All I Want For Christmas is Fudge (A Candy-Coated Mystery with Recipes Book 4)

by Nancy CoCo

  “You two are quite the pair,” Charlene said. The first time I ever called 9-1-1, Charlene had not believed me. She thought I was a prank caller. Now all I had to do was say my name and she assumed the worst. In fact everyone on the island assumed the worst. “What were you doing near the marina?” she asked.

  “Mal needed her morning walk and I wanted to see the yachts that are coming in for this weekend’s race,” I said. A glance over my shoulder showed me that the marina was full of large sailing boats. Some people had begun to stir on the boats. A gentleman in shorts and a T-shirt came out on his deck with a coffee cup in hand. I watched as he stretched and looked at the lake, then do a slow turn. I shivered when he did a double take at the sight of me and Mal and the pale bloated body of a woman wearing a bright blue-and-orange, color-blocked dress. Her feet were bare. She had painted her toenails robin’s egg blue. “A guy on his yacht spotted us,” I told Charlene, and then waved at the guy, who stared with his mouth wide open. I suppose seeing a dead body first thing in the morning would be a bit of a shock for anyone.

  “Don’t let him get close,” she warned. “We don’t need a crowd messing up the crime scene.”

  In the distance I heard the siren of the ambulance. The state-of-the-art ambulance and fire truck were the only motor vehicles allowed on the island. Otherwise, transportation on the island that time forgot was limited to horse and carriage, bicycle or foot traffic.

  “Is everything okay down there?” the man hollered from the deck of his yacht.

  “Things are under control,” I called back, and pointed at my cell phone. “I’ve called nine-one-one.”

  “What happened?” Police Officer Rex Manning had pulled up on his bike, hit the kickstand, and walked up, carefully placing one foot in front of the other toward me. Mal, of course, having no respect for possible crime scene evidence, wiggled out of my embrace and raced up to greet Rex with a twirl and a nose bump. Rex absently petted Mal as he walked to where I sat next to the body.

  “I pulled her out of the water,” I said, and shivered again. “I tried pushing water out of her lungs, but she was already gone.”

  “Long gone from the looks of her,” he said as he squatted down beside me. “She was in the lake?” He didn’t look at me. Instead, he took a pen out of his pocket and lifted the hair away from her face. Rex wore his uniform well. He had the chest and shoulders of a man who worked out regularly at the gym. I always thought of him as having that action hero kind of look, with his shaved head and gorgeous eyes.

  “Yes, she was in the water near the pier where the coffee shop is,” I said, and pointed toward the spot. “I didn’t see her at first. Mal pulled me to the edge, so I went to see what she was fussing about.”

  “Your pup has a good nose for death,” Rex said. He frowned. “I think I know who this is.”

  “Is that good or bad?” I asked, then bit down as my teeth started to chatter.

  He glanced at me. “You need to get warm.” Standing, he waved down the EMTs. George Marron came down to where we were, carrying a blanket in one hand and a med kit in the other. “She might have hypothermia,” Rex said to George.

  “I brought the blanket,” George said, draping it around my shoulders. “Whenever I get a call with Allie involved, I automatically bring a blanket.” George was a little taller than Rex and I were. He had high cheekbones, long black hair, which he wore in a braid down his back, and black eyes, which spoke of his Native American ancestors.

  I huddled in the warmth. “I don’t think it’s shock this time,” I said with a touch of pride in my voice. “I’m soaked.”

  “The water’s still cool this year,” George agreed. “Even for the middle of July.” He checked the pulse at my wrist. “Your lips and fingers are a little blue, but you’re right. You’re not in shock”

  “I’m fine,” I said, smiling at him to reassure him that I didn’t need an exam, and huddled into the blanket. “Just wet.” My teeth chattered as if to emphasize my words.

  Rex stood and waved the second EMT with the stretcher over toward the body. “You pulled her out of the water all by yourself?”

  “Yes, mostly,” I said as Mal curled up in my lap. The woman’s legs still dangled over the retaining wall. “I didn’t have the strength to finish the job, I’m afraid. I wanted to get her far enough that I could try to push water out of her lungs and start CPR.”

  “Okay, tell me exactly—step-by-step—what you did,” he said, his cop’s gaze noted all the details of the marina as it started to wake up. George and the other EMT pulled the body all the way over the retaining wall and rolled her onto the stretcher. A pair of gulls swooped by, squawking. Officer Charles Brown showed up and stayed near the road to keep the slowly gathering crowd back.

  “I knew the yachts were coming in for race weekend, so I thought I’d take Mal for her morning walk down here. I saw the coffee shop was open. Frances told me that she likes the blueberry scones they serve, so I figured I’d stop in and pick up a few for the staff.”

  “What time did you leave the McMurphy?” Rex asked.

  “I finished my last batch of fudge around five forty-five AM. So, however long it takes to put Mal’s halter and leash on and then stroll down here.” The marina was across from the yacht club and the Island House hotel, about a half mile from the McMurphy on Main.

  “So around six AM?”

  “That sounds right,” I said, and hugged Mal. The puppy wanted to greet everyone and help the EMTs with the body. I, on the other hand, knew she’d be in the way, so I held her in my lap. “We walked down this way. I didn’t see anything unusual, just the boats and the sunrise. We walked the lower path here, near the retaining wall, and headed down the dock to the coffee shop. About halfway, Mal started barking and pulling me toward the water.”

  “She must have smelled the body.”

  “Something,” I agreed. “When I saw the girl floating, she was faceup. I thought maybe she was swimming. Then I noticed how pale she was. So I called out, but she didn’t answer.”

  “And?”

  “And I jumped in,” I said. “I didn’t think about it much. I thought she needed help, and I was a lifeguard in high school. Instinct kicked in. I put my arm around her torso and swam to the wall. When I could stand, I put my hands under her arms and pulled her over the wall. It’s harder than you’d think.”

  His blue gaze twinkled. “I know. I’m still trying to picture how you did it.”

  “Honestly? I sat on the wall and grabbed her and pulled. When I got her up high enough, I scooted back. I was able to bring her far enough onto the grass that I knew she had solid earth beneath her. Then I used my palms to push water out of her lungs, but it didn’t help.”

  “She was long dead.”

  “Yes,” I said, and pushed my slowly drying, cold, damp hair out of my face. “When I realized she was stiff, I took out my phone and called nine-one-one.”

  He tilted his head and drew his eyebrows together. “Didn’t your cell phone get wet?”

  “Yeah,” I said, lifting it up. “But it’s waterproof. You know, I’m pretty clumsy and have a tendency to answer my cell phone when I’m in the bathtub.”

  “Yeah,” he said, and grinned. “I know.”

  I felt the heat of embarrassment rush up my cheeks, but worked to ignore it. “So Jenn made me buy one of those waterproof cell phone covers. You can’t take your phone diving, but it will survive getting wet.” As I said, Jenn was my best friend. Thankfully, she had come up for the summer season to help me manage my first season at the McMurphy. Papa Liam, my grandfather, was supposed to be here to train me; but earlier this year, he’d gone nose down while playing cards at the senior center and they hadn’t been able to revive him. Jenn came up to fill the void. She was actually better at making friends on the island than I was. All in all, she took good care of me.

  “Huh,” Rex said. “It’s a good thing, then, I guess.”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Mal seems
relatively dry,” Rex pointed out.

  I made a face. “She didn’t follow me into the water. She stayed on the pier and barked. Then she raced over here when I managed to pull the girl up on land.”

  “Smart dog.”

  “Should we call Shane?” I asked. Shane Carpenter was the local CSI guy, who also happened to be dating Jenn. I liked to think that I was the one who introduced them. In fact, if the relationship worked out in the long run, I would claim that it was all my doing.

  “Charlene already did. The body has clues,” Rex said. “He’ll want to know the water temperature and see what else is floating in the water. And he may need those clothes you’re wearing.”

  “Oh, right,” I said, and glanced down at my dress and leggings. My white Keds were gray from water. “Wait, is it okay to move the body?” I pointed at the guy holding the stretcher. It was folded up so that you couldn’t see the wheels.

  “You pulled her out of the water, so she has already been moved,” Rex pointed out. “I don’t want to leave her out here for gawkers.” Rex’s eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth rested in a flat line. Rex was a handsome man and had two ex-wives to prove it. His hands were large, square, and efficient as he did a simple check of the body. He motioned for the EMTs to bring over the stretcher. “You said she was faceup in the water?”

  “Yes,” I said. “It seems weird, right? I mean, usually when you think of dead bodies in the water, you imagine them facedown.”

  “Sure.” He eyed the surrounding area and made notes on his notepad. “Maybe she was dead when she hit the water and floated up.”

  “Maybe.” I watched as they rolled the dead woman over carefully, inspecting her back for contusions or anything else that might tell us whether it was a simple drowning or something more sinister.

  Gail Hall from the coffee shop walked down from the pier with her hands full of coffees in a paper carrier. “You guys look like you could use some strong coffee.” Mal stood on her hind legs to greet Gail. “Sorry, pup, no coffee for you.” She handed the first responders coffee as they stood around a moment to take in the scene. Then she sat down by me and patted Mal on the head with her free hand, while she handed me a coffee with her other hand. “I saw you jump into the lake,” she said as her brown eyes filled with concern. “You gave me quite a scare. I had no idea what you were doing. I thought maybe you’d finally had enough of island life. Then I figured I’d have to come out and get you.” She tilted her head. “I wasn’t looking forward to jumping into the lake myself, so I called nine-one-one.”

  “Oh” was all I could say in answer. I sipped the coffee. “That’s why Charlene knew it was me when I called.”

  “Yeah,” Gail said. “I saw you pulling someone out of the water. I would have come out sooner, but I had to wait for Emily to get in to cover the shop.” She paused and watched as they zipped the woman up in a black body bag. “How did you know she was there?”

  “Mal,” I replied, pointing at my dog. “She’s got a good sniffer.”

  “She smelled her from the pier?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Crazy, right?”

  “Any idea who she is?” Gail asked. “I couldn’t see from the shop.”

  “Ladies, no details until I get your stories,” Rex said. He drew his dark eyebrows together in a look of concern.

  “Right,” Gail said, standing. “I’ve got to get back.”

  “I’ll be in the coffee shop in a few,” Rex said. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  “You’re welcome,” Gail said. “Take care, Allie.”

  “I will, thanks,” I said. We watched Gail walk back to the coffee shop. She was probably ten years older than me—so in her mid to late thirties—and pretty in her black slacks and navy blue top. Her shiny brown hair was cut in a smooth bob and hung just above her shoulders so that it swung as she walked.

  Rex squatted down beside me and absently ran his fingers over Mal’s back as he looked out over the crowded marina. More people had begun to emerge from the boats to prep for a day of sailing. “Do you know who you pulled out of the lake?”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I sort of recognize her, though. Is she a local?”

  “Yeah,” he said, then looked at me. “Marcy Brandon. Her family’s been on the island for generations. They’re members of the yacht club. In fact, see that yacht—third one down on the most expensive pier?”

  I glanced across the boats. “The one that says Daddy’s Girl on the side?”

  “Yes,” Rex said with a short nod. “That’s her family’s boat.”

  “You said she might have been faceup because she was dead when she hit the water.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Do you think she was killed on the boat and pushed in?”

  “I’m not going to speculate,” Rex said.

  “She had a nice cocktail dress on,” I said, then closed my eyes as I pictured the color-blocked silk dress. “I bet it was designer.” I paused and looked at Rex. “She wasn’t very old, was she?”

  “She’s around your age,” he replied. “She was in Paige Jessop’s class in school.”

  “Oh,” I said, and hugged the blanket around me. “I don’t know why, but it’s worse when someone your age ends up dead.”

  “Yeah,” Rex said with his mouth firm.

  “I tried to save her,” I said, and clung to the coffee cup as if it would make things right. The EMTs hefted the body on the stretcher and pulled it toward the ambulance.

  “It was too late,” he said, his tone low and soothing. “We’re going to need your clothes. Shane will be here soon. He’ll probably want to take samples from your hair and your nails and such.”

  “Right,” I said, making a face. “I should be used to this by now. But I’m not.” I looked at Rex. “Finding all these bodies, I feel like I have really bad timing. I mean, an hour later and someone else would have found her. You know?”

  “Maybe you have good timing,” he said. “Maybe the killers have bad timing.”

  I sent him a half smile. “Thanks, but I don’t think there’s anyone on the island who believes that.” Sipping my coffee to try to get warm, I watched them place the stretcher in the ambulance and George waved as they headed around to the front of the vehicle. I lifted my hand in a short wave.

  “You said you left around six AM,” Rex said. “Did you go out the back and down the alley or out the front?”

  “We walked out the front because Frances had come in already to watch the desk,” I said.

  “Did you see anyone?”

  I drew my eyebrows together. “No, it was too early. Most of the shop owners don’t even think about coming in until seven. I think I saw a pair of joggers go by, but I didn’t recognize them. They were probably tourists.”

  “So, only a pair of joggers? Did you walk on the fort side or the harbor side of Main?”

  “Mal and I walked down the fort side of Main toward the marina. I crossed at the lawn in front of the fort because I thought it would be nice to see all the boats that have come in for the weekend yacht race.” My gaze went to the boats. People were out starting up motors, taxiing out of the marina or raising sails, hopping on the dock to untie the boat, then hopping back on as the boats left the marina and headed out to the lake. “Is it okay that they leave?”

  Rex looked at the busy docks. “There’s not much I can do without a warrant. They’ll be back tonight for tomorrow’s race.” He turned back to me. “Did you see anyone on the pier? On any boats?”

  “I’m sorry,” I said with a shake of my head. “I don’t remember seeing anyone. I remember thinking the flowers in the flower beds along the walk were lovely when Mal stopped to do her business. I remember listening to the waves lap against the boats and thinking it would be a nice sound to go to sleep to. I wondered if I should save up for a boat. Not a yacht,” I said. “There’s no way I could afford that. Do you have a boat?”

  “A fishing boat,” he said. “I sold my sailing boat.”

  I blinked
at the thought of Rex sailing. I suppose when you grow up on an island, you learn about boats pretty fast. Just another thing I missed by growing up in Detroit.

  “You were walking by the boats . . .”

  “Right,” I said. “Like I said, I saw the coffee shop and thought I’d get Frances some scones. We walked up the side of the pier with the coffee shop. I was almost there when Mal tugged me over to the edge. She wouldn’t go any farther. Sometimes she can be stubborn,” I explained. “I went over to see what she was sniffing at and I looked down and saw the woman in the water. The rest you know.”

  Mal barked and raced off. I glanced after her and saw Officer Brown heading our way. Mal greeted him with a happy bark. Officer Brown was a nice guy, younger than Rex and less rugged.

  “I’m going to have Charles walk you over to the clinic,” Rex said. “It’ll be easier for Shane to collect evidence without a crowd.” He helped me up. “We’ll contact Jenn and see if she can bring you clean clothes.”

  “Okay,” I said. “It’s weird, right?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Finding that girl in the marina,” I said with a shrug. “Managing to get her on the grass and then having to be looked over like a piece of evidence.”

  “I’m sorry, Allie,” Rex said. “It’s a heck of a way to start a day.”

  “It seems to be the pattern to my summer,” I said. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to go check out the Brandons’ yacht, then see Gail. After that, try to get more people out here to talk to the boaters. Someone saw something.”

  “What about Marcy’s family?”

  “When I get a positive ID, I’ll go over with the bad news.”

  “What if they’re on the boat? I mean, won’t they wonder why you’re checking out their yacht?”

  “Go with Brown,” Rex said. “Leave the investigation to me. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Good.” Rex handed me off to Officer Brown. “See that she is checked out,” he said. “She’s bleeding.”