“Somehow I think blunt force trauma makes it worse,” she said. “Don’t you? Someone had to get up close and personal with her in order to do that. How could they look her in the face and kill her?”
I looked at her. “That’s true. I thought the same thing.” I was still trying to get the vision of her lying beneath the table out of my mind.
“What a shame,” she murmured, looking away.
“I’m sure you’re going to miss working with Chrissy, aren’t you?” I said.
She looked at me and her mouth formed a hard line. “Not really. Chrissy wasn’t exactly a gem to work with, if you want to know the truth.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “It can be hard working with someone you don’t particularly care for.”
“That’s the truth. I told our boss that Chrissy was nothing but trouble. She was always gossiping about other employees and trying to get people to fight with one another,” she said as she hung up another dress. She missed the hook, and it slipped to the floor. When she bent over and picked it up, her cheeks had turned pink.
“I hate working with people like that,” I said. “I’ve had more than my share of people I’ve worked with that I didn’t particularly like. It makes the work day much longer, doesn’t it?”
“It sure does. But Michelle didn’t care. For some reason she really liked Chrissy, and I never could figure out why. As soon as she would leave the shop, Chrissy would say awful things about her,” she snorted. “But I guess since she never heard any of it, or she would have known how Chrissy really felt about her.”
I made a clucking sound. “Some people are easily fooled.” I picked up a red dress. This one wasn’t as fancy as the black one, but it was deep red and I really liked it.
“You can say that again,” she said and chuckled. “Every time she walked in the room, Chrissy was flattering her. Telling her what great taste she had when she picked out clothes to sell here in the store, and how pretty she looked that day.” Elaine shook her head. “It never ended.”
“She does have really nice things in the store though,” I said. “You have to admit that.”
“Yes, but the truth is that I help her to pick things out. She’s always asking me for my opinion on fashion, but I never get any credit for anything around here.”
Elaine’s cheeks had turned a darker pink as she huffed air through her mouth.
“That’s frustrating,” I said. “I don’t understand why some people don’t give proper credit when someone has done a great job at work. But at least now you won’t have to deal with Chrissy anymore.” I hung the red dress up again and looked at her. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“No, it’s completely accurate. I won’t have to deal with Chrissy anymore,” she said. Then she looked at me. “And neither will Natalie.”
I stopped, my hand on another dress that I had been ready to pick up. “What do you mean, neither will Natalie?”
She shrugged. “Natalie never got along with Chrissy after they had that big fight back in the seventh grade. Natalie hated Chrissy.”
I didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. Natalie had left the trouble she had had with Chrissy behind her years ago. “Natalie doesn’t even mention Chrissy anymore. I doubt she has any issues with her.”
She looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “Doesn’t she? Because I saw her at the fountain earlier on the day Chrissy’s body was found. She seemed really happy.”
My heart stopped for a moment, and when it resumed beating it slammed into the wall of my chest. “What do you mean? What do you mean you saw her at the fountain?”
She shrugged. “She was hanging out down there by herself. When I heard Chrissy was dead, I just figured Natalie had finally had enough, and she handled her problems once and for all.”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to suggest, Elaine,” I said. I could feel the anger rising inside of me. “Natalie would never harm a fly. She’s been over their broken friendship for years.”
She shrugged as a small smile played on her lips. “Okay. If that’s the way it is, then that’s the way it is. Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions. I’m just saying I saw her down there. She and Chrissy had an argument two days before the gingerbread house contest and I just figured Natalie was pushed beyond her limits. I don’t blame her. Chrissy was a hateful person.”
My mouth went dry as my mind scrambled to process this. Natalie had gone home after the gingerbread house contest. She had been disheartened over the broken gingerbread house and the fact that we came in fourth place. Stormy had said Natalie was home that evening and had hung around the house the next day until we went shopping that night.
“What did they argue about?” I asked, finally getting my mouth to work.
She shrugged. “I don’t really know,” she said. “Something about a boy. Chrissy said she would get even with her, but maybe whatever she had planned backfired on her.”
Chapter Eleven
I was shaking when I pulled up to Stormy’s house. I was supposed to be at the diner in less than half an hour, but I didn’t care. I needed to speak with Natalie. I was sure Elaine had to be a wrong about Natalie being at the fountain the day Chrissy was found. Stormy had told me she was at home, but it was possible she had mixed up the days and wasn’t remembering right. I was grasping at straws, and I told myself Natalie would have a plausible explanation.
I pounded harder on Stormy’s door than I intended. When no one came to the door immediately, I tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. I pushed open the door and walked into the house uninvited. We were sisters after all, and I told myself it would be fine.
“Hi Rainey,” Stormy said coming out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “I was just washing my hands and couldn’t get to the door when you knocked. What’s going on?”
I stopped and tried to catch my breath. “Is Natalie here?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything okay?”
I nodded. “Yes, where’s Natalie?”
“She’s in her room. What’s going on, Rainey?”
“I just need to speak to her,” I said and headed down the hall to Natalie’s room. The door was open a crack, and I pushed it open without knocking.
Natalie looked at me from where she lay on her bed. She had been reading a book, and she looked surprised to see me. “Aunt Rainey,” she said hesitantly. “Hi.”
I nodded again, the movement of my head was exaggerated in my anxiety. Because that was what I was feeling. Anxiety. “Natalie,” I said and stopped. How did I ask my niece if she was a murderer?
Her eyes went to her mother and then back to me. “Aunt Rainey, is everything okay?”
I stopped myself from nodding in that exaggerated manner again. “Natalie, did you have an argument with Chrissy a couple of days before the gingerbread decorating contest?”
Her face went blank. “I guess you could call it an argument,” she said slowly. “But it wasn’t really. It was just Chrissy being Chrissy.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Rainey, what’s going on?” Stormy asked me. She had been standing in the doorway and now she walked into the bedroom and stood beside me.
“What does Chrissy being Chrissy mean?” I asked Natalie, ignoring Stormy’s question.
She shrugged. “Chrissy thought the world revolved around her. You know how she was. It was one of the reasons we stopped being friends years ago. I just couldn’t take being made feel like I was second best, so we ended our friendship. And when I registered for the contest, she made a comment about me not being good enough to win because I was never good enough for anything. I told her she might not think I was good enough, but I was going to win the contest. I know that’s why she broke our gingerbread house. She knew we were going to win.” She shook her head. “Things might have gotten a little heated, but it was nothing.”
Hearing her say the argument didn’t amount to anything calmed me. I was starting
to feel like I had made a mistake, but I needed to hear it from her. “Did you argue about a boy?”
Her eyes went to Stormy and then back to me. “No, we didn’t argue about a boy. Who would we argue about? I don’t even live in Sparrow anymore.”
I nodded again. “I see. And were you near the fountain on the day Chrissy’s body was found?”
“Why are you asking me these things, Aunt Rainey?” Natalie said, sitting up on the side of the bed. “I think those are weird things to ask me.”
“Rainey, what’s going on here?” Stormy asked me.
I looked at Stormy. “I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s just that someone said something about Natalie arguing with Chrissy a couple of days before she died. I knew it didn’t amount to much.” I looked at Natalie for confirmation.
“You think I killed Chrissy?” she asked me.
I could see the hurt in her eyes and I wished I had a hole to crawl into. Natalie couldn’t have hurt anyone. I shook my head. “No, I know you couldn’t kill anyone, Natalie. It’s just—I wanted to hear it from you.”
She got to her feet as tears sprang to her eyes. “Aunt Rainey, I just can’t believe you would even ask me that. I couldn’t kill anyone. How could you think that of me?”
“I know,” I said. “I’m being ridiculous. I knew it was stupid to even ask you about it. I’m sorry.” I suddenly felt like an idiot. Natalie was one of the sweetest people I knew and she couldn’t have killed anyone.
“Aunt Rainey, I have never been so insulted in all my life,” she said, her cheeks turning red. “How could you even think this?”
“Natalie, I’m so sorry,” I said. “I know it’s stupid. I was an idiot for even coming here and asking you about it. I’m so sorry.”
“Natalie was here all day after she got back from the gingerbread house judging contest until we went shopping the next evening. Weren’t you Natalie?” Stormy asked. “I think I told you that, Rainey.”
Natalie’s eyes went to Stormy. “No,” she said and looked away. “I volunteered to be an elf at Santa’s workshop the morning after the gingerbread decorating contest. I just can’t believe anybody would even think I would do something like that.”
My heart sank when she admitted to being at Santa’s workshop the morning Chrissy died. “How long were you there?”
She shrugged. “Two hours. Why? Why are you asking me these things?”
“You know your Aunt Rainey doesn’t mean anything by it, Natalie,” Stormy said. “She’s just trying to help Cade figure out what happened to Chrissy. If Chrissy had still been your best friend, you would have expected her to help out.”
She sighed, but looked away from me. “I guess you’re right,” she said and sat back down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t feel good about Chrissy being killed, you know. We may not have gotten along in years, but I wouldn’t wish death on her or anyone else.”
“I know that,” I said, still feeling sick over what I had done. I had allowed panic to take over and hurt her without thinking. “I’m sorry Natalie.”
She nodded, but still didn’t look at me. “It’s fine.”
I looked at Stormy helplessly. She gave me a slight nod of her head for reassurance. “I guess I better get to the diner,” I said. “They’re expecting me at work in a few minutes. Natalie, I really am sorry.”
She nodded. “I know. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. I know you’re just trying to help Cade.”
I was relieved she wasn’t going to hold it against me. “Well, I better get going,” I said and left the room. Stormy followed behind me, and when we got outside, I stopped and turned to Stormy. “I’m sorry. I feel like an idiot.”
“Don’t feel like an idiot,” Stormy said and gave me a quick hug. When she released me she asked, “But why did you ask her about it? I mean, did you really think she might have done it?”
“I spoke to Elaine Jeffers at Michelle’s dress shop. She said she saw Natalie at the fountain the morning Chrissy’s body was found. She said Chrissy and Natalie had argued a couple of days before the gingerbread house contest and she thought Natalie had finally had enough of Chrissy and killed her.”
Stormy gasped. “She thought she got tired of Chrissy and killed her? Like people just get tired of people and kill them? And now Elaine is spreading that around?”
If I had stopped to think about it, I would have realized how ridiculous it all sounded. “She said Chrissy and Natalie hated each other and made it sound like they argued. On more than one occasion. But I always thought once they had had that falling out back in the seventh grade that they hadn’t had anything to do with one another.”
“I was under the same impression,” Stormy said. “I can see where Chrissy might have been difficult to deal with. She was proud of herself, and maybe she was tormenting Natalie when they were still in school together. It wouldn’t surprise me if Natalie never said anything about it.”
I nodded. “I feel terrible for questioning her. I should have known better,” I said.
“Don’t beat yourself up for it,” she said. “We all make mistakes and Natalie isn’t one to hold a grudge.”
That made me feel better, and I realized it was true. Natalie had never held a grudge against anyone. She wouldn’t have even held a grudge against Chrissy for how she had treated her. I decided not to think about the fact that Natalie admitted to being at Santa’s workshop the day Chrissy died. At least, I wouldn’t think about it right now.
“I’ve got to get to work now,” I said. “I’ll talk to you later. Let me know if you think Natalie is upset about this whole thing. I’ll find a way to make it up to her.”
I got into my car and put my seatbelt on, stopping for a minute to take a deep breath. When I had settled down, I pulled away from the curb and headed to work.
Chapter Twelve
I worked my shift at the diner still feeling guilty for having asked Natalie the questions I had. I knew our relationship would be fine, but in hindsight I realize how stupid it was.
When I finished up at the diner I headed over to the police station to meet Cade for an early dinner. It was just after three o’clock in the afternoon, but he wanted to show me the cake decorating kit that was found near Chrissy’s body. Most cake decorating kits were fairly generic, but I thought I’d take a look anyway. It probably belonged to one of the contest winners and was left behind, then knocked off the table.
“Hey Rainey,” Ted Wiese said when I walked through the doors of the police station. He was sitting at the front desk, his computer screen opened to Target.com. He toggled off as he greeted me and tried to shield his screen with his body.
“Hi Ted,” I said, walking up to the front desk. “Getting some Christmas shopping done?”
He chuckled. “You caught me did you?”
I grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Is Cade around?”
“Sure, he’s in his office,” he said. “When are we going to get some Christmas cookies around here?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, depends on if Santa says you’ve been a good police officer or not.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve been a very good police officer,” he said and chuckled. “You can go on back and see Cade if you want.”
“You know I want,” I said and headed to the door that led down a hallway and to Cade’s office.
I knocked on Cade’s door and waited for him to answer.
“Come in,” he called from the other side.
I pushed the door open and closed it behind me. “Hey,” I said and went to his desk, leaned over and gave him a kiss. “How are you?”
“I’m doing just fine,” he said. “How are you doing? I think that’s the real question.”
I looked at him. Had someone told him I had asked Natalie about killing Chrissy? I sat down. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”
One eyebrow rose up as he looked at me questioningly. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged and chuckled. “I have no idea where
we’re going with this conversation,” I said. “Where’s that decorating kit?”
He grinned and turned around to the credenza behind him and picked it up, then turned around and set it on his desk. For the second time today, my heart stopped beating. The canvas tote bag had a floral print with ladybugs on it. It was Natalie’s.
“You found this near Chrissy’s body?” I asked and heard the tremor in my own voice.
Gingerbread and a Murder Page 7
