Praise for Leslie Meier and her Lucy Stone Mysteries! Silver Anniversary Murder “The frenzied pace of the city, effectively contrasted with the more tranquil atmosphere of a small town; the reappearance of familiar characters; and numerous plot twists all contribute to the appeal of this satisfying entry in a long-running series.” —Booklist British Manor Murder “Counts, countesses, and corpses highlight Lucy Stone’s trip across the pond . . . A peek into British country life provides a nice break.” —Kirkus Reviews Candy Corn Murder “Meier continues to exploit the charm factor in her small-town setting, while keeping the murder plots as realistic as possible in such a cozy world.” —Booklist French Pastry Murder “A delight from start to finish.” —Suspense Magazine Christmas Carol Murder “Longtime Lucy Stone series readers will be happy to catch up on life in Tinker’s Cove in this cozy Christmas mystery.” —Library Journal Easter Bunny Murder “A fun and engaging read. It is quick and light and has enough interesting twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. If you like this type of mystery and this is your first meeting with Lucy Stone, it will probably not be your last.” —The Barnstable Patriot 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 CHRISTMAS SWEETS INVITATION ONLY MURDER CHRISTMAS CARD MURDER IRISH PARADE MURDER Published by Kensington Publishing Corp. GOBBLE, GOBBLE MURDER LESLIE MEIER KENSINGTON BOOKS www.kensingtonbooks.com All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental. KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018 Compilation copyright © 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corp. Turkey Day Murder © 2000 by Leslie Meier Turkey Trot Murder © 2017 by Leslie Meier All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews. To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book. Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off. ISBN: 978-1-4967-2625-4 ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-2625-4 ISBN-10: 1-4967-2625-1 Table of Contents Praise Also by Title Page Copyright Page TURKEY DAY MURDER CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 23 TURKEY TROT MURDER PROLOGUE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 Teaser chapter TURKEY DAY MURDER CHAPTER 1 “Look at that face. I ask you. Is that the face of a cold-blooded killer?” In her usual seat in the second row, part-time reporter Lucy Stone perked up. Until now, she’d been having a difficult time paying attention at the Tuesday meeting of the Tinker’s Cove Board of Selectmen, even dozing off for a few moments during the town assessor’s presentation of the new valuation formulas. Lucy studied the face in the photograph Curt Nolan had propped up on an easel in the front of the hearing room, allegedly the face of a multiple killer: big brown eyes; an intelligent expression; a friendly, if somewhat toothy, smile. He didn’t look like a mass murderer to her—he looked like a plain old mutt. “Kadjo’s not just some mutt,” continued Curt Nolan, his owner and advocate at the dog hearing. “He’s a Carolina dog. I went all the way to North Carolina to get him from a breeder there. He’s descended from the dogs that accompanied humans across the Bering land bridge from Asia to America thousands of years ago. He’s a genuine Native American dog.” He paused for emphasis and then concluded, “Why, he’s got more right to be here than you do.” That comment was aimed at Howard White, chairman of the board of selectmen, who was chairing the dog hearing. White—a tall, thin, distinguished-looking man in his early sixties—didn’t much like it and glared at Nolan from behind the bench where he was sitting with the four other selectmen as judge and jury. This was more like it, thought Lucy, studying Nolan with interest. Most people, when called before the board for violating the town’s bylaws, exhibited a remorseful and humble attitude. Nolan, by contrast, seemed determined to antagonize the board members, especially Howard White. Even his clothing declared he was different from the majority of people who resided in the little town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine. Instead of the usual uniform of khaki slacks, a button-down shirt, and loafers, which was the costume of choice for board meetings, Nolan was wearing a fringed leather jacket, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. His glossy black hair was brushed straight back and tied into a ponytail with a leather thong. A second leather thong, this one decorated with a bear claw, hung from his neck. His face was tanned and deeply creased, as if he spent a lot of time outdoors in the sun. “We’re not interested in the animal’s
