by Cindy Stark
The entity she’d encountered at Clarabelle’s house, whom she believed to be her ancestor, hadn’t exuded a cruel vibe. Hazel had only experience warmth and welcome. Yes, there were darker spells toward the back of Clarabelle’s book, but she was sure those had been for protection only.
On day three, the sun came out and brightened Hazel’s mood considerably. She was relieved to find her house hadn’t sustained damage. The worst she’d incurred was several downed tree limbs.
She itched to get to the teashop to ensure all was well. If she could navigate the roads, she had daily deliveries to do, too. She had warm boots and her shop wasn’t far, so she could walk this morning, and then return later to get her car if the town had cleared the streets of snow.
Boots on and bundled, she stepped out into a world of pure white. Brilliant energy bounced off at least two-feet of snowy powder and left her giddy inside. If she was a kid, she’d be all about snowmen and snowball fights.
The morning at her shop was slow, but by afternoon when Gretta arrived to start her shift, people had emerged from hiding, grateful to be out and about. Hazel left Gretta in charge of the shop and headed out for deliveries.
Instead of navigating Dotty Fingleton’s hilly driveway where she might slide in her car whilst trying to maneuver, Hazel parked along the street and walked the slope instead. Several sets of footprints going both directions told her that others had chosen the same precautions.
Hazel rang the doorbell and stomped snow off her feet while she waited. A few moments later, the door opened and Dotty greeted her with a surprised but happy smile.
“Oh, my goodness, Hazel. I didn’t expect you to deliver today. Not that I’m complaining. Drank the last of my teas trying to stay warm the past couple of days.”
Hazel waved off her concern. “I’m happy to be out. Two days locked up alone in a house can be mighty boring, especially with no power.” And a crazy cat stalking her.
She needed to remember to stop by the grocery store for cat food before she went home for the day, too. She didn’t know what the rascal usually ate, but if he thought he was bringing a mouse into her house, he’d soon learn otherwise.
Dotty leaned closer to Hazel. “Agreed. My daughter is driving me insane. She drained the battery on her cell phone the first day, and she’s beside herself. In my day, we kept plenty busy without being plugged in all the time. If you ask me, God would say it’s not good for the soul.”
Hazel had no doubt he would agree, along with the Blessed Mother.
Dotty stepped back. “Come on in while I grab your money.”
She glanced downward, hating to track snow in Dotty’s house. “My feet are wet.”
“Between you, my daughter, and the housekeeper, I’ve had plenty of people in and out today. A little more snow isn’t going to hurt. The farmer’s son, Basil, even stopped by with fresh milk and eggs. I guess everyone is a little stir crazy. Especially with no TV or internet access.” She winked and motioned Hazel inside and shut the door behind her.
The contrast in light between outdoors and inside her home was stark, and Hazel blinked, as her vision worked to adjust.
“I’ll be right back,” Dotty said.
She ascended the steep stairs in the old house, each one creaking as she did. Some might consider it a flaw that needed to be fixed, but Hazel preferred to think of it as proof that the house had been well-used and loved over the years. A newer home might not have those same issues, but it wouldn’t have the charm, either.
A dreadful scream ripped through the house and pierced Hazel’s heart.
Startled, she froze for a second and then ran for the stairs, toward Dotty’s cry. Hazel took the steps two at a time and met a white-faced Dotty in the hallway.
Her daughter came running from another upstairs room. “Mom? What happened?” she asked, her voice frantic.
“Call the police,” Dotty cried. “I’ve been robbed.”
Hazel fought for a decent breath. “Robbed?”
Dotty’s face crumpled in anguish. “Someone has stolen my mother’s pearls.”
“What? No!” Sophie cried. “Who would do that? Those were supposed to be mine.”
Hazel’s heart pounded as she slipped her phone from her pocket and dialed the emergency number. Peter’s administrative assistant answered.
“Margaret. This is Hazel. I’m at Dotty Fingleton’s house. Is there anyone you can send right over? She’s been robbed. A valuable pearl necklace.”
Margaret’s response drew a shiver from her. Hazel shifted her gaze to Dotty. “Could the thief still be in the house?” she asked the two shaken women in a hushed tone.
Dotty glanced about in fright. “I don’t think so, but I really don’t know.”
Sophie gripped her mother’s arm. “What if he’s still here?”
“Just send someone fast.” Hazel pocketed her phone. “An officer is on his way. I suggest we wait by the front door, just in case someone is still in the house. We don’t want to confront anyone.”
“Mom,” Sophie whined, her eyes wide in fear.
Her mother wrapped an arm around her. “Let’s go downstairs.”
Together, the three of them waited in the foyer as seconds schlepped by like a snail.
When a siren wailed in the distance, all of them visibly relaxed. “It’s going to be okay,” Hazel said.
She opened the door to allow the officer entry and caught her breath when she found Peter had been the one to respond. “Chief Parrish, thank you for coming so fast.”
The handsome officer didn’t have his smile on today. Something primal and protective had replaced his flirting, and yet made him even more attractive. “I want the three of you to wait on the porch until I give the all clear. Do you understand?”
“It’s cold out there,” Sophie said.
“Do you have a coat?” Chief Parrish eyed the coat rack next to the door and then indicated with a nod that he expected them to comply.
He focused on Dotty. “Where did you keep the jewelry that was stolen?”
“My bedroom,” Dotty responded with a shaky voice. “First room on the right. The safe is in my closet.”
He pulled the gun from his holster, which sent a fierce shiver racing through Hazel. “Stay outside. Another unit is on the way.”
If Hazel wasn’t so scared, she’d take a moment to appreciate the fine picture of a fearless man willing to put himself in danger to protect them. “Let’s go,” she said instead and pulled the door closed behind them.
Five
Chief Parrish and another officer cleared the house and allowed them re-entry within ten minutes, directing them into the ornately decorated sitting room, complete with Tiffany lamps and antique tables.
“Whoever took the pearls is long gone,” Peter said. “I’d like the three of you to sit down with me, and let’s go over what we know.”
“We don’t know anything.” Dotty’s voice rose with hysteria. “They are my mother’s priceless jewels. The pearls given to my family by King William the Third several hundred years ago. This morning they were here, and now, they’re gone.”
Chief Parrish lifted a calming hand. “I know. They are very precious and valuable, but the more I can learn, things that you might not think are important, the more likely I’ll be able to find your pearls and the person who committed the crime. Do you need a minute, or can we start now?”
Tears wetted Dotty’s cheeks, and she waved a frenzied hand in front of her face. “I need a minute.”
“It’s okay,” the chief said. “This is normal behavior for someone who has suffered a shock.”
“I’ll help you, Mom.” Sophie stood and took her mother’s hand. “Some cold water on your face might help.”
“Yes, yes.” Dotty wrapped her fingers around her daughter’s elbow, and Sophie led her away.
When they’d exited the room, Peter turned to Hazel. “How did you end up in the middle of this?”
She widened her eyes in innocence.
“It’s not my fault. I was here to make a delivery. Dotty went to retrieve money and then screamed.”
He released a heavy sigh and shook his head. “I guess at least no one is dead this time.”
She shot a narrow-eyed glare at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He pinned her with a direct gaze. “It means you attract trouble, and that doesn’t sit well with me.”
Where was the fun and interesting guy who appreciated her help on cases?
She folded her arms. “You think it sits well with me?”
Sounds in the hallway brought their private conversation to a halt.
Dotty sniffed as she found a seat on the vintage, red velvet couch. “I think I can answer your questions now.”
Peter’s gaze lost its fire and grew kind before he addressed Dotty. “When did you first notice the pearls were missing?”
“I told you already,” Hazel responded.
The chief flicked a warning glance in her direction. “Let Dotty answer please.”
She growled inside. At times, the man was not worth the bother.
“Hazel brought my tea, and I went upstairs for my purse. That’s when I saw the safe part-way open. I looked inside, and they were gone.” Tears welled in her eyes again.
“When was the last time you knew for sure the safe was closed?”
Dotty frowned. “Last night, I suppose.”
Peter tilted his head. “You suppose, or you know?”
She shook her hands in frustration. “I don’t know. It’s always closed. That’s why I noticed today when it wasn’t.”
The chief jotted notes on a small pad. “When was the last time you accessed it?”
“I…I don’t know. A month ago?” The poor woman’s anguish rolled off her in waves, causing knots in Hazel’s stomach.
“It was Grandma’s birthday,” Sophie said. “Auntie June was over, and you were remembering what it was like when Grandma was alive. Auntie June asked to wear the pearls at dinner. For fun, since she never gets a chance, remember?”
“That’s right.” Dotty nodded in relief. “I know for certain I put them back after June left for the night.”
Peter nodded as he wrote. “And you shut and locked it for sure?”
Dotty sighed and closed her eyes in defeat. “I think so, but I don’t know.”
Sophie took her mom’s hand, gave her a sympathetic look, and then focused on the chief. “Mom closes it but doesn’t lock it because she can’t remember the combination, and she doesn’t want to get it from downstairs.”
Dotty’s expression fell. “This is all my fault. How could I have been so careless with something so precious?”
Sophie slid a sideways glance at her mother. Hazel sensed the girl sympathized with her mom, but anger was mixed in with her emotions, too. “It’s okay, Mom. They’ll find the thief. With all this snow, whoever did it can’t get very far.”
Dotty turned her red-rimmed watery gaze to her daughter. “What if they don’t find them? Then what?”
The expression on Sophie’s face grew angry. “They have to. Those pearls were supposed to be mine.”
“Mom?” A male voice from the doorway stole Hazel’s attention. A lanky, twenty-something young man with dishwater blond hair stood at the entrance with a concerned look. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Dotty’s deep inhale ended in a sob, and she held out her hand to the man Hazel assumed was her son. “Oh, Scott,” her voice cracked when she said his name. “Someone broke in and took the family pearls.”
“Seriously?” Pulses of anger colored his words red. He strode forward and grasped his mother’s hand. One by one, he glanced at each face in the room, stopping on his sister. “Are you sure you didn’t take them, Sophie?”
Sophie’s mouth fell open as hatred lit her expression. “You’re a pig, Scott. Why would I take them? That’s like stealing from myself.” She pointed a finger at him. “More likely you did. You can’t stand that I get them and you don’t.”
Loathing emanated from the son. “Why should you get them just because you’re a girl? I’m the oldest.”
“You wouldn’t wear them,” Sophie countered.
“Mom doesn’t either,” he shot back.
“Enough!” Dotty raised her hands as though they were white flags. “Bickering isn’t going to help us find them. Both of you need to leave. I can’t stand you right now.”
The siblings glared at each other for several long seconds, and then Sophie turned and headed out of the room first. Scott followed closely behind her, and Hazel couldn’t help but think their arguing wasn’t over.
“Don’t leave the house,” the chief called after them. “I’ll need to question both of you, too.”
Scott paused outside the doorway. “I don’t know anything. I just got here.”
Chief Parrish stood and faced the kid. “All the same, stick around. Don’t leave the house until we’ve talked.”
“Whatever,” Scott answered, backing down. “I’ll be in my room.”
Hazel, Peter, and Dotty all remained quiet until her children’s footsteps faded. “Scott’s been away at school, right?” he asked Dotty.
She nodded. “This is his second year at Utica College.”
“Does he usually come home for the weekends?” Peter resumed his seat. “That’s quite a drive.”
“No.” Dotty dabbed at her eyes. “This is the first time this semester. I wasn’t expecting him until May. Maybe it’s the mid-semester break.”
Peter muttered an unintelligible word as he took notes. Then he glanced up. “Who has been in the house this morning besides your children and us?”
“My cleaning lady Emma Jones. She walked over early since she doesn’t live far. She took out the trash and cleaned some, and then headed to the grocery store for me.”
Chief Parrish scrawled more notes. “Anyone else?”
“No,” Dotty said.
“Wait,” Hazel interrupted. “Didn’t you say Basil had stopped by, too, with fresh milk and eggs?”
Hazel hadn’t met the kid and therefore didn’t know if he was the type to steal. But at this point, they couldn’t rule out anyone.
“Yes.” Dotty nodded fervently and then slowed. “But he was only in the house for a moment. I let him in and sent him back to the kitchen, and then I went back to…”
Dotty’s expression crumpled. “I returned to the study to read. He knows his way out. We follow this routine all the time.”
“But you don’t know for a fact the exact time he left the house?” the chief asked.
“No,” Dotty answered softly. “I do not. I suppose if he knew what he was doing, he could have slipped upstairs. But, I can’t see Basil taking them. Other than spending too much time looking at my Sophie, he’s a good boy.”
Chief Parrish shrugged. “We don’t always know people as well as we think. Sometimes, they aren’t at all who we think they are.” He flicked a glance at Hazel, and she froze.
Had he directed that comment at her, or was his glance coincidental?
Either way, Hazel’s nerves fidgeted. “Chief, I need to finish my deliveries for the morning, and I really don’t have much to add. I was only here long enough to hear Dotty scream and call for help. Is it okay if I get going?”
Peter gave her a quick nod. “As long as you stop by the station later and give me an official statement.”
Out of the cauldron and into the fire. “No problem.” She stood and gave Dotty a hug. “Call me if I can help with anything.”
Dotty patted her hand. “Thank you, love. I’m so glad you arrived when you did.”
“Of course.” Hazel caught Peter’s gaze and pretended she didn’t feel the sizzle from it. “Later.”
“Today?” he pressed.
“Yes.” She left them with a smile even though her thoughts tumbled a million miles an hour. Who could have done such a thing?
For a town filled with a long history of pious people, they weren’t as p
erfect as they liked to believe.
Six
Hazel stepped from the porch of the Fingleton home, taking a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the brilliant glare from the sun bouncing off the snow. She blinked a few times to clear the water from her eyes and set off along the sidewalk in front of the house.
Muted voices reached out to her, and she slowed her steps.
A male and a female…arguing?
Dotty’s daughter?
Hazel picked up her pace, concerned because of what had just transpired inside.
“No,” the man said, sounding angry but firm.
Hazel reached the corner and stopped short to keep from colliding with a tall, muscled, red-headed young man.
He gave her a quick glance, his face red and jaw clenched, and then continued, striding down the driveway toward an old rusty gray truck that had been parked not far from her car.
Sophie released a sob, and Hazel swung around to face her. The poor girl had tears streaming down her face and struggled to breathe.
“Sophie? Are you okay? What did he do?”
She shook her head, not giving an answer.
“Who was that? Did he hurt you?” Hazel pressed.
“No.” Sophie’s features grew more distressed as she watched the young man drive away. She blinked rapidly and then met Hazel’s gaze. “I…I shouldn’t have asked, but I needed to know. Now, he hates me.”
“Asked what?” The girl made no sense. “Who was he?”
“Basil. I asked if he knew anything about my mother’s pearls, and he got angry, said I was accusing him. I wasn’t. I just…I needed to know.”
So, that was Basil. “I thought he’d left earlier. Why’d he come back?”
“I asked him to because I wanted to see his face. But, I was so stupid. He’s a good guy who wouldn’t hurt anyone ever.” She sniffed and glanced again in the direction he’d gone. “I should go inside. My mom and the chief will be looking for me.”
