Winter Festival Murder

by Linnea West

  "Ah ha," he yelled. "I told you that you wouldn't be able to hide from me."

  Lennie reached inside and tried to grab me by the coat, but I pushed as far back from him as I could. The cupboard I was in had a door on the other side and I ended up falling backwards out into the large room. I needed to get up and moving. I grabbed a chair and pulled myself up, trying to ignore the pain coming from my feet. The mittens were helping a little, but walking certainly wasn't helping them.

  I grasped my baton and held it up as Lennie walked around the kitchenette island holding the stick he had used to knock Philip out. I backed up as he walked, hoping to keep as much distance between us as possible.

  "What happened to your gun Lennie?" I asked. "You only have a stick now?"

  "I dropped the gun somewhere in the snow," he said. "But it doesn't matter. You saw what I can do with it. That boy officer didn't stand a chance against it and neither will you."

  "But why are you still coming after me?" I asked. "Do you really think you're going to escape now?"

  Lennie's face was contorted in anger. He was sneering at me and his eyes were wild. His cheeks were red and white from being out in the cold, blowing wind and his hair was sticking up all over from wearing a hat he had apparently lost along the way.

  "You're the only thing standing in my way," Lennie said. "And you were the one that threw away the medallion I worked so hard for."

  Through the anger, Lennie's sadness started to seep in. Tears started to run down his ice-cold cheeks. He was focused solely on me and killing me because I had been the one to get rid of the medallion.

  "I've worked all my life to be the best and I always manage to come in second place, never first," he said. "Here I'd finally done it. I had found the medallion and even though I'd had to shoot that pathetic Gerald, I had gotten away with it until you figured it out. For once, I just want to be the one who wins."

  I could feel the warmth of the fireplace on the back of my legs and I glanced back, realizing I was almost out of space. There was nowhere else to go from here and my feet were killing me.

  Over Lennie's shoulder, I could see some movement, but I didn't dare look. I was afraid that if I did, he would think I was trying to trick him again and that would not go over well. I just hoped that whatever or whoever I could see moving would help me out.

  Chapter Forty

  I looked around but even if I had working feet, there was no real way to escape. In front of me was Lennie brandishing the large stick he had brought in. Behind me was a large stone fireplace complete with raging fire. On either side of me were round tables with chairs all around. If I tried to go either way, I'd have to jump and slide over the table like I was a character in an old sitcom sliding across the hood of a car. My nonathletic body wouldn't be able to handle that even if I hadn't gotten frostbite on my feet.

  "Are there any last words you'd like to say?" Lennie said, raising the stick over his head as he walked closer and closer to me. A glint of something metallic sticking out of one of his pockets caught my eye and I realized he had grabbed a large knife from the kitchenette. For a man who never was the best, he was doing a great job of being scary.

  "Yes, I'd just like to say one thing," I said. "I think you are only making things worse for yourself. This all started with something that you did in self defense. Sure, the police may have doubted that if you told them, but if you had reported it I'm sure the truth would have come out."

  Lennie snorted, his mouth turned up into a grimace. I could see some movement between some of the tables, but whoever was coming this way was crouched down too low for me to see them. I didn't really care who it was that was coming to my rescue; I just knew I needed help. Hope started to bubble up inside of me.

  "Now you've made things so much worse," I continued. If I could drag this spiel on long enough, then whoever was currently creeping this way could get here before Lennie smashed my head in. "Now you've added attempted murder, assaulting a police officer, and who knows what else. Everyone knows it was you. Do you really think you'll be able to get out of this and then what? Just run your entire life to stay one step ahead of the police?"

  Lennie's face fell slightly. He had been so focused on the medallion and keeping it safe that he hadn't thought more than one step ahead. I could almost see it all flashing before his eyes. The wild light in his eyes slowly dimmed as the realization settled in that he hadn't finally become the winner he had wanted to be his entire life. He had only managed to ruin his own life, along with Gerald's.

  "Did you even find the medallion out there?" I asked gently. I needed to keep talking, but I wasn't sure what else to say that wouldn't anger him.

  "No," he admitted.

  Lennie slowly lowered the stick down by his side. He stared at the floor just in front of me.

  Philip's red hair appeared above the table just behind Lennie to the right. I managed to blink at him to acknowledge that I saw him, but I didn't want to give him away. Philip's face looked cool and collected, nothing like the nervous boy who had been assigned to guard me earlier. Maybe the knock on the head had knocked some maturity into him.

  "I didn't even find the medallion," Lennie said softly. His entire world was crashing down around him.

  "Put the stick down, Lennie," Philip said. He popped out of his hiding spot and pointed his gun at Lennie.

  Lennie's head snapped up and the fire was back in his eyes. Before he could do anything, I leapt toward him, grabbing onto him like a baby monkey. Lennie stumbled backward, falling down onto his back on the ground. I kept my grip on him, only loosening up when he was fully on the ground.

  I grabbed the stick and ripped it out of his hands while Philip jumped on top of him also. I grabbed the knife out of his pocket and tossed it aside. Philip and I looked at each other for a moment, both wondering what to do next when we heard the back door open.

  Max's head popped in and when he saw Philip and I sitting on top of Lennie, his eyes grew wide. He threw the door open and ran in, zig-zagging through the tables to help us with the other three officers following close behind.

  The other three officers descended on Lennie to help Philip handcuff him as Max lifted me up and off of Lennie. He held me close in his arms and I wrapped my arms around his neck. As I snuggled my face into the rough stubble on his neck, I could feel tears falling down my face. I wasn't sad or upset, but all of the emotions of the day came pouring out of me.

  "Let's get you out to the ambulance," Max said.

  I looked up and could just barely make out the red and blue flashing lights pulling up through the blowing snow. Max carried me to the front door before he turned and called out to the other officers.

  "Philip, I know I told you to stay with Tessa, but let's swap roles just this once," Max said.

  "Yes sir," Philip said. His chest was puffed out with pride as the other officers were taking turns congratulating him and slapping him on the back. At least something good had come out of this.

  Max ran out just as the paramedics were climbing out of the rig. They opened the doors in back and Max climbed right inside with me still in his arms. I had almost forgot about how much my feet hurt until we were in the ambulance slowly making our way to the hospital.

  "Sorry it took us so long," the EMT in the passenger seat called back to us. "It is blowing so hard we almost ran off the road a few times. We are just lucky to be here in one piece."

  "That's alright," I said. "This way Max gets to be the one to take me to the hospital."

  Max wrapped me in a tight hug once more before he slid me over to lay on the stretcher. I knew that he worked closely with all sorts of first responders, so I didn't blame him for not wanting to be mushy-gushy around them.

  But he did hold my hand the entire time we slid to the hospital in the ambulance.

  Chapter Forty-One

  The doctors at the hospital assured me that my case of frostbite was mild, but they encouraged me to stay for a while so that they could warm up my
feet and make sure there was no other damage to them. I laid in the hospital bed, watching some old game show from decades before I was born, hoping my family would listen to my plea for them to not come to the hospital. When I contacted them, I told them that I needed two things: someone to go get my car from the parking lot of the park and someone else to ready the couch for me to recover, complete with a pepperoni pizza from Mike's. So far, they seemed to be listening.

  The curtain around my hospital bed parted and Max came back in with a big smile on his face. He had stepped out for a moment to catch up on what had happened once we left for the hospital.

  "Is it safe to say that Lennie did not somehow slip out of police custody after we left?" I asked.

  "Nope, he is down at the jail right now," Max said. "And he is singing like a canary."

  I threw my head back and laughed as Max smiled his big, dumb smile. Max always knew just what to say to send me into hysterics. It was one of the things that made me fall in love with him in high school and it was something that still made me love him today.

  "Isn't that what they say when someone rats out their partners in crime?" I asked. "I'm pretty sure Lennie was working alone."

  "You're right, I guess," Max said. "But he is spilling his guts about everything from Gerald's death to how he planned today."

  Max strolled over and sat back down in the uncomfortable looking chair that was next to my hospital bed where he had stationed himself two hours ago when we first got here. I put my hand out towards him and he immediately took it in his and gave it a squeeze.

  "So that Loony Bin keychain and the footprints in the trees were Lennie's, were they?" I asked.

  "Actually, it sounds like those must have been Gerald's," Max said. "We think Gerald snuck down the sidewalk and through the trees before he attacked Lennie. Lennie said he was never back in the trees."

  "Well, what about the bank paper in the parking lot?" I asked. Surely that had to be tied to him if the other clues weren't.

  "That was Lennie's," Max said. "Apparently he was not doing as well in his seed business as we all thought. The bank had just sent him that letter a few days before the medallion hunt started. It seems that he not only wanted to win the medallion, but he thought the prize money might be helpful."

  While I sat there looking at Max, I wondered why I'd been so set on not dating anyone seriously. Of course, I know Max was only looking to date casually, but I wondered how he felt about it now. Maybe he was starting to fall more in love with me just like I was with him.

  I was about to open my mouth and ask him when the curtains were shoved violently aside and Mandy came racing into the emergency room bay.

  "I know you said no family, but this is how we got around the rule," Mandy said before I could protest. She was right, of course, and was utilizing a loophole I may have realized existed if I hadn't been so busy making goo-goo eyes towards Max. "Hey Max."

  "Hey Mandy," Max said, his cheeks getting a little red. "Tessa's doing alright. They said they are going to let her go soon. You can drive her home because I don't have a car. I'll just call the station to send someone to come get me."

  Max winked at me before he bent down and gave me a quick squeeze.

  "I'll call you later and we can set up a date," he whispered into my ear. "I knew I wouldn't be able to keep you all to myself for too long."

  He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and I felt my cheeks start to blush, just a bit. Max gave one last wave and disappeared through the curtain and into the busy emergency room.

  "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important," Mandy said. I leaned over to try and shove her and almost fell out of the bed. Instead of shoving Mandy, I ended up clinging to her arm before she helped lift my center of gravity back up onto the hospital bed.

  "No, not really, but it would have been nice if you'd come like ten minutes from now," I grumbled. I would just have to wait until another time to talk to Max about our relationship. At least he didn't seem to be mad at me anymore so I wouldn't have to worry about that.

  Mandy grinned at me. I'm sure she could somehow read my mind to know what I was talking about because she was just that good.

  "Are your doctors coming back soon?" she asked as she wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. Mandy opened her purse a crack and beckoned for me to look inside. "I brought you a little something."

  Inside sitting on top of a napkin was a round donut with pink frosting and heart sprinkles. My mouth started to salivate just looking at it.

  "I was doing a little practicing for Valentine's Day when I heard what had happened to you," Mandy said with a shrug.

  As we waited for the doctor to come back and discharge me, Mandy passed me bites of donut so that we wouldn't get busted by the sudden appearance of a medical professional. Finally, a doctor came by and gave me my papers. A nurse helped wheel me out to Mandy's car, which she pulled around to the door.

  I spent the rest of the night reclining on the couch, eating pizza and retelling the story of what had happened with Lennie every time someone new came in to check on how I was doing.

  The biggest surprise was when the door opened and Ronald and Chelsea both stepped into my living room. Up until this point, it had been all family and close friends, so I felt a little embarrassed when the mayor and someone who hates me walked in.

  "We didn't come together," Chelsea quickly said, answering the first question on everyone's mind. "We just both happened to get here at the same time."

  "I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Ronald said. Today's sweater vest was baby blue and I wondered if he had been picking vests that he thought would fit with the Below Zero Festival theme of the week.

  "I didn't care, I just want to hear the story," Chelsea said.

  I rolled my eyes at her and sent a quick message to Max asking if he wanted me talking to the press, not that I wanted to flatter Chelsea by calling her that. He sent back a quick confirmation that I was allowed to tell her anything and everything.

  So I launched into my story one final time, making sure not to skip any of the details. When I got to the part about my frostbite, Chelsea sneered as she glanced down at my bandaged feet.

  When I reached the end of the story, everyone sat with their mouths open, under the spell of my totally weird, but captivating story. Chelsea looked like she was actually kind of impressed and even my family who had heard the story multiple times now sat with their attention on me.

  "I can't even imagine Tessa," Ronald said. "But thank you for saving the town's medallion hunt. I feel like after catching Lennie, we can safely hold another medallion hunt next year. And I just know the entire town will want to say thank you at the festival farewell party tomorrow."

  "What farewell party?" Chelsea and I both asked at the same time.

  "Listen to the radio tomorrow morning and I'll give all of the details," Ronald said mysteriously before grabbing his jacket and leaving the living room. I could see him pulling his phone out of his pocket before he left and I knew he was starting to call around to pull together this crazy party that I would have to attend.

  For now, my parents saw Chelsea out and helped me to my bedroom, with a little assistance from Mandy. I would need to rest up if I was expected to attend this new party.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The next morning, the radio announced that there would be a festival farewell party downtown so that we could end the festival on a good note instead of the attempted murder. Apparently no one had thought about the fact that maybe the girl with frostbite on her feet would want an inside party instead of an outside one, but it was the Below Zero Festival to celebrate being outside in the winter so I sucked it up and told myself I didn't have to stay long.

  Mandy had borrowed a wheelchair from somewhere for me to use and after making sure I was suitably bundled up, we headed out. My feet had some boot warmers shoved down by my toes along with some warm socks which seemed to be working for now. I wasn't able to drive because of my feet, but
I was shoved unceremoniously into the front seat and driven downtown.

  Ronald had actually managed to pull together a somewhat decent party on such short notice. There were some of the local food trucks around, all giving away free food. We made sure to swing by the corn dog stand before they ran out of free corn dogs.

  The main street had been shut down and kids were running around playing in the snow. There was also a stage and music was currently blasting out of the loud speakers that were set up on top. I actually had to admit I was a little impressed.

  As I was sitting in the wheelchair scarfing down the two corn dogs I had managed to snag, Donna suddenly appeared out of the crowd with Bobby close by. She made a beeline straight for me and practically threw herself into my lap to give me a hug.

  "I can't believe what happened," she said. "I'm so glad you are okay. And I wanted to thank you. I feel like my soul can have a little peace now that we know what happened to Gerald."

  I nodded, glad something good came out of the situation. Donna still had a smile on her face, though, so I was a little confused until she somehow read my mind and explained.

  "I'm extra happy today too," she continued. "I got a promotion and a raise at work, so I don't have to worry about money for a while. Bobby and I are going to do just fine."

  "I'm so glad to hear that Donna," I said before she waved goodbye and headed off, tugging Bobby along with her. I really was happy for her, just like anytime something good happened to a good person.

  The music that was flowing out of the speakers cut off suddenly and some feedback from the microphone came out instead. I looked over to see Ronald sheepishly holding the microphone. Someone must have adjusted something because suddenly the feedback stopped and Ronald started to speak.

  "Hello Shady Lakers," he said. He was wearing what seemed like a big, fake, mayoral smile, but really it was just how Ronald always looked. "Welcome to the farewell party and I really appreciate that you all took the time to come to this party on such short notice."