Murder at the Mistletoe Ball

by J. D. Griffo

  Jinx’s pronouncement silenced everyone for a moment until they began to digest the accusation and reexamine their clues one by one. Once they discovered Natalie had lived with Rudy, they visited him, and he told them he was a pharmaceutical salesman who introduced Natalie to business contacts in New Jersey. Natalie was found in Newton, New Jersey, which was the location of the Trolloppe cardiac wing, and the only reason they knew about the place was because Rudy texted them the clue. D. Edward Carmichael was the hospital administrator of the institution, which was also highlighted in an article that Rudy had dog-eared in New Jersey Pharma magazine. The trail so far was one straight line that logically explained why the murder victim had traveled from Florida to New York to New Jersey. It was an even shorter line to explain why both Natalie and Rudy wound up dead in Tranquility.

  The Sussex County Medical Center had entered into a joint venture with St. Clare’s Hospital, causing Carmichael to work in tandem with the St. Clare’s hospital administrator, who was none other than Bambi DeBenedetto. They had clearly established a link connecting Natalie to Bambi, but how could they persuade anyone to believe that Bambi was a drug dealer?

  “We need more proof before we can throw around an accusation like that,” Alberta said.

  “Berta’s right,” Helen said. “Bambi and Carmichael are highly respected people in this community.”

  “We’ve known some highly respected people who committed some terrible crimes, Aunt Helen,” Jinx said.

  “That’s true, but if we want the allegation to stick, we need tangible proof,” Helen said. “We need a smoking gun to show that Bambi DeBenedetto or D. Edward Carmichael have gotten their hands dirty.”

  “I need to take another pause here,” Lisa Marie said. “What in the world does the D stand for?”

  Everyone looked at Joyce, who they suspected would have an answer.

  “I have no idea,” Joyce said. “For as long as I’ve known him, I’ve called him Carmichael.”

  “It’s dumb for a grown man to have an initial for a first name,” Lisa Marie said. “That’s proof enough for me that he’s hiding something.”

  “You might be right, Leese,” Alberta said. “The first time we went to see him we overheard him having a fight with a former employee who stormed out of his office, and the woman called him Eddy.”

  “Sounds like they may have had a personal relationship too,” Jinx commented, “if she addressed him so informally.”

  “My thought exactly,” Alberta said. “Carmichael also claimed not to know Rudy or Natalie, but there was something in his eyes that told me he was lying. Though it was hard to tell because he was dressed like Santa Claus.”

  “Another reason not to trust him,” Lisa Marie said. “Grown men don’t dress up in costumes.”

  “He said he was going to entertain kids in the pediatric cancer ward,” Joyce said.

  “A likely excuse!” Lisa Marie shouted.

  “I have to agree with my mother,” Jinx said. “I don’t trust the guy. He’s shifty and his behavior is odd.”

  “You know who else falls into that category?” Alberta asked, then answered her own question. “Dr. Kylie Manzini.”

  “How so?” Helen asked.

  “At the Mistletoe Ball she was quite upset by Natalie’s death,” Alberta said.

  “We were all shocked, Berta,” Joyce said.

  “It was more than shock,” Alberta said. “At first she was fine and then she was crying like something about her murder clicked, and Carmichael has holding her by the arm.”

  “Maybe she realized Bambi was the murderer,” Helen said.

  “She’s also heading the new research lab. Maybe she’s planning on doing more in that lab than look for a cure for cancer,” Alberta proposed. “It’s outlandish, I know, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.”

  Lisa Marie shook her head. “I don’t like any of this. I mean, I never liked Natalie and I’m not going soft just because she was murdered brutally and shoved unceremoniously inside some life-size Christmas decoration, which I know makes me sound as cold-blooded as the snowwoman Natalie burst out of, but this whole drug dealing thing frightens me. Had Natalie not been killed who knows what would’ve become of Sergio? He might have gotten caught up in the whole thing all because he loved the wrong woman.”

  “Like Mike DeDordo, who wrote in to me,” Helen said.

  “That name doesn’t sound right,” Lisa Marie said.

  “Knock it off with the names, Ma,” Jinx said.

  “No, she’s right,” Joyce added. “It is odd.”

  “Because it isn’t his real name!” Alberta shouted. “Dio mio! Break it down. Mike for Michael, then D, and Edordo is Edward.”

  “It’s Santa Claus!” Lisa Marie screamed.

  “D. Edward Carmichael is Mike DeDordo,” Alberta said.

  “Berta, that’s brilliant!” Joyce cried.

  “Maybe he was writing to me about Natalie,” Helen suggested.

  “It would fit if Natalie was telling us the truth about her bad family life,” Joyce said. “He was trying to protect her like a father should.”

  “Joyce, remember he told us that the new wing was built thanks to anonymous donors?” Alberta asked. “Maybe ‘anonymous donors’ is synonymous with drug money.”

  Alberta closed her eyes and conjured up all the key players in her mind—Rudy, Natalie, Bambi, Carmichael, even Kylie—and tried to remember how they appeared the first time she saw them. How were they acting? What did they look like? Was there something they were hiding? She opened her eyes because she remembered seeing something Rudy didn’t want her to see.

  “Per l’amor el cielo!” Alberta cried. “They’re definitely part of this whole drug dealing thing.”

  “What did you figure out now, Gram?” Jinx asked.

  “The boxes I saw in Rudy’s closet had stickers on them in the shape of a flower!” Alberta cried. “It didn’t make sense so it slipped my mind, but it couldn’t be any clearer: The Flower drug was in those boxes.”

  “Oh my God, Gram! That’s proof that they’re all somehow involved in selling this new drug,” Jinx claimed.

  “Then we need to take a closer look at Bambi, Carmichael, and Kylie,” Jinx said. “I’ve rescheduled my interview with Carmichael because he bailed on me the last time.”

  “I’m going with Sloan to his checkup with Kylie,” Alberta said.

  “I can make some excuse to meet with Bambi,” Joyce said.

  “That leaves me to try to track down J. J.,” Lisa Marie said.

  “I guess that means we’re making you an honorary member of the team,” Jinx said. “Welcome aboard, Ma!”

  “Let’s raise a glass to the newest addition to the unofficial Ferrara Family Detective Agency,” Alberta said.

  All the ladies raised their glasses of Red Herring, but before they took a sip, Lisa Marie added, “Let’s hope I don’t live to regret it.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Nessuno parla inglese?

  Before Lisa Marie could express any further misgivings about her new unpaid and potentially unhealthy position within the family business, some other honorary members barged into the house. Lola woke from her nap, hissing loudly, as she watched Sloan, Freddy, and Father Sal struggling not to drop the six-foot Douglas fir they were carrying. Alberta’s house would not be the only one in Tranquility without a Christmas tree.

  “What are you doing?” Alberta asked. “I told you I wasn’t putting up any decorations this year.”

  “I know that’s what you said, but I know that’s not what you meant,” Sloan said.

  “Do not argue with us, Alberta, we are three wise men bearing gifts,” Father Sal said. “Frankincense and myrrh are so first century, but I have brought with me Barbra Streisand’s Christmas album, which is certified gold.”

  “Where should we put this baby, Mrs. Scaglione?” Freddy said. “Please don’t tell us there’s no room at the inn because we’ll collapse if we have to carry this back out
to my truck.”

  Feeling like the one tone-deaf citizen of Whoville, Alberta knew she was outnumbered and didn’t attempt to argue with the boys. Instead, she instructed them to put the tree in the corner of her living room. Jinx and Joyce helped move the floor lamp and the console table that usually lived in that area and placed those pieces in different parts of the living room. Then the ladies watched the men get to work putting the tree in its stand, making sure the trunk was held in tightly, and cutting the protective netting so the branches could stretch and come to life. Despite her protestations, it brought a smile to Alberta’s face. The tree was exactly what had been missing from her home.

  Christmas Day was rapidly approaching and even though the family was hoping for a Christmas miracle, their decorations remained in storage. The men completely understood the reasons why they were lacking holiday spirit, but they also understood that nothing would energize them more than if they took a break to decorate a tree. If Lola, whose hissing had turned into rapturous purrs, was any indication, the ladies would soon be humming carols and stringing lights on the tree. Which was exactly what happened.

  “I know I shouldn’t be enjoying myself with my husband trying to salvage his business and my son, God help him, in jail,” Lisa Marie said. “But I am.”

  “Neither one of them would blame you,” Alberta said. “These things take time, but we’re getting closer to the truth.”

  “In the meantime, I have a box of ornaments that I’ve had stashed in my attic for years,” Sloan said. “It’s time we put them to good use.”

  “I bought some new decorations too, Mrs. Scaglione,” Freddy said. “I hope I didn’t overstep.”

  “You couldn’t if you tried, Freddy,” Alberta said. “Go get them so we can turn this place into our own little winter wonderland.”

  Alberta stared at Lisa Marie and her heart fluttered because she hadn’t seen that expression for decades. Her daughter’s smirk, combined with one raised eyebrow that lifted her birthmark an inch, could only mean one thing: She wholeheartedly approved of both Sloan and Freddy. Of course there was no reason not to approve of the men as they were kind, considerate, loyal, funny, and handsome.

  “You and my daughter have snagged yourselves two fine men, I must say,” Lisa Marie said. “I have a feeling I’m going to have to make the trip back up here for a wedding . . . or two.”

  “Silenzio!” Alberta shouted.

  “If my gambling days weren’t over, I’d bet my house that the Ferraras are going to have a wedding within the year,” Lisa Marie said.

  Alberta shook her head and laughed. She couldn’t fully describe what it felt like to be standing so close to her daughter having a silly conversation with her, but part of her wanted to break down and cry and the other part wanted to hug her and not let her go. Both reactions might result in Lisa Marie packing up the Subaru and camping outside the correctional facility where Sergio was being held, so Alberta chose to keep her thoughts and arms to herself. Her opinions about decorating, those she shared openly.

  “Freddy, what are those things you’re putting on the tree?” Alberta asked.

  “They’re ornaments made to look like iconic Italian foods,” Freddy explained. He then lifted the ornaments one by one from the box. “This one’s a slice of pizza, here’s a piece of lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, a little chicken parm, and, for dessert, a nice hunk of tiramisu.”

  “Jinx if you don’t marry this fella, I will!” Lisa Marie exclaimed.

  “Ma!” Jinx exclaimed loudly. “Ignore her, Freddy.”

  “Dude, competition is healthy,” Freddy joked.

  “The ornaments are beautiful, Freddy, thank you,” Alberta said. “Where’d Sloan get to with his ornaments?”

  “I don’t know,” Freddy said. “He was right behind me.”

  When Sloan walked through the kitchen door carrying a large box of ornaments, he looked nervous because he brought with him uninvited company. Jinx looked even more frightened because she knew her personal and professional lives were about to collide head-on. Lisa Marie just looked furious.

  “Is that your double-crossing, two-timing boss?!” Lisa Marie screamed.

  “I have been called that on one or two occasions,” Wyck replied.

  Lisa Marie ran into the kitchen and was only prevented from making contact with Wyck because Jinx and Alberta each grabbed an arm and held her back. No one put a hand over her mouth so they couldn’t stop her from threatening to kill Wyck.

  “You better get out of this house now!” Lisa Marie screamed. “Or I swear on my mother’s life you’re gonna be front-page news as Tranquility’s next murder victim!”

  “Please, I’m not here to cause trouble,” Wyck said. “I come bearing gifts.”

  He lifted his arms to show that he was holding a bag in each hand, the contents of which were presumably some kind of peace offering.

  “We already used that line, Wyck,” Father Sal said. “You’ll have to come up with something more original.”

  “How about I’m sorry?” Wyck said.

  “Sorry for what?” Lisa Marie asked. “For plastering my son’s face all over your two-bit paper?”

  “Hey, I work there, Ma!” Jinx shouted.

  “Except for the articles Jinx writes,” Lisa Marie added. “The rest of The Herald isn’t worth using for toilet paper.”

  “Mrs. Maldonado, I understand why you’re angry and that’s why I felt it important that I try to explain my position,” Wyck said.

  “The only position I want to see you in is horizontal with your arms folded across your chest!” Lisa Marie screamed, breaking free of Alberta and Jinx’s hold.

  “Ma! Enough!” Jinx shouted. “Wyck has a job to do, he runs a newspaper, and like it or not, Sergio is news. Wyck could’ve turned the whole thing into a sensationalistic nightmare, but he hasn’t. He’s bent over backward to ensure that Sergio gets treated fairly in every article that’s written about the murder.”

  “That’s right, Lees,” Alberta said. “He left out Natalie’s name because Vinny asked him to until they can reach her next of kin.”

  “I consider Jinx the daughter I never had, all of us at the paper consider her to be family, except maybe Calhoun,” Wyck admitted. “They have what could be described as a professional rivalry that pushes them to produce good journalism, but doesn’t always evoke compassion.”

  Sloan leaned closer to Wyck and whispered, “Stay on track.”

  “What I’m trying to say is that I’m not only an editor in chief, I’m a father too, and I understand your pain,” Wyck said. “I’m trying my best to make sure we don’t make matters worse and I wanted you to know that.”

  Everyone stared at Lisa Marie to see how she would respond, but she kept her gaze fixed on Wyck, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her lips etched into what seemed like a permanent snarl.

  “What do you say, Ma?” Jinx asked.

  “How about some squid pro quo?” she asked.

  “I think you mean quid pro quo,” Joyce corrected.

  “We say things differently in Florida!” Lisa Marie said.

  “What do you have in mind?” Wyck asked.

  “In exchange for me not ripping every fake strand of red hair out of your head,” Lisa Marie started. “You let Jinx write an exposé on this new street drug called Flower.”

  “First, I’m a natural ginger,” Wyck said. “And second, that’s an excellent idea.”

  “It is, Ma!” Jinx cried. “It gives me a credible reason to interview Carmichael and Bambi again and even pay a visit to Kylie’s lab.”

  “The apple really doesn’t fall very far from the tree,” Helen said. “Even if that apple rolled all the way down the hill and didn’t stop until it landed in Florida.”

  “If you do anything to cross me, Red, I meant what I said, I’ll kill you,” Lisa Marie stated.

  “I’ll print whatever Jinx writes,” Wyck said.

  “Then you shall live,” Lisa Marie
said. “For now.”

  “Ever since I’ve been spending more time with this family, I really do feel that in a past life I hobnobbed with the Inquisition,” Sal said.

  “Dude, Catholics don’t believe in reincarnation,” Freddy said.

  “I’ve always been a rebel, Frederick,” Sal replied.

  “Now that it’s been decided the kitchen won’t see any bloodshed,” Helen said. “Why don’t you hand out your gifts, Wyck?”

  “I know you’re the best cook in all of Tranquility, Alberta, but not such a great baker,” Wyck said.

  “That’s the understatement of the century,” Alberta said.

  “I thought you’d all like a taste of my homeland, some Irish trifle,” Wyck said.

  Jinx’s eyes lit up. “Is it Mrs. Wycknowski’s personal recipe?”

  “She’d divorce me if I ate any other kind,” Wyck said.

  “This is going to be a special treat, people, this trifle is almost as good as Gram’s lasagna,” Jinx said.

  “And what’s in the other bag?” Sloan asked.

  “Evidence of Helen’s success.” Wyck beamed. “This week’s Big Sister letters.”

  “Sul serio?” Alberta asked. “That whole bag of letters in just one week.”

  “Yup,” Wyck said. “And every one of them is for Helen.”

  “I didn’t think people wrote letters anymore,” Jinx commented.

  “They do if they want to preserve some kind of anonymity,” Wyck explained. “We’ve received a slew of e-mails too, but they can be easily traced. Big Sister’s the biggest hit The Herald’s had in years and it’s all thanks to Helen’s tough love approach.”

  “Just remember that it runs in the family,” Lisa Marie said. “Now, why don’t you leave your gifts and go?”

  “Ma, stop being so rude,” Jinx begged.

  “Your boss is still standing, isn’t he?” Lisa Marie asked.

  “Thanks, Wyck, but you should probably go,” Helen said. “I’ve got some letters to read and we may need to tranquilize my niece.”

  After Wyck escaped without enduring bodily harm, Alberta turned to her daughter to ask why she wished harm on her.

  “Why’d you swear on my life, Leese?” Alberta asked. “I’m not dead.”