The Worst Noel

by Amy M. Reade

  “Got any ideas for making up for the sales you’ve missed?”

  Lilly sighed. “Nope. It’s a jewelry store, so it has to be classy. I can’t just hang up a banner that screams ‘Belated Black Friday sale!’”

  “Why not? That’s what it is.” Noley’s practicality got in the way of her small business sense sometimes.

  “Because I cater to rich people who are looking for a special experience. If all they want is jewelry on sale, they can get that online. They want to be pampered and treated like royalty.”

  Noley smirked. “I’m glad I’m not rich. I like things simple.”

  Lilly laughed. “I’m glad you’re not rich, too. You might not want to hang out with me anymore.”

  Noley snapped her fingers. “I know. Why don’t you host special evening hours in the next week or two?”

  Lilly thought for a moment. “You might have something there. I could serve wine and cheese and make it really special. People would eat that up. So to speak.”

  Noley grinned. “I’ll work on a menu that will dazzle. It’ll be a surprise. How can you advertise so that people know to come?”

  “I could make up some classy-looking flyers and put them in the hotels and bed and breakfasts around here.”

  Noley was warming up to her idea. “And you could put ads online and in the newspaper. People still read newspapers, don’t they? This is going to be so much fun!”

  Lilly reached for her bag and took out a notebook and pen. She started making a list of places to advertise. “When should I do it?” she asked.

  “How about next weekend? You could stay open late in the evenings after the rest of the stores close.”

  Lilly stopped writing, her hand poised over the paper. “Uh-oh. Forget it. I wasn’t thinking—the other shop owners will give me so much flack that it won’t be worth it.”

  “Why should they give you flack?”

  “Because the stores on Main Street are supposed to be closed by six in the evening. And if I stay open, they’re going to get all bent out of shape that I’ve got longer store hours than anyone else.”

  “Well, you’re the head of the Chamber of Commerce. You ought to be able to do that if you want.”

  “That’s just it. I don’t want it to seem like I’m getting special privileges because I’m the president of the Chamber of Commerce.”

  “You deserve something for doing that thankless job.”

  “I agree, but that’s not how it works. We’ll need to come up with a different idea.”

  “Why can’t all the stores be open, then? That way everyone benefits and you get to go ahead with your plan. It doesn’t seem fair, though, that all the stores have to be open. Your store is the only one that lost profits because it was closed.”

  “I could see if that’s a possibility,” Lilly mused, stirring her coffee. “If I could call a vote on it in the next twenty-four hours and if we could advertise quickly enough, we might be able to pull that off.”

  “How do you call a vote?”

  “I’ll just email everyone. Voting by email is okay under the bylaws. I know everyone is in town, so it should be easy to get in touch with all the board members.” She scrawled a note at the top of the paper reminding herself to send that email as soon as she got home. “I’ll ask the kids to get to work on designing a flyer for the extra hours and another flyer for just my store.” Laurel and Tighe made up Lilly’s design team.

  Chapter 8

  The food came and, as promised, Noley’s fries were delicious. They put the plate in the middle of the table and shared them. Lilly was biting into the second half of her roast beef sandwich when an extremely tall, slender man walked up to the table. Herb Knight. Lilly suppressed a groan.

  “Lilly, good to see you. I’m sorry about what happened at your store.”

  “Thanks, Herb. Do you know my friend Noley?”

  He held out his hand and shook Noley’s proffered hand. “Nice to meet you,” Noley said.

  “Likewise.” He turned his attention back to Lilly. “So what are you going to do to make up for lost time in your shop? I noticed the police are still there.”

  “Actually, Herb, I’m glad you asked. I’ve been thinking about it and I have a proposal I’d like to make to the Chamber of Commerce.”

  Herb gave Lilly a wary look. “What kind of proposal?”

  “I’m thinking that we have two evenings next weekend—say, Friday and Saturday—when all the stores on Main Street stay open a few hours late for shoppers.”

  “I don’t think that’s allowed under Juniper Junction ordinances.”

  “The ordinance states that the stores have to close at six o’clock in the evening unless there is an agreement among all the shop owners to extend that time.”

  “And what would this accomplish?”

  There was no point in trying to convince him she was doing this out of the kindness of her heart because he’d never believe it. “Well, for one thing it might allow me to make up for some of the sales I lost because of Eden’s murder. But it doesn’t just benefit me—it would benefit everyone.”

  “I’m not sure I like that idea, Lilly. I, for one, appreciate my evenings off.”

  “Herb, you’re a yoga instructor. Aren’t yoga instructors supposed to go with the flow?” Lilly asked with a trace of annoyance in her voice.

  “Not when someone is trying to take away my self-determination.”

  “It’s just two nights, Herb, and just to give shoppers a little more time to peruse everything Main Street has to offer. And being on Main Street at night is lovely. A lot of people don’t know that because the shops close and they don’t come down here unless they’re going to one of the restaurants.”

  Herb let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll think about it. Have you told anyone else?”

  “You’re the first one.”

  “See if you can get other business owners on board and then I’ll let you know my vote.” He turned and walked away.

  “That guy teaches yoga?” Noley asked, her incredulity evident in her eyes.

  “Yes. Can you believe it? He’s the most uptight guy in town. I’m surprised you’ve never met. He’s been around for years.”

  “I’m not really the yoga type,” Noley responded. “I’m more of the relax-in-yoga-pants type.”

  “I know,” Lilly said, laughing. “Now finish up so we can get back to my house. I’ve got an email to compose.” They split the bill and Noley did indeed leave a very big tip.

  Back at Lilly’s house, Noley packed the things she had brought over earlier and went back to her own house. Tighe texted Lilly to let her know he would be home soon, and Lilly sat down at her computer. Suddenly she was keenly aware of being alone in the house, and her heart was beating hard. She looked down at her fingers on the keyboard. They were trembling just a little. She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. After all, Barney was here and he would be acting strange if anyone had been in the house in her absence.

  She took her time composing the perfect email to the members of the Chamber of Commerce, acknowledging that she had lost business because of the unfortunate events at the jewelry store but also mentioning that extra shopping hours for a weekend during the holiday season would benefit all the Main Street shop owners. A half hour later she sent the email flying through the ether and waited anxiously for Tighe and Laurel to get home.

  Tighe arrived first. Lilly practically accosted him at the door, telling him about Noley’s idea to have extra store hours and serve customers, or “guests” as she thought of them, hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Tighe was enthusiastic about the idea and went right upstairs to design a flyer appropriate for the occasion. Laurel came home while Lilly was making dinner. Lilly had texted her several times but gotten no reply.

  “Where have you been?” Lilly asked, trying to keep her voice even.

  “I was at Nick’s house.”

  “I asked you to text me.”

  “Sorry. I forgot.�
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  “What were you doing at Nick’s house?”

  “Talking to his mom. Why the twenty questions?”

  “I just told you, I asked you to text me. If you can’t keep me in the loop when you go out somewhere with someone I haven’t met, you’re going to have to stay home.” Laurel rolled her eyes.

  “And don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady.”

  “I’m sorry, all right? We just got talking and time got away from me. It’s no big deal.”

  “It’s a big deal if I don’t know where you are and I can’t get in touch with you!” Lilly hadn’t meant to yell, but her frazzled nerves were getting the better of her. “Now wash your hands and start making a salad for dinner.”

  “What’s the matter with you, Mom? You’re being way too protective,” Laurel snarled. Lilly closed her eyes and counted to ten. She didn’t want to have to tell the kids about the intruder, but she might just blurt it out if Laurel kept pushing her buttons.

  Laurel stomped off to the powder room and Lilly could hear the water running. She heard Laurel yell something.

  “What?” she answered.

  Laurel came into the kitchen wiping her hands on her pants. “Why doesn’t Tighe have to help?”

  “He’s busy doing something else for me. He’s designing a couple flyers for an event I’m thinking of holding. If you’d been home on time you could have designed the flyer and he’d be making a salad right now.”

  Laurel ignored the hint. “What kind of event? Here?”

  “Not here. At the store. It’s an afterhours shopping event.”

  “Sounds cool.” Laurel was obviously trying to get back on Lilly’s good side without actually apologizing for her behavior. Lilly recognized Laurel’s stubborn streak because she had that same streak. So did Laurel’s father.

  They chopped and simmered side-by-side until Laurel’s phone rang. She reached to answer it and glanced at Lilly. “If that’s Nick, you can talk to him later.”

  It was Nick. Couldn’t that boy leave her daughter alone for five minutes? Laurel did as she’d been told, though, and hung up the phone after promising to call him back after dinner.

  Tighe came downstairs waving a sheet of paper triumphantly. “Mom, what do you think of this? It’s just a draft, but I think it turned out great.”

  He stood between his mother and his sister and proudly thrust the paper in front of them. Lilly looked at it closely. “I think it’s perfect,” she said.

  “Laur, what do you think?” Tighe asked. His sister peered at the paper. “I like it, but I think this part is a little hard to read,” she said, pointing to the part of the flyer that listed the shop’s temporary hours.

  Lilly looked over Laurel’s shoulder. “You know, she’s right. Maybe make that font a little bigger?”

  “Okay,” Tighe said, and he bounded back upstairs.

  After dinner Lilly took a plate of dinner over to her mother. “Hi, Mom. How’s everything?”

  “Everything is terrible,” Lilly’s mom said with a snarl.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “That Edna Laforge came to see me today. I can’t stand her, the old bat. She says Tighe makes too much noise and Barney is out barking at all hours. I told her she’s crazy.” Lilly turned away from her mother to busy herself at the sink, smiling.

  “Why wouldn’t she just come talk to me if she’s got a problem with Tighe or Barney?” Lilly asked.

  “Because she’s passive-aggressive, that’s why. I’m not letting her in the next time she comes over.”

  “You do what you feel is best, Mom.”

  “How’s Billy? He didn’t stop by to see me today.”

  “I’m sure he’s very busy with the shopping season in full swing and all. Shoplifters abound.”

  “I think he’s too smart to deal with things like that. They need to make him chief.” Lilly smiled again.

  “He doesn’t want to be chief, Mom. Too political. He likes getting out on the street and talking to people.”

  “He’s too smart for that,” she mumbled.

  “Well, if he’s so smart then he needs to find a way to get the cops at my store to hurry up and get out of there.” Lilly stopped short, remembering that her mother didn’t know about the murder at the shop.

  “What?! Why are the police at your store?”

  “We had a little trouble there on Friday. It’s over now, but they’re still gathering evidence. They should be out of there in no time,” Lilly said brightly, hoping to redirect her mother onto other topics.

  But her mother had no intention of allowing herself to be misdirected. “This is why I think I should start watching the local news again,” she mused aloud. “How else am I going to find out what goes on around here?”

  “You hate the local news.”

  “I know, but if nobody’s going to tell me anything, I have to find out somehow.” She shook her head in disgust.

  “Mom, eat your dinner. Don’t worry about my store or anything else. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

  “I used to know everything that went on in Juniper Junction,” she said. “If someone wanted the scoop, they came to me to get it.”

  “Believe me, Mom, you still know more than most people.”

  “Not the important stuff,” she answered with a snort.

  “Mom, I need to be at the store early tomorrow morning. Do you need anything else while I’m here?”

  “No, dear. You go back home and tell Tighe to make all the noise he wants.” Lilly kissed her mom goodbye and left, shaking her head and smiling. On the short drive home she wondered what other rumors Mrs. Laforge might be spreading about her little family. So much for living next door to a nice little old lady.

  Tighe had finished the flyers when Lilly got home. She checked her email to see that several of the members of the Chamber of Commerce had replied with a “yea” vote for extended shopping hours the following weekend. Herb, naturally, had replied in the negative, stating his position again that this was no more than a gimmick to allow Lilly to recoup some of her losses from Black Friday.

  “That old goat,” Lilly muttered when she read his email.

  She was getting ready for bed when the phone rang. It was Bill.

  “What’s up? Mom says you didn’t stop to see her today.”

  “I’ve been busy at the office. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”

  Chapter 9

  “That doesn’t sound good. A heads-up about what?” Lilly asked, her brow furrowing.

  “Your fingerprints were found on the pearl necklace that was used to strangle Eden Barclay.”

  Lilly felt the first stirring of unease in her stomach. “Of course my fingerprints are on it. It came from my store. I’ve probably put that necklace around the necks of two dozen women. How were the police able to get a fingerprint big enough? Those pearls aren’t that big.”

  “They had enough partials to figure it out.”

  “Bill, you know I didn’t strangle Eden Barclay.”

  “Of course I do, but I can’t obstruct an investigation. I already told them that you’re far above suspicion, but they have to go where the evidence leads. And right now it leads to your fingers being on the necklace.”

  “So what’s going to happen?” Lilly’s mouth felt dry.

  “At some point they’re going to want to talk to you. I don’t know when. But just tell them the truth and you ought to be fine.”

  “Can they arrest me?” Lilly’s voice sounded high to her own ears.

  “I suppose they could, but they would have a hard time explaining that. I mean, your fingerprints would be expected on that necklace. In my opinion, they need to do a lot more work before they can even think about arresting you. And I don’t say that just because you’re my sister. I say that because it would be true of any murder and any person of interest.”

  “So I’m a person of interest.”

  “Lil, get some sleep. I just called to give you a friendly warning th
at the police are going to want to talk to you again. Don’t give it another thought. Goodnight.”

  Lilly hung up. Really? Get some sleep now, after she’d just been informed she was a person of interest in a murder investigation?

  But she tried. She lay back against her pillow and tried to will herself asleep, but dreams wouldn’t come. She tossed and turned most of the night, wondering what would happen to her kids if she was put in jail, wondering who would run her store, how she would tell her mother. Finally, as dawn arrived and the sky brightened to a dusky gray, she fell asleep for a few minutes. The sound of Laurel going into the bathroom woke her up. She staggered down to the kitchen to make coffee and eat a muffin before getting ready for work.

  Often Lilly went to church on Sunday mornings but when she woke up she felt that what she needed more than anything was to be at her store. She let the kids sleep in and she tidied up the house before going to work, still on autopilot from getting no sleep. She was relieved to see her shop empty of police officers when she arrived on Main Street, which was just beginning to come alive. The mountains behind Juniper Junction blocked the sun from reaching Main Street before eight o’clock on late fall mornings, so the snow had a purple-gray look to it. The Christmas lights still twinkled in the shop windows, giving Main Street an air of deserted festivity.

  Lilly found the back door of her shop unlocked. Rats. That meant there was probably a police officer still in there.

  And sure enough, when she pushed the door open a police officer rose from a chair next to her desk. She gave him a questioning look.

  “The team’s done in here, Ms. Carlsen. I stayed on last night just to make sure nothing else happened.”

  “Thank you. So I can get back to work and open the store and have customers in here and everything?” Lilly asked.

  “Yup.” He touched his hat as he opened the back door. “I’m sure someone from the department will be in touch.”

  Lilly sat down at her desk and looked around. She was so tired. All she wanted was to go back home and sleep for hours. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen and the best thing for her was activity. When she had finished all the paperwork requiring her attention, she went to the front of the store, surveying the mess left by the police. The disarray looked incongruous with the Christmas décor.