“THANK YOU, THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL,” MRS. SHEDD said, taking one of the snowflakes and handing it to me so I could hang it on the window. She was on the ground, attaching small balls of quake wax to the flakes, and I was on a ladder doing the actual hanging. The bookstore had just opened and there were only a few customers browsing while drinking some of Bob’s first brew of the day.
Mrs. Shedd was quiet for a moment, and when I reached for the next piece to press against the window, I noticed her face had settled into a sad expression. She mentioned seeing the woman on the news the night before and it was obvious she related. “How could all the money he took from everybody be gone?”
By now I was becoming an expert on how Ponzi schemes worked, so I explained how he used the money he took in from new investors to pay the few people who wanted to take out the returns on their investments or who wanted to cash out of the whole venture. “The rest of it ...” I said with a deep sigh. I reminded her of what I’d overheard the SEC investigator say about all the checks written to all the casinos. “It looks like Bradley lost it all gambling.” I asked her if she was going to talk to the SEC people and give them details of her dealings with Bradley.
“Eventually I will,” Mrs. Shedd said. “But right now I want to think about tonight’s event and the launch party and the future. Just the thought of finding the paperwork to bring them is upsetting, and it’s not as if it’s going to change anything.”
Adele came over to where we were working. She looked at the large stack of snowflakes and how many were already hung. “Where’d they all come from?” Her voice sounded surprised and maybe a little disappointed that I’d managed without any more help from her.
“Well, I have things to do,” Adele said, flouncing off. “I have to tweak the setup in the kid’s department and then I am the one in charge of the whole Santa Lucia procession.”
Mrs. Shedd watched her go. “Do you really think the last part was such a good idea?” she said as I continued hanging the snowflakes.
I was having second thoughts myself. Adele had begged to be part of the event and I felt guilty about the yarn department even if she’d brought it on herself by being so anti-knitters. But it was too late to do anything about it anyway.
“What can go wrong?” I said. “All she has to do is help Rayaad’s daughters into the white dresses and hit play on the CD machine.”
Mrs. Shedd sighed. I knew that no matter what she’d said, she was having a hard time getting in the holiday spirit. How was she going to tell Mr. Royal about her losses? I knew she was worried he might be so disappointed in her judgment that their whole relationship would unravel.
By evening the windows had their blizzard of snowflakes and we’d cleared a space in the middle of the bookstore for the procession. The travel books had been cleared from their table and a white paper tablecloth had been put on it. Bob had brought in the trays of brown ginger cookies and I’d cut the buns into quarters and set them on a doily-covered platter. There was punch for the kids and coffee for the adults. We’d covered the whole table with a sheet to be unveiled after the Santa Lucia procession. Even with it covered, the spicy scent of the cardamom and ginger gave away that there was something good under the sheet.
People had begun to filter into the bookstore. I was glad to see them browsing the aisles as they waited for the event to begin. After Mrs. Shedd’s comment, I tried to check on Adele and Rayaad’s daughters, but Adele had them all barricaded in the office and wouldn’t let me in.
Battery-operated candles flickered around the bookstore and we’d added a seven-candle candleholder for Kwanzaa to the table with the menorah. The trees out in front of the store had been strung with tiny white lights and looked very festive.
I was surprised to see Emily Perkins come in with her daughters. She got a lot of hostile stares as she worked through the crowd. Her determined stride in my direction made me think she was on some kind of mission. Whatever it was got aborted when Mrs. Shedd pulled me aside and said we ought to begin the festivities.
I knocked on the office door and told Adele it was time to start. I went back to the center of the store and cleared the customers from the path of the procession. Mrs. Shedd lowered the lights. The store holiday music went off and the familiar Santa Lucia song began. Personally it reminded me more of the singing gondoliers at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, but the look on Mrs. Shedd’s face made me think it was all connected with Christmases past for her.
Everyone turned as Rayaad’s daughters made their entrance. They wore the traditional white dresses with red sashes and had crowns of battery-operated flickering candles. I realized I’d been holding my breath in anticipation of disaster, and now that all seemed okay, I let it out in a gush. And then I saw Adele.
She had on a long dress, too, but instead of white, it was swirled with lime green, purple, rosy pink and sky blue. No red sash for her. She wore a purple one. Instead of the crown of candles, she had a crown of fiber-optic threads that kept changing colors.
The music lowered and Adele started prowling around the girls in white and playing to the crowd.
“Yo, yo,” she said in rhythm, holding up two fingers on both hands and waving them rapper-style. She stopped and took a stance, waving her arms in a hip-hop dance mode.
“Santa Lucia comes from a long time ago.
She started out Italian, don’t ya know, don’t ya know.
Then somehow she got to Sweden, how we don’t know,
Where they celebrate the day with white dresses and
candles, yo, yo, yo, yo.
Her name means light and she comes bringing hope.
Her goodwill lasts throughout the holidays, so don’t ya
mope, don’t ya mope.”
Adele threw in some more “yo, yos” as she started clapping her hands and dancing around Rayaad’s daughters. I looked at Mrs. Shedd. Her mouth was open in shock. The crowd seemed unsure what to make of it. No one stopped Adele and her holiday rap.
“We celebrate with cookies and rolls, don’t ya know,
don’t ya know,
Because St. Lucia said bring those goodies to the table.
She wants to feed everyone as long as she’s able, don’t
ya know.”
Adele punctuated it with some more “yo, yos” as she rocked back and forth toward and away from the crowd.
“Give it up for the lady in white. But she’s not the only thing we celebrate tonight, yo, yo,” Adele said, pointing at the crowd. “Say ‘yo, yo.’” She had to repeat it several times before everyone got it that they were supposed to join in. Once they did their repeat “yo, yos,” they started to clap in time to her rap. Mrs. Shedd closed her mouth for a moment, but then it opened again as a noise went through the crowd when Koo Koo in full clown outfit joined Adele. Rayaad’s daughters had moved out of view, but nobody noticed as the colorful couple continued the holiday rap.
“For Hanukkah, we have the dreidel game.
Some call it gambling, but it’s fun all the same, don’t
ya know, don’t ya know.
Kwanzaa has a candleholder, too, it’s called a kinara,
woo-hoo, woo-hoo.
We’ve got books for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, don’t ya
know.
We’ve got them, too, for the man in the red suit who
says, ho, ho, ho.”
Both of them prowled around the cleared center, getting the crowd to join them in their “yo, yos.” With a flourish, Adele pulled back the sheet on the table.
“Shop for books and stop for a treat, don’t ya know.
Good words to read and good things to eat, yo, yo.”
The music stopped and Adele and Koo Koo took their bow. Okay maybe it hadn’t been exactly traditional, but everyone looked like they’d enjoyed it. I saw Ryder hiding behind a bookcase with his video camera going. Adele would be thrilled to know she and Koo Koo were probably going to end up on YouTube.
With the show over, the crowd mov
ed toward the goodie table. CeeCee and her guy (her title for him), Tony Bonnard, trailed the crowd. They were carrying shopping bags and had obviously made several shopping stops at the other stores on the street. CeeCee kept sniffing the air, seeming to be carried forward by the scent of the treats. Not a surprise. Her sweet tooth was legendary, along with her battle to keep it under control. She must have been reading my thoughts.
“My character in the Anthony movie is known for her soft curves,” CeeCee said. “The director thought I looked a little gaunt for the part.”
I hated to admit it, but as soon as she made the gaunt comment, I looked over her face and body. She’d kept the soft brown hair color and midlength style the stylist she’d hired a while back gave her, but she’d wavered from the woman’s choice of clothing style. The brown corduroy jean-style pants and creamy-colored cable-knit sweater were more revealing than the long tops over slacks the stylist had chosen for her. Nowhere in any of this did I see anything remotely resembling gaunt.
“Is Elise coming?” CeeCee said, then turned to Tony and explained she was the Hooker she’d been telling him about who was so over the top about the Anthony books. “She’s already asked me to get her on the set when we film.”
I mentioned that Elise’s mind seemed to be on other things now and described how she’d been hiding out in the yarn department.
“Poor dear,” CeeCee said. It was a sincere comment. CeeCee hadn’t forgotten what it was like to lose what you thought you had. Things were going well for her now that she had the successful reality series and even better with her movie role.
Adele bypassed the food table and headed into the children’s department. Koo Koo followed her, not an easy feat in the big red shoes. He stopped next to me and I was about to compliment him on his performance when Emily stepped in front of me.
“I need that afghan back,” she said. “Right away.” The comment seemed to come from left field and it didn’t register for a moment what she was talking about. Once I realized she was talking about the pretty green blanket with the multicolored flowers, I reminded her that she had told me to give it to some charity sale. I pulled CeeCee into the conversation to explain.
“You passed on that afghan, didn’t you?” I asked. CeeCee nodded and said she’d given it to the Hearts and Barks holiday sale.
“But the sale hasn’t taken place yet, has it?” Emily said with desperation in her voice. She reached toward CeeCee and I thought she was going to grab her. I was struck by the change in my neighbor. The pleasant-looking suburban mom had been replaced by a wild-eyed woman. Now she looked gaunt.
“Well, no, dear,” CeeCee said, edging out of Emily’s reach. “It’s in a few days, but the display has already been set up and the insiders have had a chance to look at everything. I think someone put a hold on it. It would really be bad form to take it back now.”
“You have to get it back.” Emily’s voice had risen to almost hysterical. “I’ll pay whatever price was put on it plus twenty bucks.”
CeeCee shook her head and Emily made a move toward her, and this time it was clear she was going to grab the actress. I stepped in to protect CeeCee, assuring Emily I’d get the blanket back for her.
“What was that about?” Dinah said, coming in at the end of the exchange just before Emily and her daughters made a fast exit. Ashley-Angela and E. Conner were clutching my friend’s sweater and taking in their surroundings. When they realized they were standing next to Koo Koo, they started jumping up and down. I thought they would faint with excitement when he offered to escort them into the children’s area.
I brought Dinah up to speed, and then told CeeCee even if it was bad form, she had to get the blanket back.
“You’re too nice,” CeeCee said. “There’s a name for what she’s doing. I’d say it, but it’s not politically correct these days.” She looked around, no doubt checking for any paparazzi who might catch her in the faux pas. When I stood firm, CeeCee pulled out her cell and said she’d see what she could do.
“It’s not totally about being nice,” I said to Dinah. “Think about it. She didn’t care about the afghan before—she didn’t even like it. Now suddenly she has to have it back. There’s something going on with it, and I am sure it has something to do with Bradley.” I reminded Dinah that when we’d followed Emily to the malls, she’d had the watch and an afghan, and even if Barry had tried to convince me there was no proof she’d actually connected with her supposedly dead husband, I was sure she had.
Dinah and I headed toward the kid’s department. She wanted to check on Ashley-Angela and E. Conner and I wanted to see what Adele had set up for the event.
“But if she already took him an afghan—why another one?” We crossed onto the carpet with the cows jumping over the moons. I was surprised at all that Adele had done. Handling story time had been the consolation prize Mrs. Shedd had given her when I was hired to arrange the bookstore’s events. Adele had been less than thrilled with it and kids in general, but maybe being the girlfriend of an important children’s author, as she referred to William, had changed her. Or maybe it was all about helping him sell more books. William as Koo Koo was standing adjacent to a display of the full Koo Koo library. Adele had also set up a table with a dreidel and was inviting the kids in the area to play.
She held up the four-sided top and showed the kids the Hebrew letters on the side. She let each of the kids take ten silver-wrapped chocolate candies. The way the game was played each of them put one of their chocolates in the pot, then someone got a turn to spin the dreidel. When it stopped and fell, depending on which letter showed on top, the player would get nothing, get to take all the candies in the middle, get to take only half of them or have to add one of their candies to the pot. Then the next person got their turn and so on around the table. At the end of the game whoever had the most candies was the winner.
Once the kids took their candies and began to play, we continued our conversation and Dinah repeated her question about why another afghan if she’d already taken him one.
“I’ve been thinking about that. When Emily first told me about Bradley being missing, she said one of the things they had argued about was that the afghan was missing. She had thought he was just angry about everything and had thrown in that comment.” I mentioned how she had said she didn’t even think he liked it. He had been the one to stick it in a drawer. “But suppose he really was upset she had lent the afghan to me.” A thought struck me and it was one of those moments when I knew I had hit the truth. “Someone came into my house right after he disappeared. Suppose it was Bradley looking for the afghan?”
“What about the second time someone broke in?” Dinah asked in a low voice.
I thought it over a moment and realized it was the same night I’d seen the motorcycle in the Perkins’ driveway. The motorcycle Emily denied was there. “That could have been Bradley, too.”
“Obviously Emily didn’t know whatever it is about the afghan that makes it so important or she wouldn’t have lent it to you.”
“Right. She said his sister had made it, so maybe she just thought he wanted another one made by her,” I said. “Like it had some kind of sentimental value like the watch.”
“But it wasn’t about the sentiment,” Dinah said. Her voice started to rise, but she forced it back to a whisper.
In the end we came up with two conclusions. There was something hidden in the afghan and once Emily had it back, she was going to get it to Bradley.
CHAPTER 19
CEECEE CALLED ME AT THE BOOKSTORE THE NEXT day. She wailed on about what a production it had been and how embarrassing for her, but she had gotten the afghan back. She said she would bring it to the next Hookers’ meeting. I didn’t want to wait and said Dinah and I would come to pick it up. CeeCee hesitated, at first anyway. It took a certain amount of bribery for her to agree.
“Did I mention I’d be bringing cookies?” I said. “Homemade butter cookies.”
“Well, I wouldn’t
want those cookies to go to waste,” CeeCee said before setting up a time.
I had already spent the morning clearing up the bookstore from the previous night’s festivities and was going to take off for a while since I was working in the evening until closing. Ashley-Angela and E. Conner were at a play date with the neighbors and Dinah had come by to meet me for lunch.
We dropped our lunch plans and flew to my house to make the offered cookies. It took no time as I had mixed the dough up a couple of days earlier and formed logs and put them in the refrigerator. It was the same recipe I used for my showstopper stained glass cookies. When I made those I rolled out the dough and used cookie cutters and mashed up hard candy to make them live up to their name. For CeeCee’s, I just sliced them, sprinkled on some red sugar and baked them. Within a half an hour we were out the door with a plate of warm cookies minus a couple that Samuel had snatched.
I pulled the greenmobile to the side of the road in front of the wrought-iron fence surrounding CeeCee’s property. I got the cookies and we went up to the intercom on one of the stone pillars on either side of the gate. In the old days, the gate was unlocked, but the price CeeCee paid for her renewed success was the need for security.
The pillars were beautifully decorated with pine fronds and red bows. Once we announced ourselves, the wrought-iron gate swung open and we walked onto a path lined with poinsettias. The pathway led through a small forest to the stone cottage-style house, which looked like something out of a fairy tale.
Prime Crime Holiday Bundle Page 139
