Halloween night murder, p.1
Halloween Night Murder, page 1
Books by Leslie Meier
MISTLETOE MURDER
TIPPY TOE MURDER
TRICK OR TREAT MURDER
BACK TO SCHOOL MURDER
VALENTINE MURDER
CHRISTMAS COOKIE MURDER
TURKEY DAY MURDER
WEDDING DAY MURDER
BIRTHDAY PARTY MURDER
FATHER’S DAY MURDER
STAR SPANGLED MURDER
NEW YEAR’S EVE MURDER
BAKE SALE MURDER
CANDY CANE MURDER
ST. PATRICK’S DAY MURDER
MOTHER’S DAY MURDER
WICKED WITCH MURDER
GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER
ENGLISH TEA MURDER
CHOCOLATE COVERED MURDER
EASTER BUNNY MURDER
CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER
FRENCH PASTRY MURDER
CANDY CORN MURDER
BRITISH MANOR MURDER
EGGNOG MURDER
TURKEY TROT MURDER
SILVER ANNIVERSARY MURDER
YULE LOG MURDER
HAUNTED HOUSE MURDER
INVITATION ONLY MURDER
CHRISTMAS SWEETS
CHRISTMAS CARD MURDER
IRISH PARADE MURDER
HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER
EASTER BONNET MURDER
IRISH COFFEE MURDER
MOTHER OF THE BRIDE MURDER
EASTER BASKET MURDER
PATCHWORK QUILT MURDER
BRIDAL SHOWER MURDER
Books by Lee Hollis
Hayley Powell Mysteries
DEATH OF A KITCHEN DIVA
DEATH OF A COUNTRY FRIED REDNECK
DEATH OF A COUPON CLIPPER
DEATH OF A CHOCOHOLIC
DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS CATERER
DEATH OF A CUPCAKE QUEEN
DEATH OF A BACON HEIRESS
DEATH OF A PUMPKIN CARVER
DEATH OF A LOBSTER LOVER
DEATH OF A COOKBOOK AUTHOR
DEATH OF A WEDDING CAKE BAKER
DEATH OF A BLUEBERRY TART
DEATH OF A WICKED WITCH
DEATH OF AN ITALIAN CHEF
DEATH OF AN ICE CREAM SCOOPER
DEATH OF A CLAM DIGGER
DEATH OF A GINGERBREAD MAN
Collections
EGGNOG MURDER
(with Leslie Meier and Barbara Ross)
YULE LOG MURDER
(with Leslie Meier and Barbara Ross)
HAUNTED HOUSE MURDER
(with Leslie Meier and Barbara Ross)
CHRISTMAS CARD MURDER
(with Leslie Meier and Peggy Ehrhart)
HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER
(with Leslie Meier and Barbara Ross)
IRISH COFFEE MURDER
(with Leslie Meier and Barbara Ross)
CHRISTMAS MITTENS MURDER
(with Lynn Cahoon and Maddie Day)
EASTER BASKET MURDER
(with Leslie Meier and Barbara Ross)
Poppy Harmon Mysteries
POPPY HARMON INVESTIGATES
POPPY HARMON AND THE HUNG JURY
POPPY HARMON AND THE PILLOW TALK KILLER
POPPY HARMON AND THE BACKSTABBING BACHELOR
POPPY HARMON AND THE SHOOTING STAR
Maya & Sandra Mysteries
MURDER AT THE PTA
MURDER AT THE BAKE SALE
MURDER ON THE CLASS TRIP
MURDER AT THE SPELLING BEE
MURDER AT THE HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
Books by Liz Ireland
MRS. CLAUS AND THE SANTALAND SLAYINGS
MRS. CLAUS AND THE HALLOWEEN HOMICIDE
MRS. CLAUS AND THE EVIL ELVES
MRS. CLAUS AND THE TROUBLE WITH TURKEYS
MRS. CLAUS AND THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE NEW YEAR’S
Collections
HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE MURDER (with Carlene O’Connor and Carol J. Perry)
IRISH MILKSHAKE MURDER (with Carlene O’Connor and Peggy Ehrhart)
IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER (with Carlene O’Connor and Peggy Ehrhart)
Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.
HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER
Leslie Meier Lee Hollis Liz Ireland
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
kensingtonbooks.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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Copyright © 2025 by Kensington Publishing Corp.
“Halloween Night Murder” copyright © 2025 by Leslie Meier
“Death of a Halloween Night Stalker” copyright © 2025 by Rick Copp and Holly Simason
“Mrs. Claus and the Wily Witch” copyright © 2025 by Elizabeth Bass
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2025935025
ISBN: 978-1-4967-4942-0
First Kensington Hardcover Edition: September 2025
ISBN: 978-1-4967-4944-4 (ebook)
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Table of Contents
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN NIGHT STALKER
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
MRS. CLAUS AND THE WILY WITCH
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER
Leslie Meier
Chapter One
Lucy Stone was dead tired when her head finally hit the pillow, but even though she was physically exhausted, her mind was racing and she couldn’t fall asleep.
It had been the perfect Halloween, she thought, which might well serve as the lede for the story she would write tomorrow for the Courier, the weekly paper that delivered local news to the little coastal town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine. She’d long been a reporter and feature writer for the paper, which was owned by her friends Ted and Pam Stillings, and now had an online edition and had expanded coverage to serve the entire county.
Lucy’s focus had continued to remain the little town of Tinker’s Cove, where she and Pam, and two other friends, Sue Finch and Rachel Goodman, had teamed together to create the Hat and Mitten Fund. The fund was originally created to provide warm winter clothing for local kids, but had grown through the years and now also provided school supplies, Christmas gifts, summer camp scholarships, and an annual Halloween party.
That party was highly anticipated and the four friends, along with a faithful coterie of volunteers, had gotten to work early that morning to transform the elementary school gym into Spook Hollow. They’d hung decorations and strung lights, constructed a tent for fortune teller Madame Zostra (actually Rachel decked out in a turban and flowing robes), set up all sorts of games and craft tables, and loaded the tables with a variety of sugary treats. There were witches’ fingers, eyeball cupcakes, jack-o’-lantern cookies, marshmallow ghosts, and gallons of “poison” punch to wash it all down. When the doors opened, the kids poured in, requiring constant supervision as they played the various games and helped themselves to the treats. It was hectic and noisy, a DJ blasted out “Monster Mash” and other tunes, and it all ended with a costume parade when all the kids marched around the gym and prizes were awarded for the best costumes. The festivities ended at five o’clock, when the kids were dismissed and given goody bags containing healthful treats and toothbrushes to take home.
It had all gone off like clockwork, thought Lucy, rolling onto her other side and flipping her pillow over. This year, for the first time, the cash on hand had even allowed for the fund
Lucy had been especially careful as she drove home, watching out for the groups of costumed trick-or-treaters who were going from door to door, collecting goodies. It was on nights like these, when the whole village came together, that Lucy felt especially lucky to live in a town like Tinker’s Cove. She and Bill had moved into their antique farmhouse on Red Top Road years ago, abandoning New York City so Bill could pursue his dream of becoming a restoration carpenter and to raise their family in a small town with trees and fresh air. Now they were empty nesters, their four kids had grown, but Lucy still enjoyed seeing this new crop of youngsters enjoying Halloween. Though, truth be told, the steadily dropping school enrollment figures indicated there were fewer students in this generation than in her kids’. Young families were priced out of towns like Tinker’s Cove, where even the humblest properties now went for sky-high prices.
When she’d got home, Bill reported that only a handful of youngsters had come to their house demanding treats, which had been the trend in recent years. Their house was some distance from town and stood alone, apart from a small development on nearby Prudence Path. “Renee came by with her little guys,” he told her, naming neighbor Frankie La Chance’s daughter, who now had twin boys. “They came as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, they’re cute little guys.”
“Anybody else?” she’d asked, eyeing the bowl of mini chocolate bars that stood ready by the door. If they didn’t give them away, she’d probably end up eating them and gaining five pounds in the process.
“A car pulled in the drive and a bunch of kids tumbled out, I didn’t know them, but they were real polite. They only took one piece each and even said thank you.” Bill was at the stove, stirring a pot of chili, which had become their Halloween tradition. “We’re so far from town, it’s not like we’re going to get a lot of walkers.”
“I know,” admitted Lucy, taking a bottle out of the fridge and pouring herself a glass of chilled chardonnay. “I do miss the days when the kids were little and they’d go out with their friends, roaming all over town.”
Bill nodded, checking on the corn bread that was warming in the oven. “Looks like we’re almost ready,” he said.
“Great! I’m starving,” said Lucy.
Nobody came to the door while they ate, sitting side by side at the round golden oak table where they now took most of their meals. The big table in the dining room was rarely used, except when the family reunited for holidays, something that generally required sensitive negotiations. Elizabeth, their oldest daughter, lived in Paris and only came home on alternate years; son, Toby, his wife, Molly, and son, Patrick lived in Alaska and only managed occasional visits due to job commitments and the high cost of travel. Sara, who lived in Boston with her partner, Jodi, and Zoe, who was now married to a Red Sox player and lived near Boston in suburban Westwood, were theoretically closer but had to balance visits with two sets of parents.
“Don’t forget, we’ve got to watch Rocky Horror,” Bill had said, noticing that Lucy had fallen silent, reminding her of a favorite Halloween tradition.
“Great Scott!” exclaimed Lucy, smiling. “But don’t forget,” she added, thinking of the time difference, “I want to Zoom with Patrick before we go to bed.”
When they’d finished eating, Bill went into the family room to set up the DVD player and Lucy cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. She had wiped the counters and was ready to join him when there was a knock on the door. Lucy glanced at the clock; it was going on eight, which wasn’t all that late, and reached for the bowl of candy. Opening the door, she discovered a single trick-or-treater. He was pushing the age of what she considered the limit for trick-or-treating, probably well into his teens, but what did it matter? She had plenty of candy, and there hadn’t exactly been many others. His costume appeared to be a last-minute effort, merely a blue paper hospital mask and a man’s white shirt worn backward, along with a set of pink rubber gloves. “So you’re a doctor?” guessed Lucy.
“Yeah. Dr. Strangelove,” said the kid. “Trick or treat?”
“Sure,” said Lucy, dropping a handful of mini bars into the grubby pillowcase he was holding. Then, noticing his disappointed expression, added to the fact that he was awfully skinny, too skinny really, she emptied the bowl.
“Thanks, lady,” he said.
“You’re welcome,” she said, figuring that there weren’t going to be any more trick-or-treaters and she didn’t want the temptation of the leftover candy. “Happy Halloween,” she added, as he hopped down the porch steps.
So what was keeping her awake, she wondered, checking the clock and seeing it was almost midnight. It had been, all told, a perfect Halloween. The party had been a big success, Rocky Horror was fun, the Zoom with Patrick had gladdened her heart. Her grandson was growing up, but was still young enough to enjoy wearing a costume. He’d given his choice a lot of thought, he told them, but finally settled on Harry Potter. “I wish I could do magic like him,” he’d confided, reminding Lucy that Halloween was about more than simply putting on a costume. It was an opportunity for kids to explore a different identity, for one night anyway.
“Grandma, what kind of costume would you choose?” he’d asked. “If you weren’t too old to go trick-or-treating?”
Taken aback, Lucy had to give it some thought. “Nancy Drew,” she finally said.
“Miss Marple would be more appropriate,” teased Bill, getting a dirty look.
Reviewing the Zoom, even with Bill’s wisecrack, Lucy decided it was the best part of the day. She was smiling to herself as she rolled over once again and rearranged her pillow, then found her thoughts turning to that last trick-or-treater. Who was he? she wondered, thinking she should have asked for his name. Where did he live? And why was he out alone, so far from town? Did he live nearby? Certainly not on Prudence Path, where the houses were going for a million dollars nowadays, if those worn-out sneakers he was wearing were any indication. She had no answers to these questions, so she tucked them away in the back of her mind for further investigation. Tomorrow, maybe, she thought, wiggling closer to Bill, who was gently snoring and finally drifting off.
Next morning, she woke rather later than usual. Bill had gone, but the coffee pot was still hot when she went down to the kitchen, and her favorite mug was beside it. She filled the mug and was carrying it over to the table when there was a knock at the door. Peering through the glass window, she saw her friend Officer Barney Culpepper and waved him in. She was taking that first, crucial sip of coffee when he marched in, removing his cap.
“Help yourself to coffee,” said Lucy, who was focused on the reviving beverage.
