Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder

by Carolyn L. Dean

  “Very well, we can wait for this date, but be warned, Arrah,” Daniel said. “Do not test my patience further. We wish to be done with this business. One way or the other.”

  Katherine breathed out a sigh, resting her head in her hands as she closed her eyes in relief. Grandfather had gotten the message, thank goodness. She turned away from the vent and stumbled away in relief, heading back to the stairs that led near the kitchen.

  She was just about to continue past when she heard a horrible screeching, following by the yelling of several people. Curious, she moved down the short hallway and peeked into the doorway, pushing it open only an inch. She stared at the scene before her for a moment before covering her mouth, stifling a laugh.

  Mary stood in the center of the room covered with what looked like grape juice with her eyes closed and a constant screech erupting out of her mouth. Several of the staff were attempting to clean up the mess on the floor and the pretty young maid, but it didn’t seem to be coming off.

  Billy was standing off to the side, holding his fists over his mouth and looking at the woman wide-eyed, but she could detect the very faintest of smiles trying to creep onto his lips. It was then that Katherine noticed the container on the floor, looking at it curiously before realizing what it really was. It looked like a dye container, which meant Mary wasn’t covered by grape juice, but purple dye.

  Katherine couldn’t help it, she let out a laugh that she desperately tried to stifle with her hand. It was a good thing that Mary was still yelling at the top of her lungs, because she was sure that the staff would have heard her.

  “You stupid boy!” Mary finally got out, pointing a dripping finger at Billy while Margaret was trying to pat her dry with a white towel that was quickly turning purple. It was doing shockingly little. “What did you do! What did you do!”

  “I’m so sorry, Miss Mary!” Billy said from behind his hands. “I didn’t mean to! I wasn’t looking where I was going!”

  “Get out of my sight!” Mary screeched, now pointing to the doorway where Katherine was.

  Billy hightailed it toward the door and Katherine stepped back, making sure she wasn’t able to be seen when Billy came through. He pushed through the door, yelping as he charged down the hall and almost ran into Katherine. They stared at each other for several silent moments, then both of them broke out into fits of laughter.

  They quickly retreated, moving upstairs to the sound of Mary’s fading screams and their own uncontrollable giggles.

  Chapter 21

  Katherine was terrified. Christmas had passed, and the days had counted down both interminably slow, and inconsolably fast. Her time was growing short and now the day was here she had been dreading. New Year’s Eve had come with a roar of winter weather, causing the air outside to turn almost white with some of the gusts of wind.

  The night before she’d spent hours with her grandfather in tearful farewells. It had been the most difficult time in her life, knowing she was to abandon the man to his fate. She’d tried to talk him out of staying, saying that even if he couldn’t make it on the trip, at least he would have tried but he just shook his head sadly.

  “No, Katherine. I wish to do this with dignity, not dying on some tramp freighter from the cold. Please, let me do this. It is our greatest chance to make this work.”

  She had finally acceded to his request for the last time but she felt both sorrowful and deeply angry. Still, no matter how much she wished it to be so, she could not keep the final hours from passing.

  Dressed in her newly made gray traveling outfit, she sat quietly in the Tonneau with Ben driving. It was very early in the morning since Ben was due back at the house to take grandfather to the lawyer’s office by midday. The plan was to drop her off at the market for the day and meet him when her grandfather had conducted his business, but instead, she would meet a privately contracted taxi to take her to the train station.

  Despite the terrible weather, they made it to the market with only minor delays and Katherine quickly stepped down from the car. “Ben,” she said, reaching out and holding his hand and looking up into his kind eyes. “Thank you for everything.”

  She quickly turned away, not wanting to start tearing up where the man would see. “I’ll return at the appointed time, ma’am,” he said with a curious look in his eye. Clearly, she’d been too emotional and he didn’t understand why, but it was too late to take back what she’d said, preferring instead to just nod and walk into the door that was held by a doorman.

  She quickly passed into the indoor market, looking around for perhaps an hour before walking toward the rear entrance and peeking out. There was a large, covered carriage with two large chests piled on top and a driver well dressed for the weather. Even so, he looked cold as he turned his face away from the driving wind. When she stepped out, he looked over at her before quickly stepping down.

  “Miss Tabatha?” he said, holding onto his hat.

  She nodded, blinking repeatedly as the snow tried to blow into her eyes. “Yes! Will there be any trouble getting there in this snow?”

  The man shook his head, moving toward the door of the carriage and pulling out a step stool, then holding his hand out. “No, Ma’am. Or none that will stop us from getting there on time. Don’t you worry.”

  She nodded, taking his hand and stepping up into the carriage which he quickly closed. It was cold inside, but at least it was out of the wind. She yelped slightly as the horses suddenly began pulling the wagon through the heavy snow. It had been too long since she’d ridden in anything horse-drawn. She was startled and cursed herself lightly for the slip.

  It took longer than she had expected to get to the train station, but they arrived well before the train was scheduled to depart for Chicago. It would take a few days, and as such she’d be traveling in one of the private sleeping cars. Two porters quickly came forward and assisted the driver with Katherine’s luggage, struggling with one more than the other.

  “Fair amount of rocks in that one, I suppose?” the taxi driver said, smiling at his joke and tipping his hat as the porters moved the two chests inside. “Do you need anything further Miss Tabatha?”

  “No rocks, I’m afraid,” Katherine said, “but I do like my clothes. However, I don’t need anything further. Thank you.”

  The man tipped his hat once again and quickly climbed into the high seat of his carriage, slapping the reins and moving quickly into the now sleeting snow. Katherine sighed and turned toward the station, quickly going inside.

  She never noticed the man on horseback just on the edge of sight in the snow, watching her carefully before turning and riding quickly away.

  The interior of the spacious train station was well built and sturdy but holding only a few people even at this early hour. The time of year coupled with the terrible weather was probably keeping many people home. Still, Katherine moved to the ticket counter and confirmed her arrival with the uniformed man behind the window.

  “Here you go, ma’am. Your train will be leaving from platform D, but I’m afraid there’s a bit of a problem.”

  “Problem?” Katherine asked, her eyes boring into the man.

  He nodded. ”Yes, ma’am. The tracks are icy. They’ve sent out a crew to clear them, but there will be a delay.”

  Katherine’s blood ran cold. A delay? She could tell her face had gone pale because the man got a panicked look in his eye. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I’ve been told it won’t be too long, but they need to do this or the trains won’t be able to get traction. Once they’re going, it will be okay, but they need traction to get moving. They’re putting sand out now.”

  Katherine could only nod dumbly before taking her ticket. She followed the signs to platform D to the waiting train. She showed her tickets to one of the men working on the passenger platform and he directed her to the correct rail car. She quickly climbed up into the beautifully decorated interior and made her way to her cabin, sighing in relief when she opened the door and collapsed into one of t
he seats.

  She sat for only a moment before getting up and moving to the two chests that had been put into her cabin. Quickly opening one, she pushed the clothes out of the way and looked down at a gasping Billy who was blinking like an owl in the sudden light. He was sitting in a nest of clothes and though she was saddened at the inevitable wrinkles in the fine garments, she was even more happy that Billy was there and unharmed.

  “Hello, Miss Katherine!” Billy said, smiling up at her after his eyes had adjusted. “Thank goodness, I kept imagining one of the porters opening the lid and chasing me all around the city.”

  “Is it comfortable in there?” Katherine asked. Watching as Billy nodded. “Good, because you’re going to have to stay in there until we have our ticket punched.”

  She let the lid fall on Billy’s protest before sitting back down. She hadn’t told Billy that the train would be delayed because she didn’t want to worry him. She was doing enough worrying for the both of them.

  She had a sinking feeling that things were about to go badly.

  Chapter 22

  Arrah used every bit of his business acumen that he’d developed over a lifetime to remain calm. He idly wondered how much longer after today he would live. Eustice had a terrible temper, but Daniel did as well, if a bit more refined and calculated.

  In truth, he wondered if he would get out of the room alive, must less the day.

  Ben had been unusually quiet on the drive, if no less mindful of his duties. After placing Arrah into his wheelchair, Ben stopped and looked down at his feet, pausing before pushing Arrah into the law offices.

  “Is something wrong, Ben?” Arrah asked. Ben had been with them for perhaps eight years, but the man had been loyal. Arrah had made arrangements for substantial funds to be given to most of the staff, though delayed by a year. He knew most of them would be dismissed once the Clarks took over. The instructions had once again been sealed but this time it was only for a year and Arrah hoped it would be long enough.

  Ben frowned and Arrah thought he wasn’t going to answer, but finally the big man sighed. “For some reason, it felt like Miss Katherine was saying goodbye.”

  “I’m sure it was nothing, Ben. What did she say?” Arrah asked, looking at the door in what he hoped was a dismissive manner. The big man was remarkably observant and Arrah was hoping he wouldn’t do anything to endanger himself.

  “She thanked me, sir, and she seemed sad,” Ben said, fidgeting and shaking his head. “Maybe I misremembered things. I’m sorry for bothering you, sir.”

  Arrah chose to just nod and not answer as if he agreed, but deep down his heart broke. He was sending his granddaughter away, perhaps forever. She would never walk through the halls of their house, or enjoy another Christmas in its halls ever again. The faces of James, Margaret, Ben, and even that rascal Billy flashed across his minds-eye and for a moment, he wanted to turn around and have Ben take him to the train station, but the moment passed.

  If he did, even if he signed the documents today, he knew that Eustice would eventually kill her. There were far too many rumors of lower born women disappearing that were associated with his name. Even if Daniel was interested in keeping her alive, he knew that Eustice’s anger would eventually win out.

  Ben pushed him through the marble, well-decorated hallways behind an attendant who showed them to a richly appointed meeting room. Daniel and Eustice were already there, along with a small team of lawyers and clerks. Despite their agreeable smiles, Arrah found he couldn’t muster a polite response and simply let Ben wheel him into the room and toward the large pile of papers at one end of the table.

  “Don’t be so glum, Arrah,” Daniel said, “This is all for the best.” He glanced at Eustice for a moment before continuing. “You’ll be well taken care of after this, I assure you.”

  It was not lost on Arrah the double meaning of what Daniel said, nor the glance he leveled at his nephew. He wondered if he would live out the day even if he had planned to sign the documents. Either way, it was time to get to work and he simply nodded, reaching for the paperwork in front of him.

  One of the clerks handed him one of the new fountain pens. He took it and examined it closely. He had not used one before, but they had been around for perhaps ten or so years and he had always been fascinated by contraptions both large and small. This one was well made, with gold and black detail. It was beautiful and he shook his head at its ingenuity.

  However, he handed the pen back to the man and held his hand up. “I would be remiss in not reading the contracts to make sure they are correct,” Arrah said. He sensed Eustice almost rise from the table, but Daniel held his hand out, keeping him in his seat with a warning glance.

  “Very well, Arrah,” Daniel said though he didn’t sound pleased. “I remember this is your practice, but please keep in mind we all have further business to conduct today.”

  Arrah nodded and then started reading. Each page was unchanged from his previous review and he pointed out several minor errors that he’d spotted previously, but hadn’t mentioned. Each item required review by both lawyers, and then corrections were quickly sent out of the room for reproduction as Arrah continued.

  An hour passed and Arrah was getting to the bottom of the pile. All corrections had been done, and he knew the moment was fast approaching where he’d have to reveal to the Clark’s that he was not going to be signing today, or ever.

  He was interrupted by the door opening and instead of one off the clerks entering, a rough looking man dressed in winter clothes entered. Two of the clerks rose, moving to the man and holding their hands out to stop him but he pushed roughly past them and moved over to Daniel.

  “What is the meaning of this?!” Arrah said, concerned at the man’s appearance. Instead of answering, Daniel held his hand up and listened to what the man was whispering. Slowly, his face took on a grim look before turning his glare to Arrah. A moment later, he sat back and closed his eyes, clearly angry.

  “Wait for us outside,” he instructed the man in a deadly cold voice. The rough looking fellow nodded and then left, much to the relief of the lawyers and clerks, but Arrah knew that wasn’t the problem anymore. Slowly, Daniel opened his eyes and stared at Arrah with a snake-like gaze. Arrah felt a shiver race up and down his spine, knowing that somehow their deceit had been discovered.

  “You never intended to sign the paperwork today, did you?” Daniel asked slowly.

  Arrah didn’t answer, but Eustice pushed his way back from the table and rose, looking at his uncle in confusion. “What’s going on? What just happened?”

  Daniel didn’t turn to Eustice, keeping his gaze on Arrah. “It appears your wife arrived at the train station a few hours ago. Apparently she had luggage with her, so I doubt she’s just going to admire the architecture.”

  “What!” Eustice bellowed, his face instantly going red and fists clenched. “Dammit! I knew something was going to happen! I knew it! Mary said they were skulking about planning something, Uncle! You should have listened to me! We could have taken care of this another way and not had to deal with this idiocy!”

  “Calm yourself, Eustice,” Daniel said. “Go with Jeremy and gather the rest of your men and go to the station. See if you can intercept your treacherous wife.”

  “It’s too late,” Arrah said, looking at his watch. “She left an hour ago. You’ll never find her.”

  Daniel actually growled in anger, standing up even as Eustice charged out of the room and called for his coat. “You’ve done nothing, Arrah. We’ll find Katherine, and she will do our bidding no matter what you’ve done. She will not be the first woman I’ve bent to my will. She is your only heir, and she will sign everything over to Eustice…before the end.”

  Arrah felt himself go pale before swiping the paperwork off of the table. “You will not find her. She will escape you and my fortune will be beyond your reach. Did you think I wouldn’t realize the unusual circumstances around my son’s death? I know you and your nephew were behind it
. My body is frail, but my mind has not wavered. You will not destroy my family, Daniel. They will return one day, and you will pay dearly for your trespasses against us.”

  Daniel sneered and shook his head, turning to one of the clerks. “Fetch my coat and tell my driver to be waiting. I’ll be leaving shortly.” He glanced one last time at Arrah. “Provide any sort of food or drink that Mr. Moore requests and charge it to my accounts. He should at least enjoy the last few hours before the consequences of his actions catch up to him.”

  Arrah watched him leave before slumping in his wheelchair. That was it, then. He had done everything in his power to help Katherine escape. Now, it was in God’s hands and he dearly hoped that what he’d told Daniel would come to pass.

  Chapter 23

  Eustice gritted his teeth against the cold wind though he barely felt it. His anger burned brightly as he drove his horse through snow and ice. The animal had slipped twice already, but Eustice didn’t care. If he needed to, he’d take Jeremy’s horse but he hoped he wouldn’t have to. He had another task for the man, and that was to go retrieve the rest of the men he paid. He’d search the entire train station and each train if he needed to.

  Then, Katherine would pay. He didn’t have a particular plan to punish his wife but knew he just wanted to inflict pain on her. She had dared to defy him, and no one defied Eustice Clark. An idea occurred to him then. Another way to hurt Katherine, and one that would also satisfy Eustice’s anger had other targets, and he would kill two birds with one stone.

  He smirked, correcting his internal monologue to bullet instead of stone.

  Pulling to a stop, he turned toward Jeremy even as his horse whinnied and turned, protesting the weather. “Go fetch the rest of your men but I want you to send one of them to keep an eye out for Mr. Moore’s car. I want that old man dead.”

  Jeremy grinned and didn’t answer, instead kicking his horse and disappearing quickly out of sight into the sleeting snow. Eustice jerked the reins, pushing the horses head in the direction he needed to go and kicked it hard, screaming into the wind. The horse fairly leaped forward, screaming in its equine terror and charged on, its hoofbeats muffled by the snow.