by Emmie Lyn
I guess I should have been used to this behavior by now since it had happened many times before. But not with Detective Winter. I helped Sue Ellen up, dusted her off, and made sure she wasn’t hurt.
“Bless your heart, Dani, but just stop with all the worrying over me. I’m fine.” She rummaged around in her extra-large leather tote that she always had with her and pulled out a package of wipes. Somehow, her bag supplied every random item that might be needed in any unexpected situation. She cleaned the scuff off her red boots with the wipe. “There. Good as new.”
While Sue Ellen attended to her cleaning routine, Detective Winter emerged from the back room with a wiggly Pip in her arms. The Pipster desperately tried to provide the detective with a good face washing, but Jane held Pip away from her body as though she smelled bad. The scowl on her face left no doubt about her reactions to seeing Pip… or us, for that matter.
It wasn’t a good start for my plan to soften up Detective Winter in Kelly’s favor.
“Who let you three in here?” she demanded. Several other policemen and women peered through the door of the back room at us.
For fear of getting anyone in trouble because of our sweet bribe, I skipped answering that question and jumped right to the important stuff. “We thought your team might be ready for a sugar boost?” I offered the box of cookies to her. “Christmas cookies—sweet butter cookies. You sampled one already, Detective Winter.”
A mix of competing decisions crossed Jane’s face. On the one hand, she most likely wanted us out of Creative Designs. On the other hand, everyone heard me say that she’d had a cookie already. How could she say no and deprive them of a sweet treat? It was almost Christmas, after all. Was her heart as cold as the wind blowing outside? I crossed my fingers and hoped she possessed some seasonal spirit to share with her companions.
We waited for what seemed like ages before Jane dumped Pip in my arms and held her hand out. “I’ll take the box.”
“And,” I continued before she could push us out the door, “since the crime scene is in the back room, could we help Kelly pack up some items in here?”
I swept my arm in a circle taking in all the beautiful jewelry, ceramics, and other objects that begged to belong in someone’s home. “To take to a different location for her open house?” I barreled on with my begging. “A lot of people in town have waited for this open house hoping to buy some last-minute presents.” I had no idea if this was true, but it might be. “And, the Maine artists who make these beautiful items are counting on Kelly to sell their work, so they have a nice finish to the year. It would be a win for everyone, right?”
“Not for Nick North,” she grumbled but I sensed her resistance crumbling. “But… none of the glass reindeer or Christmas trees are leaving the store.”
“Even the ones that didn’t break?” I asked, thinking this was completely unfair. “What difference would that make?”
“They might be stolen goods. I’m keeping them as evidence.”
“Stolen?” Sue Ellen whispered in my ear. “This is getting more and more mysterious.”
“Detective Winter, dear?” Sue Ellen said with her best southern belle charm, “I’d love to extend an invitation to you to attend the open house at the Little Dog Diner tonight. We’ll be serving festive Christmas desserts along with both hot and cold drinks.” She cupped her hand around her mouth. “And champagne.”
Jane seemed to thaw a bit after the invitation. Maybe she was just too new in town and hadn’t made any friends. Well, Sue Ellen would change that by pulling the new detective under her wing until she thawed.
“Thank you. If I’m not still completely tied up here, I’ll try to stop by.”
Sue Ellen clapped her hands together like a little girl. “Wonderful.” She leaned close to the detective. “You know, with most people in town showing up, what better place to find out what’s going on while everyone blabs about their various theories. Don’t you agree?”
“And,” I added, taking advantage of a golden opportunity to get my two cents in, “if you let Kelly bring over the glass reindeer and Christmas trees as a display,” I stressed, "maybe the murderer will show up to gloat.”
The muscles in Jane’s jaw relaxed. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. In her position, she had to portray her authority and competence. Now, all she needed was a little help adding a touch of friendly. The open house might just be her ticket to feeling more connected to Misty Harbor instead of being the new arrival in town.
If she warmed up to us, would she relax her focus on Kelly and AJ?
11
A loud commotion outside Creative Designs ended whatever conversation was still going on inside. We all turned and looked toward the door.
“Let me inside,” a woman demanded.
Jane strode to the door and yanked it open with one hard pull. “What’s going on here?”
“I insist on talking to Kelly Crenshaw. Is that you?” The woman glaring at Jane had pink cheeks from the cold and wore a stylish hat and a warm deep maroon coat. The bluest eyes I’d ever seen contrasted with her fair skin. I had no idea who she was.
Kelly poked my side and whispered. “That’s Marion Glassman, the glassblower’s daughter.”
Sue Ellen leaned closer to me and whispered, “Who is she?”
“The daughter of the glassblower who claims Nick stole his work,” I whispered back.
Sue Ellen’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness. What’s she doing here?”
Before we had time to move closer so as not to miss a single word, Jane pulled Marion inside and closed the door, cutting off the cold wind.
“I’m here to collect my father’s reindeer and Christmas trees that Nick North stole. You have no right to them.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Jane said.
“Well,” Marion said in an extremely rude tone. She stared down Jane with her hands on her hips. “And who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?”
Oh boy, this was not going to end well for Marion.
“Where are you staying, Ms. Glassman?” Jane asked, ignoring Marion’s original question.
“That really isn’t any of your business.”
As one, the three of us crab-stepped to the side so we could see Jane’s expression. I had to admire her professional behavior. Her face didn’t flinch or reveal any emotion, but I did notice that she flexed her fingers into a tight fist. All that energy had to go somewhere.
Marion took three steps into the shop and craned her neck sideways to see around Jane. “I’ll start by packing up those reindeer on that display.” She pointed to the back of the gallery where Nick had started to arrange his glass creations before his untimely demise. Or, Marion’s father’s creations. Who they belonged to was still unknown.
“Ms. Glassman, I’m Detective Winter and those reindeer are not going anywhere.
The Christmas music playing in the background stood out as the only sound in the suddenly quiet gallery. Even the busy back room had grown silent. All ears were tuned to the next episode of this soap opera.
“Oh? So, you’re finally investigating this theft of my father’s work? Well, that’s a plus at least.” Marion seemed suddenly to notice there were other people in the shop besides herself and Detective Winter. She glared at Kelly and Sue Ellen standing next to me like frozen statues.
"Which one of you is Kelly Crenshaw?”
Jane took Marion’s elbow, forcing her focus back on the detective and taking her attention away from us. “Before we get to your questions,” Jane said, “I need to know when you arrived in town.”
“My father, Harry Glassman, and I arrived last night but I don’t know what difference that makes. I’m here now to collect what rightfully belongs to my father.”
“That still has to be proven, Ms. Glassman. I’m sure you have to understand that during an investigation,” she stressed that word as if she was talking to a child, “I have to look at all people involved. Now, where did you say you and
your father stayed last night?”
“I didn’t say. And, where is Nick? I told that scumbag of a liar that I’d find him here to discuss how we’d resolve this problem.”
I gasped. I think everyone else did too.
“When did you talk to Nick about meeting him?” Jane asked, her voice calm, but those fingers kept flexing.
“I talked to him last night when I called him from the Blue Moon Inn. I told him I’d find him here.”
Jane nodded and pulled out her small notebook again, this time it was in her breast pocket. She jotted something down.
“What are you doing? Keeping notes on me?”
Detective Jane Winter was a hot ticket, and I was beginning to enjoy this show. Who knew she could play someone like a game of chess? She closed the notebook and looked at Marion. “Here’s the thing. You won’t be talking to Nick or packing up the glass reindeer and Christmas trees. But, if you agree, I’ll allow Kelly Crenshaw,” Jane turned and nodded toward Kelly, “to sell the items, but I’ll keep the money until ownership is sorted out.”
Sue Ellen jabbed me in my side before she blurted out, “Bless your heart, Detective. That’s a generous offer to keep the open house on track.”
Jane turned and glared at Sue Ellen as if to tell her to keep quiet before she ruined the delicate negotiation.
“Sorry,” a subdued Sue Ellen mumbled.
“Well?” Jane turned her attention back to Marion who looked like she’d just arrived from another planet and everything was one giant mystery to her.
Maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t. The fact of the matter was that Marion Glassman had a bone to pick with Nick North. She knew when and where to find him. She was staying only a hop, skip and jump away from Creative Designs at the Blue Moon Inn. In my book, that meant she had a motive, means, and opportunity to get revenge on the person who she claimed, stole from her father.
Jingle Bells played in the background before Marion answered Jane’s question. I eyed the box of cookies that Jane had set down on the jewelry display case. I wished I had a cup of hot tea and a handful of Lily’s butter cookies, only the Christmas trees though, to enjoy while this show came to its conclusion.
“Is this Nick’s way to buy time so he can still sell the items while he tries to convince everyone that he did all the creative work?”
“Not exactly, Ms. Glassman. Nick North is dead. Murdered.” Jane finally dropped that bombshell.
Marion stood right in front of all of us, looked up at the ceiling, and laughed.
I couldn’t believe it.
“What? Did someone finally decide to teach him a lesson?” she said once her laughter had died down. “That’s no loss in my opinion.” She flicked her wrist dismissively. “Sure, sell the reindeer. I’ll be glad to have the money in my father’s bank account.” She turned toward the door.
“Don’t leave town, Ms. Glassman. I still have more questions for you. And your father.”
“Are you suggesting that one of us killed Nick?”
“I’m suggesting that you shouldn’t leave town.” Jane turned around and looked at Kelly, effectively dismissing Marion Glassman. “I’ll have the items in the back packed up and delivered to the Little Dog Diner. You can pack up what’s in here.”
“Thank you,” Kelly said. She bounced on the balls of her feet with excitement and all her pent-up tension. “Thank you, so much, Detective. I hope you stop over tonight.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I wouldn’t miss your open house for anything,” Jane said. I read more into her words than she realized. She was coming, but I suspected that her main goal wasn’t to buy any beautiful handcrafted gifts.
I anticipated an overflow of customers at the Little Dog Diner.
Who would want to miss hearing the latest gossip related to a murder while snacking on delicious Christmas cookies and enjoying a glass of champagne?
No one.
After all, truth was always better than fiction.
12
“I’m still in shock that Detective Winter is letting us pack this stuff up and move it,” Kelly whispered to me as we carefully wrapped the glass reindeer and trees to carry across the street to the Little Dog Diner. “When we first walked in, I thought she considered arresting me and throwing me in jail.”
I leaned back on my heels and pushed my unruly curls out of my face. “Marion Glassman arrived at just the right time, didn’t she? And she admitted that she had a meeting set up with Nick,” I added. “She could have walked over early from the Blue Moon Inn, stabbed him, and left before AJ discovered the body.”
“She didn’t leave then, though,” Kelly said. “Someone knocked AJ over the head, remember? She must have done that and then scooted out the back door.”
I wondered if that was how it happened. It certainly sounded neat and tidy and a way to get my life back on the wedding track. I sighed. Unfortunately, mysteries, especially of the murder variety, were never that easy.
“Dani, you should talk to Penny Pratt,” Kelly said after she taped the last box shut. She stood and stretched the tension from her neck. “I’ve known her for as long as I’ve had my gallery. She makes all the felted and knitted items I sell here. I know she was hoping to move a lot of inventory at the open house tonight. She knitted a boatload of Christmas stockings, so I’m sure she’ll be more than thrilled that the open house is still on. I doubt she’d want to repack them and wait a whole year to find someone who wants to buy one of her beauties to hang on their chimney for Santa’s visit.”
“That’s a great suggestion. A visit with Penny Pratt at her Blue Moon Inn could very well uncover some juicy details about Marion and her father. I know her but probably not as well as you do. Does she like dogs?” I glanced down at Pip. She’d been more than patient through all this drama, but I could tell she needed some fresh air. I did too, for that matter.
“She loves dogs, except for her neighbor’s barking menagerie. She doesn’t have one because of her bed and breakfast. You know, just in case a guest is allergic or something like that. At least that’s what she said to me. She’s never minded when I brought my dog over for a visit.” Kelly held her arms out. “Load me up so I can get started organizing at the diner.”
“Me too,” Sue Ellen said.
I had a better idea for using Sue Ellen’s special talents instead of risking her slipping on ice and dropping boxes of fragile artwork. “The diner will need a special Christmas makeover—”
“Say no more, Danielle.” Sue Ellen raised her hand, stopping me in mid-sentence. “I’ll scoot back to my house and bring a load of decorations to make the Little Dog Diner sparkle, twinkle, and shine with the magic of the season.”
She’d read my mind like I knew she would. “Perfect!” I said. If anyone could transform a space quickly and beautifully, it was Sue Ellen Baer. Now, to get more help with this makeover.
I sent a text to Rose explaining the latest plan and to get Lily, Maggie, AJ, and Luke on board to help.
Of course her answer was short and to the point— On it!—she replied. I chuckled to myself. Rose was sure to have read between the lines of my message and would already have a plan to get this event up and running before anyone could shout Merry Christmas.
“Ready, Pip?”
Hearing her name, Pip danced around my legs letting me know she was ready for anything so, what was I waiting for? Let’s get going.
“First, the Little Dog Diner to let Kelly inside and grab a bag of Christmas cookies for Penny Pratt. Nothing will get us inside quicker than a delicious bag of cookies, right?”
A yip let me know that Pip was in complete agreement, and her pleading eyes reminded me to grab a treat for her, too. “I won’t forget to stick a couple of Lily’s homemade dog treats in my pocket for you, Pipsqueak.”
With Kelly in charge at the diner and Sue Ellen on her mission to provide decorations, Pip and I set out along Main Street to the Blue Moon Inn, one of the original homes in Misty Harbor that had been in t
he Pratt family for at least two hundred years. Penny had spent a fortune turning her home into one of the most popular bed and breakfasts in the whole state of Maine.
According to the Blue Moon Inn website, each room boasted a spectacular view of Blueberry Bay, a private bathroom, and every amenity anyone could hope for. I’d heard her breakfasts were sourced locally as much as possible with the freshest ingredients and seasoned with herbs from her own garden. From everything I’d heard, it deserved its top-rated reviews.
I don’t know how she managed, but on top of running the Blue Moon Inn, Penny managed to create the incredible products on display in Kelly’s shop.
I pulled my collar up against the cold wind blowing down my neck. My breath left a white cloud as I walked.
“Here we are, Pip.” I pushed the doorbell next to the front door.
We didn’t have to wait long before a gray-haired woman pulled the door open and smiled at us. “Good morning, Danielle, and Pip. What a surprise to see you.” Penny pulled me inside. “Come in and get yourselves out of the cold. I’ve got a fire in the sitting room for my guests, so come and enjoy the warmth, too.”
As soon as Penny stood to one side to make room for us to enter, Pip didn’t hesitate to make herself at home.
Penny laughed as Pip headed straight to the fire. “That’s one smart dog you have.”
I handed her my bag of cookies.
“Oh, thank you but you didn’t have to bring anything. I always love it when people from town drop in. I do wonder, though, what brings you out on this cold morning.” Penny closed the door and ushered me behind Pip into the toasty room.
The warmth from the fire and the scent of the burning logs provided immediate relief from the cold. I pulled off my hat and unzipped my parka.
“Would you like some tea or coffee? I’ve already got both ready for my guests.” Penny lowered her voice. “I haven’t seen hide nor hair of either of them yet this morning, although I did hear the front door close earlier.”
