by Alayna Fox
Secret Snowman
Behind the Door Cozy Mystery
Book 1
By: Alayna Fox
Kindle Edition
Secret Snowman (Behind the Door Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Copyright © 2019 Alayna Fox
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or used in whatsoever manner, including distribution or transmission in any form, including recording, photocopying, or other mechanical or electronic methods without the written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, structures, incidents, events, businesses, and places are a product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About the Author
Chapter 1
“G fifty-nine,” the bingo caller yelled.
“So close,” Tessa whispered. She held a red chip in her arthritic fingers and leaned into me. “I just need G sixty and I win a free supper at the Rowdy Chowder.”
I looked at her card and shook my head. “You have to get a Christmas tree pattern.” I pointed at the G column. “You need G forty-seven not G sixty.” I couldn’t count how many times Tessa had yelled bingo just to find out that she had the wrong pattern. It irritated everyone but me, because Tessa was my best friend and roommate.
It had been sixty-four years since we were roommates back at Boston Union College. We were twenty and studying nursing when we met our future husbands Jeb and Carl. They were brothers who were enrolled in business at the same college as us. During the holidays, the guys ran their own landscaping company in their hometown of Dream Cove. The company did so well during the summer months that the brothers decided to quit school and run it full-time.
Jeb proposed to me in the school cafeteria on his last day of school, while Carl took Tessa on a romantic walk along the harbor front. We both said yes. Six months later we had back-to-back weddings at the small church in Dream Cove overlooking the water, and the rest was history.
We dropped out of nursing school and raised our families. It wasn’t until the kids moved out that we started our own flower shop. Fifteen years later we retired and settled down to enjoy the last of our years with our husbands.
But finishing life together wasn’t in the good Lord’s plans, because we both lost our husbands within a month of each other.
We realized that our houses were too big for us to manage alone, so we sold the ranch as they say, and moved into Clover Field Retirement Home. The name sounded nice but there was no field and no clover to be found anywhere near the home. But it did have a lovely courtyard in the back overlooking the cove, not to mention bingo and karaoke were on the activity list.
But best of all, dogs were allowed. That sealed the deal. Last summer, Tessa, myself, and my ten-year-old pug, Archie, moved in.
“G sixty,” the caller yelled.
Before I could stop Tessa, she yelled, “bingo.”
The men and women in the room moaned as they waited for the caller to check Tessa’s numbers. I didn’t even bother to make a fuss, because I knew he would move on as soon as he realized Tessa had messed up again.
As the caller checked her bingo card, I took the opportunity to look outside. It was a nice sunny day, the rays of light streaming through the pine trees in the distance. We were in the main hall of the building overlooking the front lawn.
The retirement home had been built in the historic section of town. It was a Georgian-inspired home which complimented the surrounding homes and businesses. The owner originally wanted to build a modern structure, but most of the folks in Dream Cove protested. Eventually, he relented and built the cozy place we now called home.
One of my favorite things about the retirement building was the front door. It was a big purple door, flanked on either side by multi-pane windows with wood shutters painted a dark purple to match the door. The builder had added a large back porch that housed many rocking chairs for the residents to enjoy. It was a beautiful place, and I loved it.
“He says I didn’t get bingo. Can you believe it?” Tessa grumbled beside me.
I smiled. “I’m sure you’ll get bingo one of these days.” I glanced out the window again, then turned towards Tessa. “Someone built a snowman. Isn’t that nice?”
Tessa shifted in her chair and looked outside. “This someone doesn’t know how to build one. Look. It’s missing a button,” she pointed at the snowman.
“Maybe the button fell off. As soon as the game is over, why don’t we go outside and find it?” I suggested.
Tessa liked the idea. The caller said the next number, and bingo was called. We waited long enough for the card to be checked. Then we dumped our chips back into the basket before heading for our suite.
When we got to our suite, I bent down and gave Archie a quick pat before heading for my room. I wanted to put on something a little warmer than a dress. It was great for bingo, but button hunting in the cold, well that would require something a little thicker.
“Are you ready yet?” Tessa yelled a few minutes later. “I don’t want to miss out on the trivia game. I missed it last week because of my doctor’s appointment.”
I pulled my knit sweater over my head. “Just have to put on my socks and I’m ready to go,” I yelled through the door. Memories of our college sorority days came flooding back. In those days, getting ready meant an hour of putting on our makeup and doing our hair. Except for a little rouge on my cheeks and a quick brushing, getting ready seemed a breeze nowadays.
“There you are. Was starting to worry that you were getting all dolled up for Mr. Snowman.”
I laughed. “Mr. Snowman is more alive then a lot of the men in this place,” I said as I put on my boots and jacket. “Besides, I only have a heart for Jeb, and he took it to heaven.”
Tessa nodded her head slowly. “Pepper, I miss my Carl, too. I can’t believe it’s been two years since they died. It feels just like yesterday.”
“Same here. But I know Jeb and Carl wouldn’t want us moping like Archie.” Archie was still trying to get used to the place. I could tell he missed Jeb, and his favorite sectional. The new place was too small for the couch, so we had to opt for something smaller, much to Archie’s displeasure. But I liked it, and it smelled a lot nicer than the old one.
When we were ready, we headed for the front entrance. Tessa said goodbye to the bingo caller, a man in his seventies who came once a week to volunteer. He smiled at us both as we exited the building together.
“Where’s Archie?”
Everyone knew Archie. He was always with us on our outings. But I didn’t see the point in bringing him outside just for a few minutes. “I left him in the suite. He’s looking a little tired today. Old age I guess.”
The bingo caller laughed. “I can relate with Archie. Ever since I turned seventy, I think my body has gone on a permanent strike.”
Tessa smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes deepened. “I guess the activities of our youth are catching up to us.” She rubbed her right elbow. “But I wouldn’t trade my years of tennis for anything. I might have pain, but the memories help me smile through it all.”
I had to agree with Tessa. I’d lived a good life, full of fun and laughter. A little pain was a small price to pay for a lifetime of joy. “I guess there won’t be any bingo next week, with Christmas and all.”
The caller nodded. “We start back up the second Monday in January.�
� He pulled out his car keys. “Have a Merry Christmas if I don’t see you before then.”
“Merry Christmas,” we said as we continued to march through the snow toward the snowman.
The snowman was quite large. Much larger than it had appeared in the window. The base circle was at least four feet wide with a smaller snow circle placed just above it. The head was a foot wide and sported a carrot, two black buttons, and a twig mouth. The front of the snowman had two large black buttons with a button missing in between.
I looked down at the bottom of the snowman for the missing button. A light dusting of snow covered the ground. “Do you remember seeing the snowman last night after supper?” I asked.
“It was too dark to see anything,” Tessa said.
“What about this morning?” I’d gone straight to the breakfast room and hadn’t bothered to look outside until just a while ago. I’d taken Archie to the backyard to have his bathroom break, so I didn’t have a chance to see the front lawn. I know there wasn’t a snowman yesterday afternoon when I got back from my walk.
“I saw it this morning,” Tessa said.
That meant someone had made the snowman sometime between supper and breakfast. I wiped away a little bit of snow to look for the black button.
Tessa dug her mittens into the snow. “Christmas decorations are so much nicer in Massachusetts compared to Florida. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Definitely. The snow sure adds to the atmosphere.
Tessa and I grew up in Fort Lauderdale with palm trees and no snow. Well at least it never snowed while we lived there. The only time Fort Lauderdale got snow was in nineteen seven-seven. My relatives still bring it up at Christmas time whenever they call me to wish me a Merry Christmas.
My mind quickly came back to the task at hand. There in front of me was something, but it wasn’t a black button that’s for sure. I lifted the object and showed it to Tessa. “It’s a brooch.”
“Why in the world would someone use a brooch for a snowman’s button?” Tessa asked.
I looked at the brooch again. It was in the shape of a snow crystal with a large pearl in the center and eight tiny pearls leading away to the edges which were encased in gold. “Do you think it’s expensive?”
Tessa shook her head. “Look, you can see a little peeling on the pearls. If they’re fake, the gold probably is too.”
I placed the brooch in my pocket.
“Aren’t you going to put it back on the snowman?” Tessa asked.
“No. I want to see if someone accidently placed their brooch on the snowman instead of a button.” I pointed at the men and women watching us through the front window. “Maybe one of the other residents made the snowman. I bet it was Missy. She’s always messing things up.”
“She does have a terrible memory. Did you eat the cupcakes she made last week?”
“Don’t remind me. I’m still trying to get the taste of baking soda out of my mouth.” Poor Missy used a cup of baking soda instead of a teaspoon. It was a mistake everyone begged her never to make again.
A few minutes later we were back inside the building. We asked around if anyone had made the snowman. No one admitted they did, and no one had seen the maker.
But someone did recognize the brooch. Willa remembered seeing Helen wearing it. Helen had been a member of our church for years, even sang in the choir.
I lowered my head afraid of what this could mean. Had someone stolen it from Helen? Or did she lose it? Either way we weren’t going to be able to find out.
“I guess we can’t ask a dead woman if she lost her brooch,” Tessa said.
Nope. We sure couldn’t.
Chapter 2
I felt bad that I had to leave Archie behind this morning. Nora didn’t have a problem with pets at the beauty salon, but some of her clients had allergies, and I sure didn’t want to cause anyone any discomfort. I had an allergy to perfume that made weddings and funerals a nightmare for me. It was hard to explain to people that I was sneezing all over their gowns because of their perfume. Most of the time, I took an antihistamine whenever I knew I was going to be with a crowd of people. I also took one whenever I went to Nora’s shop. The hairspray and perfume could be brutal on my nose and eyes.
“Merry Christmas Pepper … Tessa,” Nora greeted us as we walked through the front door.
For years Tessa and I had tried to guess Nora’s age. Tessa thought she looked fifty, but I thought she wasn’t a day over forty. Both of us were wrong. Sixty flamingos on the small patch of grass in front of her store confirmed that last summer.
The shop was tiny compared to the big city salons with only two chairs and one sink in the backroom. Nora could have expanded her shop years ago, but decided she had enough work to put food on the table. Which was good enough for her. She usually had an apprentice in the shop from September to June before they moved on to the more lucrative salon on the outskirts of town. It was one of those franchise shops. Not that there was anything wrong with them, but we preferred Nora who knew what we wanted before we did.
“Merry Christmas Nora. How’s the hubby doing?” Her husband had just been diagnosed with diabetes and I knew Nora was worried about him, although she refused to show it.
“He’s seeing a dietician in the new year. I want her to explain to him that beef isn’t a vegetable just because cows eat grass.” Nora’s bright blue eyes widened, and her tiny frame shook with laughter. “How have you ladies been?” Nora asked as she gestured for Tessa to take a seat.
Tessa sat down on the pink leather chair that was shaped like an armchair. She stretched her legs until they landed on the footrest while Nora wrapped the cape around her and clasped the ends together behind her neck.
“Just a little trim,” Nora said, more a statement than a question.
Tessa nodded her head. “I was thinking about growing it long, but I’m too chicken.”
I looked at Tessa’s reflection in the mirror. Where had the years gone? It was just like yesterday that we were bringing our kids in for their first cuts, and here we were getting our grey locks trimmed. “You shouldn’t listen to Lynette. She’s jealous of you,” I scolded Tessa.
Tessa frowned. “I know you’re right. But Lynette’s been on my case since we moved to town. I think she had a crush on Carl. Mad he married me instead of her.”
Lynette was known as the troublemaker at the retirement home. Always complaining about the food or activities. And the pets. Especially the pets. She had tried several times to get a petition started, but only managed to get two signatures, both of which I’m convinced were hers.
“What have you ladies been up to lately?” Nora asked as she pumped the chair up a little.
“Well we found this brooch on a snowman …”
“Actually, it wasn’t on the snowman. We found it on the ground,” Tessa corrected me.
“Right. We found this brooch which Willa says belonged to Helen,” I explained. I told her about the snowman and the mystery of the brooch being used as a button.
“That sounds like a great mystery,” Nora said as she picked up her scissors and started to cut Tessa’s hair. “Since the cruise ship season is over, the town could use a little excitement until the crowds return next year.”
Dream Cove had always been a quiet sleepy town, not more than a couple of hours away from Boston. But when the cruise ships started their New England routes, Dream Cove suddenly became a popular spot for excursions.
A lot of the residents enjoyed the crowds, but I loved it when things settled down and the folksy atmosphere returned, especially at Christmas time. Mainstreet was like a Christmas postcard scene at this time of year, with the huge wreaths hanging from the lampposts, and evergreen arrangements in front of the businesses.
Finding a parking spot, though, was still a challenge, but since I’d moved to the retirement home, I didn’t care anymore. The home was less than a ten-minute walk to the old shopping district. Sure, I had to take the retirement home bus if I wanted to get to
the main shopping center on the outskirts of town, but I preferred the quaint shops to the vanilla ones that everyone raved about with their huge aisles and countless merchandise.
I pulled the brooch out of my pocket and showed it to Nora.
Nora glanced at the brooch before continuing with Tessa’s trim. “I remember that brooch. Helen used to wear it to all the functions. Said it was a gift from one of her kids. I don’t remember which one, she had so many. The last time I saw her wearing it was in August at the church picnic. She was sitting in her wheelchair under the old oak tree telling me about her illness.”
Well at least we had two witnesses that said they recognized the brooch. “Did she ever mention anything about it being stolen?”
Nora shook her head. “No. But I know she was giving a lot of stuff away before she died. She didn’t want her kids to have to take care of it after she was gone. Maybe she gave it to the person who made the snowman?”
I doubted it. If Helen wore the brooch to a lot of functions it meant the brooch was special to her. “Nora, can you give this to one of her daughters?” I knew that she curled with a few of them.
Nora put the scissors down and took the brooch from me. “No problem.” She walked over to the desk in front of Tessa and placed it inside one of the drawers. “The last bonspiel before the new year is this Saturday. Helen’s daughters are on my team. Named ourselves The Reds,” Nora said pointing at her red hair. “One of girls has blonde hair, so she’s wearing a red wig.”
I wished Nora good luck with the bonspiel.
A few minutes later she finished cutting Tessa’s hair and motioned for me to change places with my friend. Before I knew it, I was paying for my haircut and walking out the shop door.
