Santa Sleuth by Kathi Daley

generators, so everyone gathered together whatever food and drink they felt they could donate and headed to the large building for an impromptu community feast.
    Zak, Levi, and a few other men were out in their four-wheel-drive trucks rescuing people who had gotten stuck in the snow and checking on elderly and disabled community members.
    Tawny Upton, along with a few other moms, were entertaining the younger children, and Ellie and a few other culinarily gifted individuals took charge of combining the ingredients that had been donated into delicious-looking soups, casseroles, and side dishes.
    I, not possessing any special talent, was helping out and filling in where I could.
    “Zoe, why don’t you go ahead and start taking out the salads we have ready?” Ellie instructed. “I think we’ll serve in courses. Soups and salads first, followed by casseroles and sides, and finally the desserts.”
    “Are the soups going to be ready in time?” I asked.
    “Yeah, they’ll be ready. We made stovetop soups that didn’t require a lot of cooking time. We can heat the casseroles in the ovens while everyone is enjoying the soup and salad portion of the meal, so we should be able to segue smoothly between courses.”
    “And the bread?” Phyllis King asked.
    “Let’s heat it and serve it with the soups and salads,” Ellie decided. “Hazel, why don’t you check the refrigerator for any chilled salads? I know several people brought some they’d already prepared. And why don’t a couple of you find large bowls to serve the green salads in? I think there are extra serving pieces in the basement.”
    “I’ll go,” I offered. It was getting hot and crowded in the kitchen, and as much as I was enjoying this time with some of my favorite people, the idea of a few minutes to myself seemed wonderful about now.
    “I’ll go with you,” Jeremy said. He had been making spaghetti sauce, which was now simmering on the stove.
    “It’s really coming down,” I said as I looked out the window Jeremy and I passed on our way to the stairs. All that was visible was a sheet of white. The snow had been coming down like that for most of the day. The town had plows out trying to keep up with the snowfall, but I imagined, unless the storm let up, we were going to be spending the night with the friends and neighbors with whom we had gathered to share a meal.
    Of course I had a huge truck that I’d had the foresight to drive into town, so chances were the Donovan-Zimmerman clan would be able to make it home. I’d gone back to the house earlier to check on the animals and had had little trouble navigating the deep drifts of snow that covered the roads.
    “Yeah, it really is,” Jeremy agreed. “I feel like I should head over to the Zoo to check on things. The generators had kicked in when I left to pick up Morgan, Phyllis, and the girls, but Tank hadn’t shown up yet and he’s still not answering his cell.”
    Tank River was one of two brothers who worked the graveyard shift at Zoe’s Zoo.
    “I’ll go with you after we get the dishes Ellie wants. I could use some fresh air.”
    “Have you heard from Zak and the rescue crew?” Jeremy asked as we started down the stairs.
    “Not for a couple of hours. The last I heard they were trying to talk Mrs. Broomsfield into coming into town with them.”
    Mrs. Broomsfield was an elderly woman who lived alone with only her cat, Madeline, for company.
    “I imagine she didn’t want to leave Madeline alone.”
    “Exactly. And I can’t say that I really blame her. I’m not thrilled about leaving my menagerie alone, but I’ve snuck back home a few times to check on them and they’re fine.”
    Jeremy clicked on the overhead light when we’d made it to the bottom of the stairs. “Does Mrs. Broomsfield have a generator?”
    “No, and her heat is electric, which was why Zak wanted her to come into town. He’s worried about leaving her alone without a source of heat.”
    Jeremy picked up several