by J. D. Griffo
“Of course she wouldn’t,” Lisa Marie said. “I would’ve done the same thing.”
“Oh my God, that was Jinx in the car!” Alberta screamed.
“What car?” Vinny asked.
“Sloan thought he saw Jinx making a left out of the parking lot and driving a brown car,” Alberta said.
“A Corolla,” Sloan added.
“I didn’t think it was her, she came in your car, Freddy,” Alberta said. “We didn’t even try to stop them, we let them drive away.”
“Did you get a license plate?” Vinny asked.
“No, but it was orange, part of it anyway,” Alberta said.
“Florida license plates have oranges on them,” Lisa Marie said.
“Tambra!” Vinny shouted.
“On it,” she replied.
They overheard Tambra putting an all-points bulletin out on a brown Toyota Corolla with Florida plates headed south.
“Janine is armed and she’s dangerous,” Helen said. “She’s despondent and afraid, she feels like she has nothing to lose.”
“Did she say anything that might be a clue as to where she would take Jinx?” Vinny asked.
“Nothing that I can recall, but maybe Bambi picked up on something,” Helen said.
“Was Bambi in the ladies’ room with you too?” Alberta asked.
“Yes, she came in and immediately knew it was Janine,” Helen said.
“Where is she?” Lisa Marie asked.
“Where’s who?” Father Sal said, walking toward them from the front entrance.
“Bambi De son of a . . . !” Lisa Marie cried.
“She flew out of here a few minutes ago with Dr. Manzini and was quite harsh with the poor valet,” Sal said. “She was jabbering on and on about having to take care of an emergency, as if that’s an excuse for rude behavior.”
“Did Bambi say where she was going?” Vinny asked.
Father Sal shook his head. “No, but I assumed the crisis had something to do with the hospital.”
“We just came from there and everything seemed fine,” Alberta said. “There didn’t seem to be any unusual activity.”
“Were you feeling that ill that Sloan had to take you to the hospital?” Vinny asked.
“Don’t ply me with a lot of questions, but we found proof that Kylie is involved in Natalie’s murder,” Alberta said.
“How did you find that out?” Vinny asked.
“You can prove that Kylie is Natalie’s sister?” Lisa Marie asked.
“No,” Alberta replied.
“What?” Lisa Marie cried.
“We can prove that Kylie is Janine’s sister,” Alberta said.
“What?!” Helen cried.
“How can you prove that?” Joyce asked.
“Sloan was able to hack into the Human Resource files at St. Clare’s and found Kylie’s original employment papers, and she named her sister her beneficiary,” Alberta explained. “Janine Janniken Manzini.”
“Janniken isn’t a surname like we thought,” Sloan said. “It’s a popular girl’s name. Berta looked it up on her phone on the drive over.”
“Popular? In what country?” Lisa Marie asked.
“Norway!” Alberta said. “Which is where their father is from.”
“Excellent work, Alfie,” Vinny said. “Even if I have to feign amnesia from hearing about Sloan hacking into some computer files.”
“That’s what Janine meant when she said Natalie would be alive if big sisters were more like Jinx,” Helen said. “She didn’t mean Natalie’s big sister, she meant her own.”
“Vinny, they’re all connected,” Alberta said. “Natalie, Rudy, Janine, Kylie, Bambi, and even Carmichael. Our Sergio had nothing to do with any of it and he didn’t murder Natalie.”
“I believe you, Alfie,” Vinny said. “We have to bring them all in for questioning and prove to Roxanne that she’s made a huge mistake.”
“This is all great information, but we’re wasting time!” Freddy yelled. “We have to find Jinx.”
“Does she have her cell phone on her?” Lisa Marie asked.
“Yes, but if she’s got a gun to her head, she’s not going to be able to take my call,” Freddy said.
“Can you track her phone?” Vinny asked.
“Yes!” Joyce squealed. “I put the Find My Friend app on all our phones, remember?”
“That’s right!” Alberta screamed.
“Freddy, you’re quicker than I am,” Joyce said. “Find Jinx!”
Freddy took the phone and his fingers immediately got to work, scrolling and tapping, until he found what he was looking for. “C’mon, c’mon, show me where Jinx is!”
They all crowded around the phone and watched a light blink on a map. It wasn’t moving, which indicated that wherever Jinx’s phone was it was stationary. Freddy enlarged the map once, then twice, and he did not like what he was seeing. He did not like it at all.
“No!” Freddy screamed. “No, no, no!!! Move, c’mon, move!”
“Freddy, what’s wrong?” Alberta cried. “Where’s Jinx?”
“According to this map, Jinx is right in the middle of Memory Lake.”
CHAPTER 27
Non scherzare con una pazza signora italiana.
On the twenty-third day of Christmas, Jinx’s true love gave to the town of Tranquility a high-speed car chase.
The second incarnation of the Mistletoe Ball was another unmitigated disaster. It paled in comparison to the first only because no one was murdered the second time around. However, one person had been kidnapped by another person, who was one of the suspects in the murder that had taken place at the first Ball and the other two suspects had fled the scene and were missing. By the time two waiters wheeled in the six-foot Christmas tree cake that was filled with the peppermint chocolate mousse Helen and Father Sal had been so anxious to taste, hardly anyone was left at the Ball. They had all fled to Memory Lake to save Jinx.
Freddy drove Helen and Joyce in his Ranger, Sloan drove Alberta and Lisa Marie in his Land Rover, and Father Sal and Wyck rode in the back seat of Vinny’s cop car with Tambra riding shotgun. Halfway to Memory Lake, Tambra called Alberta to tell her that Janine’s Corolla was spotted near the town square driving east. Alberta realized that if Janine wanted to get lost in the crowd, east was the direction to go because that led right to Tranquility Park. In its temporary incarnation as the Winter Wonderland, it was filled with crowds, it was loud, and it was chock-full of distractions. It was the perfect place to hide in plain sight.
“Tell Freddy to head on to Memory Lake just in case Jinx is there,” Alberta said, her voice emanating from Tambra’s phone, which was on speaker and filling up the squad car. “We got stopped at a light so we’re going to make a U-turn and head over to the park.”
“That sounds good, Alfie,” Vinny said. “I’m going to head to the lake because we’re close, but I’m calling in backup to scour the park for Jinx and Janine.”
“They should also be on the lookout for Bambi and Kylie,” Sloan added.
“Roger that, Sloan,” Tambra said.
“Will Helen’s description of Janine be enough to find her?” Alberta asked.
“As long as she hasn’t changed her appearance, we’ll be able to find her,” Vinny said.
* * *
When Janine walked into Tranquility Park a step behind Jinx, she looked completely different.
In the back seat of her car, she had altered her appearance while Jinx drove. She donned a blond wig that had been styled the way Natalie used to wear her hair, feathery and long, and instead of a white dress shirt and black pants she now wore a red hooded parka and jeans. Her look was typical suburban twentysomething and guaranteed she wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.
Jinx, however, was still dressed in her red gown and rhinestone heels, not the best outfit to wear on a snowy night in December or to remain inconspicuous, which was why Janine had pulled out a long tweed overcoat from her trunk and made Jinx wear it. The coat was too
big on Jinx, but it kept most of her gown hidden from view. The costume change did the trick, and when they walked through the park nobody noticed them. Everyone was too busy singing along with the strolling carolers, playing games of chance, eating and drinking, buying Christmas presents, and reveling in the few remaining days before Christmas was upon them.
Janine and Jinx had almost made it undetected to the giant gingerbread house when they bumped into the one person no one could hide from: Santa Claus.
“Janine,” Santa said.
A man in a full Santa Claus outfit was standing to the left, and Jinx knew that he must have a perfect view of the gun Janine was pointing into her back. It took Jinx a moment to realize the man in the suit was Carmichael. Janine seemed to know it was him instantly because she pointed her gun at him but still kept her hand squeezed tightly around Jinx’s arm to prevent her from running away.
When Carmichael spoke his voice sounded weary, as if he had run a marathon or was simply tired of living. “Janine, let’s put an end to this once and for all.”
“We both know it’s too late for that,” Janine replied.
“Haven’t I always done my best to protect you?” Carmichael asked. “Haven’t I always tried to help you the way that your father never did?”
Jinx could feel Janine pressing her arm tighter, though she couldn’t tell if Carmichael was making Janine angrier or if his words were giving her pause and making her hold on tighter to her conviction.
“I’m grateful for everything you’ve tried to do for me,” Janine said. “It’s more than that horror of a father ever did.”
“Then let me help you,” Carmichael continued. “We’ve all made mistakes.”
“Not as big as mine and you know it,” Janine said. “I think it’s time you started acting more like my father and realized, once and for all, that I’m beyond help?”
Carmichael looked like his heart had just broken. He really did love this girl as if she were his own daughter and like any father, he couldn’t accept the fact that he had failed to protect his own child. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak there was a loud buzzing sound, like a swarm of bees had descended upon the park. Just when the sound was almost too much to bear, it disappeared. Along with all the lights.
The wiring problems Carmichael had worried about proved to be cause for real concern. A blackout engulfed the entire park and left the hundreds of patrons, who had just been singing and reveling in Christmas joy, screaming in panic. Jinx thought she heard a gunshot blend in with the cacophony of sound all around her, but she couldn’t be sure. If Janine had fired her gun, Jinx prayed the darkness caused her to miss her target. There was no way for Jinx to investigate because she was standing in almost total darkness and Janine was pushing her to move forward toward the huge structure that loomed in the distance.
The gingerbread house was built at the far end of the park and was only going to be used on Christmas Eve, tomorrow night, when there would be a candlelight concert. Now the building, like the rest of the park, was dark, but hardly desolate.
As they got closer to the house, Jinx’s eyes started to acclimate to the darkness. It was a clear night and the moonlight, mixed in with the few stars in the night sky, created enough illumination so Jinx could see her surroundings. When Janine opened the door to the gingerbread house and pushed her inside, Jinx wished the moon and the stars would take a hike and return the area to blackout conditions. That way she wouldn’t see the two other people occupying the cavernous space.
Bambi and Kylie were huddled together on the other side of the house. They looked like they were hiding from someone, but Jinx knew they had been waiting for their arrival. Jinx didn’t acquire her knowledge because she had some kind of intuition, the gun in Bambi’s hand gave it away. As did the deadly tone of her voice.
“Janine, why don’t you tell me again that I’m not in complete control?”
* * *
Alberta and Lisa Marie held on to each other as they walked through Tranquility Park. They had split up with Sloan, who was searching the right side of the park as they were walking on the left-hand side toward the gingerbread house. Just as they hit a clearing that separated the main space of the Winter Wonderland and the house itself, the lights went out.
For a few seconds they just continued to hold on to each other and didn’t move. Alberta heard a sound that she thought was a firecracker, but the screams and yells all around them escalated to a volume that made pinpointing one noise in the roar impossible. She couldn’t do anything about the sound, but she could do something about the lights.
Alberta pulled out her cell phone and tapped and swiped the thing several times.
“What are you doing?” Lisa Marie asked.
“I’m trying to turn on the flashlight thingamajig on my phone,” Alberta replied.
“You know how to do that?”
“Not really, but I know it’s possible.”
“Do you want me to try?”
“That’ll be like the blind leading the blind.”
“I think you have to swipe all the way up from the bottom.”
“Like this?”
Whatever Alberta did, it worked, and finally the area they were standing in was brightly lit so they could see in front of them. Unfortunately, what they saw in front of them was Santa Claus lying on his back on the ground.
“Just what we need, a drunk Santa,” Lisa Marie said.
“He’s not drunk, he’s been shot,” Alberta corrected her.
Alberta ran to the man’s side and let out a shriek when she pulled off his hat and beard. “Carmichael!”
“Oh my God!” Lisa Marie screamed. “Did Janine do this?”
Carmichael was gasping for breath, but he had something to say. After a few attempts he was able to speak. “She’s the Flower.”
Alberta wanted to continue the conversation, but she knew that Carmichael needed immediate medical attention. She called Vinny, explained what had happened, and told him that he needed to send an ambulance to the west side of the park. Vinny said he would also have one of the cops get to Carmichael to wait with him until the medics arrived.
Knowing that Jinx was nearby and at the mercy of a very dangerous woman, Alberta was forced to make a very hard decision. She put her cell phone in Carmichael’s left hand and told him to hold it with the light pointing outward so the police and medics could find him. She took his right hand, placed it firmly on the spot where blood was pouring from his side, and told him to keep pressure on the wound.
Carmichael no longer had the strength to speak and could only nod his head. Alberta touched the gold crucifix and made the sign of the cross, hoping she had done enough to save the man’s life and wasn’t too late to save her granddaughter’s. She grabbed Lisa Marie’s hand and together they walked, huddled together, toward the gingerbread house.
“We almost found out what the D in D. Edward Carmichael stands for,” Lisa Marie said.
“What’s that?”
“Dead.”
“Leese!” Alberta cried. “The poor man may not make it.”
“You know something, Ma?” Lisa Marie said, her voice calm and resolved. “My daughter’s been kidnapped and my son is in jail, so forgive me if I don’t have time to feel sorry for a man who was probably going to get a stocking full of coal for Christmas anyway for being involved with drug dealers.”
“Ah Madonna mia!” Alberta cried. “Now I have to say an extra Hail Mary for your soul too.”
“Don’t worry about me, focus on finding Jinx.”
“If I’m right, she’s in that gingerbread house, right up there.”
“Then that’s where I’m going!”
Lisa Marie broke free from Alberta and started to sprint toward the house. Alberta grabbed the flowing material of her gown and let out a curse just before she started to run after her daughter.
* * *
Seeing Bambi with a gun and Kylie lurking nearby preoccupied Janine enough tha
t Jinx was able to slowly walk in a circle to the left. She was moving an inch or two at a time with the goal of getting near one of the huge candy canes that were positioned around the room. No one seemed to notice Jinx as they were too engrossed in their own conversation.
“If you think I’m going to let a no good nothing like you destroy everything I’ve built, you are sorely mistaken,” Bambi said. “This is the end of the line for you, Janine.”
“If I go down, the two of you are going down with me,” Janine said.
“Will you stop this!” Kylie screamed. “This has gone too far.”
“All because of you!” Janine screamed.
“How is any of this my fault?” Kylie asked.
“Because you’re the big sister!” Lisa Marie screamed.
She flung open the door with such force that it slammed against the wall. She didn’t have a gun, she didn’t have any weapon, she was just a mother out to protect her daughter. What she did have was a reinforcement.
“Jinx, are you in here?” Alberta asked, running into the room and standing next to Lisa Marie.
“I’m over here, Gram,” Jinx cried.
All heads turned in the direction of Jinx’s voice, but no one could see her because she was standing behind the candy cane. When Alberta saw how well she was hidden, and saw that both Bambi and Janine were armed, she grabbed Lisa Marie and dragged her so they could stand behind the candy cane on the right side of the house.
“Lovey, we thought you were in Memory Lake,” Alberta said.
“Janine made me drop my phone in there as a diversion,” Jinx explained.
“Didn’t do you much good, did it, Janine?” Lisa Marie said.
Frustrated, Janine aimed the gun in their direction and pulled the trigger, then once more, each time only managing to shatter the glass windows behind them.
“Looks like you’re losing your touch, Janine,” Bambi said. “You might need some more practice.”
“Go ask your friend Carmichael if I’m a bad shot,” Janine said. “Though I’m not sure he’ll be able to answer you.”
“You killed Carmichael?” Kylie said.
“Just like I’m going to kill the two of you,” Janine cried. “And then I’ll be the Flower.”
