diff --git a/lib/mu-store.cc b/lib/mu-store.cc
index be7694e3..896d2a7f 100644
--- a/lib/mu-store.cc
+++ b/lib/mu-store.cc
@@ -376,6 +376,27 @@ Store::set_dirstamp (const std::string& path, time_t tstamp)
 }
 
 
+MuMsg*
+Store::find_message (unsigned docid) const
+{
+        LOCKED;
+
+	try {
+		Xapian::Document *doc{new Xapian::Document{priv_->db()->get_document (docid)}};
+                GError *gerr{};
+                auto msg{mu_msg_new_from_doc (reinterpret_cast<XapianDocument*>(doc), &gerr)};
+                if (!msg) {
+                        g_warning ("could not create message: %s", gerr ? gerr->message :
+                                   "something went wrong");
+                        g_clear_error(&gerr);
+                }
+
+                return msg;
+
+	} MU_XAPIAN_CATCH_BLOCK_RETURN (nullptr);
+}
+
+
 bool
 Store::contains_message (const std::string& path) const
 {
@@ -633,6 +654,9 @@ mu_store_get_read_only_database (MuStore *store)
 	return (XapianWritableDatabase*)self(store)->priv()->db().get();
 }
 
+
+
+
 gboolean
 mu_store_contains_message (const MuStore *store, const char* path)
 {
@@ -709,13 +733,7 @@ mu_store_get_msg (const MuStore *store, unsigned docid, GError **err)
 	g_return_val_if_fail (store, NULL);
 	g_return_val_if_fail (docid != 0, NULL);
 
-	try {
-		Xapian::Document *doc =
-			new Xapian::Document
-			(self(store)->priv()->db()->get_document (docid));
-		return mu_msg_new_from_doc ((XapianDocument*)doc, err);
-
-	} MU_XAPIAN_CATCH_BLOCK_G_ERROR_RETURN (err, MU_ERROR_XAPIAN, 0);
+        return self(store)->find_message(docid);
 }
 
 
@@ -1388,7 +1406,6 @@ mu_store_get_dirstamp (const MuStore *store, const char *dirpath, GError **err)
 }
 
 
-}
 
 void
 mu_store_print_info  (const MuStore *store, gboolean nocolor)
@@ -1430,3 +1447,4 @@ mu_store_print_info  (const MuStore *store, gboolean nocolor)
 
 	g_strfreev(addrs);
 }
+}
diff --git a/lib/mu-store.hh b/lib/mu-store.hh
index bab4c457..c2e4a5cf 100644
--- a/lib/mu-store.hh
+++ b/lib/mu-store.hh
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 #ifndef __MU_STORE_HH__
 #define __MU_STORE_HH__
 
+#include <mu-msg.h>
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 
 #include "mu-contacts.hh"
@@ -129,6 +131,14 @@ public:
          */
         bool remove_message (const std::string& path);
 
+        /**
+         * Fina  message in the store.
+         *
+         * @param docid doc id for the message to find
+         *
+         * @return a message (owned by caller), or nullptr
+         */
+        MuMsg* find_message (unsigned docid) const;
 
         /**
          * does a certain message exist in the store already?
@@ -215,7 +225,6 @@ private:
 
 #include <glib.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
-#include <mu-msg.h>
 #include <utils/mu-util.h>
 #include <mu-contacts.hh>