Death of a Dapper Snowman

by Angela Pepper

  I pondered this for a few minutes. Tony would rather see justice be served by any means, even if it meant looking embarrassed. He couldn’t be that worried about my amateur detective work… unless he knew something I didn’t, like that I was in danger.

  I looked up at my driveway, at the empty space next to Logan’s vehicle, and then the dark windows on my side of the duplex. Someone could be waiting inside my house, holding a red scarf, just for me.

  I put my car into gear and started driving toward my father’s house.

  Chapter 26

  The lights were all off at my father’s house when I arrived. It was barely ten o’clock, so I assumed Pam was either out or at her sister’s.

  I settled in for some reading after helping myself to my father’s collection of true crime paperbacks. Jeffrey climbed onto my lap and batted the book every time I turned a page.

  No sooner had I gotten to the scary part of the book when I heard an unsettling, suspicious noise I couldn’t identify. I set the book aside and turned down the stereo, which had been set to a classical station. The noise continued. It was a rumbling sound.

  I crept slowly down the hall and then carefully pushed open the door to my father’s bedroom. There was a lump in the center of the bed, and at the top of the lump was Pam’s head. The rumbling was her, snoring.

  Jeffrey jumped up onto the bed, bounced over to her face, and bopped her on the nose. When the snoring didn’t stop or slow down, he bopped her again.

  I couldn’t control myself and started laughing. He reached up one grey paw and bopped her a third time, to no effect.

  “Bad Jeffrey,” I said as I scooped him up. “We don’t bop people on the nose. Not even if they sound like hibernating bears.”

  Pam kept snoring, oblivious to the nose-bopping and my giggling.

  I cuddled the cat to my chest and carried him out of the room, then shut the door on my way out.

  “So much for Pam being a light sleeper,” I said to Jeffrey. “Sometimes humans are in deep denial about what they’re really like.”

  I went to the kitchen and left Pam a note on the table, so she’d know I was in the house, in the guest room.

  I shut off the lights and stood in the dark, staring out the kitchen window at the house next door.

  After a few moments, I found myself talking to the deceased neighbor in my head.

  Mr. Michaels, why did you have to go and get yourself killed? I remember how you helped me and my sister with our lemonade stand that summer. And now I remember other things, as well. You argued with my father over the years, because you loved to argue with everyone. But you always had a smile on your face. That was part of your entertainment, wasn’t it? You weren’t content to stand around and talk about the weather. You liked to get into discussions about economics and politics.

  You and I would probably have a lot to talk about these days, now that I’m back in town. You always were a bit of an outsider, like me.

  I met your daughter today, and she seems like a lovely girl. I’m sorry that you won’t get to know her better, but I’ll promise you two things. I’ll keep an eye on Harper for you, and I’ll make sure whoever did this to you gets caught and brought to justice.

  Once I’d shared my thoughts, I turned and went off to bed.

  That night, I dreamed of lemonade stands and happy summer days.

  I woke up in the morning to a raspy tongue on my eyebrow. A door slammed—the front door of the house, by the sound of it.

  I threw some clothes on and got to the living room window in time to see Pam’s car driving away.

  Did Pam know I planned to talk to her about moving out? I hadn’t hinted at anything of the sort in the note I’d left on the kitchen table. I hadn’t seen or spoken to her since driving to the city and seeing my father, but maybe she suspected I knew.

  I wished she would just talk to me instead of ignoring the problem or running away. We’d never been the best of friends, but neither my father nor I would toss her out if she had nowhere to go. Ever since I’d found out about the breakup the day before, I’d been mentally shuffling households. If Pam wanted to, she could stay at my duplex for a while and I’d keep my father company while he was recovering from the hip surgery.

  As soon as I saw her again, I’d make the offer.

  Jeffrey jumped on the windowsill and looked at me, his big jade green eyes asking where he would be living.

  “You’ll stay here,” I told him. “This is your house, and you seem settled in.”

  He flicked his tail and then turned to watch the little winter birds forage for frozen berries in the front hedge. His tail swished as he chattered at the delicious-looking birds like they were the cat equivalent of french fries and ketchup.

  I sat on the couch for a moment and quietly watched him, watching the birds. I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but it felt very restful, the way I imagined meditation would feel.

  Then I remembered the cufflinks in my purse and my mind raced, making plans for the day. I had to phone Tony and tell him that Harper’s connection to Mr. Michaels was an innocent one, then I would return the cufflinks to Mr. Jenkins, and then I’d stop in at Ruby’s Treasure Trove to show her the photo I took of the panther broach.

  Chapter 27

  I parked in my regular space by the gift shop and sat in my car while I put a call through to the Misty Falls Police Department’s non-emergency line.

  Tony answered, and I was glad to hear his voice.

  “Please forget what I said about the girl, Harper,” I told him. “She shouldn’t be a suspect. In fact, if you happen to get a DNA sample from her, you could run a test to see if she’s his illegitimate daughter.”

  “Why would I do that if she’s not a suspect?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because those tests are expensive, and she can’t afford it?”

  “We don’t go around running DNA tests on random civilians.” He tapped away on a keyboard for a moment. “This girl really is his long-lost daughter? I guess that particular rumor was true, after all. These other tips are mostly junk, though.”

  “No new leads? Did you talk to Ruby yet?”

  “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Ruby’s harmless. Actually, that’s not true. She’s extremely useful. Ruby always knows things about the people in this town. She calls in plenty of tips about things. If we were in the city, I’d make her an official CI. That means Criminal Informant.”

  I rolled my eyes at Tony, which was a waste of an eye roll, since he couldn’t see it through the phone.

  “I know what a CI is. Oh, and I know how Ruby gets her information.”

  “You do?” The sudden interest in his voice gave me a chill.

  “Sure. And I’ll trade you that info for something in the future.”

  He tapped away at his keyboard, ignoring my attempted theoretical bribery.

  “Oh, that’s not good,” he said. “Another witness has come forward to testify about the altercations between your father and Mr. Michaels.”

  I groaned. “Nobody’s denying they had altercations. But my father didn’t harm the guy. You’re not really going to bring him in, are you?”

  Tony was silent. I wished I could see his face so I could tell how he was feeling.

  His voice cold and business-like, he said, “I have to go. We’ll talk soon.”

  “We’ll talk plenty if you come after my dad.”

  There was a pause, and then he said, “Be careful.” He ended the call.

  I put my phone away and rubbed my arms. The car had gotten chilly during the short time I’d been parked with the engine off.

  As much as I joked around with Tony and acted tough, I was worried. If Finnegan Day was the prime suspect for this murder, that meant either he did it, or someone else was determined to pin it on him. Either way, things were liable to get messy.

  I took a deep breath, mentally prepared myself for a good day of staying busy and taking care of business, then stepped out of the car.
<
br />   Even though I had other errands planned, I wanted to stop in first at my gift shop to check on things.

  My employee, Brianna, greeted me cheerfully and assured me she had everything under control.

  I hadn’t been to the store in a few days, and I could see a few waybills on the counter that should have been filed away, but when customers walked in the front door, they were cheerfully greeted, and that was the most important thing. Plus she laughed at my jokes.

  “Did you call everyone with special orders?” I asked.

  “Yes, boss.” Brianna bobbed her head, her straight brown hair swinging around her round face. Brianna was twenty-one, but she was so petite that when she wore minimal makeup, she looked about fourteen. It was hard for me sometimes to reconcile the fresh face in front of me with the idea of someone doing my job of running the gift shop almost as well as I did.

  “Did you set out the recycling?”

  She grinned. “Yes, boss.”

  “Order more cash register rolls?”

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Grow five inches so you can dust the top shelves without a ladder?”

  She laughed. “Working on it.”

  “Did you get that tattoo you were talking about getting?”

  She laughed. “Not yet.” Her eyes widened. “Wanna come with me?”

  “Let me get back to you on that.” I pointed to the counter and started walking to the back of the store. “I’ll take care of the coins since I’m here and I have the key.”

  “Sounds great.” She went back to organizing a display table full of Christmas gift ideas.

  A few minutes later, the door jingled, and I heard Brianna call out, “Good morning, sir!”

  I was kneeling behind the counter refilling the lockbox with rolls of coins, so I couldn’t see who’d come in, but there was something about this customer who got her flustered.

  “Is it still morning?” she asked with a giggle. “Sometimes I say that all day, even after it’s past lunch time. There should be another greeting that you can just say all the time.”

  “Hello,” the man said.

  “Hello, yourself,” she said.

  “I mean you can say hello all day long, morning or evening.”

  She tittered in response.

  “Are these for curtains?” the man asked.

  “They’re for napkins. Those are napkin rings, but you could use them for anything you like. I think you could use them with a curtain rod, if you got the right hardware. Is that something you’re looking for? We mostly carry gift items, but we can do special orders.”

  The way Brianna was talking got me curious. She was usually attentive and friendly, but not like this. Either she was trying to get a raise, or the guy was attractive.

  I straightened up just enough to peer over the top of the counter.

  It was a man in an attractive, gray suit. A handsome man.

  It took me a few seconds to realize this customer was actually Logan, my new tenant who didn’t know he was my tenant. He’d recently trimmed his mountain man beard to look refined and fashionable. He looked so different in a suit, and not dressed how he’d been when I met him, in a woolly old ski sweater and threadbare jeans.

  Thankfully, he hadn’t seen me, so I could continue to stare at him in wonder.

  “Why do napkins need these beaded twirly things?” he asked Brianna. “Do napkins have a habit of getting all unruly?”

  She let out a torrent of giggles and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

  He continued, “Do I need these if I’m having people over for a dinner party? If the napkins are just bare naked and allowed to do whatever they do, will I be judged for being a dumb bachelor guy who doesn’t know anything?”

  “You don’t look dumb to me. Aren’t you that new lawyer guy?”

  He grinned down at her, like he was excited to be recognized. “That’s me. Do you need a lawyer? Do you find yourself getting into trouble a lot, here in the bustling metropolis that is Misty Falls?”

  “We’re not that boring!” she squealed. “We had a real murder last week. Technically, they think the murder happened two weeks ago, but the body was frozen inside a snowman.”

  “I did hear about that.” He glanced around the shop and continued browsing, moving over to the cloth napkins and tablecloths.

  “My boss found the body,” she said.

  “Really? Then your boss must be my new landlady. You and I have something in common.” He chuckled. “We both live under her iron rule. Does she put up a lot of bossy signs around here, too? There’s one in the shared laundry room, about not leaving wet clothes in the washing machine, because it makes the whole house smell like mildew.”

  Still in my hiding spot behind the counter, my jaw dropped open in protest. Not fair! The bossy sign in the laundry room had been there when I bought the place. Sure, I agreed with it, which was why I hadn’t taken it down, but give me a break! I wasn’t that bossy, was I?

  My employee kept giggling. “I can’t really talk about her while she’s here,” she said in a hushed tone. Then, louder, she said, “Stormy is a terrific boss, though. I’m extremely grateful to be working here. Yes, Stormy is very nice, and totally cool for a lady in her mid-thirties.”

  I thought my jaw couldn’t drop open more, but it did. Mid-thirties? Excuse me. Thirty-three was early thirties, not mid.

  “So, she’s my age,” he said in a musing tone. “From the stories, I imagined someone much older. Do you know where she is? I’ve been keeping an eye out for her at the duplex, so I can properly introduce myself, but she hasn’t been around.”

  “I’ll get her for you. I think she’s in the office.”

  They both turned in my direction, so I ducked back down again.

  “Not if she’s busy,” Logan said. “I don’t want to disturb her.”

  “It’s no trouble. I think she takes naps in the office when she’s here.” She let out a laugh. “I’m just kidding about that, by the way. Stormy is not the kind of lady who takes a nap. You’d have to give her warm milk and sleeping pills to get her to slow down.”

  Brianna walked past the counter, not noticing me, then opened the door of the office and called my name.

  I didn’t respond, because that would give me away. She would see me when she came back, though, unless I hid better.

  The space under the counter was a hodgepodge assembly of cabinets and scrap wood. There was a curtain to hide the mess, but we always kept the curtain open for easy access. Still crouching, I inched my way back, huddled up, and squished myself into the cupboard. I pulled the curtain across to hide myself, but it got stuck and wouldn’t quite go all the way.

  “Stormy?” she called into my office. “Your tenant is here. Come say hello, or good morning, or whatever. Are you hiding?”

  I smiled in my hiding place. Who, me? Hiding? Don’t be silly.

  A moment later, she walked past me again, still not looking down to see me huddled up in the nook below the store’s counter, half hidden by a curtain.

  “Stormy must have slipped out the back,” she said apologetically. “Do you want to leave a note or something?”

  “No, but I will buy some of these napkins and the beaded things that keep them from becoming unruly. Can you help me pick out a good color? I’m actually color blind.”

  “Aww, you poor thing,” she said, which made him laugh.

  “It’s just blues and greens that are hard to tell apart. That’s why I wear brown suits and brown ties.”

  “Um. Your suit and tie are gray, sir. A blueish gray.”

  He chuckled. “I know that. I was just testing you.” He reached for the napkin holders with the red and gold beads. “I’ll take these ones if you think they’re okay. And I should get going back to work right away.”

  “Excellent choice, sir. I’ll ring these right up.”

  As she returned to the counter, I pushed myself back and huddled into the cupboard next to the computer and extra rolls of re
ceipt paper. What if she yanked open the curtain and screamed? I closed my eyes, hoping that would help make me invisible.

  I should have stood up as soon as they’d started talking about me, but now it was beyond awkward. Of course, by crawling into a cupboard, I was only making things worse, but I couldn’t think of anything better.

  My employee rang up the purchase and said, “That’s with the family discount, since technically you live with the store’s owner.”

  He laughed. “We’re living together now? Watch out. That’s how rumors get started.”

  “You’ll like Stormy,” she said. “Just don’t make her mad, and you’ll be fine. Laugh at her jokes, too. She likes that.”

  “She makes jokes? I find that hard to believe, given what I’ve heard.”

  “Oh, she does. And she is funny, and smart, and generous, and kind.”

  At the sound of her compliments, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Did Brianna mean what she was saying, or did she know I was under the counter? Either way, I appreciated her playing me up to Logan.

  “You can’t give me a family discount,” Logan said. “I insist on paying the regular amount. I absolutely insist.”

  Objects clattered on the counter over top of my head.

  “My boss will appreciate that,” Brianna said.

  “Does your boss have a boyfriend?” Logan asked.

  My eyes widened and I held my breath as I waited to hear what came next in this conversation.

  “No boyfriend that I know of,” she said. “You should ask her out! You two would make a cute couple.”

  He laughed. “I was only asking because I wondered where she’s been spending her nights. As far as dating, I already have my eye on someone else.”

  “Really? Do tell!”

  I kept holding my breath. Yes, Logan. Do tell. Is it the charming, pixie-haired cat lady you met at the veterinarian?

  “It’s probably nothing,” he said. “Which is for the best, because I don’t have time for a relationship anyway. We’re getting this new law practice up and running, and that’s my top priority.”