He used his bread to absorb the last of the sauce on his plate then leaned back in his chair, put his hands on his stomach, and smiled. “I’ve never had better lasagna.”
“On that much we agree.” I tried to stifle a yawn, but couldn’t.
“I can see you’re wiped out. Yeah, I guess I am, too. But before I go, I’d like you to tell me more about the missing pendant and anything new you might have learned when you talked to Jason Frost and his cousin.”
I highlighted the details, and assured him that I’d advised Jason and Anne to work with the police department. “I told them you’d be the ones who would find a diamond expert to make a comparison for them.”
Clint nodded. “That gem is locked away in evidence. The missing pendant adds another layer, no question about that. The mayor could have moved it to a different spot, say, to a safety deposit box. If he had it in the office, and was showing it to someone, say, an appraiser, one who was less than honest . . .”
That gave a possible motive for someone outside the list of suspects I’d been considering. “And I’m sure you’ve gone through his calendar, his list of appointments,” I said.
Clint raised his eyebrows. “One of the first things we did.” But that was all he’d say on the matter. “I better shove off.” He stood, gathered his dishes, and carried them to the sink. I grabbed his jacket and we met at the door. He put on his boots then I handed him his jacket. He took it with one hand and slid the other under my chin. “Let the Brooks Landing Police Department handle the investigation, Camryn.” He kept his eyes trained on mine as he lowered his face closer and closer until his lips touched mine. My heart started hammering so ferociously when the kiss deepened that I thought it might burst out of my chest. “Okay?” he said as he slowly pulled away.
Okay? Far more than okay, it was the best of the best. Then it dawned on me he was not talking about the kiss. He was coaxing me into agreeing with him, and he was using unfair tactics. The quandary that posed for me was, with the way he kissed, it was entirely possible he could get me to agree to almost anything.
“Clint, I’m sorry I took that picture. I’m not trying to act like the police.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Good. Don’t forget to lock the door behind me.”
I didn’t answer, or I might have said something snippy about him not needing to treat me like a child. When I shut the door, I clicked the lock louder than was necessary. How could Clint be so sexy, so sensual one minute and then slide back to his old irritating self the next? It was enough to drive me to distraction.
I put away the rest of the food then turned off the kitchen lights and made my way to the bedroom and got into my pajamas. After washing up and getting ready to wind down for the night, I went back into the living room, turned off the last lamp in the house, and opened the blinds covering the large picture window. I stretched out on the couch then reached over and pulled the handmade patchwork quilt from the armchair. My parents had found it for me at a church bazaar sale on one of their shopping adventures. I leaned my head back on a throw pillow and pulled the quilt up to my chin, appreciating its warmth and the comfort it gave me.
My neighbors’ lighted Christmas displays were visible from that vantage point. The gloom that had hovered around me since I’d found Frosty lying lifeless on his office floor began to dissipate. Not that the heartbreak of his death would ever completely go away, especially for those who dearly loved him. But the darkness that enveloped them would gradually lift, and their memories would shift, focusing more on his life than on the circumstances of his death.
I honed in on an angel wearing a long white gown standing peacefully in the snow. Lights shone out from inside her translucent form. Her long yellow hair flowed over her shoulders, and a golden crown encircled the top of her head. She was holding a long horn to her mouth like she was playing a beautiful piece of music, one that couldn’t be heard.
I closed my eyes imagining what it might sound like if there was a real angel playing an instrument out there. I’d heard orchestras play so magnificently, and choirs sing so divinely they were more like heavenly beings than earthly creatures. My mind drifted to memories of my parents—my biological parents who had been in Heaven for over thirty years—and I smiled. As much as I wished they were still here with me on earth, it was a great comfort knowing they were forever safe in Heaven. I hoped Jason would someday feel the same way about his parents.
11
I was in Clint’s arms, smiling up at him. A bell was ringing in the background. As a light came on, my eyes opened and my arms were empty. I was alone on the couch covered from head to toe with the quilt. My cell phone was jingling, and light was streaming in the living room window. I sat up with a start because the sun didn’t rise until just after 7:30 a.m. I had overslept.
My phone was on the coffee table, within easy reach. “H’lo?”
It was Pinky. “Cami, are you still sleeping?”
“I was. I must have really crashed. What time is it?” I craned my neck for a look at the cuckoo clock hanging on the living room wall.
Pinky said, “Seven fifty,” just as I saw the time for myself.
“I’ll get ready and be there soon.”
“No rush, I just wondered if you’d pick up a gallon of cream on your way.”
“A gallon, really?”
“Yeah, get four quarts. Please. Besides putting it in coffee and the creamy cocoa, I’ve been whipping more than ever to dollop on top of the hot chocolates.”
“Yes, you have.”
“I talked to Erin, and she said she’ll help us out again after school.”
“We’re lucky she’s been available.”
“She told me about your little escapade last night. Cami, why didn’t you take one of us with you, or better yet, not have gone at all? Mark and Clint and the other police officers are trained to run into burning buildings and down dark alleys. And they have guns and all those other things on their duty belts to use if something dangerous happens.”
“Pinky, there was no reason to think I was in danger. But, I had my canister of Mace handy. And Clint already lectured me about it and deleted the picture from my phone.”
“Clint?”
“He was waiting for me when I got home. Can you believe I lived in Washington, DC, all those years and somehow managed to stay away from danger and out of trouble? With the exception of the Peter Zimmer incident, that is.”
Pinky sniggered. “It’s hard to believe, all right.”
• • • • • • • •
As I was walked up to Brew Ha-Ha’s door with a grocery bag in each hand, Nicoline came up from behind me, slipped her hand on the knob, and pulled it open. The little ding prompted both Pinky and the couple at her counter to turn and look at us. It was Jason and his cousin Anne. With their drawn faces and bloodshot eyes, neither of them looked like they’d slept a wink. My heart went out to them and I smiled sympathetically. “Morning.”
Jason said, “Hi.” Anne said, “Mornin’.”
Nicoline hung back a bit. Perhaps she sensed the sadness surrounding them. Something was amiss in her own life, and it may have increased her sensitivity to the bad things others were experiencing. I was searching for something to say when Pinky called out, “Hallelujah! My new friends here need some cream in their coffee. They were about to settle for milk. I used the last quart with a group of shoppers that just left.”
“Here you go.” I handed the bags to Pinky across the counter then turned to the young woman as I slipped off my coat. “Nicoline, will you join me—us—for a cup of something?”
She nodded shyly. “If it is not too much trouble. I have money.”
Pinky poured cream into a metal container and set it on the counter for Jason and Anne. Then she took a look at Nicoline. “Nicoline, you say? Nice, a very pretty name. So, as long as we’re getting acquainted, I’m Alice�
�call me Pinky. And this is Jason and Anne. And you know Cami, right?”
They nodded at Nicoline and she nodded back as she unzipped her jacket. She kept her stocking cap in place, and I wondered what her bruise looked like now. I hung my coat on a rack Pinky kept for customers against the wall across from the stools, then joined Pinky behind the counter and asked Nicoline what she wanted to drink. “I will have a hot chocolate, please. One with mint in it, if it is not too much trouble.”
“Did you learn to talk like that at a special school? Formally, I mean.” Pinky said to her.
Nicoline blushed and shifted, clearly uncomfortable.
I gave Pinky a mild tap on the leg with my foot, not enough that she’d yelp, but enough so she’d get the hint. “I mean, it sounds nice, the way you talk. I’ve seen those shows where young people are taught how to speak properly, and what forks they should use for different courses, things like that.”
Fortunately, Pinky came up with a good save then stopped talking before she stuck her other foot in her mouth.
Nicoline shook her head. “No.”
“One minty chocolate coming right up,” I said.
“And I’ll have some cream whipped and ready in a sec,” Pinky said.
When we’d assembled the drink, I set the mug on the counter in front of Nicoline.
“We’re on our way to the police station to talk to the assistant chief, but we thought we’d stop here first for a cup of coffee to toast Dad,” Jason said.
Pinky’s hands flew to her chest and she inhaled loudly. “That is so special. And really touching.”
Jason and Anne raised their mugs so Pinky did the same. They waited while I poured some of the daily special in a mug and held it up, too.
Jason looked at Anne to start. “Here’s to my dear uncle, Lewis Frost, the man I counted on for so many things that I can’t even begin to name them all. Rest in peace, Uncle Lewis.”
The four of us carefully clinked our mugs. Nicoline was looking down with her eyes glued to the mug she held onto with both hands. I debated whether to invite her to join us or not. But she didn’t look like she cared to participate. As a newcomer in town, she’d have no idea who we were toasting.
“To our mayor who was also our friend,” Pinky said. Then Jason added, “Hear, hear. So long, Dad, until we meet again,” as we clinked a final time.
Nicoline stood up with a troubled look on her face. “I did not realize the time. I am sorry but I must leave.”
“Here, I’ll pour your chocolate in a to-go cup,” I said and took care of that for her.
“Thank you.” Nicoline smiled slightly as I handed her the cup, then she made her way out of the shop lickety-split.
Jason asked for their beverages to-go as well. Pinky got them ready, topping them off with more coffee. After they’d left Pinky turned to me and plunked her hands on her hips. “Who is that strange girl, Cami? She was in here the other day, too.”
“Nicoline? I don’t know for sure and that’s what I’m trying to find out. So far I’ve managed to find out her name, that she lives nearby, she’s not as young as she looks, she may be interested in buying a snow globe, she likes minty hot chocolate, and that she is hiding how she got a big bruise on her cheekbone.”
“Get out of here.”
I lifted my shoulders slightly. “I think she needs help and I’m hoping to get the full scoop, but she shuts down when I ask questions she’s not ready to answer.”
“Like when I asked her about the way she talks,” Pinky said.
“Yes, that’s why I was trying to tell you to cool it, because I’d already mentioned it to her myself.”
“Oh. Well it seems like a reasonable thing to ask her about. She has a different way of talking.”
“And some people don’t like others telling them they’re different,” I said.
“You’re right. Now you’ve got me a little worried about her, so let me know if there’s any way I can help.”
“Will do. But for now I think the best thing for us is to be friendly and try not to pry.”
“Speaking of prying, that reminds me, what happened at Mayor Frost’s house last night?”
“Not much.” I told her about it then said, “To look at a portrait of a pendant with a diamond in its setting and try to compare it to a photo of a diamond lying in carpet is beyond my expertise. They’ll need a specialist for that.”
“I guess.” She patted my shoulder. “Well, you tried anyway.”
• • • • • • • •
The shops were busy until late morning when we finally had a little reprieve. I sat down on the stool behind my checkout counter with a cup of hot tea sweetened with honey. Thoughts of Frosty and Jason and Anne and Nicoline were taking turns consuming me. And then Clint and his glorious kisses would edge their way in here and there.
Mayor Lewis Frost was dead, the person responsible had not yet been identified and was still roaming free in the meantime. I wasn’t ready to rule out any of the three people I considered likely suspects. Marvin Easterly had had two meetings with Frosty the day he was killed. So had Rosalie Gorman. Those were the ones I knew about. Harley Creighton hadn’t given me a straight answer when I asked if he’d met with Frosty that afternoon, after he’d talked to him at Brew Ha-Ha that morning. In fact, he’d gotten defensive, and had turned my question around instead of giving me a simple yes or no. That was more than a little suspicious.
Then there was the issue of the missing diamond pendant and the giant gem lying on Frosty’s floor, minus whatever piece of jewelry it had been in. The experts would be able to analyze it, take the necessary measurements, and determine whether it belonged in the pendant or not. Meanwhile, their grandmother’s missing treasure was adding anxiety to what Jason and Anne were already dealing with.
And where was Anne’s mother? She should be at her nephew’s and daughter’s side. Her absence made me wonder about the kind of person she was, no matter what kind of a falling out she’d had with her brother. Maybe it had been more serious than Jason thought or was willing to talk about.
My friend Mark came through Brew Ha-Ha’s archway as I was jotting down a couple of notes on my observations. I shook my head at him. “Thanks for ratting me out.”
He stuck his thumbs in his belt. “I will do just about anything in the world for you, and my other friends, too. But when it comes to withholding information I find out about during an active investigation, well, I can’t do that.”
“I know, Mark.”
He nodded. “So now that it’s out in the open, tell me about your observations. Did it look to you like that diamond came from the grandmother’s pendant?”
“Could have, yes, but the question is, did it? That’s for diamond experts to figure out. And that reminds me, you were checking on when the mayor’s office was last vacuumed.”
“Right, and it turns out it was the night before his death, after the council meeting. The cleaning crew comes in after hours. They don’t need to vacuum the offices every day, but it so happens they did on Tuesday night.”
“Okay. So if the diamond belongs in the pendant and it fell out of its setting in the mayor’s office, it must have happened after that.”
“You raise a good point. We talked with Jason and his cousin this morning, and according to them, the pendant was kept in its original box in a home safe. When we went through the mayor’s house with the county crime lab team, looking for clues for why he may have been killed, we found nothing suspicious. We didn’t even know he had a safe, so it must be well-hidden. Not that the warrant allowed us to tear the place apart. Clint went back to Frost’s house with his son and niece a while ago. He’s going to check out the safe and will in all likelihood dust it for prints.”
“If it turns out to be the diamond from the pendant, you have to wonder why Frosty took it out of his safe and had it in his of
fice. And what happened to the rest of the pendant and the box it’s stored in?”
“Exactly what we’re trying to find out.”
“Still no one reported it missing?”
“Nope. We’re keeping details about it as quiet as possible. And haven’t released that to the public.”
“Any other good leads on your end to help solve Frosty’s murder?” I persisted.
“Not yet. I’ve watched the video of the council meeting a few times now—the parts where things went to hell in a handbasket, that is—looking to see if there’s someone in the crowd we still need to talk to, but we’ve interviewed all of them.”
That got my attention. “What video are you talking about?”
“You know, the city council meetings. They tape ’em and put ’em on the city’s website.”
“Thanks, I didn’t know about that.” And it was very valuable information indeed. Watching the council in action—their interactions and reactions to each other and members of the public—would be much more telling than reading about it in the newspaper.
“Are things cool between us then?” Mark said and lifted his hand.
I slapped the palm of my hand against his in a high-five. “We’re cool. Remember, I was there when you took your oath, when you got sworn in as a police officer. Of course you need to honor that. Even if it means siccing the assistant police chief on me.”
Mark smiled. “You’ve been defending truth, justice, and the American way since we were in elementary school, and that’s a long time ago now. I’ve always looked up to you for that. It’s just that we don’t want you risking your personal safety doing it.”
“We” meant Mark agreed with Clint. One of my oldest friends was siding with Clint and his safety obsession. I rolled my eyes and groaned. “I know.”
Mark glanced at his watch. “And speaking of defending justice and all reminds me that I need to get back to work. Pinky said you guys are working short, with Emmy still out.”
Frosty the Dead Man (A Snow Globe Shop Mystery) Page 12
