No one in Josephine's plein-air watercolor class thought that Mary Milford, known by her friends as Mary Christmas because of her fabulous Christmas decorations, would topple off a Capitola Cliff into the Pacific Ocean. One minute she was there—painting—and the next minute her red sweater swirled in the rough surf. When the authorities determined she had been pushed,Josephine was all in—studying every angle, every person of interest. Besides poking around in everyone's business to uncover Mary's killer, Jo and her friend, Alicia are working hard creating watercolor paintings to sell at the Aromas Christmas Art Festival. A deadline looms.
Josephine homes in on the killer, teams up with Mary's sister, and the two women catch a plane to Tijuana in search of their suspect. The trip proves to be revealing and highly dangerous. The police are slow to take Josephine's claims seriously. The well being of a five-year-old depends on Josephine's skill, instincts and dumb luck. Can she find the person who murdered Mary Christmas without becoming the next victim?