There’s a Christmas party at the diner, and although Emily isn’t usually one for parties, she’s growing attached to the townspeople. Glenn Shaw arrives dressed as Santa, introducing himself as the bookstore owner and handing out books as gifts. Fred, his nephew, asks if he’s feeling okay. Sue wonders why Glenn’s there since he’s banned from the diner long ago. Later, Emily spots ‘Santa’ leaving, but it’s not Glenn. Moments later, they find Glenn stabbed in the diner’s kitchen.
Sam arrives to investigate. He mentions not seeing Emily recently, but she says she’s been busy. Emily explains she saw who she thought was Glenn in the Santa suit from behind and noticed a suspicious vehicle outside. Sam asks her to come to the station in the morning to give a detailed statement.
At home, Emily opens Glenn’s gift—a book she’d mentioned her parents used to read to her. Inside, she finds a note inviting her to a special event.
Violet asks for time off to see The Nutcracker with her mom.
Emily brings the secret invitation to Sam, who offers to join her for protection, reminding her that everyone at the diner is a suspect, including her.
Sue is upset the diner is now a crime scene and that Sam considers her a suspect since her fingerprints are on the knife. Emily asks why Glenn was banned, but Sue says it was because he sent food back to the kitchen. Sue claims she threw out Glenn’s gift.
Emily and Sam arrive at the “special event” and find Brooke, Fred, Morgan, and Harvey. Glenn’s lawyer, Talia, plays a video Glenn recorded before his death. Glenn explains that if they’re watching this, he’s already gone. Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Glenn says he’s created a game with a valuable reward. He reads a clue: “A jolly giant who bore a glowing torch… sheds its light on Scrooge.” Sam wants to confiscate their books, but they refuse. Harvey introduces himself sayinghe used to run a hot dog cart outside Glenn’s bookstore years ago.
Emily suggests they divide and conquer between the game and the murder investigation, but she reminds herself to keep Sam at arm’s length.
At the bookstore, Fred welcomes Emily and mentions he’s reading A Christmas Carol for the first time. He reveals that Glenn was his mom’s brother and took him in after she died. Emily notices the first-edition books are missing, and Fred believes they could be part of the prize.
Back at her shop, Emily finds a water leak. When she tells Violet to use the UV light to check money, she gets inspired. Using the light, she shines it on Glenn’s book and reveals a hidden word: “Solutions.”
She interrupts Brooke’s yoga class to check her copy, which reveals the word “Memories.”
When Emily returns, she finds Sam fixing the leak but he gets called away to investigate a break-in at Talia’s office. The thieves took the USB drive containing Glenn’s video. Talia mentions only four of the five invitees attended the event. Emily checks the books and finds each has three hidden words. Fred arrives and says he and Morgan are backing out of the game, wishing them luck.
Emily visits Sue, suspecting she might have the missing invitation. Unfortunately, Sue already threw it away, and the trash was collected.
At the station, Violet sees a file on Emily, but Sam says it’s standard. He reassures her she can leave early to be with her mom.
Emily invites Morgan to her shop and urges her to work together to solve the game. Morgan, tired of Glenn’s manipulation, agrees to think about it.
At home, Emily reflects on how much she’s opened up with Sam. He calls, asking if she knew about Glenn’s health. Emily reveals that Fred’s mom had Huntington’s disease. Sam says he wants to help with the puzzle, accidentally admitting he’s concerned for her safety. Emily agrees to have him join.
Meanwhile, a mysterious figure flips through surveillance photos of Emily.
The next day, Emily finds Sam telling Fred that Glenn had Huntington’s. Fred says he would’ve taken care of him if he’d known. Emily wonders if Glenn had expensive treatments or insurance, noting the potential value of the missing first editions.
Sam offers to help repair her wall from the leak, and she accepts.
Later, Fred tells Emily that he and Morgan want to rejoin the group. They gather at her shop to unscramble the hidden words: “precious,” “this,” “solution,” “seek,” “will,” “of,” “memories,” “eve,” “Christmas,” “way,” “to,” “your.” Even though they’re missing three words, they start piecing the puzzle together.
Fred recalls a memory and suggests they search the bookstore for another clue. On the way, Emily spots the same suspicious car from the night of Glenn’s murder. At the bookstore, they find someone has broken in—Fred realizes it’s his long-lost brother, Noah.
At the station, Sam interrogates Noah. He claims he hadn’t seen Glenn in 18 years until the night of the party. Noah received an invitation and a key from Glenn, thinking it was for the bookstore. He admits he saw someone in the Santa suit leaving the diner and tried to follow them but lost track. He later found the Santa coat behind the diner and took it because it reminded him of his uncle and his childhood. Noah confesses to stealing the USB drive from Talia’s office.
Sam and Emily discuss their lack of holiday plans. Sam mentions he’s available if she wants company, and she says she’ll think about it. After she leaves, Sam reopens her file.
Emily finds Fred waiting for Noah’s release. Fred reveals they had a good relationship growing up, but Noah disappeared after their mom died. Fred admits he found the missing clue after everyone left the bookstore earlier.
As Emily heads home, a mysterious SUV speeds toward her, nearly running her over.