Candy Canes & Corpses

by Abby L. Vandiver

  Susie opened her mouth to say something, and DeeDee gave her a warning look. “Hurry, or I might change my mind.”

  Susie grinned, pulled off her apron, and grabbed her purse before planting a kiss on DeeDee’s cheek and rushing toward the door which almost hit her in the face when it was opened at that moment by Dana.

  A bemused Dana watched Susie leave. “She’s a great kid,” she said turning to DeeDee. “They all are. In fact, you guys pulled it out of the hat big-time tonight. I go to a lot of parties, and this was one of the best. Plus, I sure didn’t give you much notice. Thanks!” She smiled broadly as she reached out and handed DeeDee a check.

  Glancing at the amount written on the check, DeeDee’s mouth fell open. She was about to protest, but Dana waved a hand to silence her.

  “I know it’s more than we agreed on, but it’s a special occasion, and I want to give you a little extra. You and your crew worked very hard, and I couldn’t be happier. Really.”

  “That’s very generous of you, Dana, thank you,” DeeDee said. “I’ll make sure Susie and the girls get their share. They’ll be thrilled. They were a little star-struck tonight, but you made us all feel very welcome in your home, and I appreciate it.”

  “Goodnight, DeeDee. I hope everything works out for you. Happy New Year.”

  DeeDee was surprised when Dana reached over and hugged her, and she stood alone in the kitchen for a moment gathering her thoughts after Dana had left. Folding the check and placing it in her purse, she lifted her buzzing cell phone from the tray on the counter and switched it off without a glance.

  Something about Dana’s happiness was catching. Humming to herself, DeeDee made the first of several trips outside to load her SUV with her catering equipment and the leftover food. The extra money Dana had given her, together with the fee for the party, would be enough for a down payment on a new car, even after all the expenses were taken out. DeeDee had felt bad charging Dana three times her usual rate because of the short notice for the booking, but Dana hadn’t blinked an eye.

  I guess Jake was right about one thing, DeeDee thought, I must have been undercharging before. But the other things he’d said to her, no. She didn’t agree with him on those.

  The thought of Jake, and the fact it was New Year’s Eve and she was alone, hurt. She sat in her car for a while before heading home. Her fiftieth birthday was coming up soon, and another possibility for using the extra money she’d received from Dana was to take a trip somewhere. Maybe her sister Roz would come with her, or she could ask her recently widowed friend, Cassie Roberts. DeeDee had always wanted to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, or visit the pyramids in Egypt. What better time than on the occasion of her fiftieth birthday?

  The sound of a commotion at the side of the house jolted DeeDee back to reality. She turned and saw a shadowy figure as it came running from the direction of the pool house toward the front of her vehicle. The person was blindly running straight towards her darkened car, and she wondered if the person had even noticed it. She assumed it was one of the guests from the party who probably had too much to drink.

  “Hey,” she shouted, fumbling for the switch to turn on the SUV’s headlights. “Watch out, you idiot!” She wasn’t sure if it was the sound of her yelling that caused the person to stop and raise an arm to their face, before running off in another direction, or if they saw the car just in time. Either way, by the time she’d found the right switch in the darkened interior of her SUV and turned on the headlights to illuminate her vision, the figure had disappeared.

  As she drove the short distance back to her home on Bainbridge Island, she looked forward to seeing her husky dog, Balto, who would be waiting for her. She knew by the time she unpacked the car and walked Balto, the night would be half over before she got in bed. Even so, she was determined to wake up bright and early on January 1st to start the new year in a better place than where she’d been the last few days.

  However, when she woke up and looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand the following morning and discovered it was already after 9:00 a.m., it was the first indication that her new year wasn’t starting off the way she’d hoped. So much for an early start for the new year.

  Pulling on her warm terrycloth robe, DeeDee wandered downstairs and opened the door to get the paper, and at the same time let Balto out so he could commune with nature. Instead, Balto started pacing back and forth beside her car, which alerted her to the second indication that the new year may not go quite as well as she’d hoped. She noticed a white piece of paper secured under the wiper blade on her windshield, flapping in the wind. Yawning, she walked over and pulled it out from behind the wiper blade. When she read the words on the folded note, its contents stopped her in her tracks.

  It read, “If you breathe one word of what you saw last night, you will die.”

  Her hand trembled, and she unconsciously reached out for Balto. The sound of her telephone ringing from inside the house on the table in the hallway where she’d left it the night before forced her to move, even though her legs felt like jello.

  Maybe it’s Jake, she thought, trying to will her body to make it up the steps before the phone stopped ringing. Please let it be Jake.

  She cursed under her breath when the phone stopped just as she made it inside and closed the door behind her. Placing the note on the hallway table, she looked down at Balto.

  “Oh Balto, I really wish you could talk, so you could tell me what to do. I don’t believe this is happening.”

  DeeDee froze when she heard the sound of a car screeching to a halt on the street in front of her home. Her first thought was that the slow, steady, footsteps she heard on the porch a moment later were either those of someone who wanted to kill her or someone who could help her. Paralyzed by fear, she hardly dared breathe, even when whoever it was knocked sharply on the door. Surely killers don’t knock on your door when they came to kill you, do they? she thought.

  “Open up, Police!” said the curt voice on the other side of the door, and only then did DeeDee allow herself to exhale.

  When she looked through the peephole she saw Dan Hewson, the Chief of Police, standing on the porch. That was the third indication of the new year not living up to her hopes. Another police officer was walking up the steps behind him.

  “Mrs. Wilson? We’re here to question you about the murder of Dana Donnelly. Please open the door.”

  Chapter One

  DeeDee twisted the delicate vintage gold eternity band inlaid with diamonds on the third finger of her left hand.

  “It’s gorgeous,” she whispered, looking up at Jake Rogers, her boyfriend of seven months. “But it’s too much, I can’t possibly accept it.”

  From across the dinner table, Jake took her hands in his. His shining blue eyes and earnest expression made no secret of his feelings for her. “DeeDee, I don’t want to scare you off, but I just want you to know how much you mean to me. I realize we haven’t been seeing each other that long, but I don’t believe in playing games. I’m not sure if I’m the marrying type, but if you don’t mind me sticking around, I’d very much like to see how things go.”

  DeeDee glanced at the black ring box laying open on the table. “I have to admit I was worried when I opened it,” she said cautiously.

  “In case I got down on one knee?” Jake grinned. “Your face was a picture. Actually, you had panic written all over it.”

  DeeDee flushed. She looked back at Jake, who still wore a bemused smile. Although she had a million thoughts going through her head, she wasn’t sure how to express them. The feelings she had for Jake were strong, and while she was sure she loved him, for some reason the thought of making a permanent commitment to him terrified her. She suspected she was afraid of it all going wrong and then losing him, although that was because of her own insecurities and not because of anything Jake had done.

  Jake’s eyes never left hers.

  “I’m not sure how to put this,” she said carefully, squeezing his ha
nds. “I care for you very much. In fact, I,” DeeDee’s mouth went dry. She wanted to say, I love you, but she couldn’t get those three little words to come out of her mouth. “Um, what I mean is, you’ve been there for me every step of the way since I moved to Bainbridge Island after my divorce. If it weren’t for you and Balto, my life wouldn’t be what it is today.”

  Balto woofed at the mere mention of his name, and wagged his tail from his dog bed in the corner. DeeDee smiled and looked over at the black and white husky, glad for the momentary diversion.

  Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Go on, DeeDee,” he encouraged her.

  DeeDee inwardly cursed herself. Jake knew her so well. She was avoiding the truth, and he deserved to know how she felt about him. Why, at almost fifty years of age, was she afraid of exposing her true feelings to this man who had been there for her from the beginning, no questions asked? The fact that he was handsome, strong, and calm, not to mention a great kisser, was icing on the cake.

  DeeDee’s heart was pounding. Say it, she urged herself. There was so much she wanted to tell Jake she hardly knew where to start. Like how she thought she’d never love again after her ex-husband Lyle had left her. And how she sometimes felt guilty about being so happy, more so now that Lyle and his new fiancée had broken up. What she and Jake had was so precious she wanted to protect it, nurture it, and never let it be compromised.

  “When I came to Bainbridge Island I was excited about starting over,” DeeDee said. “Each of the little firsts I had to do as a single middle-aged woman were a big deal.”

  “I get it,” Jake said. “Starting your own business is a pretty major thing.”

  DeeDee extracted her hands from Jake’s and topped off their wine glasses.

  “I guess Deelish has turned into something bigger than I ever expected,” DeeDee admitted. “Maybe I never thought it through properly, but certainly meeting you is one of the most important things that’s happened to me since I moved to Bainbridge Island. I guess there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to give up my newfound independence just because I met a guy.”

  A flash of hurt passed across Jake’s face, and DeeDee winced.

  “Sorry, that came out all wrong. What I mean is, I think I need to find a better balance. I don’t want our relationship to suffer because of my business, but I don’t want to give up Deelish either. Recently, with work and all of the other things that have happened, I’ve been feeling anxious because I’m being pulled in lots of different directions all at once. Does that make any sense to you?”

  DeeDee was referring to her sister Roz’s wedding just over a week earlier, when Roz’s husband Clark was implicated in the murder of his rich Uncle Vinny which occurred at the wedding reception. She’d been worried about her sister, the fact that Jake got caught up in the murder investigation because of his relationship with DeeDee, and the work commitments that her catering business had during the busiest time of the year.

  Jake rubbed his chin and stood up. “Here’s what I think,” he said, going around the table and pulling DeeDee’s chair out. He lifted both of their wine glasses and motioned toward the door. “Why don’t we go sit by the fireplace and talk about this some more. It’s two days after Christmas, and I hate to see you getting stressed out by our conversation.”

  “I have to clean up the dinner dishes,” DeeDee protested. “And Balto needs walking.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow. “See what I mean? I can do all that later on. Now follow me. Consider that an order, Ms. Wilson.”

  DeeDee smiled and did as her former Marine Corps officer boyfriend directed. It didn’t take long for her to relax once she was cuddled up on the sofa with Jake’s arm around her and Balto at her feet. Flames danced and curled as the wood burned. The sound of driving wind and rain pelted the window panes from outside, creating a soft, soothing, rhythmic sound.

  “I’ll understand about the ring, if you don’t feel ready to wear it yet,” Jake said gently. “I don’t want it to be an issue, but it would make me very happy if you would keep it as a sign of my commitment.”

  “It’s not that,” DeeDee said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “It’s just…”

  Go on. I love you. Tell him.

  Jake waited for her to continue. And waited.

  “Oh, heck,” he said. “You don’t like it, is that what it is? We can go back and exchange it, if that’s the issue. No problem, DeeDee. Just say the word.” He bent down and kissed her forehead.

  DeeDee’s eyes brimmed with tears at the worry etched across Jake’s face. “You’re right, I don’t like it,” she teased, holding her hand out to admire the ring. “I LOVE IT!!!”

  She giggled while Jake pinned her hands down and kissed her on her lips. She felt herself sinking under the tender touch of his mouth on hers, and knew at that moment she would wear his ring for as long as eternity. There was no going back. This man was her heart, her soul, her forever. When they came up for air, it was Jake who spoke first.

  “I’m glad we got that settled,” he smiled, brushing a strand of hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear. “Because I have another surprise for you.”

  “Ooh,” DeeDee said, taking the opportunity of Jake freeing her hands to reach for her wine glass. “Go on. Are you going to tell me what it is?”

  She sipped the chilled sauvignon blanc, and watched Jake, whose face was twitching.

  “I can’t tell you for a few days,” he said. “You’ll have to wait a little longer.”

  “You’re enjoying teasing me, aren’t you?” she smiled. “So, when do I get to find out what this secret surprise is?”

  “New Year’s Eve,” Jake winked. “I’ve booked dinner at The Clamshell, the place we went on our first date, remember? All will be revealed then, I promise.”

  DeeDee’s face fell flat, and her hand flew up to her mouth. “Oh, Jake. I’m so sorry. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about New Year’s Eve, but with Vinny’s murder, and Christmas, I forgot. I don’t think I can make it.”

  Jake regarded DeeDee with a look of surprise. “You’re kidding, right? Oh, I get it.” His face brightened up. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a surprise planned as well?”

  DeeDee wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She wasn’t sure if it was the heat from the fireplace, the wine, or a hot flash, but all of a sudden, her face felt like it was on fire. She knew she needed to tell him the truth.

  “I know we said we’d do something together on New Year’s Eve, but here’s the problem, a booking came in for Deelish, and I’ve kind of accepted it.”

  Jake paused. He did that thing where DeeDee knew he was trying to compose himself before he spoke. “I see,” he said, with a sound of disappointment in his voice.

  “It’s Dana Donnelly. She’s the one from the New Day NW television show,” DeeDee gushed. “She’s having a New Year’s Eve dinner party for fifty people. I thought it would be a good opportunity to make some high-profile contacts, then maybe I can start to concentrate on fewer, more highly priced events. What do you think?”

  “It sounds great,” Jake said, moving away from DeeDee on the sofa. “When were you planning on telling me?”

  DeeDee’s heart was pounding. Jake’s mouth looked grim and the earlier twinkle in his eyes had disappeared.

  “Dana called me about it last week, but what with the Roz and Clark situation…”

  “Last week?” Jake’s asked as he raised his voice. “You knew about this for a week and you didn’t say anything? That’s just swell, DeeDee, thanks a bunch.”

  “I thought you’d be happy,” DeeDee said quietly. “We’d talked about me cutting back on work, so we could spend more time together. I thought this would be a good way of achieving that goal.”

  Jake scratched his head and frowned. “Right. So you thought working on New Year’s Eve was a good way for us to spend more time together? Forgive me if I’m having a problem with that, DeeDee.”

  DeeDee reached out to Jake, who pulled away and shook her o
ff.

  “No,” she pleaded. “I meant, in the future I can cut back. This is an awesome opportunity for Deelish. Can’t you see that?” It didn’t seem like Jake could. “Sometimes it’s worth making sacrifices now in order to get the rewards later,” she mumbled.

  “Since when did you become a mind reader, DeeDee?” Jake asked as he stood up. “Don’t you think this was at least worth discussing with me before you booked it? If it was such a big thing for you, why would you not want to share it with me? That’s the part I don’t get.” He strode across the room to the coat rack in the hallway, and started stuffing his arms into his overcoat.

  “You’re leaving?” DeeDee said, getting up from the sofa. “Can’t we at least talk about this now?”

  “Maybe it’s a little late for that, since you’ve already made up your mind about what you are going to do.” Jake sighed deeply and his eyes bored through DeeDee. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s a wonderful gig for you,” he said, his voice becoming softer. “But I wish you would have said something earlier, instead of making important decisions that affect both of us without consulting me. I suppose it’s better that you made your priorities about us and your business clear now, before…” Jake shrugged, his voice trailing off. “Never mind. I guess that doesn’t matter now.”

  DeeDee folded her arms. “Since when did my business concern you anyway? I can’t believe you’re overreacting like this. If you think I need to ask your permission before taking a catering booking, you’ve got another think coming, Jake Rogers.” DeeDee said as she glared at Jake, who started walking toward the door.

  “I’m going now,” he muttered.

  “Fine. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” DeeDee called after him.

  Jake opened it and turned back towards DeeDee. “If you want your independence that much, you just got it,” he said as he closed the door quietly.

  DeeDee stood there in shock, unable to believe what had just happened. She glanced at Balto, who was standing near the door, also looking bewildered. DeeDee came to her senses. “Did he just walk out on me?” she said to the dog, fuming.