Gooseberry Christmas

by Kathi Daley

  “Yes,” I agreed. “It is a shame.”

  “Does this sort of thing happen often?” the woman asked.

  I furrowed my brow. “I’m not sure. Today is my first day working the lot. But I guess I would hope that this sort of thing doesn’t happen often. It seems that if it did, there would be a different protocol put into place.”

  “To be honest, I’m kind of surprised the lot is even open at all. I guess you heard about that man who died here.”

  I nodded as I led the woman to the area where the Noble firs were displayed. “Yes. I did hear about that. I’d never met the man, but I’ve spoken to several of the other volunteers who’d worked with him in the past.” I stopped next to a gorgeous tree. “How about this one?” I walked all the way around it. “No bare spots. And it’s tall.”

  “This one is too tall.”

  I took in a breath and looked around. “Okay. I think the slightly shorter trees are along the fence. Let’s check those.”

  The woman followed me to the back of the lot. “My neighbor, Lottie, told me that the guy was murdered. Stabbed clear through his chest to his heart,” she said.

  “Yes. I heard that, as well.” I pulled a tree out from behind another less than perfect tree that had been stacked in front of it. “How about this one? It’s nice and full, and a good foot or two shorter than the other one.”

  “It’s too short. I need something between the two. I need one just the height of the one that was stolen.”

  “So, about seven feet?”

  “Yes. Seven feet should work.”

  “Okay.” I looked around and tried to find a tree I thought might work.

  “Lottie told me that the man who died here was a bit of a tomcat.”

  I smiled. “Yes. I’d heard that as well.”

  “Based on what has been said about the man, I suspect someone might have taken exception to his catting around and put an end to things.”

  Based on what I’d heard, I figured the woman was right, but I really wasn’t one to gossip. “How about this one?” I held out a perfectly lovely tree that looked to stand just about seven feet tall.

  “It’s too thick at the bottom.”

  I set the tree aside and began digging through the trees further to the back.

  “Lottie said that if she was to put money on the outcome of Deputy Todd’s investigation, she’d put her money on Karen Highlander as the killer.”

  I stopped what I was doing. “Karen Highlander? I’m afraid I’m new to the area and don’t know the woman. Why did Lottie seem to think Karen would kill Bradford?”

  The woman frowned. “I’m not entirely sure, but Lottie mentioned something about Karen’s husband having served in the war with Bradford. I guess they were lifelong friends. She also mentioned that there had been a falling out between Karen and Bradford a few weeks ago. Lottie wasn’t sure what the falling out was about, but she imagined that it had been due to the man’s cavalier attitude toward women.”

  “But Lottie didn’t know for sure why Karen was mad?”

  “That’s what I just said.”

  “Yes, I guess it is.” I pulled a tree out that had been about four trees back. “How about this one? It seems perfect.”

  She shook her head. “Too bare on the bottom.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So far, we’ve had too tall, too short, too bushy, and too bare. Are you sure none of these will work?”

  “None of them are as good as the one that was stolen.”

  I could see that I was never going to make this woman happy. “There is a tree,” I finally said, coming up with an idea. “It’s a Douglas fir and not a Noble fir, and it’s nine feet in height instead of seven, but it is a very special tree. In fact, it has been reserved for a VIP customer. I really shouldn’t let you take it, but I do feel bad that your perfect tree was stolen.”

  “Can I see it?”

  I had to admit she looked interested.

  “Okay,” I said, “but let’s keep this between us. I really don’t want the others to know that I allowed you to take the VIP tree. If you like it, we’ll load it into your truck, and I’ll find another tree to replace the one I gave to you, so no one knows what we did.”

  As predicted, the woman was thrilled with the VIP tree, which was actually just a tree that hadn’t been placed in the lot yet. I’d seen it earlier when I’d been helping another customer, and it was a nicely shaped tree, so I supposed it could have been a VIP tree. After I loaded it in her truck, I headed back to the sales booth only to find that Brenda had returned. When she suggested that I take a break, I decided to call Parker with the gossip I’d just picked up about Karen Highlander. I didn’t know if it would turn out to be relevant or not, but it seemed like the sort of thing Parker might want to look into.

  After I spoke to Parker, I went in search of Adam, who I’d hoped to spend the day with but had barely even seen at this point. I knew he’d spent most of the morning building stands and placing trees, so I headed toward the back of the lot where the stand construction had been taking place.

  “Did you get the woman with the missing tree taken care of?” he asked me after I’d joined him.

  “I did. It wasn’t an easy task since she was bound and determined not to find anything as nice as the one someone had stolen, but in the end, I managed to send her off happy. Brenda is back, so I’m here to help you if you need help.”

  He wiped his hands on his pants. “Actually, I was just about to take a break and have some lunch. Do you want to join me?”

  “I’d like that very much.”

  “It’s such a nice day; why don’t we grab something from the boardwalk and then sit at one of the picnic tables in the sun?”

  “Sounds perfect.” And it was perfect. Chili dogs with Adam on the boardwalk was so much better than dining in a five-star restaurant with anyone else.

  Chapter 8

  During lunch, Adam and I had discussed the Christmas tree lighting that evening. I’d mentioned that I planned to go, and he mentioned that he planned to attend as well and wondered if perhaps we should attend together. I, of course, was thrilled with the idea of a date with Adam and accepted his offer, although, after a bit of consideration, I wasn’t entirely certain the suggestion had been made with dating in mind. I realized that the way the conversation had played out, it was equally likely Adam had simply suggested attending together the way two friends might ride together to an event they both planned to attend.

  In the end, I decided I really didn’t care whether Adam’s intention was an actual date or merely a shared ride. Any chance to get to know the man better was a welcomed opportunity in my mind. Of course, the faded jeans and equally faded sweatshirt I’d worn to volunteer at the Christmas tree lot would never do in either situation, so I begged off early so I’d have time to go home, walk the dogs, shower, and dress in something a bit less casual. I still needed to go for warmth since the temperature was supposed to dip into the thirties this evening, but I figured heavy leggings, a long wool sweater, leather jacket, and suede boots would work just fine.

  Adam picked me up at five-thirty as we’d arranged. The Christmas tree lighting on the boardwalk was to take place at six, which would be followed by a performance by the high school band and choir. After that, we planned to walk around and look at the colorful displays, which would eventually take us to the steakhouse at the harbor where Adam had made dinner reservations for seven-thirty.

  I’d never lived in a small town before and found that I rather liked walking up and down the street, greeting folks who already felt like friends even though I’d only met them once or twice. Of course, Adam knew almost all the locals, so we were stopped every few steps to chat as we made our way through the adorable little town.

  The Christmas tree itself was set up in an area of the boardwalk that expanded into the bay a bit further than the walkway. The band was set up next to it with the choir lined up in front. A child who looked to be around ten had won the right to fl
ip the switch that would turn the lights on. After the mayor made a brief speech, the tree was lit, and the band and choir started up. Once the musical portion of the evening came to an end, Adam took my hand, and we started off down the street. It was fun to stop at all the little carts and booths and look at the local fare. The boardwalk itself was decorated with lights and wreaths, providing a festive feel to the area.

  After we walked to the end of the boardwalk, we crossed the street and headed up the other side. Visitors packed most of the touristy little shops so tightly that it made it almost impossible to get inside, so we mostly just looked in the windows and pointed to items we might come back to take a closer look at another day.

  By the time we arrived at the harbor, I was starving. Luckily, the restaurant, which was decorated with its own Christmas tree and lights, had our table ready, so we didn’t have to wait. Adam ordered wine, and we each ordered a salad while we looked over the options for the main course. Once the salads had been delivered and we’d each ordered our main course, we settled in to relax and get to know each other a little better. Adam asked me questions about my work as a private investigator, and I asked him questions about his work with the family foundation.

  “The foundation has been around since my great-grandmother founded it in the nineteen fifties,” he informed me. “She was interested in establishing a way to fund some of the charities she supported. Although since she’d moved here from London less than ten years earlier, she was mostly involved with overseas charities. After my great-grandmother passed, my grandmother took over as chairperson for the foundation. Unlike my great-grandmother, who sent most of her money overseas, my grandmother was more interested in helping those who lived on the same continent as she did, so the tone of the foundation changed to reflect her preferences.”

  “And what sort of things was she interested in supporting?” I asked.

  “My grandmother was keen on supporting people. She donated a lot of money to homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and she was very active in affordable housing and medical care.”

  “Seems like a worthwhile mission.”

  Adam nodded. “It was.”

  “And does the foundation fund similar charities now that you and Archie have taken over?” I wondered.

  “Sort of. After my mother married my father, she took over the foundation. Mother was a lot more interested in the arts than she was in soup kitchens, and the foundation came to reflect her interests. She tended to focus on funding the ballet and the opera as well as various museums, and those sorts of things. After she died, the management of the foundation was left to me. Although Archie is technically on the board and shows up at a couple meetings a year to keep up appearances, he really isn’t interested in being involved. Initially, I just continued to fund all the same things my mother had funded, but now that I’ve been at it a while, I can see that it might be time for me to put my own mark on things and look for projects that interest me.”

  I took a sip of my wine. “I think that putting your own mark on things is a wonderful idea. You spend a lot of your time managing the foundation, so I suppose the foundation should reflect your interests.”

  He broke off a piece of bread and buttered it.

  “Are you planning to make very many changes?” I wondered.

  “Perhaps. I’ve been careful to move slowly and deliberately so as not to upset the apple cart too much. And, even though Archie has shown no interest in being involved, the foundation is his heritage as well, and I want him to participate at whatever level he’s willing to.”

  “I think your attitude is admirable.”

  He smiled. “I don’t know about admirable, but I care about Archie, and I want him to be part of whatever changes might come in the future.”

  “So, are you thinking about funding something other than the arts?”

  He nodded. “I’ve actually given this a lot of thought, and I think I want to focus on education.”

  “That seems like a worthwhile goal. Do you have specific plans or ideas?”

  He hesitated. “I won’t go so far as to say I have a plan, but I do have a dream that I suppose could be considered a goal.”

  I looked him in the eye. “Go on.”

  “The house on Piney Point is much, much too large for Archie and me. Even if we both married and had multiple children, it would be too large to feel warm and cozy. I’ve spent some time trying to decide what to do with the place, and after a lot of consideration, I realized that I’d like to turn it into a school.”

  I raised a brow. “A school? Really? What type of school?”

  “I’d like to open a school for gifted kids who are dealing with behavioral and environmental factors that seem to prevent them from reaching their true potential.”

  “So the mathematical genius who’s flunking out of school because he’s bored, or the computer nerd who can’t afford college.”

  “Exactly. The house is large enough to accommodate classrooms, labs, libraries, and living quarters. Don’t get me wrong, my idea would be a huge undertaking, but in the end, I feel like a place like that might turn out some brilliant minds that might otherwise be lost.”

  I smiled. “I really, really love the idea. What does Archie think?”

  “Archie says that whatever I want to do is fine, but, as I’ve already said, I really want to have his support. The reality is that if I turn the house into a school, I’ll also be upending both our lives. I’ve tried to talk to him about exactly what this might mean for us, but he just shrugs and says he’ll be fine wherever we decide to live.”

  “Do you have a plan for that?” I wondered. “An alternate place to live?”

  He set his fork on his salad plate and pushed it to the center of the table. “We have options. We could reserve a wing in the house for the family and just rework things, so our wing is out of the way of the school. We could remodel that wing into two separate apartments.” He took a sip of water. “Or we could build homes on the land behind the house. There’s plenty of acreage for both of us to have a large home that will accommodate an eventual family. Or we could move off Piney Point and buy or build homes on the bay. We have the financial resources to accomplish any of these options, and I can see the pros and cons of each choice.”

  “Maybe now that you’re home for a couple months, the opportunity will present itself for you to really talk to Archie about the future.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Can you think of any reason that Archie wouldn’t want to open a school on the property?”

  He frowned. “I’m not sure. Archie is hard to read. On the one hand, he’s super chill and easygoing, and he seems to be all about having fun, but, on the other hand, I know him well enough to know there is more to him than just having fun. When our parents died, Archie was still a minor, so all the legal and financial decisions fell to me. But he’s an adult now, and I really want him to be a partner in this. I’ve tried to open the door to have an in-depth heart to heart, but Archie has been oddly closed off. Not in general, but simply closed to even discussing his involvement with the foundation. Whenever I bring it up, he simply comments that whatever I want to do is fine. I just wish I knew what was really on his mind.”

  The conversation paused as our main courses were delivered. I’d ordered scallops, which looked delicious. Adam and I both ate for a few minutes before I resumed the conversation. “If you open the school, will you spend more time in Gooseberry Bay?”

  He nodded after slicing off a piece of his prime rib. “A lot more. If I open the school, I’m going to give up most of my other projects. I really want to take a hands-on approach in the venture, and the last thing I want to do is to spread myself too thin.”

  “And how do you think Archie will feel about you spending more time at home?” I asked before pausing to take a sip of my wine.

  “He’s always saying that he wishes I was around more, so I think he’ll most likely support a situation which would allow me to stay close t
o home.” Adam paused. He took several bites of his meal before he spoke again. “I guess I do need to talk to my brother again. Thanks for listening. I appreciate having someone to discuss this with, but maybe you can keep all this to yourself for now. I probably shouldn’t even have brought up the school until Archie and I settled on a decision.”

  “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

  After we finished our meal, Adam and I walked back to the area where he’d parked hand in hand. The ride back to the peninsula was accomplished in comfortable silence. When we arrived at the parking area for the cottages, he insisted on walking me to my door. I invited him inside, but he said that he’d had a long day, so he kissed me on the cheek and left. Okay, I can’t say that our outing was exactly date-like, but it was nice. Adam was a hard man to read, but I suspected that given his propensity to travel so much, he liked to keep his relationships casual. At least those he forged at home. I supposed that suited me just fine. I was only here on a temporary basis at this point, and I realized it might be best if I kept my relationships casual. At least until I solved my mystery and figured out what I was going to do with my life.

  Chapter 9

  It had been almost a week since my dinner with Adam. He’d been busy at the Christmas tree lot, and I’d been busy helping at the community center, but we both had today free, so we decided it would be a good day to get back to my mystery. Adam had requested that the maids clean and air out his parents’ suite, which included a sitting area and his mother’s office. I wasn’t sure if we’d have any more luck than we’d had when we’d looked through his father’s office, but Adam reminded me that sometimes you just had to keep moving forward with the knowledge that you’d eventually get where you were trying to go.

  “Wow, the place looks amazing,” I said after Adam greeted me in the drive. The mansion had been decorated to look like a fairyland. The trees along the long drive leading from the narrow lane that served Piney Point to the house had been strung with small white lights. There were lights arranged along the eaves of the house, as well as around many of the windows in the front of the massive structure. The pillars that framed the front porch had been wrapped with pine garland and gold lights, and the tall front door featured one of the biggest wreaths I’d ever seen.