The Christmas Eve Murders: Mrs. Baxter

In The Christmas Eve Murders, Mrs. Baxter proudly serves as the head librarian of the Stone Ridge Public Library on Main Street. She is somewhat unhappy about the NYPD disturbing the peace and quiet of the library, but is willing to offer what little information she has in order to assist Detective Ryan in his investigation.

Mrs. Baxter can be considered the gatekeeper of secrets in the rural community. She acts as a bridge to valuable information, providing Detective Ryan with local lore, historical context, and small-town gossip that a city detective would otherwise have no access to.

The venerable reading rooms of the public library hold the collective memory of Stone Ridge under the watchful custody of Mrs. Baxter. However, the real question for Detective Ryan is whether such an unlikely place could hold secrets that are pertinent to the investigation. He has learned from hard experience that sometimes, clues are uncovered in the most unlikely of places, having already briefed Tony that they must be patient in dealing with the locals. Given that Stone Ridge is steeped in history and tradition, Mrs. Baxter may just very well have crucial pieces of information to further their inquiries.

As a close-knit community, residents such as Old Man Johnson, often frequent the secluded reading rooms of the library to catch up on daily news. Detective Ryan hopes that making a stop at this local landmark, might shed further light on the role that a quaint place like Stone Ridge plays in The Christmas Eve Murders . . .