Johanna had been studying his face as he talked. She felt sure that he was telling the truth. It helped that the information he provided seemed to match up to the video surveillance footage. “You didn’t come back after you left the house?”
He held up his flattened palms on either side of his face. “No. I went straight back to the office. I had a meeting that day and didn’t have time to hang around. She was going to send the contracts to my assistant.”
Johanna leaned back in her seat. “But she probably never did that because she was killed before she could.”
Dutch nodded. “Exactly.”
“So how’d you buy the house, then?”
“Well, I actually knew another realtor in Felicia’s office that I’d worked with before. She gave me a call a few days after Felicia’s body had been found and asked how the showing had gone and if I was interested in putting in an offer or seeing any other properties.”
“Janet Sandborn?” asked Johanna.
He nodded. “Yeah. Janet’s mother and my mother go way back. I’d used Janet on another property deal a few years before that, so when I found this property online and I wanted to see it, I called her realty company again, but she was out of the office. They gave me Felicia’s name and number.”
“So you ended up buying the property through Janet?”
“Yeah. I mean, she followed up. What was I supposed to do? Not buy it because the realtor who showed it to me was mugged and killed?”
Johanna’s brow lifted. “Did you see anyone outside the house when you left that day?”
“What do you mean?”
She debated showing her hand but then realized that it might be the only way she found out the truth. She’d have to give a little to get a little. “We actually found out that Felicia had indeed shown you the property because we were given access to the security video. We saw you and Felicia entering the house on the day she was killed.”
He nodded and gave a half-smile. “Ahh. Clever.”
“The footage showed a car following Felicia when she walked away. It almost looked like it was a business car, it had the graphics on the side. Like for a realty company.”
“Oh-kay?” He furrowed his brows. “I don’t get it.”
“Did you see a realty car out front when you left the showing?”
“I guess I didn’t really notice a car being outside when I left. I saw a realty car parked outside when I got there.” He shrugged. “I only remember because that’s how I knew she was there already.”
Johanna leaned forward, resting her hands on the counter. “You saw a Four Seasons Realty car out front on the day Felicia was killed?!”
“Well, yeah. Was that not her car?” he asked.
“Video footage shows her walking in from the other direction. The car pulled in after she’d already gone inside, but we couldn’t see who was driving it.”
He shook his head. “I guess I didn’t look inside the car. Or if I did, I don’t remember seeing anyone.” He looked at Johanna firmly. “Does that mean you believe that I’m innocent?”
Johanna shrugged, honestly, she didn’t know. It didn’t look like he had done it, but she couldn’t be sure. It was beginning to look like Janet Sandborn had a lot to gain by killing Felicia Marshall. “Mr. Erickson, how much did you end up paying for this place, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t know. It was around twenty-five mil. I think Janet might have negotiated the seller down around twenty-three. I’d have to go back and look. I’ve got deals going in every direction, it’s hard to remember those tiny details.”
Tiny details! Oh, just two mil difference, she thought, choking back a sputter. “Do you know what Janet’s commission was?”
“I have no idea, Ms. Hughes. I believe six percent is standard, split between the listing agent and the buyer’s agent, but the seller might have negotiated that down. Plus, I’m sure Four Seasons Realty took a cut. Still, I imagine Ms. Sandborn made a tidy sum out of the deal.”
Johanna nodded. That was exactly what she had been thinking. “Thank you, Mr. Erickson. I appreciate you speaking with me today.” She hopped off her stool. “I’ll see myself out.”
“Hey,” he shouted after she’d taken several steps towards the home’s grand foyer. “He wouldn’t have taken you to breakfast if he wasn’t interested in dating you.”
Johanna grinned. “Thanks, Dutch.”
26
Dutch Erickson’s parting words that Mitch wouldn’t have asked Johanna to breakfast if he wasn’t interested in dating her replayed on a loop through Johanna’s mind the next morning as Whitley carefully painted makeup on her face in the bathroom.
“Hello? Hanna? Did you hear me?” Whitley asked, only inches from her face.
Johanna blinked and promptly caught a mascara wand in her eyeball. “OH!” Her eye immediately snapped shut. She backed up, holding her eye. Behind her, Rocky acted as a bathroom doorstop, causing her to fall backwards over the top of him. She landed with a thud on the floor outside the bathroom.
With one eye pinched shut, Johanna looked up at him. “Thanks, Rock,” she whined.
“Woof!” Looking down at her with his big brown loving eyes, he gave her a lick on the cheek.
She gave him a good pat and then climbed to her feet to stare at her one-eyed reflection in the mirror. “Oh great, Whit. Now I’m going to have to wear an eye-patch to Christmas at my uncle Jack’s.”
“Sorry,” said Whitley, flipping one of her long brown braids over her shoulder. “I was talking to you, but you weren’t saying anything.”
“She was in la-la land thinking about her boyfriend,” snapped Esmerelda from the floor. She had a red-and-green ribbon tied around her neck that jingled as she walked. She pawed at the musical collar and looked up at her sister. “Is this really necessary? I look stupid.”
“No, you don’t. You look like a festive holiday cat. They’re gonna love you,” Whitley assured her.
Johanna sighed as she forced her winky, watery eye open while staring at her reflection in the mirror. She blotted at it with a piece of toilet paper and shrugged. “Feel free to take the ribbon off. I told you. You don’t have to go.”
“But I can’t stay here on Christmas Day. This has got to be the most boring place on Earth, and it’s a holiday!”
Johanna glanced over at her. “Then you’ll wear the ribbon. The ribbon tells my family you’re a polite, well-behaved cat that wouldn’t possibly topple over another Christmas tree.”
Esmerelda pointed a paw at Rocky. “You’re not making him wear a stupid bow.”
“He’s a boy,” said Johanna, as if that answered everything.
“So. It was his fault the Christmas tree fell over last time, not mine.”
“You climbed up it!”
“He chased me! He didn’t have to chase me! I was only trying to get away from him!”
Johanna grimaced. The thought of there being a reenactment of the last family gathering worried her, but it was Christmas, and she felt bad leaving Whitley and Esmerelda home alone. Rocky was going with her no matter what. They hadn’t spent a Christmas apart since she’d gotten him, and she wasn’t about to start now.
“Besides, Rocky’s wearing an elf hat. I just won’t put it on him until we’re almost there.”
“What time is Mitch picking us up, anyway?” asked Whitley, grabbing Johanna by the shoulders to turn her back around so she could finish applying her makeup.
“Any minute. And do me a favor, Whit. I know it’ll be a boring ride to Jersey, but please don’t talk in the car. I know Mitch can’t hear or see you or anything, but I can, and sometimes I forget and respond. I don’t want him to think I’m crazy.”
Whitley sighed. “But it’s so boring keeping quiet.”
Johanna crossed her arms.
“Oh, fine,” she finally pouted. “If Essy can keep quiet for the ride over, I’m sure I can too.”
Esmerelda blinked up at Rocky as he stared down at her lick
ing his chops. “All I’m saying is, he better keep his paws off me, or so help me, your boyfriend is going to hear exactly what’s on my mind.”
Johanna knew the only reason Rocky was being good was because she was keeping an eye on him. “Yeah, Rocky’ll be good. I’ll keep an eye on him today, I promise.”
“There!” said Whitley, putting down the eyeshadow palette from Johanna’s small makeup bag. “All done. You look great!”
Johanna stared at herself in her small bathroom mirror. She almost didn’t recognize herself without the dark circles under her eyes or the faint wrinkle sketches around her mouth. Whitley had spent the morning applying makeup to Johanna’s face, and yet, somehow, Johanna didn’t look like she was wearing any makeup. She only looked better, younger, brighter, and fresher. It was like a new Johanna.
A slow smile covered her face as she patted the soft waves in her brown hair. She’d always seen wavy hairstyles on celebrities and wondered how they’d done it. But as far as Johanna was aware, her hair had only two options—Shirley Temple’s curls or straight like Cher. There had never been any middle ground when she’d tried to fix her own hair.
“I’m shocked to say this, Whit, but I look really good.”
Curled up in a ball on the carpeted toilet lid, Esmerelda agreed dryly, “You couldn’t possibly be more shocked than I am.”
Whitley frowned. “Es. It’s Christmas. Can’t you be nice for one day of the year?”
“Nope. I’m afraid you got all the nice genes in our mother’s womb, dear sister.”
Johanna spun sideways and assessed her outfit. Whitley had taken the liberty of putting together an outfit from the random pieces in Johanna’s closet. She’d actually found a black suede skirt in the mess, along with black leggings and a pair of calf-high black boots. “And thank you for getting my dry cleaning done for me. My sister’s gonna flip when she sees me in a skirt and tights.”
Whitley grinned. “No problem. The place around the corner has a pickup service. I just left the stuff in the hall and they dropped it back off. Easy-peasy.” She winced then. “Just don’t be mad when you get your credit card statement. I gave them a hefty tip for pre-Christmas delivery.”
Johanna smoothed her hand down the front of her red V-neck sweater. At one time, it had been her favorite sweater, until she’d accidentally spilled a bowl of ramen noodles on it during a particularly busy writing marathon. Thanks to the cleaners and Whitley, it was now fluffy again. “Shockingly, Whit, it was worth every penny.”
Whitley giggled. “Well, thanks for letting me wear your green blouse. I realize no one can see me in it, but it feels good to get all dressed up again. It’s been so long since I got to get dressed up for an event.”
Esmerelda’s head snapped up and she hissed at her sister. “Don’t even say it.”
Whitley’s brows lowered and she frowned. “I wasn’t gonna say it.”
“Say what?” asked Johanna, her head ping-ponging back and forth between the sisters.
“Whitley Snow. If you dare…”
“It’s just that…” Whitley eyeballed her sister carefully. “Oh, why can’t I tell Hanna?”
“Because I don’t want to be reminded about that night!”
Johanna was confused. “What night?”
Whitley looked down at her hands. “The night I got put in the globe and Essy got put in Sophie.”
“Sophie? Who’s Sophie?”
“Duh. The cat?” snapped Esmerelda.
“The cat? Wait. Your name isn’t really Esmerelda?”
“Yes, my name is Esmerelda!”
“But you just said it’s Sophie. I’m confused.”
“My name is Esmerelda. The cat’s name was Sophie. I got zapped into the cat.”
“By who?”
“Did you not hear me say I didn’t want to talk about this?!”
“Sorry, Es,” whispered Whitley. “It’s just that it doesn’t even really feel like Christmas without Dad around. Don’t you ever think about him? We never talk about him or what happened, and it makes me sad. It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year!”
“This happened last Christmas?” asked Johanna, trying to pick up the bits and pieces Whitley had shared.
“On the Winter Solstice, actually,” admitted Whitley. “It’s a long story.”
“Of course I miss Dad too,” said Essy, her voice softening. “I miss lots of things. I miss my room. I miss all the fun I used to have and all the boys I used to date. I miss taking real showers and eating real food.”
“Where’s your dad live?”
“Everland Cove,” said Whitley as she wiped away a tear. “If he even still lives there. It’s just him now.”
“And you guys can’t go back to him until the mysteries of all those dresses are solved?”
Whitley nodded her head sadly as her bottom lip quivered. “Yeah.”
Johanna gave Whitley a hug then. “Don’t worry. We’re getting so close to solving the first mystery. After this, it’ll all be a breeze!”
Whitley squeezed her. “Thanks, Hanna. And thanks for letting us spend Christmas with you and your family.” Whitley shot a glance over at her sister, who was watching them with a faraway look on her face.
Esmerelda sighed. “Yeah, thanks for letting us spend Christmas with you and the mutt,” she agreed gruffly.
Johanna knew they’d been through a lot. She walked over to her and gave her a little scratch behind the ears. “You’re welcome.”
Suddenly, Rocky was at the front door, barking like crazy.
Johanna froze. “It’s gotta be Mitch.” Her eyes flipped nervously towards Whitley. “How do I look?” she asked, feeling her heart suddenly pounding faster.
“You look amazing. Gorg!”
There was a knock at the door.
She blew out the breath she’d been holding. “Thanks,” she whispered. She gave a little nod and then raced into the kitchen to grab Rocky’s elf hat from its hiding spot. She walked to the door and opened it with a flourish. “Merry Christmas!” she said to the handsome man on the other side of the door.
He’d answered the door with a smile, but when he saw Johanna, his smile widened even more. “Merry Christmas, Jo!” he said, marveling at her. “Wow. You look … radiant.”
Johanna felt her cheeks heating up. “Thanks. You look great too.”
Mesmerized, he crooked an arm out towards her. “Are you ready? I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? For me?” she asked, looking him up and down and wondering where it was.
He nodded. “You’re gonna love it!”
Johanna couldn’t remember the last time she’d been surprised by anyone in a good way. The last time she’d been truly surprised was when she’d discovered her father had a girlfriend. That hadn’t been a surprise that she relished.
“I can’t wait,” she said with a grin. She looked back at her apartment. “Oh. Rocky and Essy are coming with us,” she said. She’d mentioned to Mitch when he’d volunteered to drive them to her uncle Jack’s that Rocky was coming, but she hadn’t mentioned Esmerelda’s need for a ride as well. She hoped he didn’t mind.
He crooked his head to the side. “Who’s Essy?”
Johanna ran into her bathroom and hefted the furry grey cat into her arms. The little bell around her neck tinkled delicately. “Be good,” she whispered under her breath into the cat’s ear. Esmerelda hissed at her in reply but allowed her to carry her to Mitch.
“Here she is,” she sang. “This is the cat that Rocky and I are pet sitting right now. Her name is Esmerelda, but we call her Essy.”
“We?” asked Mitch with a bit of a devilish smirk.
Johanna’s eyes widened as she realized her faux-pas. “Rocky and I.” She laughed. “Essy’s a bit on the grumpy side, but I feel like her bow makes her look that much more festive for Christmas, you know?”
Mitch grinned. “I’ve never heard of anyone taking their cat to a Christmas party before.”
Johanna nodded slowly. “Oh, I know it sounds a little odd, but I can’t leave her here all alone on Christmas. Do you mind?”
Mitch threw up both hands. “No, of course not. I don’t mind if your uncle Jack doesn’t mind.”
She giggled. She hadn’t asked her uncle Jack. She swatted the air. “Oh, Uncle Jack won’t mind. He’s a great guy. You’ll like him.”
“I’m sure I will. You want me to carry the cat for you?” He held out his hands.
Johanna squatted down, scooped a festive gift bag from the floor and plopped it in his arms instead. “You better carry that instead. I’ll carry Essy, she’s not the friendliest cat.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“Can you handle Rocky’s leash too?” She offered up the leash as Rocky panted at Mitch’s feet, his tail swatting the floor exuberantly.
Mitch gave Rocky a loving rub. “Absolutely.”
With the door hanging open, Whitley snuck out first, followed by Mitch, who led Rocky out into the hall. With Esmerelda slung over one shoulder, Johanna locked up her apartment, and then Mitch led the group down the stairs to the little lobby on the ground floor.
“Okay now,” he said, stopping before she was off the stairs. “Close your eyes!”
“Close my eyes? Why?” Johanna felt that the vision of her tumbling down the last step and shredding the knees of her tights was far too much of a possibility to consider closing her eyes and walking at the same time.
“Don’t you want your surprise?”
Johanna frowned. “My surprise is here? Now?”
“Yeah, it’s outside. Are you ready? Close your eyes!”
Though thoroughly uncomfortable with the idea, Johanna closed her eyes and held out her crooked arm. “You’ll have to take my arm.”
“Of course,” he said with a chuckle. He took hold of her and led her and Esmerelda to the door. He threw it open and led her out to the street, where the blustery cold winter air bit at her cheeks.
“Alright. You can open them,” he said excitedly.
Before she’d even opened her eyes, Johanna knew what her surprise was. She could feel it dropping on her nose and blowing delicately across her face. “It’s snowing!” she gushed. “On Christmas!”
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