by Kira Chase
Frankie thought about the homeless she saw night after night when she was a cop in Philadelphia huddled in doorways. “I don’t know, Mom. I certainly hope not, but every generation seems to be colder than the one before it. We’ve got to get back on track. You’re right, no one seems to care anymore. It’s a ‘me society’.” She frowned. “It’s a different world today than when I was growing up, too.”
Johanna returned with Sam trotting behind her. “George is on his way,” she said.
Sam thoughtfully scratched his head. His gray hair was unkempt and he was in desperate need of a haircut. Frankie knew he’d let himself go after his wife Marnie had passed away a few years ago. His sons had tried to get him to sell his farm and move in with one of them, but he wouldn’t have any part of it. But she’d noticed his zest for life had left him. It was as though a part of him had gone to the grave with his wife. He accepted the help of his sons and grandsons, but he was determined to keep his land until the day he died. He’d bought the farm a year after he and Marnie had married and they’d raised four strong strapping boys. He’d had dreams of parceling off some of the land to each son where they could build their homes and raise their own families. None of them had taken him up on the offer and sadly, he and Marnie had watched as each one eventually left the homestead and headed to the city in pursuit of their own dreams and ambitions. They visited him frequently, but she saw the loneliness in his eyes whenever she and Johanna ran into him. The only hope he held on to was that maybe one of his grandsons would want to take over the farm when he was gone.
Like the man she and Johanna had purchased their twenty acres from, Sam didn’t want it sold to a developer and would do anything in his power to keep that from happening. Johanna was relieved and hated to think what a developer would do to the area. She and Frankie had been relieved when they’d found their land far from the maddening crowds and congested cities. But it seemed that everyday more farms were going under, their owners forced to sell out. Instead of leaving the wide-open grassy fields, more strip malls or housing developments were being built. She hated seeing farms stuck in the middle and feared that someday there would be no more farms.
“I’ve closed for the night, but you girls can still take your tree. I sent the grandsons in the house to make some coffee. I didn’t want them to see the body, but I can get them to load up your tree if you want to be on your way.”
“We’re going to hang around. Since we found the body, Sheriff Ryker will want to question us,” Frankie replied. “Besides, I don’t think we’d better take this particular tree. There might be some evidence on it.” She couldn’t bear the thought of that tree gracing her cozy living room now after a body had been found so close to it. She knew Johanna and her mother wouldn’t want it now either. The thought of this tree in their living room made her shudder. She’d be reminded of the body every time she looked at it.
“No, it’s a beautiful tree, but—” Selma shuddered. “I’ve found another tree that I like even more.” She pointed to the blue spruces. “It’s over there.”
Sam nodded. “When you’re ready the boys will load it.” He turned to the younger women. “How long do you think he’s been here?” He tilted his head in the direction of the body.
Frankie shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Did you have a lot of customers today?” She felt sorry for the old man. His face was ashen.
“Business was pretty steady all day long. It slowed a little around dinner time.”
Frankie looked at the distance from the entrance to where they now stood. “Do you remember seeing anyone come this far back on the lot?”
He squinted. “I can’t say for sure. Most people tend to find their tree in the first few rows. These trees back here are the ones we call fill-ins. After the others are sold, the boys move them up front.” He peered at the lifeless body. “I wonder how long he’s been here. It seems odd that the boys didn’t notice anything unusual. They made several trips down here to replace the sold trees up front.” He rubbed his chin. “They would have noticed a body. It doesn’t make sense.”
Frankie frowned. “They probably never saw him. If there were a couple of trees in front of this one, I doubt they’d have even noticed.”
“Yes, there were at least two trees. This is a popular variety this year.”
Johanna shook the snow from her hair. “Is there any other entrance to the property?”
“No. Everything is tightly fenced in. The only way in or out is through the front.” He took his cap off, shook the snow off and then placed it back on his head. “There’s nothing but trees back there. Every spring the boys and I make sure all the fences are still intact. We had trouble a few years back with hunters trespassing.”
“You didn’t hear anything unusual last night?”
He frowned thoughtfully as he looked at Johanna. “No. I went to bed early. The front gate was locked up tight. There’s no way anyone can get in here.”
“What about your dogs? Were they barking more than usual?”
He shook his head. “If they were, I didn’t hear them. When my head hits that pillow a bomb could go off and I wouldn’t hear it.” He pointed to his ears. “I take my hearing aids out when I go to bed. If my boys need me and can’t reach me, they’ll drive out. They all have keys.”
Bright headlights appeared through the falling snow causing the group to look toward the entrance to the farm. Car doors slammed and minutes later the medics, George, Deputies Arlan Paton and Kate Allen walked over to them. Arlan Paton had looks that women went for and he obliged, but when Kate Allen joined the team, he quit his womanizing ways and had eyes only for her. They were excellent deputies and worked well together.
George and his deputies turned on high-powered flashlights. He nodded to the women, then turned his attention to the medics who knelt next to the body. After a few minutes one of them looked up at George and shook his head. They slowly rolled the body over.
Frankie saw that the body was indeed male. After the corpse was rolled onto its back she blinked hard and fought down the choking sensation in her throat when she saw the shredded remains of the victim’s face. His eyes were open. The look of horror in them would haunt her for the rest of her life. She involuntarily shuddered and tore her eyes away from the gruesome sight.
“We need to get the medical examiner over here now,” George said to his deputies. “He said he’d meet us here. Find out where the hell he is.”
“I’ll call and see what’s holding him up,” Arlan said, moving away from the group while Kate received her instructions from the sheriff.
Frankie had been so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten about her mother until she heard her gasp. She quickly tugged at Selma’s arm pulling her away from the horrific sight. “Come on, Mom,” she said softly. “Let’s get out of their way.”
“Oh, Frankie,” Selma moaned, clutching her chest as Frankie walked her to the front of the tree. “How can a human being do that to another human being? What would possess someone to do something so horrifying?”
“I don’t know, Mom,” Frankie answered quietly. “I just don’t know.”
“If this is like some of the crimes you and Johanna had to respond to on the police force I don’t know how you stayed sane.” She peered at Frankie. “How did you stomach it?”
Frankie saw the tears glistening in her mother’s eyes. Her tender heart could never bear some of what they had witnessed. “Sometimes I don’t know how we did either, Mom.” She looked toward the group. She never thought she’d see such a brutal murder in Charlestown. Her heart sank. What the hell is this world coming to? “That’s one of the reasons we left the force. This is what we wanted to get far away from.”
Johanna stood back from the group with her head cocked to one side. Frankie knew it was to avoid looking at the victim. Frankie told Selma to stay put, and then walked to Johanna.
George checked the corpse’s pockets, then pulled himself to his feet and turned to Sam. “You heard
nothing at all last night? You’re sure of that?” He stood with his feet slightly parted as he questioned the old man.
“No, like I told Johanna earlier, I take out my hearing aids. A bomb could go off and I won’t hear it.”
“I wonder who he is,” Frankie said.
“I don’t know. He has nothing in his pockets except for a few crumpled bills. He wasn’t even carrying a cell phone.” He shrugged. “Could have been a drug deal gone wrong. No missing person reports have come in.”
“If it was a drug deal, why come here?” Johanna asked.
“I’d say because of the seclusion it would be the perfect place.” George shrugged again. “It’s just a theory anyway. Maybe he was lured here.”
“But there’s no way in except through that front gate.” Johanna’s eyes narrowed. “Unless somehow they came in through the back.” She placed her hand over her eyes to shield them as she looked toward the thick woods in the back of the property.
“There’s no way in. The boys and I checked the fences last spring,” Sam reminded Johanna. “It would be impossible.”
“It wouldn’t be hard to cut the fence,” George stated. “With all the fresh snow any tracks would be easily covered. I’ll have my deputies check it out.” He directed his attention to Sam. “I imagine we’ll be here for most of the night. We’re going to have to seal this area off. I know this is a busy time for you, but it can’t be helped.”
Sam’s face fell and his shoulders slumped even more than normal. Frankie knew he didn’t need the money, but he enjoyed chatting with the people who visited the tree farm and helping them to pick out the perfect tree.
“You can go back to your house, Sam. I’ll let you know if I have any further questions for you.” He paused. “Were your grandsons with you last night?”
“One of ’em stays occasionally, but he didn’t stay last night. It was just me and the dogs.”
The sheriff eyed him carefully. “Okay, Sam. I’ll be up to the house later.”
“I’ll keep the back door open. Use the facilities if you’d like, Sheriff.”
“Thanks, Sam.” George let out a weary sigh. “I have my work cut out for me on this one. But first I have to find out who the hell he is.” He took the women aside. “Did you notice anyone suspicious when you arrived? Anyone looking nervous?”
“No, nothing.” Frankie shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I’d like to know how he got here. It looks like he was killed here.” She stared at the windswept ground. “Of course the snow may have covered any blood trail…and footprints.”
“Like I said, it’s going to be a long night.” He ran a weary hand over his eyes. “I’ll let you know if I have any more questions for you two.” He nodded toward Selma who still stood where Frankie had left her. “I’m sorry she had to see this.”
“Me too, George.” Frankie glanced at the new tree her mother had picked out. Selma was conversing with Sam. She instinctively knew by the expression on her mother’s face that she was struggling to keep her emotions under control.
“I’ll be in touch.”
“I’ll get my grandson to load the tree up for you,” Sam said as the four of them made their way to the front of the lot.
Selma walked a few steps ahead of them. She was unusually quiet. Frankie glanced at Johanna.
Johanna sighed deeply. “What a way to begin our holiday with your mother.”
Frankie cleared her throat. “Whoever did this is a monster. I can’t believe anyone could have so much rage inside that they could unleash it like this.” She stopped for a second.
Johanna stopped, too. “Are you, okay, babe?”
Frankie met her eyes. She shook her head. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had to witness anything like this.”
She shivered. “What frightens me is that it happened here in Charlestown…and so close to us.”
Selma stopped abruptly and looked over her shoulder. “Are you girls coming?” she asked softly.
“Yes, Mom.” They walked quickly to catch up with her.
The blue spruce was much smaller than the one Selma had originally picked out and Frankie was relieved. This one would fit perfectly in the spot where Johanna and she always placed the tree. She liked the height and fullness of it and couldn’t wait to get it set up and decorated. She hoped that finding the body wouldn’t entirely ruin the holidays for her mother, but it had definitely put a damper on the festivities. Frankie knew from her police training that she couldn’t take anything she’d seen, no matter how gruesome, personally. But still she wasn’t immune to the emotional impact that a crime scene sometimes left or the helplessness she felt whenever a crime scene involved a minor. She had to face the truth. Finding the body had unsettled her. And if it affected her this deeply, she could only imagine what was going on inside of her mother. This was something her mother had never before encountered and it would have a profound effect on her. Frankie wished she could have shielded her from it, but none of them ever dreamed when they’d set out to find their tree that they’d find a body too.
The snow crunched under their feet where it had been packed down by the many feet trampling the path. It had stopped snowing and a fresh layer of fluffy white snow lay in its wake. Frankie filled her nostrils with the clean fresh air. The temperature had taken a sudden dip and a chill spread slowly through her body from her toes to her chest. She shivered. She couldn’t wait to get home. It was still early. She’d find something to take Selma’s mind off what they had seen.
“Well, we’d better get it loaded,” Sam said as he shuffled off to his house in search of one of his grandsons.
“It’s beautiful, Selma,” Johanna said. “What do you think, Frankie?”
“I love it! Mom’s always had a keen eye for picking out the perfect tree.”
Selma beamed proudly. “I can’t wait to decorate it. Are we going to set it up tonight so we can decorate it tomorrow morning?”
Frankie was relieved that her mother wasn’t going to let what she’d just witnessed ruin her holiday spirit after all. She looked hopefully at Johanna. “I’m game if you are.”
Johanna laughed. “You two are like kids. Yes, we’ll set it up tonight. It’ll probably take the three of us to get it into the house. Tomorrow right after breakfast we can decorate it.”
They watched while Sam’s grandson loaded the tree into the back of Selma’s truck. After Frankie paid Sam and they said their goodbyes, they headed home.
With the temperature drop the roads had become even more slippery. Selma cranked the heater in the cold truck up and within minutes, warm heat filled the interior.
“I swear the temperature has dropped ten degrees since we left the house,” Selma remarked as she cautiously made her way down the road.
“Feels more like twenty. It’s going to be a cold night,” Frankie said. “How about helping me decorate the cookies tonight after we bring in the tree, you two? I was going to wait until tomorrow to do the cookies, but we’ll be busy with the tree and we have a million other things to do before Christmas Eve.”
“Of course I will,” Selma replied. “I wouldn’t miss that tradition for anything.”
“I’m not much good at decorating, but I’ll try like I do every year,” Johanna added wryly.
Frankie’s jaw dropped. “Oh, right. You usually do all the baking. Mom, you’ve tasted some of her pies and cakes.”
“Yes, I have and I have to agree with Frankie, Johanna, you are a fabulous baker.”
“But that’s not decorating. And it’s definitely not fancy Christmas cookies. There’s quite a big difference.”
“Now stop, Johanna, you know you decorate as well as the rest of us. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were fishing for a compliment,” Frankie teased, extending her arm behind herself as she reached for Johanna’s hand.
Johanna grabbed Frankie’s hand and squeezed it affectionately. “Maybe I am.”
Frankie laughed. “You’re a sly one,” she w
hispered. She placed a hand near the side of her mouth. “Wait till tonight.”
Johanna felt a warmth spread through her body at Frankie’s touch. She could already imagine Frankie’s sweet lips exploring her body, or her fingers caressing her. The heat between her thighs began to build, but she was brought back to reality when Selma spoke.
“Did you say something, dear?” Selma asked, keeping her eyes glued on the icy road.
“I think that we should be singing Christmas carols.” Frankie grinned as she began singing Jingle Bells. Johanna and Selma both laughed and then joined in.
Chapter 3
“Okay, now comes the fun part. How are we going to get this baby out of the truck?” Frankie asked, standing behind the pickup. “Sam’s grandson always brought it into the house for us.”
Selma and Johanna surveyed the situation. “Well, we’ll do it the way we always did,” Selma finally said. “I’m sure you haven’t forgotten.” She adjusted her hat.
Frankie laughed. “I’ll go get a tarp out of the garage.” She patted Johanna’s arm. “This’ll be fun.”
Johanna squinted. “What do you want me to do?”
“You’ll see,” Selma said as she loosened the ropes on the tree. A good portion of the tree was sticking out of the back of the truck where it had been secured by some ropes. Now it tilted precariously toward the ground once it was released from the ropes. “Can you help me hold it up, Johanna? I don’t want the top to get damaged if it comes out too fast and hits the top of the truck.”
Johanna quickly put her arms under the tree and tried to keep it balanced, but found it heavier than she thought it would be. She felt like her arms would break. She looked over her shoulder and was grateful to see Frankie rushing toward them with the tarp. “Hurry, this is heavier than I thought,” she panted.
“That’s what you get for being lax at the gym,” Frankie teased as she quickly spread the tarp on the ground. “We’ll get as much of the tree top first as we can on the tarp,” she told Johanna easing her arms around the trunk of the tree. “Let’s gently pull it forward.”
