by Jenny Kales
“Fine. Then we’re going to have to make a heck of a lot of noise and hope that an insomniac guest is hungry – or that one of the cooks forgot something. Let me find something to bang on the door. It will work better if you can help me.” Talking felt like speaking through a cotton cloth but at least she was communicating again.
“I can’t….” Melody said, whimpering. “Sorry, Callie. For getting you … in this…mess.”
“Melody, I’m not dying in here, okay? Now, please. I know you can do it.”
Without any lights, it was difficult to see. Still, this was a commercial kitchen. Callie knew that there had to be some heavy stainless steel containers in the walk-in, since that’s what she used at her shop.
With fingers that were beginning to cramp up from the cold, she felt along the shelving unit until finally she hit pay dirt – a huge, heavy container. She nudged it and felt liquid slosh inside. She would just have to dump out whatever was in there, she thought grimly, and hope for the best.
Next to her, Melody was starting to move. “I’m trying to stand,” she told Callie.
“Good,” Callie told her, gritting her teeth as she struggled to get to her feet. She braced herself against the shelving unit and grabbed the heavy, liquid-filled container.
“Look out!” she cried as she tipped it over, more clumsily than she would have liked.
Callie smelled beef broth and yelped as some of it washed over her pant legs. Cold and wet – this was not going to be good.
“Is that beef broth?” Melody asked weakly.
“Yep. Just be glad it wasn’t clam juice. Now I’m going to ram against the door with this thing. Can you find a container and help me do the same?”
“I don’t know.” Callie heard Melody flop to the floor. “I’m not feeling so good.”
Callie’s fear was starting to choke her but she tried to remain calm. “I guess I’m on my own, then. Yell with me, if you can.”
With all of her strength, Callie rammed the door repeatedly, again and again. “Help!” she called in her weakened voice. “Help!”
Again and again, she rammed the door, stopping with only minutes to rest. Nobody came. In fact, the silence that greeted Callie was absolute.
Shivering, Callie crawled back along the floor until she found Melody, who was making frightened sounds. “Let’s huddle together for warmth and then I’ll try again,” she told her. Melody agreed and the two women clung to each other as if they were floating on an iceberg. Well, Callie reasoned, that’s about accurate.
She was terrified. If they didn’t die of cold, the lack of air would become an issue very soon. With two of them in there, the oxygen was going to be used up even more quickly. Her sense of time wasn’t great. Being Tasered had made everything foggy. If they could get out soon, they would be all right. If not….. Callie didn’t let her brain continue the thought.
“I’m trying again,” she told Melody. With what strength she had left, Callie struggled to get up and rammed the stainless steel container against the door once again. Over and over, she hit the door, losing all sense of herself and focusing all of her thought and concentration on her task. In between thuds she yelled as loud as she could, which wasn’t very loud.
Callie felt herself grow dizzy as she kept up the racket, but she couldn’t stop, she could never stop. What about Olivia, and George and Koukla, Viv, Sweetie and Sam? She saw all of their faces in her mind’s eye and desperately wanted to see them again.
And Sands. His face came to her last of all and the image stayed.
Over and over she hit the door, oblivious to Melody at this point and only vaguely registering the other woman’s frightened tears. She felt her eyes closing in exhaustion, she couldn’t keep going, and she was falling forward, falling, falling…
“Oof!” Callie said as her body made impact with a solid – and warm – floor. Light and warm air washed over her. Forcing herself to roll over, she looked into the wide eyes of Kayla. She was free!
“Callie!! What’s going on? I was in reception and I started getting phone calls and complaints from guests about a loud clanging through the vents.” Kayla did not sound happy. But then she peered into the walk-in and saw Melody lying there, not moving. She stared at Callie, horror-stricken. “Is she – dead?”
“No, not yet. Just cold. Let’s get her out of here.” The two of them helped Melody out of the walk-in and led her to a chair.
Callie turned to Kayla. “I’ve got to call the cops. This wasn’t an accident. Jack Myers locked us in here.”
“Jack Myers?” Kayla looked skeptical. “He’s in the parking lot right now trying to get his car out of the snow. Why would he lock you in here?”
Callie gasped and suddenly adrenaline rushed through her like a tidal wave. “He’s still here?” She felt her anger surge and suddenly she felt like George on a rant – all she could see was red!
“Call 911!” she yelled to Kayla as she darted past her and down the hall. Still feeling weak, she stumbled a bit, but as she spotted Jack’s car in the parking lot, she felt her rage return. Blindly, she burst through the doors and ran to his car.
Jack was gunning the engine but the wheels of his car spun uselessly in the snow. Plumes of white exhaust made her choke. The killer was looking straight ahead, so she knocked on the driver’s side window and enjoyed seeing him jump at the sight of her. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.
“Yes, Jack. It’s me!” Callie hollered so that he could hear her. “Melody and I escaped and the cops are on the way. Too bad you didn’t get out while you could!”
Jack gunned his engine once more and his tires continued to spin crazily. There had to be another six inches of snow on the ground, at least, since she’d first arrived at the inn. This must be the infamous blizzard that Emma had predicted was headed their way. What a time for it to arrive in Crystal Bay!
Jack gunned his motor one more time, but the wheels continued to spin. Suddenly, Jack slid his body in a snakelike motion to the passenger side and darted out the door. He started running.
Her body numb from cold and the Taser, Callie ran after him, determined that he wouldn’t get away. Snow was falling thickly and it was difficult to see Jack in the dark. Icy cold snowflakes stung Callie’s eyes and nose but she kept on.
Jack stumbled and slipped on the snow and ice as he skittered like a scared rabbit, first starting one way, then the next. Suddenly, he raced towards the waterfront and Callie followed from a safe distance, not wanting to be Tasered again. In her adrenaline rush, she felt like her feet had wings. “Help!” she called, “Help!” Her voice echoed in the cold, empty night.
With a surge of anger, Callie saw that Jack was running for the woods that bordered the water. If he got lost in there, he just might be able to escape.
No. Way.
Suddenly, Callie noticed Bix’s truck, with a snowplow attachment, parked near the patio that held the inn’s diners in the balmy summer months. Bix had probably stored it there, out of sight of the guests, most of who would not be venturing out onto the snow-covered patio.
Callie raced over to the vehicle. She touched the hood of the truck and discovered that the engine was still warm. Perfect. Opening the driver’s side, she saw the keys in the ignition.
With about two seconds of thought, Callie jumped behind the wheel and started chasing Jack in Bix’s truck. In the rearview mirror, she saw Bix running after her, shouting but she didn’t stop. Shaking her head, still foggy from her recent ordeal, she bore down on Jack who was now looking from side to side, obviously trying to find an escape route. He hesitated a minute before darting in the direction of the lake path. Callie gunned the engine and followed.
Jack looked behind him when he heard the rumble of Bix’s large vehicle, coming straight at him, with Callie bent over the wheel like a racecar driver. She didn’t stop. She didn’t even slow down. Bix’s truck rumbled onto the lake path and Callie held her breath as she gained on him. She couldn’t run him over – what
would she do?
Jack appeared frozen to the spot but at the last minute, he dove into a thick copse of snow-covered trees by the lake path.
No! If he got lost in the woods, they’d never find him. Callie jumped out of the car, planning to chase him on foot, and Bix was at her side in a moment.
“Have you lost your mind?” he sputtered, but Callie cut him off. She pointed wildly in the direction of the trees.
“Bix, Jack killed Natalie. Don’t let him get away! He’s got a Taser – be careful!” she warned, aware of the hysterical note in her voice. Bix stared at her, stunned, before breaking into a sprint and heading in Jack’s direction.
Snow continued to fall, large, fluffy flakes that seemed to float to the ground. It was like someone had opened a huge feather pillow. Callie slipped and slid as she tried to keep up with Bix and Jack, panting and determined. She was freezing and shaking but so angry she could barely feel the cold.
Suddenly Callie heard shouts and she followed them. She caught up to the two men in time to see Bix tackle Jack and pin him to the ground. The words that were flying out of Bix’s mouth were not any that she’d like Olivia to hear.
Callie stopped to catch her breath and remembered Samantha mentioning to her, in the early days of her relationship with Bix, that he had played football at Crystal Bay High back in the day.
“Do you have him?” she called to Bix, brushing her hair, now wet with snow, out of her eyes. Her long, wavy hair felt like wet, cold seaweed. Cold rivulets of melted snow ran down her neck and she shivered.
“What does it look like?” Bix asked, struggling to keep Jack still. “Hurry – get help!”
Callie nodded and staggered back towards the inn, bone tired, cold and triumphant. Jack wasn’t going anywhere, she thought, as the flashing blue and red lights of the Crystal Bay police surrounded the parking lot.
Twenty Four
“So let me get this straight,” Samantha was saying. “Jack and Natalie were in some kind of scheme to cheat the inn out of money?”
Several days had passed and Callie was at the inn’s Christmas Tea celebration, slightly bruised, perhaps a little sniffly, but extremely happy to be alive. She, Samantha, George, Kathy (!), Sweetie, Viv and Olivia were seated at a cozy table piled high with delicious teatime treats: little sandwiches, tiny cakes and many varieties of cookies. Sands was expected to join them any minute.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Callie replied. “Natalie and Jack worked out a deal. For example, Natalie would supposedly order $5,000 worth of goods from Jack, but he would only deliver, say $4,000 worth. They’d split the difference between them so over time, they were developing a nice little side business.”
The tea had been postponed for a few days to recover from the latest crime, but Emma had been given the go-ahead to reopen. Newly returned from Arizona, she was determined to host her yearly event. The snowstorms had finally abated, allowing her to travel. Crystal Bay was once more sunny and serene.
Sipping tea and munching on festive foods – including Callie’s kourabiethes, aka Greek snowball cookies – her audience was rapt as they listened to the motives behind Natalie’s senseless murder. Feeling exhausted from her ordeal, Callie had asked her friends and family if she could recite what she knew only once, to the group as a collective whole. Surprisingly, they’d agreed.
Of course, Callie thought, the draw of a Christmas Tea at the scene of the crime may have had something to do with their agreeing to wait to hear the complicated story of Natalie’s murder.
“How long did they think they’d get away with it?” asked Viv, sipping from her cup of Earl Grey.
“Who knows?” Callie said with a sigh. “Obviously, Natalie was helping to cook the books, and it worked well, for a while. Sooner or later, though, Emma was going to notice that she was being shortchanged. In fact, it seems that she and Jack had overestimated their little plan. Staff and vendors were starting to realize that something strange was going on. In fact, that’s why Melody ended up asking me to contribute food to the tea today.”
She took a deep breath before continuing. It was difficult to think about Natalie’s fate. Her death seemed like such a waste.
“Poor Natalie,” Callie resumed her story after a moment. “She had second thoughts and was planning to throw herself on Emma’s mercy and ask if she could repay what she’d stolen instead of being reported to the police. However, she made the mistake of telling Jack about it and asking him to go to Emma with her so that they could make a full confession. He didn’t want to do that and he panicked.”
The group was silent for a minute as they took in this sobering information. Sweetie even stopped piling goodies on her plate and looked downcast.
“And then there was Mrs. Dayton. While she might not be the easiest person to deal with, it turns out that she had lost her eyeglasses and that’s why she was driving erratically. She wasn’t trying to hit me with her – in fact, just the opposite.”
“Who told you about her eyeglasses?” Viv wanted to know.
“Christy, from Tea for Two. She found a pair of glasses on one of her shelves and held onto them. Mrs. Dayton came in looking for them.”
“I’m interested in hearing about Melody. How does her “centerfold” past tie into this?” Sam asked abruptly.
George cleared his throat and cast a sidelong glance at Olivia, who was sitting, placidly sipping a cup of tea. Callie decided to keep the explanation short and sweet for her daughter’s sake.
“Somehow Melody figured out what Jack was up to with the shortchanging of supplies and being the kind of guy he is, he did some extensive research on her.” Callie shook her head. “When he threatened to expose her past career right before her book launch, she agreed to keep quiet about the fraud. I think she started to suspect Jack had gotten rid of Natalie and she was afraid. I don’t blame her. She didn’t want to be the next victim, I suppose.”
It had come to light that Melody herself had bought the stock of magazines at the antique mall, in an attempt to stave off Jack’s threats about unveiling her previous identity. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about the Internet.
George was growing perturbed. “Why would Natalie do such a thing in the first place? It seems like a foolish plan.”
“Greed,” replied a deep voice and Callie looked up to see Sands standing next to them. “Pure greed. Jack and Natalie enjoyed nice things. Jack wanted to move to a warm climate and Natalie – well, she just wanted to have the things that money can buy.”
“Money no buy everything!” Sweetie piped in, indignantly. She smiled and grabbed the hands of the two seated on either side of her – Viv and George. “Like friends. Family. Love.”
Callie snuck a glance at Sands at this last comment from Sweetie, but he was only nodding his head gently.
“Too true,” he agreed and sat down next to Callie who moved over a bit to make room for him, then back next to him, comforted by his warm, solid presence.
Viv set down her teacup and clapped her hands together briskly. “Now, then! That’s enough depressing talk for one tea party. Let’s be grateful that all of us are here together. Safe, healthy and happy!”
“Here, here!” George said. They all cheered and called “Merry Christmas” and Sweetie chimed in with “Kala Christouyenna” before they resumed their eating with renewed vigor.
Callie was relieved when the conversation moved on to lighter, happier topics, like the beautiful holiday décor that graced the room and how much butter to use in Sweetie’s favorite cookie recipe. She’d had enough death and destruction in the last few days.
Sands filled his plate with sandwiches and cookies from the tea tray at the center of the table and scooted even closer to Callie. He took a bite of gingerbread cake and his face lit up.
“I love this one, did you make it?” he asked. She nodded, still a little shy around him. He’d arrived at the scene and wordlessly hugged her for several minutes before attending to Jack, Bix and the rest of the
witnesses on that terrible evening. She’d been so happy to see him, she almost cried.
“Don’t do this again,” he’d said, after he’d gently released her. His gaze was more serious than she’d ever seen it.
“Do what?” Callie asked, bracing herself for a scolding.
“Make me think I’m going to lose you,” he’d answered and embraced her again. Callie had been wrong – he didn’t want to stop seeing her. Like everything else in life, it was just a little complicated.
“The cake is great, but the best part is the icing,” Sands said, breaking into her dreamy recollections. He took another bite of cake.
“Don’t even say the word ‘icing’ to me,” Callie said, only half-joking. “After my time in the walk-in refrigerator, I don’t know if I’ll even want to eat ice cream anymore.”
Sands set down his plate. “That’s it. Right. You need cheering up. I’ve got an early Christmas present for you.” He reached into his coat pocket and Callie felt her heart start to pound. Did he have a ring box? Was he going to propose?
In a panic, Callie darted her eyes around the table and noticed that her friends and family had stopped talking and were listening intently to Sands. Even in her excitement, Callie took note of the various facial expressions worn by the group: George was frowning, Olivia was wide-eyed, Viv and Sweetie looked as if they could barely contain themselves and Samantha was beaming.
Sands blinked as he realized that the hubbub had stopped and he faltered. His hand stayed inside his coat pocket before, fumbling, he pulled out an envelope.
An envelope? Gently, Sands handed it to her and she opened it slowly. “To: Callie Costas from Ian Sands. This is an IOU, good for one trip to a warm climate, when we both get time off of work. Merry Christmas!” It was signed, “Love, Ian.”
A smile slowly spread across Callie’s face until she was laughing. “You’ve got a deal!” she said. His gift was much better than the ordinary sweater she’d ended up buying for him, but that was alright. Callie realized that the table was holding their collective breath and decided to put them out of their misery.
