DEATHLY CHRISTMAS
Irena Nieslony
Chapter 1
Jennifer Anderson smiled with pleasure as she sat at home next to her exquisitely decorated Christmas tree enjoying a glass of full bodied dark red Italian dessert wine. She thought how deliciously sweet it was and what a thoughtful gift it had been.
All of a sudden she remembered what she had brought back from that afternoon’s Christmas party, so she jumped up and dashed into the kitchen. Rifling through her enormous handbag, Jennifer eventually pulled out a small package.
There it is, thank goodness, she sighed with relief.
She unwrapped it impatiently, and a couple of moments later there was a piece of fruitcake sitting on her kitchen work surface. It was generously covered in both marzipan and icing and Jennifer licked her lips in anticipation.
She had brought the cake back from Eve Masters’ Christmas Eve afternoon get-together. Putting it on a small plate, she took it back into the sitting room and smiled again. Jennifer loved Christmas cake. In fact she loved all food, especially wonderfully rich cakes and pastries, large cooked breakfasts, fish and chips; in fact anything that was fattening. However, looking at the cake, Jennifer started to feel guilty. She knew she had eaten far too much at Eve’s house, but how could she have stopped herself indulging in all those sumptuous dishes?
It had been an excellent spread, but despite Jennifer enjoying the food, she was certain Eve had been showing off her culinary skills. She hadn’t known Eve for long, but she didn’t like her at all and couldn’t imagine what her partner, David, saw in her. Yes, Eve was a particularly attractive woman, but she couldn’t believe that David was that superficial and had only wanted to go out with her because of her looks. In the end she decided that he must have felt sorry for her during the summer when the crazy Phyllis Baldwin had been trying to murder her. Yes, that was it, and now he couldn’t get out of the relationship. He was too much of a gentleman to end things so soon after such a traumatic experience.
Jennifer looked at the cake again. She was sorely tempted to eat it, but her skirt was feeling tight and the buttons on her blouse looked as if they were going to pop open.
Damn that Eve, without an ounce of fat on her.
However, a few minutes later she was drooling over the cake again. It was Christmas after all and a time for a little extravagance, so Jennifer thought that perhaps she should indulge now and go on a diet when the holiday season was over. However, what she’d forgotten was that Christmas was a little different in Orthodox Greece to what it was in England. The Greeks celebrated the time from Christmas Day until January 6th more than the days leading up to Christmas.
Eve and her arch enemy, Betty Jones, were trying to outdo each other with their organization of the celebrations for the next two weeks. The Christmas holiday season was far from over yet, and if Jennifer joined in the festivities, she would not be starting her diet for some time.
Managing to resist the cake for a little longer, she sat back, thinking how lucky she was spending Christmas on Crete. It was early evening in late December, but it was still warm and there was no need to have a fire or to put on the central heating. She had barely used any heating oil or firewood yet this winter and she was already planning what to do with the money she had saved. However, she wasn’t aware that there could be weeks of rain and wind on Crete during January and February and that the concrete houses, which were very common on the island, both retained heat in the summer and cold in the winter. She could be digging deep into her wallet very soon.
Jennifer had moved to Crete two months previously after her elderly father had died, leaving her financially secure. She had hated her mundane office job and had decided to emigrate.
Jennifer had been visiting Crete for many years and loved the peace and tranquility of the island as well as the beaches, ancient Minoan palaces and the opportunities for long picturesque walks. She wasn’t worried about the state of the economy in Greece. For her, the good outweighed the bad.
Eve Masters hadn’t been living on Crete for much longer than Jennifer, having arrived in August, but she’d managed to pack a great deal into her short time there.
Just before she came to live on the island, a British estate agent, John Phillips, had been murdered in her village, and Eve, deciding that the Greek police weren’t competent, managed to solve his murder, together with that of a holiday rep., Laura James. She also managed to survive three attempts on her own life when the murderer - the quiet, but brutal, Phyllis Baldwin - tried to silence her.
To cap it all, Eve fell madly in love with the handsome, but gentle, David Baker, an author who had been living on the island for a few years. David had been fascinated by Eve from the moment he met her, but he had also been confused and bewildered by her. He had reluctantly agreed to help her find the killer and eventually realized he was in love with her.
Jennifer finally couldn’t hold back any longer and took a bite of the Christmas cake. It was full of raisins, sultanas and cherries and had been soaked in brandy or whisky; she couldn’t tell which. Whatever spirit it was, it didn’t matter to Jennifer. The cake was absolutely delicious.
Jennifer took another sip of dessert wine and then lay back in her chair thinking of David. He was one of the most handsome and polite men she had ever met. He was at least six feet tall, with jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. She had been excited to hear that he had been an actor before becoming a writer and she was still racking her brains to remember if she had seen him on T.V.
Starting to daydream, Jennifer remembered how much attention David had paid her that afternoon. She was certain he was losing interest in Eve. After all, Eve was a bossy and aggressive woman while she herself came over as a much kinder and more pleasant person. Granted, Eve was only forty-three while she was fifty-two and Eve did have perfectly cut blonde hair and rather attractive green eyes, but her shoulder length wavy dark hair and brown eyes weren’t exactly off putting. Once she’d lost a bit of weight and had her hair styled properly, David would forget about Eve; she was sure of that.
Taking another bite of cake, Jennifer decided she wouldn’t tell Eve how good it was. She didn’t want to inflate her ego, deciding it was big enough already. Anyway, she was certain Eve hadn’t baked the cake herself. She remembered Betty Jones had said that Eve wasn’t the best of cooks.
Jennifer thought again about that afternoon and how lovely it was when David had asked her to dance. He had even kissed her on the cheek under the mistletoe. She smiled as she remembered glancing at Eve, certain that she was glaring at her. She was sure that the younger woman was seething with jealousy.
Jennifer then started to imagine what it would be like to steal David away from Eve. She could tell how pleased Betty had been earlier on when she had seen David dancing with her. Betty didn‘t like Eve at all and Jennifer had heard that she had tried her hardest to keep Eve and David apart in the summer. Unfortunately, it hadn’t quite worked out, so Betty would be overjoyed if she managed to separate David and Eve.
Betty and her husband, Don, had lived on Crete for many years and were in their mid-sixties. Betty liked to take charge of the events involving the English community and had formed a drinking club in The Black Cat, an English bar run by Ken and Jan Stewart.
Jennifer liked to be friends with important people in the community and had been delighted when Betty had invited her to spend Christmas Day with her and her husband.
Jennifer had almost finished the cake and there was only a small bit left. She decided to save that tiny piece for late evening. Eve certainly hadn’t been generous with her precious cake and Jennifer could eat it all again. However, it was probably for the best. She didn’t need to put on another ounce, not now that she ha
d set her sights on David. She thought she’d finish her drink and then relax in front of the television, but as she reached over to get her glass of dessert wine, her head started to spin and she felt sick. Trying to get up, Jennifer felt her muscles tighten and she couldn’t imagine what was happening to her. She was terrified and tried to move towards the phone, but her body didn’t want to do what she asked of it. She tried to speak, but nothing would come out. Jennifer felt fear overwhelm her, a fear she could never have imagined.
What’s happening to me? Who did this? she thought. I shouldn’t have……
However, her thoughts stopped as her neck and back began to arch and her mouth started to froth. As her arms and legs became rigid and her jaw tightened, Jennifer lost consciousness…
Chapter 2
“You’re not really jealous, are you, darling?” David asked Eve.
He put his arms around her as they stood next to her perfectly decorated Christmas tree. She had seen Jennifer’s tree when she had gone to give her an invitation to her party and had decided that while Jennifer’s was nice with its red and gold ornaments, her white decorations were decidedly more stylish.
Eve didn’t want to talk to David about Jennifer and she grunted miserably, not saying anything. However, she didn’t push him away.
“It was just a Christmas kiss,” he continued, looking slightly mournful.
As much as he loved her, he still wondered why Eve had to make a big deal of everything.
“I think Jennifer’s a lonely woman,” he continued. “And she seems to hover around Betty all the time. We don’t want her to turn into another Phyllis, do we?” David asked Eve, knowing this would strike a chord with her.
Eve shuddered as she remembered Phyllis Baldwin. Phyllis had seemed to be a fairly pleasant, quiet and non-descript woman who had unfortunately been at the beck and call of Betty Jones. However, she had murdered two people, first her lover, John Phillips, who had the audacity to end their affair, and then Laura James, who had known too much about that relationship. Then Phyllis had attempted to kill Eve because she had tried to discover who the murderer was.
However, despite poisoning Eve, tampering with the brakes on her car and locking her in her basement while setting her house on fire, Eve survived all Phyllis’s efforts to get rid of her. Eve was lucky to be alive and was relieved that Phyllis was in prison and wasn’t likely to be released in the near future.
“I know you were just being kind, David,” Eve replied reluctantly, not liking it when David chastised her. “But I’m pretty sure Jennifer’s going to take it the wrong way. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She’s totally smitten. You don’t realize how gorgeous you are, darling.”
David laughed and gave Eve a big hug.
“Nonsense. That’s just how you see me. I’m nothing special, I’m an ordinary guy.”
David wasn’t aware of quite how handsome and appealing he was to the opposite sex. He didn’t possess an ounce of vanity and thought of himself as an average bloke, but not only did he have a particularly striking face, but he had a perfectly toned body as well, especially for a man in his early fifties. However, he didn’t keep fit to look good, but mainly for health reasons. Each morning he would go for a long walk, often stopping at Eve’s to pick up her dog, Portia. Eve also enjoyed walking, but she didn’t much like early starts and she would walk Portia in the evenings.
Two or three times a week, Eve and David would go into Chania, the nearest major town, and use the gym. Eve knew that now she was in her forties she had to make an effort to keep her body looking as good as it did. Unlike David, Eve was vain and went to great lengths to take care of her appearance.
“I’m sure she only thought of it as a bit of fun, Eve,” .David continued, touching her arm gently. “She knows we're a couple. Don’t be so insecure. You know I only have eyes for you!”
David laughed again and pulled Eve closer so that he could kiss her. Eve couldn’t help but kiss him back, but she did feel unsettled. She always gave the impression of being in control of her emotions, but underneath she wasn’t as confident as she appeared. She felt David was playing with fire as far as Jennifer was concerned.
From the moment Jennifer Anderson arrived on Crete, Eve felt she had set her sights on David, despite the fact that it was obvious that he was in a relationship with her.
Yet again Betty had decided to interfere. Since losing Phyllis as a friend, she had been wandering around on her own looking miserable, but as soon as Jennifer had walked into The Black Cat, Betty had latched onto her. Eve believed she would like nothing better than to see David leave her for Jennifer.
“Come on,” David said. “Everything’s in the dishwasher so let’s sit down and relax.”
Eve collapsed on the settee, followed by David. He put an arm around her and she cuddled up to him.
“I’m proud of you, Eve. You threw a wonderful party this afternoon.”
“I can’t take all the credit; you did help a lot,” Eve replied.
“I know, but you cooked all the food. It was absolutely delicious. And to think you were barely able to boil an egg when you first arrived on the island.”
“That’s going a bit far,” Eve said, looking slightly cross. “But, you’re right; I wasn’t the best of cooks. I have been practicing as you know.”
Eve paused for a moment, trying to find the right way to tell David a secret she’d been keeping.
“David, I have something to confess,” Eve mumbled.
She sat up and David found he was slightly concerned. What had she done now? He had been through so much with Eve that he had got used to her wild actions, but he was hoping for a peaceful Christmas.
“Oh dear, I don’t know if I can tell you,” she continued, looking a little red in the face.
“You can tell me anything, darling. I don’t think I’d be too shocked by whatever you’ve said or done, not after last summer.”
Eve gave David a severe look, though deep down she knew she deserved this. She had suggested some crazy things when they had been looking for John and Laura’s killer. One of her ideas had been to break into John’s house and it had been sheer luck that they hadn’t been caught. In addition, although Eve had become a more pleasant person since she had met David, she still had a tendency to be reckless.
“The cake,” Eve replied, looking down, filled with embarrassment. “I cooked everything apart from the Christmas cake. I’ve improved so much with my cooking that I intended to bake a Christmas cake this year, but I forgot and then it was too late. I should have baked it in November, but before I knew it, it was almost Christmas. So I went to the English shop and bought a Christmas cake. That’s awful, isn’t it? Then Jennifer kept asking for a piece to take home this afternoon and I gave her such a small slice. She must think I’m terribly mean. Mind you, I don’t know why I care. After all, she is trying to steal you away from me.”
David smiled and gave Eve a kiss on the cheek.
“Eve, you’re so sweet. It doesn’t matter about the cake. You did most of the cooking after all. I’m sure most people cheat a little at such occasions. And as for Jennifer, I’m sure she’ll enjoy the cake whether or not it’s home baked and whatever size it is. Don’t worry about it. I’m still very impressed with your efforts today.”
David pulled Eve closer. He was looking forward to spending his first Christmas with her. They had thrown a successful party for all their friends that afternoon and now they were going to spend a romantic Christmas Eve evening together drinking mulled wine and opening presents.
The following day they were going to have Christmas lunch at the home of their friends, Pete and Annie Davies. Slightly younger than Betty and Don, Pete and Annie had taken early retirement and had moved to Crete a few years previously. Pete had been a police officer and Annie a schoolteacher back in England and both had been very kind and helpful to Eve during the summer, especially after she had been poisoned.
“What are you thinking about, David?” E
ve asked.
“Oh, just about us spending our first Christmas together.”
Eve smiled and moved closer.
“Yes, it is wonderful, isn’t it? I think we should open a present now, don’t you?”
Eve jumped up cheerfully. She was a woman who could never sit still for long. Not only did she like to be doing something, but Eve’s mind was always active and needed constant stimulation. David hadn’t been sure he would be able to keep her occupied after the excitement of the summer murders, but he had been doing alright so far. However, unlike Eve, the turmoil and instability of the summer months had been too much for him and he was relieved that everything had become quieter.
Chapter 3
Betty rang the doorbell for the third time, feeling her impatience rising.
Where on earth is that woman? she thought crossly.
Betty wasn’t known for her patience and she couldn’t abide tardiness. Jennifer should have been at her house an hour ago, but she hadn’t even phoned to say she’d be late. Betty had called her on both her landline and cell phone, but there had been no answer and no reply to either of her messages. In the end she had decided to drive to Jennifer’s house.
Betty lived in the next village so it only took her a few minutes to get there, but her temper was growing. She was in the middle of cooking Christmas Day lunch and was annoyed at this interruption, but her husband, Don, had twisted his ankle a couple of days previously, so wasn’t able to drive and go instead of her.
Still standing at Jennifer’s front door and getting no reply, Betty was now fuming.
Had Jennifer overslept? she thought angrily to herself. After all, she had been drinking an awful lot at the party yesterday. That would have to stop if she was going to be David’s new girlfriend. It was uncouth and unladylike to drink like a fish. A couple of glasses of wine are fine, but certainly no more. That Eve can certainly knock them back. How David puts up with it, I don’t know.
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