally different. Steve cleared
his throat and glanced at Nick and Mackenzie. It's great
to see you too again. Congratulations, thanks, Steve, Nick said,
clapping him on the back. Are you here to help Jesse?
Nick trailed off, confused, Oh, Steve said, you guys don't
know know what. Mackenzie asked Steve and I are dating,
Jesse answered, looking up at him sheepishly. We have been
for a while now. I didn't realize that, Mackenzie answered, congratulations,
you too. Thanks yeah, Jesse said, But Steve also has
been helping me with my documentary. What documentary, Mackenzie asked,
as part of my thesis for film school, I'm producing
a documentary about Evergreen and you know, the murders that
happened here a few years ago. It's going to be
a true crime documentary. I've been hard at work interviewing
lots of the community members, and I think it's going
to be very scandalous. Mackenzie shook her head. Even though
she and Nick had solved Denver, Sebastian and Wanda's murders
two years ago and Miranda Sebastian and Tom de Witt
were safely behind bars, Mackenzie wasn't sure she liked the
idea of anyone opening the case.
Speaker 2: Back up again.
Speaker 1: It seemed too dangerous, especially for a young film student
and her boyfriend. Before Mackenzie could say anything, though, Jesse
spoke up again. I was hoping I could interview you
and Nick, you know about your involvement in catching Miranda
and Tom, it would be just such a great human
interest piece. You know, high powered Hollywood agent comes to
small town Ohio, meets small town resident, and the two
salved two murder cases together and fall in love. It's
like a movie in itself. Mackenzie sighed, I don't know, Jesse.
I would love to help you out, but I just
think it might be too dangerous. Let me think about it, okay,
and I'll get back to you. Jesse looked disappointed but
nodded her head. I understand, well, I hope you change
your mind. I'm interviewing Sheriff Cutler later today and his
assistant deputy Dave. Then I have interviews set up with
bub Roland who runs the Bed and Breakfast, his assistant Bernadette,
and a few others that I can think of. I'm
trying to track down Rick Mathis at his developing firm
in Columbus to talk to him, but so far no look.
I would say I could put in a call for
you to Rick Mathis. Nick piped up. But the guy
doesn't like me very much. In fact, he hates me.
Speaker 2: Nick laughed.
Speaker 1: That's okay. Steve has been helping me with a lot
of that stuff. Haven't you, Steve. Yeah, I have, but
I must admit it's not really my area of expertise.
I have enough trouble remembering how to turn the video
equipment on and off. Everyone laughed at that. But I'm
learning about everything, playback editing all of that. Jesse's really talented.
I'm just glad she asked me to help. Well, Steve
and I will be here tonight for the cocktail party,
Jesse interjected, and I'll bring my video equipment. That will
be great. Thanks guys, Mackenzie said as she grabbed her bag.
Nick and I are heading out to grab a quick
lunch before we have to get ready for the party.
We'll see you all here tonight at seven pm.
Speaker 2: With that, they.
Speaker 1: Thanked Maria and bub again and grabbed a few sandwiches
at the Deli Downtown, which they took back to next place.
After lunch, Mackenzie stretched out on the couch to watch
a showing of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and almost
immediately fell asleep until five pm. Nick woke her up
just in time to get ready for the party. It
was already dark by the time Nick and Mackenzie set
off to their welcome reception cocktail party at six forty five.
As the guests of honor, they didn't want to be
the first ones there, but they also did not want
to keep their guests waiting. The snow had stopped falling,
but there was a good layer of it on the
ground from all that had fallen over the past day.
The temperature had also dropped, so there was ice forming
on top of the snow. Mackenzie noticed thick icicles hanging
from the eaves of all the buildings downtown. Nick looked
quite handsome in his sports coat, and Mackenzie had opted
for a simple green sheath dress that she had dressed
up with a sparkly necklace and jewelry. She wanted to
look stunning. It was her cocktail reception, but it was
also still the Reindeer Pub Socay didn't want to overdo it.
A blast of warmth hit them as they opened the
door to the tavern and were greeted by shouts and cheers.
Standing in front of them were almost forty of their
closest friends from Evergreen. At the forefront of the crowd
was Diane Tennenbaum, wearing a very understated black pant suit.
Beside her was George, her date not date, raising a
rock's glass. Mackenzie saw Mike Flynn, Nick's best man, and
his wife Kathleen. Cameron Stack and his boyfriend Kevin were
speaking with Harriet Hirsh, Mackenzie's boss at the agency in
la who was always wearing a fur coat and sunglasses
even inside, and tonight was no exception. Bub the Reindeer
pub proprietor, was speaking to one of the bartenders in
the corner, and Maria, the wedding planner, was busy directing
the waiters who were passing around the first or d'uvs.
Sheriff Cutler was off to the side with his assistant sheriff,
Deputy Dave, involved in what looked like a very serious discussion,
considering neither man even looked up when Mackenzie and Nick
entered the room. Roland Hayes, the owner of the Bow's
Bed and Breakfast, was off to the other side of
the room, standing quietly with his front desk manager, Bernadette Roberts,
and in the very front video camera in hand was
a smiling Jesse Thompson. Next to her was Steve Shapiro,
her boyfriend and assistant producer, drinking a beer, Mackenzie smiled.
Who should she talk to first, she wondered, and then
she decided on Cameron, Kevin and Harriet. They had come
a long way from southern California and were definitely out
of their element in this small Ohio town. As the
night wore on, Mackenzie and Nick talked, ate, drank, laughed,
and danced until about nine pm, when Mackenzie finally got
the chance to steer away Jesse, who had been working
non stop capturing the night's festivities. As Mackenzie gave her
a hug, she noticed Jesse looked kind of distracted. Is
everything all right, Mackenzie asked the girl who looked cute
as a button in a navy blue dress and kitten heels.
Everything going okay with the videography? Oh that's fine, it's great,
Jesse said, staring off into space. No need to worry
about any of that. The videos are going to be perfect.
I don't need them to be perfect. I'm just glad
we'll have something to remember everything by. You just seemed distracted,
Jesse sighed. Maybe I don't know. I guess I'm just
more disappointed. I guess what happened? Well, Jesse continued, You
remember how I was supposed to interview Sheriff Cutler about
my true crime document. Henry Mackenzie nodded and sipped her champagne.
He backed out at the last minute. I went all
the way over to the police station earlier today with
Steve and waited patiently for him. I was right outside
his office, so I could see him inside there talking
to Deputy Dave yelling at him.
Speaker 2: Was more like it.
Speaker 1: I was actually supposed to interview Deputy Dave as well,
but that didn't happen. Jesse rolled her eyes. What were
they yelling about? Mackenzie asked her interest Pete. Jesse filled
with her video camera and looked at Mackenzie. I mean,
I could just hear a little bit before Sheriff Cutler
glared at me and Steve and slammed the door in
our faces. But from what I could make out, they
were fighting about an investigation. I could definitely hear Sheriff
Cutler say to Dave, you better just keep your mouth
shut if you know what's good for you. This is
my investigation, and if you get in the way of it,
there will be hell to pay. He looked so mad
and scary. His face was red and he was screaming.
Mackenzie asked, do you know what investigation they may have
been talking about. Jesse shook her head. They had a
code name for it. Dave kept talking about Operation Sheep.
Don't know what that means. I'm sorry, I can't be
of more help. I just know that after Sheriff Cutler
slammed the door, Deputy Dave got right in his face
and was pointing his finger at him and screaming. Then
Deputy Dave ran out of the room and Sheriff Cutler
told us to go home, that he wasn't interested in
doing the interview. I asked if we could reschedule with him,
and he said no, that too much was going on
right now, and that he would be worried for his
safety if he was part of a true crime documentary.
I asked him why, and he just showed me away.
Next time I saw him was well tonight. Mackenzie thought
for a minute that must have been why Sheriff Cutler
and Deputy Dave were so caught up in their serious conversation.
When Mackenzie and Nick entered the room, Mackenzie looked around
to see if she could find either of the men,
but she didn't have to look far. She heard the
commotion before she could catch sight of them. A shout
rang out from the back of the room by the bar.
There was Sheriff Cutler in a jacket and tie, waving
his arms around drunkenly. His face was red and he
was shouting. It looked like he had definitely had too
much to drink. Next to him were Roland Hays and
Deputy Dave. Behind all of them was bub Sheriff Cutler
yelled as he knocked a glass off the bartender's table
and it fell to the floor, breaking.
Speaker 2: With a crash.
Speaker 1: The whole room turned around at the noise, and a
hush fell over the crowd. The bartender came out from
behind the bar and grabbed a broom and dust pan.
He looked more annoyed than scared or surprised, and Mackenzie
figured that, being a professional bartender, the man had had
to experience this sort of thing once or twice before.
She felt sorry for the guy. Drunken antics and fights
were never fun. Sheriff Cutler turned to Dave and pointed
a finger in his face. What did I tell you
about keeping your damn mouth shut? He yelled to the
associate police officer. I don't want to hear any more
about this situation ever again. I'm taking over and that's final.
Dave yelled back. Maybe if you weren't such an incompetent sheriff,
things could get done around here and maybe go back
to normal. Oh yeah, Sheriff Cutler yelled back, you think
you can do my job any better? I'd like to
see you try. I'd kill you before i'd let you
become sheriff of this town. Roland Hayes, the manager of
the bed and breakfast, spoke up then, as he tried
to break up the fight. Gentlemen, let's talk this out
like civilized people, shall we. Both men turned toward him,
and Sheriff Cutler spoke up first. Well, look who's talking.
If it isn't Roland Hayes himself, why don't you go
back to work, buddy boy? Or do you leave all
the logistics to your little girlfriend, Bernadette, the hot little
front desk manager. Sure she doesn't stay after hours for
some personal turn down bed service? Why you, Roland started
to say, but then thought better of it. Instead, he
reared back his fist and before anyone could react, punch
Sheriff Cutler right in the nose. Sheriff Cutler staggered back,
rubbing his face, and when he pulled back his hand
to look at it, notice some blood on his fingers.
A trickle of blood came from his nose as he
spluttered and stumbled, all right, hey, fellas break it up.
Bub had had enough of the fighting. He grabbed Sheriff
Cutler by the shoulders and began to lead him toward
the back exit off of the kitchen. As Sheriff Cutler
was being led away, he looked back and shouted at
his two adversaries. Dave, you're fired, he yelled, still clutching
at his face. Good luck finding another job. I'll see
to it that you never find work as a police
officer again. And you, he gestured to Roland, you better
want your back. That's all I gotta say about that.
His yells faded as Bub tossed him out the back
door into the snow. About thirty seconds later, Bub returned
to a room full of people that was still in shock.
No one had said a word. When Bub returned, he
clapped his hands and said, well, that takes care of that.
I sent him back to the police station to sleep
it off, but the party continues. Drinks on me, and
with that the music grew louder and people finally began
conversing again. Everyone was still shaken up, but at least
the mood lightened. Mackenzie noticed Bernadette Roberts, Roland's front desk manager,
whom Sheriff Cutler had accused of having an affair with him,
sitting near the entrance to the pub, wiping away a
few straight tears with a napkin. Mackenzie headed over to
the girl. She felt bad that she had been dragged
into this mess.
Speaker 2: Hey are you okay?
Speaker 1: She asked the beautiful Filipino girl, who she knew had
grown up all her life with her family in Evergreen.
Her mother was a housekeeper at the bed and breakfast,
and Bernadette worked the front desk. I'm sorry the sheriff
said those things about you. No, I'm the one who
should be sorry. The girl sniffed and wiped her nose.
I'm sorry your party got ruined. It didn't get ruined,
Mackenzie assured her, just a little snaff who is all.
Bernadette nodded, but she didn't say anything more. They sat
there in silence for a while, until Bernadette finally said,
I'm going to head to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
I must look horrible with all my makeup running down
my face. Mackenzie nodded and patted the girl's back. Okay,
go ahead, but for the record, you don't look horrible
at all. He looks stunning. Bernadette attempted a small smile
and headed off toward the restroom along the back wall.
Mackenzie stood up and sighed she needed to talk to
some more of her guests to assure them that everything
was all right. By that time, the party was starting
to break up. It was about ten pm. As everyone
said their goodbyes and told mackenzie and Nick what a
great party it had been. Exhausted, the couple bid everyone
farewell as one by one they filed out the front door.
Finally it was just Nick mackenzie, Bub, the bartender, and Maria.
Bub told them all he would do some last minute
cleaning and let them know that they should all go
ahead home. He locked the front door and asked the
group to leave out the back door through the kitchen,
putting on their cold weather gear. Nick McKenzie, Maria and
the bartender all shuffled out the back exit, bidding each
other farewell and wishing each other a good night. Maria,
who was in front of the other three, fished her
keys out of her pocket, turned around to wave to them,
and as she did, almost tripped over something buried deep
in a drift of snow. She laughed and kicked at
what she thought was a fallen branch or a shrub
that had been hidden in the snow, but instead of
finding an inanimate object, a body rolled down the small
hill out of the embankment. He was wearing a jacket
and tie, and a space had already turned blue from
the bitter cold. A trickle of blood ran down his
nose from where he had been punched in the face
not one hour before. Maria screamed, it was Sheriff Cutler
and he 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.
Speaker 2: Resting, Mary Gentleman.
Speaker 1: Instrumental music written, recorded and performed by Jack Hire, Steve Vain,
Jim Vanreeth and The Angel Wire tune in in one
week on Tuesday, December third, for Part three of the series.
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 True Crime and the fifty Podcast
for some crazy true crime stories from all of the
great states throughout this country.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening.