Candy Canes and Cadavers

by Angela K Ryan

  “Or anyone else who bought a pair of those earrings at Just Jewelry,” Grace said. “We haven’t sold a ton yet, but, in addition to the twenty-five that Damian purchased, we have probably sold about twenty more.”

  “That would mean the killer is woman,” Jo said.

  Greg looked at Gary and shook his head. “What killer? The police haven’t even determined that it was a homicide.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” Connie said. “All suspicious deaths have to be treated as homicides. That’s why the detectives and forensic investigators came tonight. The toxicology report can take four to six weeks to come back, so the police can’t wait to receive the results before they begin investigating.”

  Greg ran a hand through his thick graying brown hair. “Connie, it scares me that you know these things. This proves that you’ve been involved in too many murder investigations since moving to Sapphire Beach.”

  “I’m not getting involved in anything,” Connie said. “I’m just discussing what we know.”

  “Just promise me that’s as far as it goes. All of you,” Greg said waving his finger at each of them.

  Jo ignored her husband’s request. “I did notice the usher who seated us was wearing a pair of candy cane earrings.”

  “Yes, I noticed that too,” Connie said. “Her name was Dottie McKenzie.”

  “I doubt ushers have access backstage,” Stephanie said.

  “Good point,” Gianna said. “So basically, the killer is likely a woman who was at Damian’s Christmas party, or who bought the earrings from Just Jewelry, and had backstage access. That doesn’t narrow things down very much.”

  “If there was a killer,” Gary said. “It’s just as likely that Damian had a disease he didn’t know about.”

  “Or one he knew about but didn’t tell anyone,” Greg added.

  “I went back to see Sophie and offer my condolences,” Grace said. “As far as she knew, Damian was healthy.”

  “I don’t envy work that the police have ahead of them,” Stephanie said.

  “Finally, a sensible statement,” Greg said. “The police have a lot of work ahead of them. The guys that are paid and trained to hunt down killers.”

  The women once again ignored Greg’s observation, and each seemed lost in thought.

  “If he was poisoned,” Gianna said, “it would have to have been someone close to him.”

  “And the person would have needed access to his food or beverages,” Connie said.

  Greg glanced at the clock on the DVR. “I can see this is a losing battle. It’s getting late, and I’m beat. I think I’ll call it a night.”

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Jo said. “I’m just going to have some herbal tea before bed.”

  Connie jumped up. “I just remembered I haven’t walked Ginger yet.”

  “It’s late,” Gary said. “I’ll do it.”

  “Thanks, Gary. That’s why you’re my favorite brother-in-law,” she said playfully.

  “I’ll take the compliment, even though I’m your only brother-in-law.”

  “It’s been a long day,” Stephanie said. “I should go, too. I’ll walk down with you.”

  Once everyone had left, including Grace, Connie, Jo, and Gianna were alone.

  “So, what’s our plan, Detective Connie?” Gianna asked.

  “Well, I hate to say it, but Dad’s right. We shouldn’t insert ourselves into a police investigation.”

  Jo looked at Connie with raised eyebrows. “Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?”

  Connie tried to suppress a smirk. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t pose a few strategic questions. After all, Damian and Auntie Concetta were good friends, so it would be strange if we weren’t at least curious. They’ll probably reschedule the performance soon. Let’s see what we can learn when we go back to the theatre.”

  Chapter 5

  On Saturday morning, Connie and Gianna persuaded their father to make pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Since Jo was an amazing cook, Greg never had any incentive to develop his own skills, which left a lot to be desired when it came to dinner, but his pancakes could rival the best breakfast joints.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” Connie asked after they said grace. Her mouth watered as she piled bacon, eggs, and three fluffy golden brown pancakes on her plate and covered them with maple syrup.

  “We thought we’d spend the day on the beach,” Gianna said. “Gary and I are determined not to leave Florida without a tan, and the kids have their hearts set on building sandcastles.”

  “I was hoping we could rent a pontoon boat one day, like we did a few years ago,” Jo said.

  Connie smiled as she remembered their trip to Sapphire Beach the year before the twins were born, when the whole family, including Concetta, spent the afternoon gliding across the Gulf of Mexico. “I’m in, as long as I can get the time off from work,” Connie said. “And feel free to use my new paddleboard today. It’s in the storage closet in the garage.”

  Connie walked Ginger while the others cleaned up after breakfast, then headed into the shop. She had been missing her sidekick at Just Jewelry, so she decided to take Ginger with her for the day. Besides, she suspected the poor little dog needed a respite from her three-year-old playmates.

  Connie barely arrived at Just Jewelry in time to open the store at 9:00. She had told Grace to take her time coming in, since they had had a late night at the theatre. Connie got to work right away creating more candy cane earrings, in between serving customers. She hated to think that one of her earrings was found next to Damian’s body, but she refused let that put a damper on the fundraiser. The nutrition center project was too important.

  An hour later, Grace arrived with two coffees in hand. “I thought after last night and a house full of company, you could use an extra caffeine boost,” she said, handing one of the coffees to Connie.

  “Thank you, Grace. But you are in the same boat with my parents staying at your house.”

  Grace laughed. “Your parents are easy compared to two three-year-olds.”

  The mention of the twins brought a smile to Connie’s face. “I’m relishing every moment with them. Being in their everyday life is what I miss most about living so far from Boston. But I’m not going to lie,” Connie said, after taking a long sip of coffee. “They are a handful.”

  For the rest of the morning, Grace tended to the customers while Connie continued to work on the earrings. Just as she and Grace were about to take a break, Zach stopped in.

  “I wanted to make sure everyone is okay,” he said, sitting across from Connie and Grace at the oak table where Connie had been working. “Your poor family. They came to Sapphire Beach early to attend a play and honor your aunt’s memory, and opening night is cancelled for a tragedy.”

  Connie noticed that Zach didn’t use the word murder.

  “We had such a wonderful time at Damian’s Christmas party,” Connie said, thinking back to the Gulf-front mansion exquisitely decorated for the festive occasion and the hospitality they had received. “It was so nice to be back in Concetta’s world with my mother and sister. We are devastated that this happened in my aunt’s beloved theatre. She used to refer to the Sapphire Beach Playhouse as her pet project.”

  “I’m sorry this has been so hard,” Zach said.

  “I know you have to treat all suspicious deaths as potential homicides, but do you think Damian really was murdered?” Connie asked.

  “All we can do is speculate. From the appearance of the body and from what the Medical Examiner said last night, the preliminary signs point to poison. But we won’t receive the toxicology report for at least a month. In the meantime, we are treating it as a homicide investigation.”

  “If it was murder, the faster you get it solved, the better chance the playhouse has of surviving. I imagine they will lose money from cancelling last night’s performance.”

  “The forensic investigators finished processing the scene this morning, so the ope
ning performance has been rescheduled for tonight. They are going to add a couple of extra shows for those who were planning to attend last night’s and this afternoon’s performances. They’ll still lose a little money, but it won’t be as bad as it could have been.”

  A lump grew in Connie’s throat. The Sapphire Beach Playhouse couldn’t afford to lose even a penny, if things were as bad as William had said.

  “The other actors said Damian was fine when he arrived at the theatre at 5:00, and they didn’t think he ate anything while he was there. What could have he have ingested that contained poison?” Connie snapped her fingers. “The antacid! It was common knowledge that Damian consumed a large amount of antacid before every show. I’ll bet his antacid bottle was laced with cyanide.”

  “Woah, Sherlock, slow down,” Zach said, laughing. “We sent everything in the dressing room to the lab, so if your theory is true, we’ll know soon enough.”

  “And what about the candy cane earring? Somebody wearing a pair of my earrings was clearly in his dressing room last night. Since Damian gave a pair to the entire cast and crew on Thursday night, the killer was likely someone who was at the Christmas party.”

  “I’m not going to ask how you knew there was a candy cane earring at the crime scene,” Zach said. “But yes, that’s one possible scenario. We are just in the beginning stages of our investigation. Speaking of which, I have to get back to work. I just wanted to check in. And thanks again for the invitation to Christmas dinner.”

  Shortly after Zach left, Connie received an email from the theatre informing her that the performance had been rescheduled for that evening at 7:00.

  “Damian would have wanted the show to go on,” Grace said, when Connie informed her. “The cast and crew worked so hard on this play and the Sapphire Beach community deserves a Christmas production. I’m glad the play is on.”

  Connie texted the others, and they made plans meet to attend opening night for the second time.

  While Grace tended to some customers, Connie opened her laptop and performed a more extensive internet search for cyanide poisoning than she had been able to do the previous night at the theatre. Based on everything she knew – what Eloise had said about Damian complaining of nausea and dizziness before he died, plus his pale skin and the bitter almond smell near the body - Connie was more convinced than ever that Damian had been poisoned by cyanide. Her research told her that a high enough dose could kill someone within fifteen minutes.

  Since there would be a performance that evening, Connie figured that at least some of the cast and crew would be at the theatre tidying up after the police. It might be a good opportunity to ask some questions. Grace agreed to cover the store while Connie went to the theatre, but not before Connie promised to pick up lunch on the way back.

  When Connie arrived at the theatre, the actors were milling about, some eating and others relaxing. Rick was sitting in the front row. He seemed to be taking a break, so Connie took a seat next to him.

  She shivered as she realized that she had been sitting in almost the same seat last night while Damian was dying.

  “How are you doing?” Connie asked.

  Rick shrugged. “I called a last-minute rehearsal to get everyone’s head back in the game. Everyone’s shaken up from Damian’s death, of course, but we’ll pull off the show. It’s a cast of professionals.” He nodded toward Stevie, who was eating lunch with his mother on the other side of the theatre. “Even Stevie is rising to the occasion.”

  Connie smiled and waved at them.

  “I just keep thinking how devastated my aunt would be if she were alive.”

  Rick nodded. “You’re right. She loved the playhouse, and she considered Damian a friend.”

  “Judging from the questions the police were asking, it sounds like they suspect foul play,” Connie said. “If that’s true, do you have any idea who might have wanted to harm Damian?”

  Rick leaned back in his seat, staring at the curtain in front of him. “The Sapphire Beach Playhouse has its share of drama.” He turned toward Connie with a smirk. “No pun intended. Perhaps a crazy fan did it.” Then he turned his gaze toward Eloise. “Or someone connected with the play.”

  Connie followed Rick’s gaze to where Eloise was sitting. “Why would Eloise want to harm Damian?” Connie asked in a whispered tone. “Damian seemed to have a lot of respect for both Eloise and Stevie.”

  “Let’s just say she and Damian… have a history. A long history. They worked together in California before she even came to Sapphire Beach.” Rick leaned closer to Connie. “And just between you and me, things were rocky between Sophie and Damian. There was a rumor that Damian was going to move out after the Christmas party.”

  “You know how people talk here,” Connie said. “The divorce could just be a rumor.”

  Rick shrugged. “It’s possible. But if you ask me, Damian did everything in his power to keep Eloise around the playhouse and as close to him as possible. He even used Stevie, giving him various roles. Lucky for all of us, Stevie takes after his mother and can act. Nobody really complained because Stevie was good, but if he wasn’t, we’d all be in trouble.”

  It was interesting information, but it still didn’t make sense. If they were in a romantic relationship, why would Eloise want to hurt Damian? If Eloise’s husband suspected an affair between Damian and his wife, he certainly would have a motive for murder. But Stephen was out of town last night.

  Connie glanced over at Eloise and Stevie, then back at Rick. “I’d like to chat with them. Is there time before rehearsal begins again?”

  “Go ahead. You have a few minutes.”

  Connie approached Eloise and Stevie, who were finishing their sandwiches. “I just stopped by to offer my condolences,” Connie said. Then to Stevie, she said, “I’ll be at opening night tonight and can’t wait to see you as Tiny Tim.”

  “Stevie,” Eloise said, “why don’t you go wash your hands before rehearsal begins again?”

  “How’s he holding up?” Connie asked once Stevie was out of earshot.

  “He’s sad. Damian was good to him. But I’m trying to keep his mind on the show. Neither Stevie nor the other child actors know that the police suspect foul play. But the rest of us know because of the questions they asked us last night. Everyone has been great about making sure that the kids don’t find out unless their parents choose to tell them. We just told Stevie that Damian was sick and passed away unexpectedly.”

  “That seems wise,” Connie said. “Damian seemed like a lovely man. He went out of his way to make my family and me feel welcome at his home during the Christmas party. It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to hurt him. You’ve known him for a long time. Do you know if he had any enemies?”

  Eloise smirked. “Damian Pritchard was a charming and gracious man. He was larger than life at times and he had a good heart. But when he wanted something, he would do anything in his power to get it.”

  Connie looked straight into Eloise’s eyes. “Some say that you were one of the things he would do anything to get.”

  Eloise pulled back and put her hand on her chest.

  “I’m happily married, Connie, and Damian was married to a wonderful woman. As far as I’m concerned, that option wasn’t even on the table.” Eloise looked around nervously. Connie wondered if she was watching out for Stevie or trying to make sure that nobody else overheard their conversation. She continued, “Many people didn’t agree with Damian’s approach to running this playhouse, so there’s that. He had some difficult decisions to make, and some people feared for their jobs. Plus, as I said, he was a very charming man with a lot of female fans who were really into him. He was a local celebrity and even had to be careful when he went out. Maybe one of them was a little too obsessed.”

  Connie thought about what Eloise said. If Eloise was right, that added to the number of possible motives. “Is there any fan in particular that comes to mind?”

  Just then, Rick announced that they would be starting
up rehearsals again in two minutes.

  Eloise looked around. “I don’t see Stevie. I need to make sure he’s on time. But there is one woman who volunteers as an usher: Dottie McKenzie. She was gaga over Damian.”

  Dottie had been on Connie’s list of suspects, since she been wearing candy cane earrings, but she wouldn’t have had backstage access. “The killer would have had to have been backstage,” Connie said. “I thought ushers aren’t permitted back there.”

  “Permitted or not,” Eloise said, “I saw Dottie backstage on opening night about twenty minutes before the play was due to start. She must have snuck out back in between seating people. It wasn’t the first time she tried to see Damian before a show. It’s like she thought she was a member the cast. If you ask me, she was delusional. She would even want to wish Damian luck when he wasn’t performing. She would say that his hard work made every performance possible. It used to annoy him to no end. She was warned that if she did it one more time, she would be asked not to return as an usher.”

  That would have been just after Connie talked with her. Given the timeline that Connie had pieced together, it was possible that Damian was poisoned right around that time.

  Chapter 6

  On Saturday evening, Connie arranged to meet the others at the theatre so she could arrive early to talk with Dottie.

  But Jo and Gianna quickly figured out Connie’s scheme and refused to let her go alone.

  “I’m not going to miss a chance to see my sister the sleuth at work,” Gianna said.

  They arrived about 6:15 so they could catch Dottie alone. Sure enough, they found her milling about in the lobby admiring the Christmas tree, which was decorated with pinecones and Christmas berry branches.

  “Good evening,” Dottie said. “You’re Concetta’s family, aren’t you? Can I take you to your seats?”

  Connie glanced at Dottie’s ears and noticed she was wearing pearl earrings and not the candy cane earrings that she had on yesterday. Had she lost one at the crime scene, or did she just choose not to wear them that night?