Eggnog Cream & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 12

by Susan Gillard

  “Don’t forget donut bakers too,” Amy said.

  "Donuts too?" Hope asked. "This might not be one story. This might end up as a whole series of stories."

  “Let’s now get ahead of ourselves,” Heather said. “We are here about a story, but not what you’re thinking of.”

  “A new breaking story?” Hope asked, whipping out her notepad.

  “We need the paper to print a warning in it for residents,” Heather said.

  “About what?” Hope asked. “We already ran a story about how poinsettias can be poisonous to pets.”

  “We need to tell residents to be careful about these gifts that they are receiving from the Key West Santa,” Heather said.

  “Oh no,” Hope said. “My goodwill story is unraveling.”

  “It would be better to tell people to be careful now instead of having to add another obituary to the paper,” Amy said.

  “You’re right,” Hope agreed. “And I could phrase the warning in an interesting way. You’re not sure it really was the Key West Santa who is the killer, are you?”

  “What you showed us about the hidden map on the cards leads us to believe it was," Heather said. "I even received a gift, and the map matched up to where my house is on the island."

  “You just keep making yourself more and more interesting for me as a story,” Hope said.

  “Because you didn’t print this information in the paper, it means only Santa and you know the information,” Heather said.

  "You don't consider me a suspect, do you?" Hope asked. "Though that could be an interesting piece. What is it like to be considered a suspect? Do people treat me differently? Am I ostracized? How do I prove my innocence? What do I do if I'm wrongfully sent to jail?"

  “She couldn’t be the killer,” Amy said. “She’d never be able to keep her mouth shut about it if she did it.”

  Hope wrinkled her nose in annoyance, but then asked, “What do you want this warning to say?”

  “That anyone who receives a gift from someone they don’t know should contact the police department. They’ll make sure that the gift is safe to open,” Heather said.

  “I can do that,” Hope said. “And I won’t say anything about him being a killer yet. I’ll just say there was a safety issue with one gift and we want to preserve resident safety.”

  “Perfect,” said Heather.

  “Is there anything else that I can do to help?” Hope asked. “I could be an investigative reporter if needed too.”

  “I think we’ve got that part covered,” Amy said.

  “But we could have another look at your research,” Heather said. “We should make sure that we know everyone who received a red package. Ryan is going to see if he can collect any of the wrapping paper from these past gifts.”

  "Sure," Hope said. She retrieved her file on the story and set it on the table again. "When I started, there were about two dozen gifts given out. But as Christmas is getting closer, I think many more have been delivered. All wonderful gifts."

  “Heather received a pair of donut-themed slippers,” Amy said.

  “That’s nice,” Hope said. “There were a lot of different types of gifts given out. One woman received a new silverware set. She was very happy because apparently her family's special set had been lost when they moved. One man received a dartboard, and he was happy because his had just broken. This teenager received a chess set, and he had just joined the chess club at school. My favorite story was about the family who received the materials to make homemade ice cream. The mom told me that she had been looking for something for them to do as a family and now they're going to make gingerbread and peppermint flavored ice cream for the holidays."

  "These all sound like wonderful gifts," Heather said. "And they weren't generic things that could be given to anybody."

  “I wonder why Ben Grimes wanted a candlestick,” Amy said. “Kinda seems like he drew the short end of the stick even before it turned out to be a murder weapon.”

  Dennis Black entered the room, about to ask Hope about a deadline.

  "Oh, sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to interrupt if you were working on your new story or helping the police. But I will need to know if you'll have the information about the school closings ready today."

  “Yes,” Hope said. “I assembled a list of all the winter breaks for the local schools, so everyone knows when they’ll have to return.”

  She handed Dennis a paper from her desk, and he thanked her.

  “Real impressive reporter work, right?” Hope muttered to the women, but then said, “I have something else that we’ll have to run in the paper too. A warning about receiving gifts from the Key West Santa.”

  “Really?” Dennis asked.

  "It's straight from the police station," Hope said. "We're going to say that there's a potential safety hazard so they should be screened by the police before opened just in case. But off the record, they could contain killer items, and Santa might be a murderer."

  “You don’t say?” Dennis said. “Well, we’re happy to help in whatever way we can. We’ll do our part to protect the public.”

  He was about to leave, but Hope stopped him. “Do you have that information on your old story on Ben Grimes?”

  “What?”

  "I know it was a while ago because he was a reporter and not an editor, but I thought the information might still be helpful to the case," Hope explained to Heather. "So, I asked him to gather his information on it."

  “That’s right,” Dennis said. “I have the story I wrote at the time and some contact information for the people I spoke to. It’s possible some things changed since then, but I’ll give you all I have. It’s on my desk if you’d like to grab it, Hope.”

  Hope nodded and left to grab the file.

  “Thank you for your help,” Heather said.

  "I'm happy to," Dennis said. "But it sounded like before you thought that Santa was the killer. Do you think it could have been one of the people I interviewed instead?"

  “It’s possible that it’s the same person,” Heather said. “We just want to follow all leads possible. Maybe one of the people you interviewed is both the Santa and the killer.”

  Dennis nodded. “I hope not though. I remember most of my interviewees having very reasonable concerns.”

  Hope returned with the folder and handed it to Heather. “It looks like there were a lot of renters who were mad at having Mr. Grimes as a neighbor. They didn’t stay very long.”

  “I bet the landlord didn’t like that,” Amy said.

  “Do you know who the landlord is?” Heather asked.

  “I don’t remember,” Dennis said. “But it might be in that file.”

  “Thanks again,” Heather said. “We better get going.”

  “That’s right,” Amy said. “We need to see if we can steal Bernadette’s Christmas present.”

  Bernadette’s Book

  Bernadette smiled when she saw Heather and Amy enter her shop, and her smile grew when she saw that they were carrying donuts.

  “I do always love when you visit,” she said happily as she took an Eggnog Cream Donut.

  “We hope you’ll feel the same after we tell you why we’re here now,” Heather said.

  “Then these are bribe donuts?” Bernadette asked.

  “We need to borrow your Christmas present from the Key West Santa, and any wrapping that you might have left from when it arrived,” Heather said.

  “You had me worried for a second,” Bernadette said. “That would be fine. In fact, I was the one who first went to you for advice when I didn’t know who sent it. I felt like a client visiting Sam Spade or Poirot with a case. I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist a mystery.”

  “I wish it were only a mystery about who the secret Santa is,” said Heather. “But I’m afraid this might relate to a murder we’re investigating.”

  "If that's the case I'll stop stuffing my face with donuts and get you what you need," Bernadette said. She retrieved the boo
k from her bag under the counter. Then she checked her wastebasket in the back room. She returned with the wrapping paper.

  “Thank you,” said Heather.

  "We're lucky that this was all paper, so it was kept reasonably clean in my recycling basket," Bernadette said. “I didn’t know the wrapping was something to hold onto like Captain Flint’s treasure.”

  Heather smiled at her friend’s literary references and that she was able to provide them with what they needed.

  “We didn’t know either,” said Heather.

  “It wasn’t until one of these gifts killed a guy that we thought there was any danger,” Amy agreed.

  Bernadette shuddered. “I just can’t believe it. One of Santa’s gifts killed somebody.”

  “We think he might have done it because the victim was very Grinch-like,” said Amy.

  "But it all seemed so kind," said Bernadette. "This wasn't an easy book to find, and yet this stranger did it. And it wasn't something that I had been searching for and talking about for to others for years. I'd wanted it for a while, but I only mentioned it to Gina in my shop."

  Something clicked into place in Heather’s head. “Slippers.”

  "What about them?" Amy asked. "I think they're going to stay in the evidence locker for a while if you had wanted to wear them."

  “No. Not that,” Heather said. “But I should have realized it before. Why was I given slippers?”

  “Because they had donuts on them?” proposed Amy.

  Heather shook her head. “They had donuts on them because they were for me. But the reason why I was given slippers was because I asked for them. Remember? At Donut Delights when you pressed me for what I wanted. I said a solution to the case, time with my family and maybe some slippers.”

  “I do remember that,” Amy said. “Because I’ve been thinking that since Santa got you them, I’ll have to figure out another gift to get you. Oh my goodness! You’re saying that the Key West Santa overheard this.”

  “That’s right,” Heather said. “It wasn’t a random gift. Key West Santa thought that was what I wanted. All of the gifts that Hope mentioned were gifts that people wanted too. Nothing random.”

  Amy nodded. “Silverware to replace something stolen, and something for a family to do together. They weren’t just socks and ties that were given out.”

  "So, this gift giver needs to be listening to what people want to receive," Heather said. "Bernadette, was there anyone else in the store when you told your assistant what you wanted?"

  "There must have been," Bernadette said. "We've been rather busy with the holiday coming up and people buying gifts. I'm sorry. I can't remember who was there exactly at the time though. I'm only certain that there wasn't anyone who struck me as sinister in here recently or anyone in a big red suit."

  “That’s all right,” Heather said. “I can’t pin down exactly who was in the shop at the time I said it either, but the only people who have been sitting down to eat donuts instead of rushing off to shop or celebrate have been my regulars.”

  “Do you share regulars?” Amy asked.

  "Of course," Bernadette said. "We're so close by, and it makes for a lovely afternoon to find a good book and have a delicious snack. I've seen some customers in your shop reading a book they bought from me, and I’ve had to tell more than one person not to get jelly from your donuts on my books before.”

  “So, the Key West Santa is actually someone that we’ve seen a lot,” Heather said.

  "But how do we get him to reveal his sleigh, so to speak?" asked Amy.

  “I’m not sure,” Heather admitted. “He’s been doing his best to keep his identity secret when he was only doing good. I can only imagine how secretive he’ll be now that he’s suspected of murder.”

  "Maybe we can set a trap?" Amy said. "I'll just start talking about all the things I want for Christmas. And I've been such a good girl that he'll bring the gift to me, and we'll just keep an eye out for who delivers it."

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Heather said. “But there are many nice people on the island. I don’t know how he selects them.”

  “Maybe it would be easier for you to get him to go after another Grinch,” Bernadette said. “There are fewer of them around town.”

  “But that might put someone in danger,” Heather said.

  “I’m sure you could take the proper precautions to keep him safe,” Bernadette said. “I know you’re both good at stakeouts.”

  “We are,” Amy agreed. “But where would we find somebody like that?”

  “Bernadette!” a grumpy voice yelled towards them. Mr. Rankle paused when he saw who was assembled inside the bookshop.

  “What’s this?” he continued. “A convention of out-of-towners?”

  Bernadette sighed. She had lived on the island for years but was still considered an outsider by Mr. Rankle. He basically didn't like anyone who wasn't born in Key West.

  “We were just talking about gifts,” Heather said.

  “Sure. Talking instead of working,” Mr. Rankle said. “I came over because there’s sand on your sidewalk.”

  “We’re by the beach,” Bernadette said.

  “No excuses,” Mr. Rankle said. “Customers can see it from my shop, and I want them to think that this is a clean block. They won’t want to spend money in a dump.”

  “And sand makes it look like a dump?” Amy asked.

  Bernadette didn’t want to fight. “I’ll sweep my sidewalk in just a minute.”

  Mr. Rankle nodded and hobbled away. The ladies all looked at each other.

  “I think it’s time to set a trap,” Heather said.

  Setting the Trap

  Heather and Amy sat in the corner of Donut Delights seeing if their plan would pan out. They had a clear view of Mr. Rankle's store from where they were sitting and could see if anything was delivered.

  * * *

  After having no luck with finding the fingerprints in another database, Detective Peters had agreed to stake out Mr. Rankle's house in case a delivery was made there.

  * * *

  Heather had instructed her assistants to start letting information drop to their regular customers. They were supposed to say how Mr. Rankle had wanted a new pocket watch, but also what an awful neighbor he had been. Heather was afraid that Digby and Janae were enjoying their task too much. They were telling tales about the wrongs that Mr. Rankle had committed and were comparing him to Ebenezer Scrooge.

  * * *

  She couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Even if everything that her assistants were saying were true, Heather normally wouldn't have wanted to spread the gossip around. Even if he did try and convince the town that their donuts contained food poisoning or tried to trick them into putting up decorations that violated a town ordinance, he was still their neighbor. However, if it would help her catch a murderer, then she had to take the chance.

  * * *

  She also made sure that the assistants were only mentioning these facts to the regulars who could have been in the store at the time she mentioned the slippers.

  * * *

  “What if it takes Santa longer than this afternoon to deliver the gift?” Amy asked. “I don’t want to have to watch Mr. Rankle all December long. I’m tired of watching him yell at teenagers.”

  * * *

  "Christmas is fast approaching so the Santa would have to act soon," Heather said. "And Peters will continue to help us keep an eye on him, so we didn't put him in any danger."

  * * *

  “Speaking of Peters, it looks like his rival just arrived,” Amy said with a smirk.

  * * *

  Heather turned around to see who entered the shop before reminding herself that she needed to keep an eye on Mr. Rankle’s store. However, she did see that Fire Frank had walked in. He was a tall, strong man with bright red hair.

  * * *

  Digby reached him first and said, "As I get you some donuts, I need to tell you about our neighbor. I have to tell somebody, or I
'll just explode. You don't mind, do you?"

  * * *

  “Well, I’m not a fan of explosions,” Fire Frank said.

  * * *

  "I don't even know where to start because he has been the embodiment of bad-will towards men,” Digby said. “But I suppose it began when he told me my name sounded like something a dog would be embarrassed to be called.”

  * * *

  “It’s okay, Digby,” Janae said, coming over to them. “He’s not a regular.”

  * * *

  “I’d like to be,” Fire Frank said. “I’d like to visit more often. I’d only like not to be a regular if it means I’d be special.”

  * * *

  “It’s a work thing,” Janae assured him. “You are special.”

  * * *

  “Excuse me,” Digby said. “I think this donut order is even too sweet for me.”

  * * *

  Heather kept watching Mr. Rankle's store to see if a red box would be delivered, but she couldn't help overhearing Janae's conversation.

  * * *

  “I’d like to thank you again for these earrings,” Janae said.

  * * *

  “They look very nice on you,” Fire Frank said.

  * * *

  “Thanks. And I think I figured out what I should give you in return. I’m going to offer it to all my wonderful riders who liked my bike tours enough to give me a present. I’ll give you a private bike ride to the most beautiful places on the island, and we can even picnic lunch if you like.”