The Valentine's Day Mini-Mystery Compendium

by T B Audrey

  Finally, she threw her arms out in a grand gesture and said, “I am very excited to have you all here, and now, you are welcome to see your competition.”

  With a wide smile, Mrs. Reynolds stepped out from in front of the table. The contestants rushed eagerly towards the display table. Cara leaned against the corner of the bar, only a few feet from them. The expressions she witnessed were varied.

  The cool blonde with bright red lips stared at her ruby necklace, one eyebrow raised warily. She appeared worried as she stared steadily at it. A brunette by her side shoved into her without bothering to apologize, a bitter expression marring her otherwise pretty face.

  Another woman, older and strawberry blonde, laughed softly. Her hair was frizzy and wild, though Cara suspected from the look of it that the lady had spent quite a bit of time that day trying to tame it. Her long skirt with matching long necklaces and multiple rings gave her the air of a hippy, but the jewelry she paused in front of at the table was one of the most sophisticated pieces, though slightly eccentric. It was the rose earrings. The single rose toe ring that complimented the piece matched the artist that had created it perfectly. She clapped her hands together joyfully. “This is perfect! So beautiful!”

  “Thank you, Patricia. Of course, your jewelry does stand out,” Mrs. Reynolds said.

  Another young girl, with brightly dyed purple hair, lingered next to a necklace with a series of hearts in a cascade down the center. At the bottom, a single white sapphire shone brightly. She tossed her head as she gazed at her competition, a crafty look in her eyes. She was just close enough for Cara to read her nametag. Twyla.

  A tall man with a persistently arrogant expression on his face scowled as he surveyed the items. His graying hair stood straight up as he exclaimed over the placement of his bracelet. He glanced around angrily before spotting Mrs. Reynolds where she stood between the bar and the table. He stomped towards her.

  “My bracelet deserves a better display than the one you gave me. I want it moved before the judges get here!”

  “Now, now, the jewelry is arranged to highlight its individuality. We spent quite a while arranging the items and they will not be moved.”

  “We?” he asked, his voice angry.

  “Me and my assistant.” Mrs. Reynolds smiled over at Cara. “Casey.”

  Cara decided it might not be best to correct Mrs. Reynolds, but a voice from behind her called out, “Cara.”

  “Cara,” Mrs. Reynolds said smoothly.

  Cara turned to glare at Rick. He smiled helpfully at her while he polished a glass. She caught her breath and turned back to the angry man, confused.

  “Well, Cara,” the man said, “this must be your first time arranging jewelry because you certainly strategically placed mine to lose!” His voice rose as he pounded the edge of the bar with one fist.

  “Hey!” Rick said angrily.

  “Now, now,” Mrs. Reynolds repeated. “I know you don’t want to cause a scene, Ralph.”

  “It’s Mr. Thompson to you,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Alright.” Mrs. Reynolds smiled pleasantly, though her jaw was clenched.

  The rest of the contestants gathered to listen to the fight. Patricia made her way over the bar and seated herself at the corner, gesturing for Rick to come near. She smacked her bright red lips together and patted her frizzy hair into place as she watched him walk over. “I’ll have a glass of wine, please,” she said in a low tone, as Mrs. Reynolds and Mr. Thompson argued. The other three ladies quickly followed suit.

  Cara quickly jumped in to help him, a little put out that she couldn’t listen to Mrs. Reynolds getting told off by Mr. Thompson. The purple haired girl, Twyla, smirked as she watched them argue. Cara was just about to take her order when the cool blonde and the brunette drew her attention. It appeared they were having a little tiff themselves.

  Cara left Twyla to Rick and walked over to the two of them. “What can I get for you?” she asked sweetly.

  “I’ll have a mimosa,” the brunette said, her voice condescending. She barely deigned to glance at Cara. “I’m sure Gina will have the same. She likes to copy things.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Gina asked. She tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and glared steadily at the other girl. No trace of the earlier indecision could be found on her face.

  “It means that I don’t trust you.” The brunette narrowed her eyes angrily.

  Gina shrugged. “That’s your problem, Yvonne. I’ve never copied anything in my life. Can you say the same?”

  “That was a misunderstanding,” Yvonne hissed. She glanced back at Mrs. Reynolds, who was still arguing with Mr. Thompson.

  “Was it?”

  “You know it was.”

  “I think you’re just worried that my necklace will win. You wouldn’t be able to stand it if I won, would you? You were one of the worst judges of precious stones that I’ve ever seen. I could beat you in my sleep.” Gina turned to Cara. “Just a water please.”

  Yvonne laughed sardonically. “You won’t beat me. You don’t stand a chance.” The glimmer of fear in her eyes gave her away.

  “Still bitter that I quit your father’s shop?” Gina sipped her water. Her lipstick left a stain on the edge of the glass.

  “We were glad to get rid of you. I’ll admit, you were really good with costume jewelry, but you weren’t much use at anything else. And our store really started turning a profit once you were gone.”

  Gina’s eyes flashed. “How dare you? My designs brought most of the business to your tiny story. And if I remember correctly, I was apprenticing under your father. Wasn’t he supposed to be training me?” She slammed the glass of water onto the bar.

  “Girls, girls,” Patricia admonished. Her glass of wine appeared between the girls’ faces as she shoved her way in. “No fighting.”

  Yvonne ignored her. “How dare you say that about my father? He was trying to help you!”

  “He was using me. I was cheap labor to him and all his promises of training and promotions never came to pass.”

  “Because you didn’t deserve it!” Yvonne practically shrieked. “We were broke! You will never win this competition!”

  “Perhaps we should go to the bathroom, dear.” Patricia guided Yvonne off the stool and towards the bathroom at the side of the room.

  “Are you okay?” Cara asked Gina as Yvonne and Patricia disappeared from sight.

  “I’m fine.” Gina took a deep breath and offered a slight smile. “She’s never liked me much. I… I don’t trust her. I think she hates me.”

  “You can say that again,” Twyla said as she approached with her own glass of wine. She tossed her purple hair over her shoulder as she stared back at Mrs. Reynolds and Mr. Thompson, still arguing in the corner. “Who do you think is going to win?”

  Gina shrugged and checked the small silver watch on her wrist. It was cleverly designed to look like an ornamental bracelet. “When are the judges going to be here?” she asked as she drained her glass.

  “Mrs. Reynolds just said that they’ll be here in the next thirty minutes.” Twyla narrowed her eyes. “Let’s see who’s winning now.”

  Cara peeked at Rick as he wiped down the counter and brought out a bowl of fruit to slice. Both Gina and Twyla had perched themselves at the edge of the bar. They sat, sipping their drinks, and watching Mr. Thompson slowly wear down Mrs. Reynolds resolve. Cara helped herself to a cutting board and knife and joined Rick. Grabbing a few lemons and a cutting board, she began slicing them silently.

  “What do you think of this group?” Rick whispered, “They seem a little… odd.”

  “And, like they all know each other.”

  “Yeah, I got that, too. The purple haired one…”

  “Twyla.”

  “She and the older lady, Patricia, they were talking about some seminar they all went to together last summer.”

  “I would have hated to be the instructor…” Cara said under her breath.
<
br />   Rick snorted laughingly before continuing, “One thing’s for certain, there’s going to be an even bigger scene when they announce who won. I don’t think any of these people look like the gracious loser type.”

  “I think you might be right.”

  They continued slicing in silence. Cara’s gaze was drawn to Yvonne and Patricia as they emerged from the bathroom. It looked as if Yvonne had been crying. Her dark chestnut hair was mussed and her eyes were swollen. The knife in Cara’s hand hovered over the lemon half as she watched them approach the table. Patricia had her arm around Yvonne and was speaking to her earnestly. Yvonne was nodding along with her.

  Gina and Twyla had left the bar and were standing near the display table as the two others approached. Gina bit her lip and looked nervously at her watch. I bet she can’t wait to have this judged and over, Cara thought. Twyla, meanwhile, leaned with her back against the table, hands behind her. She was glancing from Gina to Yvonne expectantly, an excited, narrow eyed look on her face.

  “The judges will be here soon. I think we should get this resolved for once and all. Mr. Thompson? Mrs. Reynolds? If you won’t stop arguing, then I’ll rearrange the jewelry.” Gina said. Her voice was strong and sure.

  “NO!!!” Yvonne shouted, “Don’t touch mine.”

  She ran towards the table, Patricia close on her heels. Mrs. Reynolds scowled and hurried towards the table along with Mr. Thompson. Twyla held her clenched hands up in front of her as everyone neared. She turned at the same time that Gina turned, her eyes wide.

  The two collided. Gina fell to the ground, one hand reaching out for balance. As she went down, she grabbed a chunk of fabric and lace at the edge of the table. Twyla grabbed at the objects careening across the surface. Mrs. Reynolds stopped and screamed in horror as the display was pulled towards the edge. Gina overbalanced and tried to rise on one heel as the table rocked dangerously. The others reached it just before it toppled to the ground.

  The sounds of shattering glass filled the air as the table fell over with Twyla close behind. She toppled over the edge. Mrs. Reynolds hurried over to her and helped her up along with Mr. Thompson. “What have you done???” she spit out angrily.

  Twyla stood, a little dazed. Blood was seeping across a large cut on her arm. Gina climbed to her feet, apologizing profusely. She hurried over to the bar for napkins.

  She turned back to us. “Where’s the trash can?”

  “I was using it for slicing lemons,” Cara said. “I’ll get it.” She hurried towards the bar, running along the length. Cara glanced at Gina. She stood still in the corner by the punch bowl, an undecided, upset expression on her otherwise pretty face. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. Rick rushed into the kitchen and returned carrying a broom.

  “Where are my earrings? They better not be damaged!”

  “Yours better not be damaged! What about my piece?”

  “It’s alright,” Cara said. “Don’t be upset. It was an accident.”

  Gina opened her mouth, but didn’t get a chance to respond. “Gina!” Patricia yelled. “Bring the napkins for Twyla’s arm.”

  Cara grabbed the trash can and hurried back around the corner. She saw Gina grab a handful of napkins as she hurried past.

  “Gina!” Patricia yelled again. Finally, Gina turned and came back over to the group.

  “Thank you.” Patricia held out one hand impatiently. Gina shoved the napkins toward her.

  “Be careful!” Mrs. Reynold’s admonished. “I haven’t found all the jewelry yet.”

  “What’s missing?” Yvonne asked.

  “Your earrings and Gina’s necklace,” Mrs. Reynolds said.

  “Here are my earrings.”

  “When did you grab them?” Mrs. Reynold’s asked. “I didn’t see you.”

  “I didn’t want them to get damaged or lost,” Yvonne said, a defensive tone in her voice.

  Together, Rick and Mr. Thompson lifted the table up and repositioned it to the side. Cara straightened the tablecloth and rebuilt the fabric-covered towers of cardboard boxes while Rick and Mr. Thompson picked out a couple of unbroken vases and bowls. Patricia, Twyla and Gina knelt to the ground, carefully avoiding the shards of glass, and began picking out the fake jewels, petals, and roses while Yvonne, Rick, and Mr. Thompson sorted out the broken fragments and damaged flowers.

  Mrs. Reynolds and Cara robbed the rapidly growing piles of salvaged decorations and soon had the table presentable, though not quite as beautiful as before.

  “Has anyone found the ruby necklace yet?” Mrs. Reynolds asked anxiously.

  “Not yet,” Patricia said. The group on the floor glanced at each other before addressing Mrs. Reynolds.

  “I don’t think it’s here,” Mr. Thompson said quietly.

  “It’s got to be there,” Mrs. Reynolds gasped out. Her hand fluttered to hover over her heart.

  Everyone on the floor stood slowly. Cara gathered the last of the fake jewels and rose petals in her hands. All that remained on the floor was broken glass.

  “Where could it be?” Gina wailed, from her seat at the bar. Mrs. Reynolds had already had everyone who had pockets empty them. “You took it!” she pointed one long finger at Yvonne. “You didn’t want me to win and you took it.”

  Yvonne shook her head quickly. “That’s… that’s not true. I… I didn’t want you to win, but not like this.”

  “You knew I was going to win and you couldn’t stand it, could you?” Gina asked tearfully.

  “You shouldn’t be accusing Yvonne with no evidence,” Patricia said, though her voice sounded uncertain.

  “Well, then, maybe it was you.” Gina sniffled into a napkin.

  “Why would I take your necklace?”

  “Because it’s valuable, because each and every one of you might want to win. I don’t know….”

  Cara listened to the arguments as she shifted through the trash they had poured out on a clean garbage bag. Her eyes rose to meet the older woman’s.

  “It’s not here,” Mrs. Reynolds said.

  Cara nodded in agreement. “I’ve been through it twice.”

  “But if it’s not here….” Rick started to say.

  “Then someone has taken it.”

  Mrs. Reynolds pursed her lips and eyed the two of them narrowly.

  Cara’s eyes widened in alarm. “Listen, if you think we took it….”

  “As a matter of fact, I don’t.”

  “Why not?” Rick asked. His puzzled face told Cara that he was just as confused that she wasn’t accusing them as she was.

  “Because I think it went missing before either of you got near the table. You both had to run around the bar and stood well back from us. You.” She pointed at Rick. “Went straight to the kitchen for a broom and you.” She shifted her finger to Cara. “Went for the trash can behind the bar. I quickly found all the jewelry except for the earrings and the necklace. Everyone but you two and Gina was down there with me.”

  “We need to call the police,” Rick said. He gathered up the edges of the trash bag and slid it into the trashcan. It fell with a tinkling sound.

  “Not yet.” Mrs. Reynolds still had a pursed expression on her face. Her shrewd eyes evaluated both of them. “No, I think you need to solve this.”

  “What?” Cara exclaimed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I want you to solve this. You need to find the necklace.”

  “Why not just call the police?” Cara asked.

  “I can always call the police, but it would be much, much better for me, my job, and the future of the competition that I spent years creating and campaigning for, if the judges and my superiors never knew this happened. I can explain away a story such as there was an accident, the necklace was misplaced, but we found it. I can’t explain away calling the police for a stolen necklace quite as easily.”

  “Why do we have to do it?” Rick asked.

  “Well, I’ll be working on it as well, but I must say, if it isn’t found, then you’
re going to be the ones in trouble.”

  “Us? You just said it wasn’t our fault.”

  “That doesn’t matter! Somebody’s going to be blamed and it isn’t going to be me. So, I suggest you find it. You have half an hour.” She turned and went back to the group.

  Cara saw the same worry in Rick’s eyes that she knew was in her own. “Rick, I can’t afford to lose my job. They’ll fire us!” She felt a pang as she realized that it meant she probably wouldn’t see Rick anymore either.

  He licked his lips nervously. “Yeah… I need this job too. Nathan’s depending on us. And….”

  “What?”

  He stared at her for a long moment before he answered, “Nothing. So… who do you think took it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Cara glanced over her shoulder. Everyone else was still arguing. She walked over and dipped out some punch from the bowl. Her hands were shaking nervously.

  Gina broke away from the group and hurried over to her. She paused as Cara glanced at her.

  “Yes?”

  “I… I was just wondering if you happened to see anything?”

  “When the table fell over?”

  Gina nodded.

  Shaking her head, Cara sipped the punch. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t. Do you know why anyone would take the necklace? Is it valuable?”

  “Very. It would have won the competition.”

  “I am sorry that it’s gone,” Cara said. She eyed the other contestants and hesitated before asking, “Who do you think did it?”

  Gina shrugged. “Does it really matter?”

  “You might still have a chance to get the necklace back. If you think you know who it was, tell me.”

  Gina stared at the small group gathered around the other end of the bar and sighed, “She already had all of us empty our pockets. It’s gone.”

  “What would any of them have against you?” Cara asked, feigning innocence. But Gina didn’t buy it.