A Merry Christmas Wedding Mystery, Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #4 (Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series)

by Anna Celeste Burke

“Hang on. Maybe there’s another way to access that space. I’ll have one of the uniformed officers who just arrived go check to see if Karl and that group are still in there.” Jack was back in a matter of seconds. One of two officers standing outside Brigit’s dressing room took off at a clip. Jack returned with a worried look on his face. “Let’s hope she’s in there, mixing it up with the puppet master. If not, now that the boyfriend—excuse me—the husband has shown up, and it’s clear she didn’t take off with him, this looks more and more like an abduction.”

  “As in a kidnapping for ransom?” Betty asked.

  “Could be. Brigit has money. Her hubby has money. Max or the studio might cough up money to pay a ransom and get their star back given the tight film schedule they’re on.”

  “Or a crazy stalker, maybe.” Jack, Betty, and I startled a little at the sound of that voice. We turned to see Mara standing there. The woman was eating again. Chocolate Mexican Wedding cookies had left powdered sugar on her lips that she dabbed away with the edge of a napkin. “What? Does that surprise you? She’s had plenty of them.”

  7 Carts and Karts

  I wanted to stick around and ask Mara about those stalkers. She seemed to be the most well-read among us when it came to the celebrity news. I do have a job, though, and I needed to get back to my office. Max had taken Todd and the others back to where we had been eating lunch. Todd objected, but Imogene insisted that she and Todd eat something since it might be a long afternoon. She refused to go unless Todd agreed to go with her. Max and Nelson were going to clear the place of all nonessential personnel, once Jack's investigators had collected information from them.

  “Jack, it looks like this is going to tie you up for a while. I need to get back to my office. Do you have the information you need from me to include in your police report?”

  “Yes, I think so. If I require more info from you, I'll find you. I know where you live,” Jack said with a wink that set off inappropriate sensations under the circumstances. Jack's humor is irrepressible.

  “Hahaha! You do indeed. I’m expecting you for dinner at 6:30 on the dot, or you’ll have to explain yourself to a couple of unhappy Siamese cats.” Little Ella had already found her groove, so to speak, like the First Lady of Jazz for whom Jack named her. Miles still fancied himself ruler of the roost. More than once, though, he had taken refuge on top of the refrigerator to escape Ella’s persistent play-fighting. I had forgotten how energetic a kitten could be.

  “We have a few more wedding plans to make. That reminds me that I need to touch base with Imogene before I leave. I’m going back to my office by way of the tunnels. One of my first tasks is to call Stacy and give the PR folks a heads-up about what’s going on, although I’m not sure what that is yet.”

  “Unless the press gets wind of this somehow, I think it’s best not to go public until we know more.” He looked pointedly at Mara before going on. “For now,. Georgie, please just tell PR what we do know. Brigit is missing, and her disappearance may not be her doing. If this is a kidnapping, we don’t want to do anything that might put Brigit in greater danger, right?”

  Mara nodded in agreement. I suddenly had a brainstorm about putting Mara to work and finding out more about the issue she raised about stalkers. It could keep her out of trouble, too, if it worked like it did with that rambunctious kitten Jack had given me who needed to have her energy “redirected” on occasion.

  “I’m taking Mara off your hands, Jack, if she’s willing to come with me. What do you say, Mara?”

  “Why not? I’m not going to be doing much fetching around here this afternoon if they shut us down. Why do you want me to go with you?”

  “Let’s go find Imogene. Then we’ll take the stairs down to the basement, and I’ll explain what I have in mind on the way back to the admin building where I work.”

  “Sure. No need to use the stairs, though. There’s a second elevator at the other end of the corridor. Talent doesn’t do stairs,” Mara commented.

  “No problem, either way. We’ll grab a Marvelous Marley World Park Kart in the tunnels, and we can talk while I drive.” I started to walk away, hoping to make quick business of the dress issue with Imogene. From what she had said earlier, it sounded like we were finally on the same page. Suddenly, the image of a different kind of cart popped back into my head.

  “Jack, what if that guy I saw gouged the elevator with his coffee cart?” I explained, once again, how I had bumped into the grumpy man in the hall outside of Brigit’s dressing room. That wasn’t too long before Imogene began to hear noises. “If he was wrestling with Brigit to get her to leave, or in a hurry to get her out of here, he could have done that.”

  “He's not around to ask him any questions. We’ve checked. Coffee carts and coffee guys are regulars around here, from what I gather, right?” We both looked at Mara.

  “Yes. For the talent, at least. Beverages are provided by Marvelous Marley World with one of those single-serve things in each dressing room. Both Gloria and Brigit wanted ‘real coffee,’ so I hired a service.”

  “The guy pushing that cart was big enough to shove Brigit around, too, Jack. He was easily six inches taller than me—so six feet, at least. Not as big as Big Al, but big. Dark curly hair, dark eyes, wearing a light brown shirt and dark brown pants. I remember thinking he looked like a UPS delivery guy. There was a logo of some kind on that cart, but I can’t recall now what it was.”

  “CJs—Cuppa Java,” Mara commented. “A small C and a big J with a palm leaf behind it.”

  “Yes, that’s it.”

  “So, Mara, why don’t you call and see who they sent here with the coffee? That cart must have been brought in here on the back of a van or a delivery truck of some kind. Meanwhile, I’ll call my new BFF, Al, and ask him about it. Al must have taken a name at the gate, right?”

  “Yeah, they can’t get in without checking in at the gate,” Mara responded. “Uh, if you want me to call CJs, I need my phone back. The number is on my phone.”

  “Let her do it, Jack. He was in the corridor at the right time. If he’s not the culprit, maybe he saw something. I must have just missed the food delivery since Brigit text messaged Todd about it a few minutes after I left. It could be the coffee cart guy ran into the food delivery person.”

  “Okay. Do I have to delete those pics you took of Todd, Mara, or do I have your word you won’t share them until Brigit’s back safe and sound?”

  “You have my word. I don’t want to bear the burden of guilt for killing Princess Christiana. I’ll feel bad enough if it turns out the coffee guy I hired stuffed her in that cart and hauled her out of here.” My heart sped up. I don’t think he could have squeezed me into that thing. Brigit’s small form appeared in my mind.

  “Don’t go around telling people that’s what happened. Please, make your call, okay?” Jack snapped.

  “On it!” She hit the button on the phone and wandered down the corridor. “Uh, yes, this is Mara…” Jack began to speak, too.

  “Al, it’s Jack Wheeler. Yes, we do have a situation on our hands. We’re still not quite sure what kind of situation, but we’re working on it.” I heard him say something about “CJs coffee truck.” I lost track of the rest of Mara and Jack’s phone conversations in a rush of noise from activity that erupted in the hallway. Ralph and a couple of security guards had just emerged from the doorway to those stairs I had suggested we take to the tunnels.

  “Jack!” Jack held up a finger in response to a shout from Ralph.

  “Give me a minute. I’m talking to Al at the front gate, Ralph. Please finish what you were saying, Al. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Are you sure about that? That’s helpful…”

  “Jack, sorry to butt in. If that’s Big Al on the phone, tell him EMTs are on their way. He should wave them in. I pinged a GPS signal to them, so they know exactly where they’re going once they’re on studio grounds.” Jack passed along the message and hung up.

  “What’s up? Did you find Brigit?”

  “
No. It’s not Brigit. Security staff members have been searching the area around Soundstage 4. They’ve found an injured man, unconscious, behind the Leo the Lion-hearted Lion statue in Inspiration Garden.”

  “Let me guess,” Mara said. “The guy’s in his twenties, thin, blond with a goatee, and wearing a CJs coffee company uniform.”

  “I don’t know about the goatee, but a young, blond guy in his twenties sounds right. The uniform, too. How did you know that?”

  “The coffee cart guy hasn’t reported back since he stopped here. When I asked if they had a way to reach the big, burly man you saw, Georgie, they said I must be confused. Ben Davies, the employee they assigned here today, is not big or burly. No curly brown hair either.”

  “So who was that I bumped into?” I asked.

  “Let’s hope Ben Davies can tell us that,” Jack said. “Al says that CJs delivery truck exited through the gates a while ago. The driver waved and honked as he left, but Al didn’t get a close look at him.”

  “Those EMTs had better hurry. Someone hit Ben Davies on the head, and he’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “I’m going to call this in as an assault and a possible abduction, keeping Brigit’s name out of it for now. That will get us more support from the county to collect evidence and help secure the crime scene. What did you find out about where they found those crystals, Ralph?”

  “They found them in the tunnels below; the first one near the elevator here on this side of Soundstage 4. Two others in a tunnel leading to the Animation Building and another not far from an elevator that would have let them out in a lobby area. We took the elevator up to ground level and searched the first floor. No more crystals, though. That assault on Ben Davies occurred in the lot outside the Animation Building. Maybe he delivered coffee over there first?”

  “Is that possible, Mara?”

  “I didn’t ask, but it’s worked that way before.”

  “Mara, please call back and find out if he showed up and delivered coffee in the Animation Building today, okay? If he did, ask when he arrived and left.”

  “Sure,” she said as she made the call.

  “Is there any way to get into this building from the ground level other than coming in through the front doors?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, so the fake delivery guy takes out the real one in the parking lot and hides him in the garden nearby. He enters the Animation Building and maybe delivers coffee there. Then he takes the elevator to the basement to this building with his cart in tow, grabs Brigit, and leaves that way, too.”

  “Todd took the same route to get over here, right?” I asked.

  “It sounds like it.”

  “Their paths may have crossed, or he just missed him if Todd left his meeting at the time he told Brigit he was on his way.”

  “We can ask. Todd didn’t pop out of that elevator until after Brigit was gone, though. That doesn’t quite jibe with the timeline Todd gave us. Todd surely would have told us if he'd seen a guy wrestling with Brigit. I don’t think he would have let that happen to her unless he’s mixed up, somehow, in Brigit's disappearance.”

  "What if Mara's right, and that brute stuffed Brigit into that cart?” I asked. “Todd could have passed by without realizing he had Brigit.”

  “He must have tied her up and gagged her or she would still have been at it when Imogene heard noises in the hall outside the dressing rooms.”

  "I agree. It's hard to imagine Brigit being led out of here quietly. He could have drugged her or knocked her unconscious.”

  “I don’t think so. If she was out cold, Brigit couldn’t have been leaving a trail of bread crumbs.” Mara was back.

  “Those crystals you mean—as in Hansel and Gretel?” I asked.

  “Yep.”

  “I suppose she could have palmed a handful of crystals or ripped crystals and fabric off that dress. How did she get them out of that cart? She couldn’t have had much room to move in those cramped quarters,” I mumbled. Then it hit me. “Jack, Mara could be right. Catering carts often have small openings that can be used to run cords from warming trays or other equipment like that. Brigit could have dropped those crystals that way.”

  “It’s as good an explanation as any if that trail of crystals is no accident," Jack said.

  “Uh, don’t you want to know what I heard from CJs?”

  “Sure, Mara,” Jack replied.

  “After that first call I made, they checked on the other deliveries scheduled for Ben Davies today. He didn’t show up with coffee at the Animation Building and didn’t make other stops on his route this afternoon. Just in case you can use it, here’s information about the delivery truck—including the plates.”

  “Great work, Mara. I’m going to call in this information so we can start searching for that vehicle. Georgie, when you call Public Relations and fill them in on what's happening, you’ll have to add this new incident into the mix. The report of an assault is going to be hard to keep from the public. Who’s going with me to tell Max?”

  “I think I’d better go to the scene until your uniformed officers can get there, Jack,” Ralph said.

  “I'll go with him, Ralph. I was on my way to speak to Imogene, once more. Max won’t be happy about this, but it does give us a good lead on a suspect, right?’

  “Yes. Unfortunately, the person who could give us more details about him isn’t likely to be able to say much, even if the EMTs do get here in time to keep this from becoming a homicide. We have a suspect, but who the heck is he?”

  “There is something familiar about that description you gave of him, Georgie. Maybe he’s been on the set before—as an extra or a stage hand or something. If Nelson is still with Max, you can ask if he remembers seeing the guy around here. He pretty much keeps tabs on everyone who’s involved with the film.”

  “Good idea, Mara. I was wondering if he might be one of the stalkers you mentioned. I was going to put you to work this afternoon trying to look through whatever sites you used to find out about Brigit’s stalkers. Maybe one of them fits the description, and that’s why he sounds familiar to you.”

  “That’s a good idea, too, Georgie,” Jack said.

  “Brilliant!” Mara added.

  I was a little surprised Jack hadn’t gone immediately into a lecture about staying out of it. Praise from my millennial sidekick, too! Two thumbs up. I savored the moment.

  “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that this is a police investigation. If you come across an individual you recognize, you’ll call me right away.”

  “Will I get paid?” Mara asked.

  Moment over, I thought.

  “Yes, and yes,” I said. “Let’s go find Max. You want to take the lead delivering more bad news, Detective Wheeler?”

  “Oh no. I came over here with you as backup, remember?”

  8 Big Burly Man

  Max took it well. Not everyone else did, however. Apparently, that angel that sometimes sits on Max’s shoulder was in charge. We delivered the news that the person hired to bring coffee to the talent at Soundstage 4 had been found bludgeoned nearly to death in Inspiration Garden. Instead of pitching a fit, the first words out of Max’s mouth reflected concern about Brigit.

  “Does that mean our Princess Christiana is in danger?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Todd shake his head as Max asked that question. Apparently, Todd didn’t understand what a stretch it was for Max to react so selflessly to news about trouble at Marvelous Marley World.

  “How can you ask that question? She’s not off having another big tantrum like you all figured she was doing. Some jerk who was willing to bash in a guy’s brains has her. How can she not be in danger, Max?”

  “Can that injured man help identify his attacker?” Max asked after barely glancing in Todd’s direction. It would have been nice for Max to pause and acknowledge Todd’s desperation, but I guess that angel on his shoulder could only do so much.

  “From what Ralph told us, Max, he’s not in any s
hape to do that. Maybe later once they’ve had a chance to care for him at the hospital he'll have information for the police,” I said addressing Max’s question. Then, I tried to console Todd.

  “As disturbing as this is for Max and the rest of us, it must be much worse for you, Todd. I know you're worried, but Jack and his colleagues are on the job now. They were on this within minutes after Brigit disappeared. Maybe there’s something in all the evidence the police are collecting that will help determine who this guy is and where he might have taken Brigit.”

  “Yeah, but if this is a kidnapping, maybe they don’t want the cops involved, and that’ll only get her into more trouble.”

  “If this turns out to be a kidnapping for ransom, we’ll have to deal with that if, or when, we get a demand for money. A police presence became unavoidable once that assault occurred.” Jack made eye contact with me for a second and must have read the concern in them for Todd.

  “I’m sorry too, Todd, if this scumbag has Brigit. Georgie’s right that we’re going to do everything we can to figure out who he is, find him, and get her back.”

  Todd nodded as if he understood, but said nothing. Jack shifted his weight from one foot to another—a sure sign he was heading down a new path. Jack’s next statement made that clear.

  “I wanted to check on your timeline again, Todd. If you left your meeting at the time you told Brigit in that text message, how is it that it took so long to get over here? It only takes a few minutes to walk from the Animation Building to Soundstage 4 using the tunnels.” Todd twisted a little in his seat and didn’t answer right away.

  “Todd? What is it?” I asked.

  “I didn’t exactly come straight here. I meant to, but I got lost.”

  “Lost? How?” Jack asked, taking the lead once again.

  “I sneaked out into that park area alongside the Animation Building to smoke. When I tried to get back in through the side entrance, I was locked out. It took me a few more minutes to get around to the front. Then, when I got back inside, I realized I smelled like cigarette smoke. I asked them to find me something to wear to keep my visit more private. That’s how I ended up with this Catmmando Tom hoodie sweatshirt."