Nellie was fine with me changing the schedule—the only objection came from Finn, who was convinced that interfering with him walking Sarah to school (or anywhere, actually) was a blow against the right working of things.
He was a principled dog. Fortunately Nellie’s offer of a dog treat made him forgo his principles just this once.
Woodley met me in the park and we walked over to Widah Jenkins. house and I introduced them and told her who he was.
“Could I take a look at the staircase?” he asked.
“The one Jerry fell on?”
I was pretty sure she only had one. “That’d be the one.”
She gave him a suspicious look. “It ain’t fixed yet, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t figure there’s no rush, seeing as he ain’t going up and down them stairs for a spell yet.”
“As a matter of fact, that’s perfect,” Woodley said. “The crime scene is intact.”
“Crime? What crime?”
“It’s being said that the stairs were deliberately rigged to make him fall.”
She snorted. “Folks say all manner of things. Don’t make them true.”
“That’s why we investigate?”
“Ain’t that Digby Hayes job?”
“He’s rather busy at the moment. We decided to help out.”
She seemed to find that suspicious too, but she led us out the front door and around to the side where the stairs were. “Stupid thing for someone to do. You loosen a step a body could be hurt real bad or maybe not at all. You want them to fall, you best be behind them, giving them a shove.”
“A practical approach, but then they’d know you did it.”
She nodded. “I decide to hurt someone, I want them to know it’s me what done it. Otherwise there ain’t much point.”
“And you have a point,” Woodley assured her. He went up the stairs and found the one that was loose. He picked it up. “Totally unscrewed,” he said. Then he came back down and looked around the ground under the stairs. I looked too and quickly we found six rather old screws with shiny scratches. “Someone took them out,” he said. “This wasn’t an accident.”
“Well don’t that beat all,” Widah Jenkins said. “You think Pete did that?”
“Do you?” I asked.
“Couldn’t say who did it. I hear he had hisself what you call a motive.” She grinned. “I like those cop shows. A body can learn a whole pile about the criminal mind watching them.”
“Maybe I should try watching them,” Woodley said.
“Can’t hurt,” she assured him.
“Guess not. Well thank you for your time.”
She put her hands on her hips and stood facing him. “Now you’re supposed to give me a business card and tell me to call you if I remember something about the incident,” she said.
“I would, but my cards have my phone number in New Orleans and I’m not there to answer it.”
“Oh.”
She looked so disappointed that Woodley took pity on her. He handed her a card. “Here, I’ll tell you what… if you think of anything, about the incident, call Savannah at the Teasen and Pleasen and she will relay it to me.”
That did the trick. “Sure thing.”
As we headed back I was feeling down. “I hate that it was deliberate and that the loose step bit wasn’t just malicious gossip.”
“Better to know one way or the other. The facts can be uncomfortable, but once you know them you can try and see what happened.”
“I was hoping it was just an accident. Now we have to figure out who did it.”
Woodley put an arm around my waist and I felt my pulse race. “We can do it together. We’ll figure it out and solve your famous Santa Hood crime spree while we are at it.”
That sounded good to me. “What next?”
“I need to do some research,” he said. “I don’t want to say anything unless I’m right. How about you?”
“I need to see a man about a broken leg and a law suit. I’ll catch up with you later.”
And off we went. My mission was simple. I got some flowers from the florist and headed for the boarding house. I’d learned that Widah Jenkins had set up a downstairs room, just off her apartment, where he could be on the ground floor. She was taking care of him.
“Miz Jefferies,” he said when Widah Jenkins let me in. “This is a surprise.”
I held up my flowers. “I wanted you to know that people were thinking of you.”
A sly grin told me he suspected ulterior motives. “Trying to make me think better of Pete?”
“Not exactly. I would hope everyone would know that Pete isn’t the kind of person to do something like this.”
“Yeah.”
Just then a girl named Trischa, whom I vaguely knew came in. “Morning baby,” Jerry said. “Miz Jefferies came here to plead Pete’s sad case for him.”
“That’s not quite right, Jerry. I came to see how you are and to learn the lay of the land. I’m not trying to con you. I’ll admit I’m upset that you are suing Pete…”
“What?” Trischa seemed truly surprised. “You are suing him?”
“Sure. My parents talked to their lawyer and he said that if Pete did this to me, he should pay for my medical expenses.”
“Actually, the lawyer’s letter says that Pete should pay—it doesn’t say anything about ‘if he did it’. It says he pays or they sue.”
Jerry rolled his eyes. “But if he didn’t do it, he’d win the suit.”
“You are suing Pete?” Trischa said as if she was having trouble processing it.
“They will sue him if he doesn’t pay up money he doesn’t have,” I told her. “He’d have to pay for a lawyer and prove he didn’t do it. He hasn’t got the money for that, so he’ll likely lose, even if he is innocent. Your lawyer is saying he has to send money to prove his innocence. If they get a judgement he’ll have his wages attached for years.”
“He shouldn’t have done it.”
“He didn’t. And that makes your lawsuit is as malicious as what was done to you.”
“It isn’t malicious. Someone did it, and he was seen.”
“I’m not here to argue, and I’m truly sorry you were injured. But even the people who think Pete did it have only said that someone was seen on the step and they can’t even say exactly when. It could have been anyone. I certainly agree that someone loosened the step deliberately, because all the screws were taken out, and I’ll admit that Pete had a motive. What is also true is that Pete is a sweet person who wouldn’t hurt anyone. Pete’s never lied to me. So when he says he didn’t do it, I believe him.”
“That’s your privilege, but no one else wished me harm, so I think I know the truth better than you do.”
I looked at Trischa. She seemed oddly ill at ease. “I’m sorry you can’t see past your anger and develop a desire to be fair, Jerry. I think the truth will come out and you are going to feel badly for casting Pete as a villain.”
“Well you can think that all you want, Miz Jefferies. He is your friend.”
With a last look at Trischa’s pale face, I left.
I was feeling down when I got back to the salon. I had an appointment to do Mrs. Charbot’s hair. Sanders was arriving at the same time that I got back and we walked in together. Sanders nodded at Art who sitting close to the table that held the coffee urn and the snacks we held out. “Say Art, did you leave any crumbs for latecomers?”
Art’s scowl showed that he didn’t enjoy being teased. “They put them out for us to eat, didn’t they Sanders? None of them had your name on them.”
“Indeed. That’s fine. I was just checking.”
“Right on time,” Betina said, holding up a cape and turning her empty chair towards Sanders. It was time for his regular weekly head wash. “And you, my lovely,” he said to Betina, “you are looking far too sad. Where is the ready smile and chipper attitude that brings me in here week after week?”
She shook out the cape and let it float down on him then tied it arou
nd his neck. “It’s nothing really. I’m overly emotional that’s all.”
“And Christmas doesn’t lift your spirits right back up?”
“Not really.”
“Christmas time makes her sad,” Nellie said.
Sanders clucked. “Well, is there something particular that’s wrong? Or is there anything we can do to cheer you up?”
Standing behind him, Betina leaned forward and kissed the top of his head. “You are sweet, but no.”
Sanders beamed. “After that kiss I don’t know that I want you washing my head. You’ll remove that kiss.”
“Well, seeing as it’s you I can put a fresh one there when we are done.”
“Now I really feel like I should be able to do something to make you feel better.”
“It’s just the time of year.”
“Something bad happened, right?”
“Talking doesn’t help much,” she said.
“But if the people who care about you know what it is, they might be able to help.”
“Wait,” Nellie said. “I’m remembering something now… about three years ago.”
“That’s before you started here, Betina,” I said.
“Right.” Nellie answered for Betina. “There was a big accident in Baton Rouge just before Christmas, wasn’t there? And the local paper said the brother of someone in Knockemstiff was involved.”
Betina sighed and nodded reluctantly. “I can see you aren’t going to let it go. Since you know part of it, I’ll tell you and then maybe we don’t have to talk about it anymore. What happened was that my older brother, Benny, was in the Army. He was in a combat zone for a year and he got Christmas leave. He flew into Baton Rouge and was driving home. We got a freak rainstorm and there was a big accident. He was in the hospital for a few days.” Her face sagged. “He died on Christmas Eve.”
“No wonder you have can’t enjoy the season!” I said. “You are always reminded of that.”
“It’s hard. I hate being such a wet blanket on everyone else but it just nags at me.”
“We understand, Bet,” Nellie said. “And I’m sorry that we work so hard to try to make everyone act like nothing but good happens this time of year. It takes time to get over a loss like that.”
“But eventually the pain eases,” Sanders said. “I was a menace for a long time after my wife died.”
“I appreciate you all,” she said. “Please don’t tell Miz. Tikkermann,” Betina said. “I might be out of sorts during the holidays, but I’d hate for her to use me as another excuse to make people feel guilty for enjoying themselves.”
“Mum’s the word,” I promised.
“We’ll be quiet as mice about it.”
The salon was quieter after that for a time, then Nellie asked about dinner. I’d told her about inviting Woodley to eat with Sarah and I. “An odd thing came up,” I told her.
“That Claude made something new.”
“Sarah had a tree ornament. Nadine said it came from the city’s tree.”
“Where did she get it?”
“From Aubrey. He gave it to her when she was at your house.”
Nellie scowled. “Okay, this interrogation is mine.”
“Glad to hand it off,” I said.
“I’ll report tomorrow, chief.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Thursday, December 22nd: Three days before Christmas
“Is there anyone who’d like to adopt a family?” Nellie asked as she set up her station and indicated for Mrs. Ourso to get in the chair.
“Any family in particular?” Betina asked.
“I actually just wanted to try that oil manicure,” Mrs. Ourso said. “My feed store won’t support me in the manner to which I’d like to become accustomed to, much less a family.”
“Mine are available. It’s just three feral boys, more or less housebroken, one mad man, and a crazed armadillo who is named after a gypsy guitarist. They wouldn’t be expensive to keep. They can all get by fine on canned cat food—just tell the boys that it’s canned stew. The armadillo will eat ants and worms on its own, but only as supplements to the cat food.”
“I’ll still pass,” Mrs. Ourso said. “But if I hear of anyone…”
“Any particular reason for this marketing move?” I asked.
“Several. By the way, I did find out about the ornament. It turns out that when the school bus drops the boys off in town, their father isn’t always prompt in picking them up. As in, he sometimes forgets until he starts thinking about dinner. Rather than go to the library or a video arcade, my boys play in alleys. The alley behind the hardware store turns out to be prime pickings… good stuff in the dumpster and lately…wait for it, lots of Christmas stuff is being dumped there. Trees, ornaments, all manner of things. The ornament was one article of unburied treasure they got home.
“I’ll get Woodley to check it out,” I said.
Betina looked over at me. “Savannah, you were going to talk to Jerry Walker yesterday, right?”
“I did, yes. Not that I learned much.”
“The oddest thing… last night I was out shopping and I saw his girlfriend, Trischa arguing with another girl. It was as close to a cat fight as you can get without actually getting physical. I got the impression she was jealous of the other woman. And then, walking home I saw the new posters for the play and I recognized one of the cast as the girl that Trischa was arguing with. She’s playing the role of Felicity, the other lawyer.”
Pete choked. “Trischa was jealous of the female lead? That’s something I didn’t know about.”
“And that means she was playing opposite Jerry until his accident,” I said.
Betina sighed. “I hope that’s useful information.”
“It is. Very interesting and possibly revealing. Once again the Teasen and Pleasen Irregulars come through.”
“Irregulars?” she said.
“It’s a rip off of Sherlock Holmes,” Pete said.
“Oh,” Betina said, giving me the impression that Pete’s explanation had clarified nothing.
I decided I better call Woodley. Now I had several things to tell him. But first I got a piece of paper and wrote a name on it. I folded it into a square and took it to Betina. “Woodley and I have a bet going,” I said.
“I know,” she told me. She pointed at her manicure kit. “He gave me his guess already.” She took the paper and put it in with his. “As soon as we know who the thief is, they will be opened.”
Then I went to call him. Woodley was having breakfast, it seemed. I told him about the alley where the boys had found the ornament, about my interesting encounter with Jerry and Trischa and Betina’s additional news. “Trischa knows or suspects something that upsets her,” I told him. “I bet having to talk to a policeman might unleash some information.”
“I’ll have a chat with her and look at your alley. I’ll find out if Hildegarde Botowski has seen anything. That’s right at her back door.
“You’re going to open mic tonight, correct?”
“I am. And you are the girls are baking for school?”
“But we will save you some.”
“Excellent. And I’ll give you a report on my investigations and open mic tomorrow.”
“In terms of Pete’s situation, I hope we can make something happen soon. I’d like to know he isn’t thinking about lawsuits when he’s onstage tomorrow.”
“I’ll put the wheels in motion.”
When I hung up I had the feeling that things might be coming together. Or maybe blowing up in our faces. Sometimes it can be hard to tell.
***
When I got to school I found Sarah, Ginny, and Paula all waiting for me.
As the girls gathered their things, Paula drew me aside. “Are you sure about this?” she asked. “Last chance to back out.”
“If I backed out now I’d be drawn and quartered. But you seem concerned about something in particular. Why is Ginny coming over to spend the night with Sarah such a big deal?”
> “It’s just… Okay, I feel like you are doing this to help the poor kid. I don’t want Ginny to feel patronized.”
“The way you do at times?” I saw a flicker in her eyes that told me I’d struck something. “To be honest Paula, I know almost nothing about you or your situation and all I know about Ginny is that Sarah thinks she is special. Now let me tell you that is rare. People Sarah admires are few and far between. Sarah wants to be friends and I would do anything for that little girl. So if she wants me to invite Ginny over, that’s what I do. It has nothing whatsoever to do with you or anyone’s financial status. If I’ve accidentally wounded your pride, I apologize.”
“No. Nothing like that. But you know that it’s only because of someone else’s generosity that we even have a tree.”
“Which means nothing except that I’m glad you got one.” Then the truth dawned. “Dang but I’m slow sometimes. You’ve heard the rumors.”
“About Santa Hood, sure. I work in Ellen’s office.”
“Billy didn’t steal your tree, Paula. He found it, just like I’m sure he told you.”
“But…”
“But nothing. By the way, Sarah’s birthday is on Christmas Day.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Well I expect you and Ginny at her party.”
She paled slightly. “I don’t know…”
“She doesn’t expect a gift, except of your presence. Come and have too much food with us and other friends.”
“We’d be intruding.”
“You will have Sarah upset with me if you refuse. Ginny is her best friend. Don’t let pride keep them from having fun. Besides, I’d like to get to know you better. I think Ginny and Sarah are intending to form an alliance and we’d be fools to let that go without an alliance on our part. As it is they will probably dominate the known universe.”
Paula laughed. “I think that is exactly what Ginny said when I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up—ruler of the known universe.”
“Unlike most kids, those two have a chance at doing it. Especially if they team up. Look, I just want to get to know you, let you see who I am. If we don’t hit it off, no harm done. Come to the party, meet some other people, folks I think you will like, and just make it your goal to enjoy yourself.” I watched the two girls running toward us. “You know Ginny will have a grand time. If you are miserable, you can do what adults are supposed to do, suck it up and let the kid have fun.”
Holiday Hooligans: Cozy Mystery (The Teasen & Pleasen Hair Salon Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) Page 12
