Murder at the Mistletoe Ball

by J. D. Griffo

  “I think I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The nearest men’s room is down the hall behind me. It’ll probably take me fifteen minutes before I come back here. If the coast is clear by then, I’ll have no need to call security.”

  Alberta wanted to throw her arms around Luke and kiss his cheek, but she restrained herself. “Thank you.”

  She watched Luke turn around and walk down the hall just as he said he would. Alberta walked backward, not taking her eyes off Luke until he disappeared into the men’s room, and then she entered the HR office. Sloan was staring at the computer screen in awe.

  “Sloan, what’s wrong? What did you find?”

  “You are not going to believe it.”

  * * *

  After everyone had congratulated Freddy, praised his business acumen and the astute vision of the Tranquility Business Association for thrusting the annual accolade on him, it seemed like their plan might be thwarted. Alberta and Sloan were conspicuously absent.

  “Where’s Alfie?” Vinny asked.

  “She wasn’t feeling well,” Jinx said.

  “She had too many Yule-tinis,” Helen said.

  “Also too, Sloan drove her home so she could rest,” Joyce added.

  Vinny looked circumspect but didn’t try to poke holes in their statements. He did ask them to convey a message to her when they saw her.

  “Pedro texted me to confirm that he found traces of Flower in both Natalie and Rudy,” Vinny said.

  “There is some kind of drug ring in this quiet little town after all,” Lisa Marie said.

  “I don’t know if it’s based here,” Vinny said. “But it definitely has made an impact on our community.”

  It was frightening to think that even a small town like Tranquility could harbor such deadly secrets. Jinx shook her head and couldn’t believe that her brother could’ve gotten himself mixed up with such people, even unwittingly. She made the sign of the cross and thanked God that she had surrounded herself with family and friends who were good people and would never do harm to another soul. She knew addiction was a disease and many people were predisposed to becoming victims, or were given prescription drugs by their doctors for an ailment and quickly found themselves hooked. It was the people who willingly sold drugs and pushed them into a community knowing the death and destruction that would rip through a town like a ripple of water in a breeze who she despised. She didn’t know how those people could live with themselves.

  Jinx shook her head. Those were important issues to contemplate, but for now she had a more immediate concern.

  “I need to use the ladies’ room, and in this outfit, it’s going to take me a while.”

  “I’ll join you,” Helen said. “I may need help wrestling out of this thing.”

  “I heard one of the waiters say that this bathroom is out of order,” Lisa Marie said. “You have to use the one by the Sapphire room, wherever that is.”

  “Follow me, Aunt Helen, I know the way,” Jinx said. “Freddy, could I have my phone? I want to check my messages.”

  Helen finished first and, after washing her hands at the sink while humming along to Nat King Cole singing about roasting chestnuts, she started to reapply her lipstick. Jinx was finishing up and humming along as well as she heard someone talking to Helen. She peeked through the gap in between the door and the wall of the stall and, noticing the woman’s white shirt and black pants, assumed she wasn’t on the guest list.

  “That’s a beautiful dress.”

  “Thank you, dear,” Helen said. “Are you part of the waitstaff?”

  “No, I’m sort of crashing the party. I needed to see someone to tie up some proverbial loose ends.”

  “I see.”

  Jinx could detect some apprehension in Helen’s voice; her aunt didn’t sound scared, more like concerned.

  “The truth is, girls like me don’t usually get invited to fancy balls.”

  “I never got invited to any either, in fact, this is the first gown I’ve ever worn in my life.”

  “Because you used to be a nun.”

  When Helen spoke again Jinx did notice a slight tinge of fear.

  “How do you know that?”

  “Big Sister isn’t the most subtle of sobriquets.”

  “Now that’s a fancy word, I’ll have to remember to use it in my column. Have you written me for advice?”

  “Yes, and I wanted to thank you.”

  Jinx was trying to put herself together as quietly as possible so she could exit the stall and find out who was talking to her aunt, but her gown was making it difficult. She peeked through the crack again, but the way the woman was positioned, she could only see her black hair and a bit of her profile. From her viewpoint, the woman was unrecognizable.

  “Did my words help you?”

  “Yes and no. It was refreshing to know that someone cared enough to respond to me and try to help, but how’s that old song go? A day late and a dollar short. I had already done the thing I was worried that I would do and now that I’ve done it, well, there’s no going back.”

  There was a pause before Helen spoke, and Jinx imagined she was searching for the right way to find out what the woman was talking about. “How can I help you? Would you like to talk to a priest? The police?”

  The woman started to laugh. “You’re sweet. A tad naïve, but sweet. A priest wouldn’t know what to do with a sinner like me and the police would only want to throw the book at me. After everything I’ve done, I’m beyond help.”

  “You listen to me, no one is beyond help. Now, what’s your name?”

  Jinx finally opened the stall as the woman answered Helen’s question. “You can call me Noctor J.”

  When Bambi walked into the bathroom she called the woman by another name.

  “Janine! What the hell are you doing here?”

  CHAPTER 26

  Non risolvere il puzzle finché i pezzi non si incastrano.

  Usually there was a line of women waiting to get into the restroom. Inside the ladies’ lavatory near the Sapphire room there were four women frantically trying to get out.

  Bambi stood next to the door. Her initial shock at seeing Janine had turned to hatred. On the other side of the room was Jinx, who still couldn’t believe she had finally come face-to-face with J. J. aka Noctor J aka Janine Janniken. In the middle were Helen and Janine, both wearing expressions that concealed their true emotions.

  Jinx knew her Aunt Helen had been in dicey situations before as a nun, counseling members of marginalized communities and helping inmates get their lives on track, as well as working with the rest of the Ferrara ladies to solve murders. However, Jinx also knew that Helen took her social work very seriously, and while she hardly had a strong relationship with Janine, the girl needed help and it was Helen’s nature to lend a hand to those in need. Unfortunately, from the way Janine was standing, she didn’t appear to want any help.

  Janine was petite. No more than five foot two, maybe one hundred pounds, but with the lean muscle of an athlete. She stood slightly bent forward with her arms a few inches from her side, like a wrestler ready to pounce. In a straight-up brawl based on physical stats only, Jinx would have to put her money on Bambi, who was twice Janine’s size. But the underdog was in total control of her body, whereas Bambi’s face was contorted in fury, her cheeks red and her chest heaving. As small as Janine was, Jinx knew she had the upper hand.

  “I told you to get out of town and never come back,” Bambi said.

  “Kylie disagreed and wanted me to stick around,” Janine replied.

  “Because she thinks she can get you to confess,” Bambi countered.

  Jinx remembered something Alberta once told her when they were working on a case. Non risolvere il puzzle finché i pezzi non si incastrano. Don’t solve the puzzle until all the pieces fit. Her spine tingled because she felt like she had all the pieces and could finally put them together to finish the puzzle that would set her brother
free.

  Jinx watched a trickle of sweat start to run down the side of Bambi’s face. Why was the woman nervous if she thought Janine had to confess something? The most obvious confession would be that she killed Natalie. What if Kylie wanted Janine to confess something that would implicate Bambi? That would definitely make the woman sweat.

  Jinx remembered what Joyce told her about Bambi’s financial status and how desperate she had to be to make money to pay off her substantial debts. If she had been working with Natalie to sell drugs on the street, that could be a lucrative, albeit illegal, way of earning a side income. Where there’s money, there’s greed, and someone always wants more than their share.

  When Jinx was investigating a crime for an article she was writing she would always follow the money. It might take her to unexpected places, but in the end it would always lead her to ground zero. She needed to replicate the same theory, but this time she had to follow the drugs.

  As the hospital administrator of St. Clare’s, Bambi had access to all kinds of drugs. However, she wouldn’t be able to get her hands on them because she didn’t have access to the dispensary and couldn’t write prescriptions, which meant she would need help from someone who had daily hands-on access to the drugs, someone like a nurse. And that was where Janine came in.

  Carmichael told them that he had to fire Janine because she got greedy, that she wanted to do more, that she did things that couldn’t be ignored. Stealing drugs from a hospital was not something that could be ignored. Not by the hospital or by the person who got fired. The hospital might want to wipe the problem under the rug to avoid any bad publicity, but someone who got ousted from their job and their access to their side hustle might certainly want revenge.

  Standing there watching Bambi and Janine face off, it all became clear to Jinx. Her brother had been carted off to jail and the real criminals were free. It all fit, but how to prove it? If she was going to make anything stick in court, Jinx had to get Bambi and Janine to confess to their part in Natalie’s killing. She felt the blood pump through her veins, felt herself start to lose control of her emotions. No! She couldn’t do that, she couldn’t resort to hotheaded Jinx, she needed to think like her grandmother did in situations like this, even-keeled and levelheaded. Come to think of it, she needed to be calm and in control, more like Janine.

  It was a good idea, but in order to be more like Janine, Jinx would have to be armed.

  In one fluid move Janine bent down, lifted her trouser leg, revealed a pistol that was jutting out of an ankle holster, removed the pistol, and aimed it at Bambi. It was action-hero slick, but definitely executed by the movie’s villain. As Bambi recoiled in horror, Janine grabbed Helen’s arm and pulled her in front of her, the gun barrel inches from Helen’s head.

  “Janine, no!” Jinx cried.

  “Didn’t I tell you not to push me, Bambi,” Janine said. “You think you run everything.”

  “Because I do, you stunod!” Bambi exclaimed.

  “Your reign is about to end,” Janine said.

  “Put the gun down,” Bambi said, wiping away a droplet of sweat that had dripped into her eye. “The chief of police is in the next room, you are not going to get out of here.”

  “If I get caught, I’ll have a fantastic and detailed tale to tell the chief about you and your friends,” Janine replied.

  “You should’ve left town when I told you, you could’ve gotten away,” Bambi said. “Why do you always have to push things? Why aren’t you ever satisfied?”

  “Shut up!” Janine cried. “I don’t want to hurt Big Sister here, but I will if I have to.”

  “Janine, you don’t have to do this,” Helen said. “No one is going to hurt you.”

  “You’re not a very good liar,” Janine said. “I really do like you and it would upset me greatly if I had to hurt you.”

  “Hurt me, then,” Jinx said. “Let me switch places with my aunt.”

  “Jinx, stop talking right now,” Helen said.

  “If you have any chance of getting out of here, you have to let me take my aunt’s place,” Jinx said. “She’s old and she can’t run in that dress, she’s only going to slow you down.”

  “Jinx, what are you doing?” Helen asked.

  “She’s doing what a big sister is supposed to do,” Janine said.

  Jinx watched as Janine’s features softened. She didn’t loosen her grip on Helen, she didn’t lower her gun, but all the anger in her face gave way to an aching sadness.

  “She’s trying to protect her little brother,” Janine said. “If all big sisters were like you, Jinx, Natalie wouldn’t be dead right now.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean,” Jinx said.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Janine replied. “All that matters is that Natalie is dead and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. Like there’s nothing anyone can do to bring back all the people who have died because of Bambi.”

  Janine swung around and pointed the gun at Bambi. She didn’t shoot, but Bambi reacted as if Janine really did pull the trigger. She staggered and had to grab onto the top of the stall next to her to steady herself. Beads of sweat appeared on her chest and slid down her cleavage. Jinx didn’t know if she was having a heart attack or an attack of conscience.

  “I have never killed anyone,” Bambi declared. “Which is not something you can say.”

  “If that’s what you need to tell yourself to sleep at night or look at yourself in the mirror, go right ahead, but we both know it’s a lie,” Janine said. “You have so much blood on your hands you’ll never be able to get rid of the stains.”

  If Bambi was part of some drug cartel, Janine was right. The death of every person who died of an overdose from taking Flower could be traced back to Bambi and the rest of her partners. By the look of terror that gripped Bambi’s face, Jinx could tell the woman agreed. But now was not the time for reflection, now was the time for escape.

  “C’mon, Janine, you know if you want to get out of here without being arrested, I’m your golden ticket,” Jinx said.

  Janine’s lips formed a snarl, and it looked as if she was going to growl, but instead she pushed Helen away and stood behind Jinx. She pointed the gun directly into the small of her back, right above the red satin ribbon of her couture gown. It wasn’t the kind of accessory Jinx thought looked appropriate with her outfit, but she was relieved the gun was pointed at her and no longer at Helen.

  “Make one false move and you’re dead,” Janine said. “You two count to a hundred before you leave this room. If I see you coming after me, I will start shooting.”

  Janine shoved Jinx forward and she started to walk toward the door. Jinx forced herself to smile and wink at Helen. The last thing she saw before she left the ladies’ room was her aunt making the sign of the cross.

  They walked through the large foyer that separated the bathrooms from the banquet halls, and Jinx looked into the Diamond room. She could see Freddy talking to Father Sal, Joyce laughing with Donna and her mother, and Jinx desperately wanted to scream, but she was terrified. She wasn’t certain that Janine had killed Natalie, but she was certain that Janine didn’t possess a moral compass. She was also convinced that if she attempted to escape, Janine wouldn’t think twice before shooting her. Jinx had to manage her fears and trust that she could outsmart her kidnapper.

  With the metal barrel pressing against her, Jinx felt Janine silently guide her away from the one valet driver talking to an inebriated couple and toward the parking lot on the side of the Manor. When they got to a brown Toyota Corolla that looked like it had seen better days, Jinx heard Janine fumble with some keys and open the front door of the car. She told Jinx to sit in the driver’s seat and closed the door. Instead of walking around the front of the car to the passenger side, Janine opened the rear door and sat in the back seat behind Jinx. Before the door slammed shut, Jinx felt the gun pressing into the back of her head.

  Leaning forward, Janine dropped the car keys in Jinx’s lap and sai
d, “Drive.”

  As the car pulled out of the parking lot, Sloan’s Land Rover pulled in. Instinctively, Jinx beeped, causing Sloan to turn his head to the left. Janine slapped Jinx on the shoulder with the gun and told her to step on the gas.

  “I think that was Jinx,” Sloan said.

  Alberta turned to the right and saw the Corolla speed up as it ran through the yellow light. “It couldn’t have been. Jinx came in Freddy’s truck, must’ve been someone who looked like her.”

  Sloan gave the key to the valet and they walked into the Manor toward the Diamond room. They had decided they were done with heroics and would pass the baton to Vinny to inform him of the startling news they had learned. He and the police could take over the investigation that Alberta was confident would cast enough doubt on Sergio’s guilt that the DA, despite her conviction and public declarations of her grandson’s guilt, would have no choice but to set him free. When Helen came running out of the ladies’ room, her gown hiked up to her knees, Alberta knew her plans for the rest of the evening had drastically changed.

  “Berta!” Helen screamed.

  “Helen what’s wrong?” Alberta asked.

  Even though Mariah Carey was belting out the one thing she wanted for Christmas and the attendees of the second and only slightly more successful Mistletoe Ball were chattering and participating in a silent auction, Helen’s voice cut through the din. Ms. Carey had finally met her vocal match.

  “Jinx has been kidnapped!” Helen yelled.

  “Kidnapped?!” Alberta cried. “What are you talking about?”

  “What happened to Jinx?!” Freddy screamed, racing over to Helen.

  “Where’s my daughter?!” Lisa Marie yelled, chasing right after Freddy.

  “We were in the bathroom and this woman came up to me, it was Janine, the J. J. we’ve been trying to find, and she pulled a gun on me,” Helen said.

  “O dio mio!” Alberta cried.

  “Jinx convinced her to let her switch places with me and I couldn’t stop her,” Helen said. She grabbed Lisa Marie’s hand. “I’m sorry, I tried, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”