Merriment & Murder

by Jenna St James

  “I think I left my drink in the great room,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

  I shot out of the circle before anyone could stop me. Slipping from the room, I kept my back to the side of the stairs and got as close as I could to the two fighting women.

  “I may not like her, but she’s a better substitute than you,” Temperance said. “And once she signs the prenup, it won’t matter. All that matters is that Percy doesn’t end up with a loser like you.”

  “You’re a horrible beast of a woman,” Mariah said. “I hope to make you choke on those words one day.”

  Having heard enough, I walked quickly back into the parlor and joined everyone again.

  “Where’s your drink?” Aunt Aggie asked.

  “Oh,” I said, “it wasn’t in there.”

  Peyton and Raven gave me quizzical looks, but I ignored them.

  “Ya know,” Barbie said, “I better go see if Momma Temperance needs any help finding that book.”

  Turning quickly, Barbie sashayed out of the room so fast her rhinestones were practically popping off her skin-tight dress.

  “Can I get you girls to do me a favor?” Aunt Aggie asked when Percy grabbed a flute of champagne and excused himself.

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Go out back and bring in some more wood, please. The fireplace could use a couple more logs.”

  “You bet,” I said.

  We headed down the hallway, past the closed library, and around the corner into the kitchen. Chef Granger had his hand on Mariah’s shoulder, and she was wiping away tears. I knew it was about what I’d just overheard by the stairs, so we continued silently by, not disturbing them.

  I opened the sliding glass door in the dining room that led to the conservatory. Aunt Aggie had decorated it mostly in white, with greenery from the live plants as the only pop of color.

  Opening another glass-paneled door that led outside, I turned back to Peyton and Raven. “I’m exhausted. I can’t wait for everyone to leave so we can get out of these clothes and go to bed.”

  “I hear you,” Raven said. “These shoes are killing me.”

  Peyton tossed back her glossy mane of blonde hair and laughed. “I disagree. I love wearing dress-up clothes.”

  I rolled my eyes and reached down to grab a piece of wood off the stack when I heard voices around the corner. Putting my finger to my lips, I motioned the girls to follow me.

  Peeking around the corner, Temperance and Barbie were nose-to-nose in the side yard, and the door to the library was wide open. I squinted even harder and realized Peyton’s little brother, Brady, was hiding behind a tree not five feet away.

  Chapter 7

  I was so focused on Brady that I missed what was said, but Temperance slammed back inside the library and Barbie whirled around and threw her glass of champagne across the yard. Thankfully she missed the tree Brady was hiding behind, and the glass landed with a soft thud in the grass.

  I motioned the girls to follow me, and I sprinted across the yard to where Brady was still crouched down behind the tree. It was then I noticed Jinx was with him.

  Meow!

  “I just wanted to come outside and pet the kitty.” His voice was high and his eyes were huge.

  As if on cue, we dropped our wood and crouched down beside him.

  “It’s okay, Brady,” Peyton said. “It’s over.”

  For the first time that night, I realized I hadn’t seen Jinx inside much. Reaching down, I ran my hand across Jinx’s back as I stared at Brady.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  Brady nodded, but I could hear his shaky breath coming in small pants from his skinny little body.

  “Remember how we paid you a buck last month to spy for us?” I asked.

  Brady looked up and grinned. “Yeah. And I remember I said I wouldn’t do it for a buck next time you needed me.”

  I pretended to think that over, but really I was just letting him get his courage back. “Did you overhear what they were saying?”

  “Yeah. And if you want to know what was said, it’ll cost you five bucks. I don’t work for free no more ladies.”

  “Five bucks?” I exclaimed. “I’m not sure it’s worth five dollars to know what was said.”

  Brady stood up and looked around the empty yard. We followed his lead and stood up as well.

  “I can’t tell you all of it,” Brady said honestly. “Mom would make me lick the soap bar if I did.”

  I laughed. “Did one of them say a bad word?”

  “Yeah. The one with the pretty sparkly dress. She said a word so bad I bet Mom wouldn’t just make her lick the soap bar, she’d make her eat the whole thing.”

  We all laughed at that…including Jinx.

  “I don’t have the cash on me right now,” I said, “but I’ll get it to you. What happened?”

  “The pretty lady in the sparkly dress said over her dead body would she sign the preshall.”

  I frowned. “The preshall?”

  Brady nodded solemnly as Jinx meowed and jumped up into his arms. “Yep. The preshall agreement.”

  “You mean prenuptial agreement?” Raven asked.

  Brady shrugged. “Guess so. It was something like that. Then the older lady told the sparkly one if she didn’t sign it, then she’d never marry her son, and the sparkly lady called her a really, really, reeealllly bad name. The older lady just laughed at it, though. Which was weird. Then the older lady walked back inside the house there, and the sparkly lady threw her glass at me.” His eyes got big again, and he hugged Jinx closer. “I thought she knew I was there and was going to hurt me.”

  Peyton wrapped her arms around her little brother. “No one’s gonna hurt you, Brady. Promise.”

  “That’s all I know,” Brady said. “But I’m kinda disappointed you didn’t need to lift me up and look through windows like you did last time.”

  I laughed. “The night is still young, kid. You never know.”

  He grinned. “Yeah. You never know.” He set Jinx down on the ground. “Mom and Dad are ready to go. I only came out here to say goodbye to Jinx. I guess I better get back inside so we can leave.”

  He waved and raced back to the front of the house.

  “That Temperance is one mean lady,” Peyton said. “I’m about ready to give her and that Barbie girl a piece of my mind for scaring Brady like that.”

  “I don’t know about you guys,” I said, “but I’ve seen nothing but fighting and ugliness tonight. Not at all what Christmas is supposed to be about.”

  Raven snorted. “I remember one Christmas where I had to hang out at a police station with my dad because he’d been hired to represent an adult man who’d gotten into a fight with his brother over who received the best present.”

  Peyton and I laughed, but I was also sort of horrified.

  “That’s no lie,” Raven said. “So this drama isn’t anything.”

  I reached down and picked up my piece of wood. “Let’s get this inside before Aunt Aggie sends out a search party for us.”

  “Hey there!”

  Brandon waved at us from the front lawn.

  We waved back and headed toward him.

  “Dad and I are heading out soon,” he said. “It was a great party.”

  I was about to tell him to have a good vacation, when his dad rushed outside and grabbed Brandon by the sleeve.

  “We need to leave,” his dad said. “Now.”

  Brandon sent his dad a quizzical look. “Okay.”

  “Now.”

  Without another word, the two men hurried down the sidewalk and into the night.

  “That was odd,” I said.

  “Parents are odd,” Raven said.

  I snorted. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  We walked up the porch steps and headed toward the great room. It took a few extra minutes since six or seven guests chose that time to leave. After wishing them a Merry Christmas and answering all their questions about school and plans for vacation, we wer
e finally on the move again.

  I followed Peyton and Raven into the great room and dumped the wood next to the fireplace. Brushing the wood chips off my dress, I barely gave Percy a nod as he exited the dining room and sidled up to us.

  “I decided to grab a cookie before heading out,” he said. “I suppose I should go find Mother and Barbie.”

  “Last time we saw them,” Peyton said, “both Temperance and Barbie were in the library.”

  More like in the side yard having an argument, but close enough.

  “Did I hear my name mentioned?” Barbie cooed as she wrapped her arms through Percy’s.

  “There you are,” Percy said. “Where’s Mother?”

  “I don’t know honey,” Barbie said. “The door to the library was closed when I went to help Momma Temperance get the book. So I just went on ahead and used the little girls’ room.”

  Liar!

  “We’ll go look for her,” I told Percy. “Maybe she started reading the book and lost track of time.”

  I jerked my head to Peyton and Raven for them to follow me. Aunt Aggie was standing by the front door thanking people for stopping by. There were probably less than twenty people left milling around in the house.

  “Did you hear Barbie lie?” I asked as we headed to the library.

  “Sure did,” Raven said. “But then again, what’s she gonna say?”

  I stopped in front of the closed door. “She’s right. The door is still closed.”

  Turning the knob, I pushed the door open and we stepped inside.

  Meow!

  Jinx shot into the library and immediately spotted something on the floor. He patted it with his paw a couple times.

  Peyton bent down and gasped. “Look what it is.”

  She handed me a rhinestone. I couldn’t be sure, but I’d bet anything it was from Barbie’s dress. Granted, there were a lot of sparkles and glitter tonight, but something in my gut told me it belonged to Barbie.

  “Mrs. Clairmont?” I called out as I slipped the rhinestone into the pocket of my dress. “Are you in here?”

  Silence.

  “Maybe she’s in the kitchen stalking Chef Granger?” Raven snickered.

  “We’ll check there next,” I said.

  We walked toward the center of the room where the bookshelf and Victorian chair sat facing the back of the room.

  “Mrs. Clairmont? Are you back here?” I took a step around the chair and screamed.

  Chapter 8

  “What is it?” Peyton rushed to my side.

  I didn’t say anything…just pointed.

  Temperance Clairmont was slouched in the chair, her head at an odd angle, and her eyes wide open. A red and green scarf was wrapped around her throat.

  “Move aside,” Peyton demanded. “I need to see before the adults come in.”

  Peyton not only helped her dad out at the funeral home and went on calls with him as the coroner for the county, but she was also leaning toward becoming a medical examiner once we graduated from high school.

  “Hurry,” Raven said. “Brynn’s scream is sure to bring them in any second now.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, excuse me for not being in control of my emotions.”

  “I also just texted my dad,” Raven said, “and told him to get back to the party ASAP.”

  Peyton wrapped the sleeve of her dress around her hand and carefully peeled back the scarf. We all leaned in to see.

  “Definite sign of ligature marks,” Peyton said. “Dad will have to declare it, but I’d say no doubt she was strangled.”

  “The scarf still wrapped around her throat helps,” I said dryly.

  Peyton looked down her nose at me, and I immediately felt contrite. It wasn’t her fault I became snarky when I was upset.

  “There’s some glitter on her hands,” Raven noted. “Probably even under her nails, but I can’t tell without turning over her hands. And I don’t want to do that. But I’d say she put up a fight.”

  “That pretty much makes everyone a suspect,” I said. “Even the men. I saw a couple guys here tonight with glitter on their Christmas ties.”

  “What’s going on in here?” Mayor Barrow thundered from the doorway. “I thought I heard screaming.”

  “You need to call Chief Baedie,” Raven said. “We have a murder.”

  “What?”

  Mayor Barrow started toward us, but Raven held up her hand. “Seriously, Mayor. You need to call 911.”

  It didn’t take but a few more seconds before the library’s doorway became jam packed with people vying for a look inside. Mayor Barrow yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and started speaking into it at once.

  “Move aside,” Aunt Aggie called. “It’s my library. I’ll see what’s going on.”

  Some of the crowd had moved inside the library, and I tried to memorize who was there and who wasn’t. I didn’t see Chef Granger or Barbie.

  “Chief Baedie should be here in a few minutes,” Mayor Barrow said.

  “I need to see the body,” Mr. Patterson said as he pushed through the crowd. “I was just heading home when I heard someone might need my services.”

  Peyton’s dad gave us a quick nod before kneeling down next to the chair to examine Temperance. He was still looking over the body when Mr. Masters pushed his way into the room. He looked like he’d sprinted all the way from his house when he got Raven’s text.

  “She’s dead,” Mr. Patterson said to Mayor Barrow.

  “What’s going on?” Percy Clairmont asked. “Someone said my mom was in here. Mom?”

  Mr. Masters stepped forward and held Percy back when he broke free of the crowd and tried to rush into the library.

  “Let go of me!” Percy demanded. “I need to see my mother.”

  “I’m afraid your mother is dead, Percy,” Mr. Patterson said.

  “What? No, she’s not. She came in here to get a book and then we were going home.”

  Percy tried to push past Mr. Masters again, but Raven’s dad was strong. He was finally able to get Percy to sit in one of the chairs at the front of the library.

  I knew I should be memorizing who all was still around, who seemed upset and who didn’t, but unfortunately I wasn’t as cool as I should be…I mean, seeing as how I seemed to have developed a knack for stumbling over dead bodies.

  “Is it true?” Thomas Baskins asked from the doorway.

  I tried looking behind him to see where Beatrice was, but he was too tall. I couldn’t see over him.

  “Okay, okay. Move aside, Thomas. Chief coming through.”

  I rolled my eyes at Raven when Chief Baedie pushed his bulky body into the library. He paused beside Percy and Mr. Masters and hitched up his sagging pants.

  “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

  “What’s going on is Temperance Clairmont is dead,” I said.

  “And you might want to move everyone back,” Peyton added, “because they are contaminating the crime scene the more they push into the library.”

  Chief Baedie’s face flushed before he turned back to the crowd. “Go on. Nothing to see here. Go on home.”

  Aunt Aggie dropped down into one of the chairs and shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”

  I rushed over to her side. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out.”

  “You won’t be doing nothing,” Chief Baedie said. “You hear me? You leave this to the professionals. I don’t need you kids snooping around like you did last month.”

  “You mean last month when we solved your case for you?” I asked.

  Chief Baedie narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t—”

  “What’s going on in here, Brynn?” Grams asked as she pulled Henley through the crowd and stepped inside the library.

  Chief Baedie threw up his hands. “Where’re my guys? Get these people out of here! Take down their names and send them home. This party is over!”

  I tried to scan the crowd once more, but two policemen came into view and started moving ever
yone along.

  “Let me see the body,” Chief Baedie demanded.

  “Over here, Chief.” Mr. Patterson and the chief walked over to Temperance’s body while Barbie and Percy stood by silently watching.

  “Does anyone know who the scarf belongs to?” Chief Baedie asked.

  Aunt Aggie stood up and walked over to the chair. “It’s mine. I usually hang it on the hook over there by the doors.”

  I tried thinking back to whether or not I’d seen the scarf earlier in the evening, and I honestly couldn’t remember. I remembered seeing Raven’s parents by the door, but I couldn’t remember if the scarf was there or not.

  Chief Baedie stood up and rocked back on his heels. “Looks like your place is shut down until I solve this case.”

  “What?” Aunt Aggie exclaimed. “You can’t do that! I’m due to have my first guests on Wednesday, Christmas Eve.”

  Chief Baedie smacked his lips together. “Not my problem. What I got here is the dead body of a prominent woman in this town, your scarf as the murder weapon, and the murder took place in your house.” He looked her up and down. “Now that I think about it, you might want to find you a good lawyer.”

  Aunt Aggie threw up her hands. “Oh, please! Why on earth would I want to kill someone I didn’t even really know?”

  Chief Baedie shrugged. “Dunno. But I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I want you to give me a detailed list of everyone who attended tonight. I’ll pick it up in the morning.”

  Aunt Aggie’s mouth dropped open. “I can’t do that. I have no idea who all was here tonight. I’m still relatively new in town.”

  Chief Baedie flicked his eyes over to Grams. “I’m sure Winnie can help you with the list.” He turned back to Aunt Aggie. “I mean it. First thing in the morning I’ll be here expecting a list.” He placed a hand on Percy’s shoulder, but his eyes never left Aunt Aggie. “Not to worry, son, I’ll find out who killed your momma.”

  I’d heard enough. “Chief Baedie, I witnessed at least six people tonight have motive to kill Temperance. So you might want to lay off my aunt and focus on the real killer.”

  “We’ll get to that.” Chief Baedie narrowed his eyes. “Let me guess, you three girls just happened to stumble across the body, right?”