by Amber Crewes
“It’s your father’s favorite,” Rebecca declared. “Many Christmases ago, my family attended a party at your father’s parents’ house. I whipped up one of my coconut tarts, but as I tasted it, I felt it needed more flavor. I looked around my Mama’s kitchen, and when I saw a fresh pineapple, I knew it would be the perfect touch for my treat. I roasted the pineapple and cut the pieces into little stars in honor of the holiday.”
Meghan’s heart warmed at the dreamy look on her mother’s face. “Then what happened?”
“I took the dessert to the party, and when your father tried it, he demanded to be introduced to the baker. I was the baker! We were introduced, and it was love at first bite, as we like to say.”
Meghan’s face glowed as she imagined her parents as young people in Texas. “That’s the best story, Mama. I’ve never heard it before!”
Rebecca nodded. “It just goes to show that food is a way to a man’s heart. In fact, we should finish up these treats and take some to Jack at the station. Didn’t you tell me he worked a double shift?”
Meghan bit her lip. “He did,” she confirmed. “He’s been working day and night to find out just how Roger died.”
“Then it’s settled,” Rebecca announced. “We will finish these treats and then take some to Jack. I have an idea! How about we recreate some of the holiday magic I shared with your father years ago?”
Meghan nervously raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Rebecca gave her daughter a sly look. “We have all of the ingredients we need here,” she said. “What if we made coconut tarts with roasted pineapples on top? That was the key to your father’s heart, and I’m sure Jack would be delighted to share in some of our family fun! Come on, Meghan! Say yes. It did wonders for your father and me; those tarts are the whole reason you are here.”
Meghan giggled. “Well, I don’t think the tarts are the only reason I’m here, Mama…”
“Oh, you silly girl. Come on, my dear. Indulge me. Roll up your sleeves, and let’s make some of the tarts for your man. It’ll make magic happen for you two, I guarantee it!”
Thirty minutes later, Meghan bid farewell to Pamela and Trudy as they left the bakery. She and Rebecca packed up the warm tarts, and they bundled up in their heavy coats to brave the cold night air. It was a windy night, and the breeze stung Meghan’s cheeks. “Are you sure you don’t want to buy a second home in the Bahamas?” Meghan joked to Rebecca as she navigated through a snow bank.
“Don’t tempt me,” her Mum countered.
The two arrived at the Sandy Bay Police Station and were directed to Jack’s office. As they walked down the hallway, they heard the booming voice of Roberto Luciano. “I had nothing to do with that man’s demise,” Roberto insisted as he stormed down the hallway past Meghan and Rebecca, Chief Nunan trailing behind him with a notebook in her hands. “This incident is ruining my business. We had ten cancellations last night for our dinner hours, and today, fifteen people have cancelled! I am going to have to close down my restaurant if something doesn’t change. This is preposterous!”
Meghan cringed as Roberto began shouting in Italian. “He is so angry,” she whispered to her mother as they watched him stalk down the hallway.
“He has a right to be,” Rebecca said. “That man dropping dead in front of his restaurant isn’t good for business, just as he said. It’s quite sad that such a fine restaurant is losing patrons.”
Meghan shrugged. “I think it’s quite sad that a man passed away, and all anyone seems to care about is business. Between Roberto and Kayley, it seems like people don’t care that a poor man who was down on his luck is now gone. Where is the holiday spirit?”
“I see plenty of the holiday spirit right here.”
Meghan looked up to see Jack grinning down at her. He looked tired; with the deep, heavy bags beneath his eyes, his disheveled clothes, and his matted hair, it was evident that he had been working nonstop.
“How are the two most beautiful ladies in Sandy Bay?” Jack asked Meghan and Rebecca.
“We’re just fine, Jack,” Rebecca answered. “We brought something to you. Meghan says you’ve been working around the clock, and we thought you needed a treat. Now, I’m sure you wouldn’t have to work such long hours if you had a nice, proper business job, but we’ll let that be.”
Jack gritted his teeth and pasted a smile on his face. “Thank you for thinking of me,” he said to Rebecca. “What kind of treat?”
Meghan held up a white wicker basket. “It’s filled with coconut tarts topped with roasted pineapple,” she said to Jack. “We baked them fresh this afternoon. I was telling Meghan that these were the first treats I ever made for her father, and that you would adore the surprise as well. We’re keeping a dear family tradition alive!”
Jack beamed. “You are too good to me,” he murmured to Meghan as he lifted a tart out of the basket and took a bite. “This is delicious. Meghan, you are such a sweetheart. I’m going to get you anything you want for Christmas. Anything!”
Rebecca glanced up at Meghan and winked. “See?” she whispered to Meghan. “Food is the key to a man’s heart. Maybe by next Christmas, there will be something special on your finger, Meghan. You heard the guy; he’s going to get you anything you want for Christmas.”
10
The Sandy Bay Food Bank was held each morning at the Sandy Bay Community Gymnasium. Meghan was shocked by how many people were present; by her count, nearly two-hundred homeless people were in line for food and services, and she smiled as she watched groups of people happily eat their meals.
“This is quite the production,” Rebecca remarked to Angela as she led them through the gym. “What an efficient process.”
“It’s great, isn’t it?” Angela replied as she walked in front of Rebecca and Meghan. “One of my dear friends from college runs a major food bank on the East Coast, and every year, she comes out here to help us improve our system. Here, come around to the serving side. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Meghan watched in awe as Angela joined a group of servers giving food to a line of homeless men. The process was efficient; every server gave exactly the same amount of food to each guest, and the portions were very generous. The meals consisted of chicken, spinach salad, an orange, and a roasted red pepper, and Meghan was impressed by the quality of the food.
“The servers all give out food in unison,” she said in amazement. “How do they do it?”
Angela stepped forward and joined the line, grabbing a serving spoon and smiling at the guest in front of her while still speaking to Meghan. “We offer a half-day training for everyone who wants to help,” she told Meghan as she scooped up a serving of chicken and placed it on a tray. “We train our volunteers to serve quickly and fairly; everyone gets a large, healthy meal, and everyone can leave here with full bellies and good service.”
Meghan watched as Angela served three guests in a row in under ten seconds. “You are so fast.”
“It’s the training,” Angela told her. “We practice serving and use timers, and we bring in treats and prizes to make it more like a competition. It’s all great fun, and we have a steady group here. I’ve been volunteering here for years, so I know our guests pretty well.”
“It’s sweet that you call them guests,” Rebecca said as she eyed a man in a tattered pair of overalls.
Angela shrugged. “Here, these folks are our guests. Homeless people matter. They have feelings and needs. We don’t believe that if someone is down on their luck, that their life loses value. Sure, it gets frustrating when these people gather in front of our restaurant and scare away customers, but at the end of the day, they are just people.”
Meghan looked around the crowded gym. “What can we do to help?” she asked Angela.
“You haven’t been trained in the serving process, but you could go chat with some of our guests,” Angela told Meghan. “There’s a spot at that table over there. Rebecca? Why don’t you go visit the nursery? We offer childcare durin
g meal times, and you might enjoy visiting with the little kids.”
Meghan and Rebecca set off in their different directions. Meghan took a seat at a table of middle-aged men. “Hi,” she said to the man beside her. “I’m Meghan. What’s your name?”
The man was dressed in a ratty sock cap and a dirty turtleneck. He had a thick beard that curled around his collarbone, and Meghan could smell his greasy hair. “Why are you talking to me?”
Meghan smiled. “I’m visiting today,” she said to the man. “I might start volunteering here.”
The man laughed. “Oh, a little spoiled princess working with the poor? That’s rich.”
A woman beside him elbowed the man in the side. “Alan, be nice to her. She’s just being friendly.”
Alan frowned. “It’s embarrassing that rich folks come in here and talk with us poor people,” he replied briskly to the woman. “Look at this girl. She looks like she ain’t ever done a lick of hard work in her life.”
Meghan pursed her lips and nervously played with her hands beneath the table. “I have worked before,” she insisted. “I work at a bakery in town. I own it, actually.”
Alan narrowed his eyes and stared into Meghan’s face. “Oh? How much of your food do you donate to us homeless? Judging from the look on your face, I would guess that you don’t give anything away. I hate that. I hate when rich little girls march in here to volunteer for the day, but in reality, they don’t really care. If you really care, little rich girl, you would donate food from your bakery to feed the poor.”
“You are right,” Meghan agreed. “I should do that. I don’t know why I never thought of it, but that is something I need to start doing.”
Alan rolled his eyes. “Don’t talk down to me, rich girl,” he growled as he balled his hands into fists. “You need to get out of my face.”
Meghan shook her head. “I just wanted to come over and say hi,” she pleaded with the man as his face darkened. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”
Alan glared at Meghan and rose to his feet. “Little rich girl here is sorry she offended me, huh? You don’t want to know what happened to the last fellow who offended me, rich girl.”
Meghan’s eyes widened as Alan stormed away. “Just ignore him,” the woman begged Meghan. “He doesn’t mean to be bad, and we are truly grateful for the chance to get meals here.”
Meghan nodded. “It’s okay,” she said to the woman as she pulled her dark hair back into a ponytail. “I feel bad that I offended him.”
Alan circled back around to the table and resumed sitting by Meghan. “Sorry,” he muttered as Meghan leaned away from him. “I get angry sometimes. Sorry I was nasty.”
Meghan forced herself to smile. “It’s fine,” she said. “I just want to visit with everyone and spread some holiday cheer.”
“I had enough holiday cheer this year,” Alan laughed as Meghan raised an eyebrow. “That loser Roger Williams died. That brought enough cheer to my heart for the year.”
Meghan’s mouth dropped open. “Did you know him?”
Alan smirked. “Oh, I knew him. That idiot didn’t deserve to become the store Santa, and I’m glad he...dropped dead before he could.”
Alan turned around and grabbed a loaf of bread from the table behind him. “I’m extra hungry today,” he said as he stuffed the bread into his mouth.
The table behind him yelled. “That’s ours,” they shouted. “You jerk.”
Alan rose to his feet and grimaced as a portly man from the other table walked over and shoved him. Alan kicked the man’s knees, and the man fell to the ground. Alan chuckled to himself as everyone stared at him.
“You all had better let me do what I want,” he yelled to the crowd of shocked bystanders. “I wanted more bread, so I took it. I wanted to be the Santa at the store, so….just listen up, people. You mess with me, and I’ll mess with you. You should see the last guy I messed with. He was dying to get away from me.”
A collective gasped filled the room, and Alan’s eyes bulged out from his head. “I didn’t kill Roger, or did I? I know what you all are thinking. I’m out of here.”
Meghan stared as Alan turned on his heel and bolted out of the gym. She reached into her red purse and retrieved her cell phone, quickly dialing Jack’s number. “Babe,” she breathed into the phone as Jack answered. “I think I know who did it. I think I know who murdered Roger.”
11
“I’m just not sure, Meghan,” Jack said as the pair talked on the phone later in the evening. “The officers brought him in and talked with him, but I’m just not sure if this is our guy.”
Meghan snuggled deeper into her bed and pulled the comforter up to her neck. She could see the snow falling out the window, and she felt cozy and comfortable amidst the three chai-scented candles burning in her bedroom. Fiesta and Siesta were asleep at her feet, and Meghan wiggled her toes beneath their warm little bodies.
“You did say that Alan had a checkered past,” Meghan replied to her boyfriend. “You told me that Chief Nunan pulled some records of his. I even read online that there’s even an arrest warrant out for him right now. He stole some cans of tomatoes from the store last week!”
Jack sighed into the phone, and Meghan could hear the angst as he replied. “He kept saying he was innocent, Meghan. You should have heard him; he sounded so earnest as he pleaded with Chief Nunan.”
Meghan remembered how intimidated she had been when Alan taunted her at the food bank. He had scared her, and Meghan sensed that Alan was not just an ordinary homeless man. He struck her as a killer, and Meghan’s gut was telling her that something was amiss.
“I know he scared you,” Jack said. “Don’t worry, he’s being held in jail pending further investigation into the murder case. Chief Nunan mentioned that there was a similar case to this one out in Maine, and perhaps we have a serial killer on our hands. She wants us to be thoroughly cautious, so she’s confined Alan to an isolated cell until we can learn more.”
Meghan sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear,” she told him. “He was so frightening, Jack. He had a scary look in his eyes.”
Jack’s voice broke. “I just don’t want to mess this case up,” he choked as Meghan’s heart began to race.
“Jack?” Meghan asked in concern. “What’s wrong? What’s the matter?”
Jack cleared his throat. “It’s nothing. I just have some things on my mind.”
Meghan bit her lip. “I’m here if you need me, Jack,” she said. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Meghan,” Jack replied, and Meghan’s heart soared with those three special words. “I just don’t think he did it. My gut is telling me that he didn’t. What does Alan have to gain?”
Meghan raised her eyebrows. “The prize money,” she argued. “He could have wanted to be the Santa at the store, and Roger was going to be given the part. What if Alan wanted the prize money?”
“That’s what Chief Nunan said,” Jack admitted. “But I don’t know. My gut is telling me something else. Listen, I’m going to get off the phone and go for a walk. I need to clear my head.”
“Okay, bye, love,” Meghan said as she hung up the phone.
Meghan’s cell phone immediately buzzed. Thinking it was Jack, she answered without pausing. She was surprised to hear her father’s voice.
“Meghan, what are you up to?”
She looked around her bedroom. “I’m all snuggled up for the night,” she said to her father. “Why, Daddy?”
“The snow is falling like crazy, and the moon is so bright. I’m dying to get out of this hotel room. Let’s go for a nighttime walk. What do you say?”
Meghan groaned, but she knew that she needed to spend as much time as possible with her parents before they left. “Of course, Daddy,” she answered. “Let’s meet at the beach in twenty minutes. I’ll bring the dogs; they look so precious in their winter coats, and they can’t wait to see their Grandpa.”
It was nine in the evening by the time Meghan and Henry made it
to the beach, but the light of the moon lit up the sand and the sky. “It’s just beautiful,” Henry gushed as he guided Fiesta along the shore. “The snow looks like diamonds! Your mother would sure like it.”
Meghan giggled. “Mama loves diamonds, but she hates getting cold,” she replied. “I think she’s in the perfect spot in her hotel room, that’s for sure.”
Henry chuckled good-naturedly, and then, he pointed to a lone figure in the distance. “Hey, isn’t that your man, Meghan? That’s Jack. Look! He has a dog with him.”
Meghan whistled, and Dash, Jack’s dog, sprinted toward her. Jack ran after the dog, and he smiled when he realized it was Meghan who had called for Dash. “Meghan. Henry. What a surprise.”
Meghan leapt into Jack’s arms. “I didn’t know you would come here to walk. I’m so happy to see you. Are you doing better, babe?”
