Christmas Killing

by Chrissie Loveday

  ‘Really,’ she muttered aloud. ‘They should try being in my shoes.’ She felt quite near to tears and with a sigh, tried hard to think who she could get to be Santa. Heavens, it was only just over a week. Perhaps she could try a dating site again and see if she might find someone there. She gave a sigh and looked again through her phone pad. There was no-one there she could even ask. She decided to go and see what was going on near the Grotto. She gave a shudder at the sight of all the activity. She looked over the tapes and saw the bloodstain still on the floor in the changing room. She shuddered again and turned and left hurriedly. She thought she might have to remove the locker where the elf was murdered too. It was all rather daunting to her.

  Back in her office she started looking again for a replacement Santa. Perhaps she could ask one of the policemen if they’d like to do the job. After all, they would at least know what to do if someone tried to attack them. Was it such a bad idea? She smiled to herself at the thought. That superior sort of bloke, Ray Jones. She could imagine him in a long white beard and covered in a red outfit. She could also imagine him with a knife sticking out of his chest.

  She called come in when someone knocked at her door, to see Ray standing there. She gave a gulp at her thoughts and tried to control them.

  ‘Good morning Detective.’

  ‘Hallo Miss Pringle. Could I have a word?’

  ‘Certainly. How can I help?’

  ‘Bert Pryce. Do you know why he’s off work today?’

  ‘I wasn’t aware that he is.’

  ‘I needed to ask him something and found his assistant at the end of his tether down there. Apparently a load or several loads of new stuff coming in. He said something about the sale. Next week I believe?’

  ‘That is correct. I’ll send someone else down to help him. Anything else? Only I am rather busy. Trying to find a replacement Santa. I suppose you don’t know anyone?’

  ‘I’m afraid not.’

  ‘No. I didn’t think you would. I was thinking, perhaps if we had a policemen playing the role, it might be safer.’

  ‘Maybe but I don’t somehow think the local authority would be too pleased. Anyway, can you tell me Bert’s address please? I need to speak to him and going round to his house, well it’s the only way. I’ll let you know what’s wrong with him if I see him.’ She glared at him and fished out his file.

  ‘Ninety-seven South Street. It’s a bit of a way out of town but I don’t suppose that will be a problem to you with your fast cars.’

  ‘I’m sorry. Have I offended you in some way?’

  ‘No. I’m sorry. I’m just under such pressure. I must find another Santa and I’m getting desperate. The Board members are on at me and I’ve tried everyone I can think of.’

  ‘Haven’t you got anyone in the store who could help out?’

  ‘Oh I don’t think so. But it’s a thought. Thank you. I’ll make a few phone calls and see if I can get Bill Palmer to do it. Thank you very much Detective. Is there anything else?’

  ‘No. Thanks for the address.’

  He left the HR department, wondering who on earth Bill was. He collected Ted and they drove off to South Street. It was about twenty minutes away from the store.

  ‘Now, where is this place? Ninety-three and then it ends. I don’t understand. She definitely said ninety-seven.’

  ‘We could try ninety-three. Sometimes people get the numbers wrong.’

  ‘Maybe you’re right. Go and give them a knock and see if they know the family.’ Ted got out of the car and went to knock at the door. There was no-one in. He went to ninety-one and tried there. A young girl came to the door and he saw her shaking her head. He came back to Ray and said there had never been a ninety-seven. Nor did she know the name of Pryce.

  ‘Looks like we start again. Call Miss Pringle and ask her to look it up again.’ He dialled the number on his mobile and asked to be put through to HR.

  ‘Miss Pringle? I think you gave me the wrong address for Bert Pryce. The street, South Street, ends at ninety-three and the name isn’t known.’

  ‘I do not make mistakes like that. That is the address he gave us. I’m sorry but you are mistaken.’ She put the phone down.

  ‘I’m rapidly going off that woman,’ he said.

  ‘So what now?’ asked Ted.

  ‘I suppose we go back to the store and check-up on his file. Bloody woman. She put the phone down on me. I know she’s stressed but that is no excuse. It’s deliberate interference with a police investigation.’

  ‘I doubt she did it deliberately.’

  ‘Of course it was deliberate. How else do you describe it?’

  Wisely, Ted kept his mouth shut. He’d learned over the years it was the best policy with his boss. They drove back towards the store.

  *

  Miss Pringle was currently speaking to Bill Palmer, an employee in the carpet department. He stood in her office looking very worried.

  ‘Now then Bill. You know that you are less busy in your department at this time of year?’

  ‘Not that much less and with the sale starting next week ...’

  ‘Yes, yes, I know about that. You may be aware that we’ve had a couple of sad losses. Poor Jimmy North has left us and so has Julie Bennett. I wondered, well we wondered if you would do us the tremendous favour of stepping into Jimmy’s shoes, well not literally of course ... but will you play Santa for the rest of the year? Well, the rest of the store’s ... well, till Christmas?’

  ‘Me? Why me?’

  ‘Well you have lovely grey hair and well, you certainly have a twinkle!’

  ‘A what?’

  ‘A twinkle. Oh come on, you know what I mean.’

  ‘You want me to step into a dead man’s shoes? No ta, Mrs. I don’t want to do that. Who’s to say it wouldn’t be me to be the next in line to get bumped off.’

  ‘Oh come on Bill. We’d make sure you were never left alone and surely, two murders are bad enough. They’d never risk another.’

  ‘All the same, I don’t think so. Thanks for asking. Is that it? Can I go back to my carpets?’

  Miss Pringle thought hard for a moment and then reaching a decision, said,

  ‘We’d pay you the same fee as we were paying Jimmy. On top of your normal wages of course. Think what a difference that would make to your Christmas. So come on, think it over and let me know. Or perhaps you don’t need to. I can give you half an hour to think about it.’

  ‘I don’t know. How would they manage without me in carpets?’

  ‘Don’t worry about that. If they get too busy, I can always transfer someone else there. Does that mean you’ll do it?’

  ‘Go on then. When do I start?’

  ‘That’s terrific. Thank you so much. This won’t be forgotten. Foredyce’s always remember staff who give extra service.’

  ‘I hope to god nobody tries to bump me off. I don’t think the wife would be too happy. So when do I start?’

  ‘Hopefully, tomorrow. I’ll get a Santa suit organised and providing the police have finished, you’ll be up and running tomorrow. Now I just have to sort out two elves. I know I’ve got one but we decided to put two of them together. Less likely to suffer ... well, that’s beside the point. Thank you very much Bill. You can go back to your carpets now.’

  She crossed off Santa from her list. Now she had to sort out her elves. She thought about the staff and decided that she would ask Marie or Daphne from handbags. She really did feel they had plenty of staff down there and one of those two would easily fit the bill. Assuming of course, that what was her name? Bert’s daughter, anyway, would come back if someone else was with her. She rang handbags and asked for Daphne to come up right away. Looking faintly anxious, the girl came into Miss Pringle’s office.

  ‘Thank you for coming up so promptly.’

  ‘What have I done?’ she asked guiltily.

  ‘Oh nothing dear. Nothing at all. I wanted to ask a big favour of you. As you will have heard, one of our elves, well th
e only elf we had, had unfortunately to leave us.’ To her mortification, the girl burst into tears.

  ‘Poor Julie,’ she said amidst her sobs. ‘It was terrible. We shared a flat with her, you know.’

  ‘Oh my goodness. Of course you did. I’m sorry. Never mind. You go back to your handbags now. I’ll have to think again.’

  ‘Her poor parents. They were so upset. But they’ve been very nice to us and let us stay in the flat.’

  ‘That’s good. I’m sorry to have bothered you.’

  ‘What did you want to say?’

  ‘Nothing. Never mind. Off you go dear. Take a tissue from my box and dry your eyes. I am sorry.’ The girl left her office and Miss Pringle swore. Stupid girl, she was thinking. How was I supposed to know she shared a flat with the murdered elf? She assumed the other girl she had considered would be equally upset. It really was most inconvenient. She phoned Matti and tried to persuade her to come back tomorrow.

  ‘No thanks,’ she said brightly. ‘Once was enough. I never want to go through that again.’

  ‘Hopefully, you never will. I’m hoping to put two of you into the Grotto. Perhaps you have a friend who could come to keep you company. With two of you there, you can look after each other.’

  ‘I suppose my friend Mandy might come. We’d both get the same pay?’

  ‘Oh yes, of course. And it’s for less than two weeks.’

  ‘I suppose she might. Leave it with me. I’ll call her and let you know.’

  ‘Thank you dear. I do appreciate it.’

  ‘No worries.’

  About fifteen minutes later, Miss Pringle’s phone rang and she was told that she now had two elves, ready to start the next day. She phoned her supplier of costumes and ordered a new Santa outfit and two elves’ costumes. She had to guess at the sizes as she’d forgotten to ask. Possibly slightly larger than Julie, she estimated.

  Her next job was to persuade the policemen to vacate the grotto and the changing room. Once they’d gone, she would get the cleaners to go in and give them a spruce up. Boosted by her success in finding replacements, she breezed along to ask them, politely, of course, to get themselves out of her Christmas areas. Didn’t they realise the difference it was making to the store? At this time of year, too.

  ‘Who’s in charge here?’ she demanded.

  ‘Not sure actually. I suppose I might be considered to be the senior person here. You can talk to me anyway and I’ll pass on your comments.’

  ‘I’m wondering how much longer you need to be here? I mean to say, there must be a limit to the amount of things you can find. And we really need to get Christmas back on our agenda. Goodness, it’s only at the end of next week.’

  ‘I’d think we’ll probably be finished fairly soon actually. The Grotto is about done with. Just another hour or so and we’ll be done with the changing room.’

  ‘Oh thanks goodness for that. So we can be up and running by tomorrow? I have people waiting to come and clean and new people to play their parts tomorrow morning. Will you let me know when we can send in the cleaners?’

  ‘Certainly will, dear.’

  Miss Pringle was not used to being called dear by anyone and was about to tell him that when she saw Ray and Ted approaching. Oh what now, she thought.

  ‘Miss Pringle. Good morning again. Or should I say good afternoon?’

  ‘What do you want now? I have a million things to do.’

  ‘You gave us the wrong address for Bert Pryce. I tried to tell you on the phone but there was a fault and we were cut off.’ She did have the good grace to look ashamed of hanging up on them.

  ‘I gave you the address he gave me. It’s the only one I have on the books. I phoned his daughter this morning and she answered without a problem.’

  ‘Was that a mobile or landline?’

  ‘Oh. Possibly a mobile.’

  ‘Perhaps you could give me that number.’

  ‘Come back to my office. I’ll have to look it up.’

  ‘And look up his address too please.’

  ‘Certainly.’ Miss Pringle was feeling far less flustered now and more willing to be of help. ‘I understand your men will be finished with the Grotto and changing room this afternoon. That is a huge relief to me and will be to Mr Geoffrey too. Hopefully, we shall be able to get back to something near normal after all this is over.’

  ‘Not sure about it being over. We still don’t know who is responsible.’

  ‘You must have some idea,’ she said hoping for a negative answer. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know that they knew who had done it.

  ‘A few ideas. I say, was your mother a teacher?’

  ‘My mother? No, certainly not.’ She laughed uneasily. ‘Whatever made you think that?’

  ‘Nothing really. I used to have a lady called Mrs Pringle who taught me.’

  ‘Well it was nothing to do with me. Besides Pringle ... oh never mind.’

  ‘I suppose you’d rather not elaborate?’

  ‘Certainly not.’ They had by now reached her office.

  ‘What were you about to say? Back along the corridor there.’

  ‘Nothing. I wasn’t thinking. Forget it please.’

  ‘Very well. For now at least. Now then, Mr Pryce’s address please? And his daughter’s phone number.’ Miss Pringle looked in her files.

  ‘It is definitely ninety-seven according to this. South Street.’

  ‘Haven’t you sent him any letters there?’

  ‘Evidently not. He has a pay packet on Fridays and this really is his only address. His daughter’s phone number you wanted?’ He nodded and she gave it to him.

  ‘Right, I’ll give her a call and ask for her address. Thanks.’

  The two detectives left and went out to their car. Ray dialled Matti’s number and sat waiting for someone to answer. At last, amidst a cacophony of other noises, he heard her faint ‘hello’.

  ‘Is that Matti?’ he asked.

  ‘Sorry can’t really hear you. Who is it?’

  ‘Detective Chief Inspector Ray Jones.’

  ‘Sorry, it’s much too noisy here. Can you call back later?’

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘At the Christmas fair. Speak later.’ And she switched off her phone.

  ‘Bloody brilliant. She’s at the fair.’

  ‘Do you want to go and look for her?’

  ‘Not much point. We’d probably never find her. No, we’ll have to try again later. Might as well go back to the office now. I’ve got a feeling in my bones we need to look at Bert and his brother again.’

  ‘You may be right. If it isn’t either of them, we’re left with Miss Pringle!’

  Ray stared at his companion.

  ‘You don’t mean that?’

  ‘I was joking. But think about it. She’s a miss, nearing middle age. Possibly she’s bitter about something or other.’

  ‘Good lord. You do surprise me. Who else have you got in your sights?’

  ‘The girl from the flat, Marie. She was always very calm about her mate being done in.’

  ‘Possible I suppose. Anyone else?’

  ‘Well there’s always Kevin Riley but he seems to have gone out of the main picture now.’

  ‘Know something? I’m glad I don’t have your mind, Ted. You’ll be blaming me next.’

  ‘What exactly were doing last Wednesday afternoon?’

  ‘I have no idea whatsoever.’

  ‘And you expect everyone else to know? Everyone else needs a perfect alibi but you haven’t even got a shred. It could have been you.’

  ‘Now you are being ridiculous. The Vicar with the meat cleaver in the pantry. Could have been him.’

  ‘Interesting thought, though.’

  ‘What the vicar and meat cleaver?’

  ‘Not exactly. But Miss Pringle. There’s a thought.’

  Chapter Ten

  Ray kept trying to call Matti but without success. It was around five o’clock before he finally reached her.

  �
�I understand you’re going back to work tomorrow. Is that right?’

  ‘Yes. Me and my friend are going in as a twosome.’

  ‘Good. Well, be observant at all times and don’t ever be left alone.’

  ‘Blimey. You must be worried. Am I being daft doing it?’

  ‘No, I don’t think so. I’ll put in one of my officers to watch out for anything so don’t worry. I wondered if you could help me. I need to speak to your father. He wasn’t in work today and I tried to call and see him but your address is different. Well, non-existent.’

  ‘How d’ya mean?’

  ‘The records at Foredyce’s suggest you live at ninety-seven South Street and that doesn’t exist. The numbers stop at ninety-three.’

  ‘Me Dad doesn’t like people calling. He gave the wrong address to that Miss Pringle. Nosy old cow.’

  ‘So where do you live?’

  ‘Sorry, this line’s breaking up,’ she said making stupid noises in her throat. He could have sworn he heard her giggling before she switched it off.

  ‘Damn you girl.’ He dialled the number again but he got voice mail. ‘Now why are you so intent on keeping your home address hidden?’ he murmured. He dialled Miss Pringle’s office.

  ‘Can you do me a favour?’ he asked once he’d reached her. ‘Suggest you can’t pay either of them with cash and say you need their address to post their money to them.’

  ‘Very well. I doubt it will go down very well but I can try. You’re no nearer to solving the crimes?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. Many thanks. Oh, I shall be posting one of our officers around the store when the Grotto opens again. Let’s hope it helps. Goodbye then.’

  ‘Goodbye. And thanks.’

  Ray put his phone down and looked at his computer.

  ‘I’m wondering more about Miss Pringle. Do you really think she could be capable?’

  ‘Who can tell?’

  ‘She was definitely uncomfortable when we were in the corridor. As if she was going to tell us something and then gave up. I’ll talk some more about my teacher. See what comes out of it.’