Christmas with the Franks

by Leena Clover

  “I’m okay, I guess. I am counting on you to keep an eye on Pappa and Motee Ba.”

  “Granny’s alright,” he said. “She’s chatting with Sophia and that tarot card woman but she’s got her eyes wide open. You don’t need to worry about her.”

  “Have you thought about this thing?” I asked.

  Neither of us had voiced our thoughts yet but Tony’s smart. I was sure he had come to the same conclusion Stan and I had.

  “One of them did it, Meera,” he whispered. “One of these people is a killer.”

  “Hard to imagine, huh?” I whispered back.

  “You need to watch your back,” Tony warned me. “Why don’t you let Stan do most of the talking? You don’t want these people to feel threatened by you.”

  When I had managed to solve some mysteries earlier that year, it had all been done casually. I had gone around talking to people in town. Most of the questions had been about the victim. I had never been involved in directly questioning anyone.

  “I’m not saying much,” I assured him. “We haven’t even talked to everyone yet.”

  Stan walked up to us.

  “You ready to start again, Meera?”

  “You are not putting her in any danger, are you?” Tony asked Stan. “You need to take care of her in there.”

  “She doesn’t have to sit in on the interviews,” Stan said reluctantly.

  Stan has been known to browbeat me into doing stuff for him. Tony was just looking out for me. Dad joined us and I groaned. I was sure he was going to side with Tony on this one.

  “Of course she doesn’t,” Dad spat out. “She doesn’t work for the police. Why should she put herself in harm’s way?”

  “I’m doing this voluntarily, Dad,” I stressed. “Ted Junior asked me to help.”

  “Of course he asked you to help,” Dad cried. “That’s no skin off his back. I don’t know what’s wrong with my family. First you go around tracking murderers. And Pappa’s friends are getting killed.”

  He was referring to the time when another one of Pappa’s friends had been murdered.

  “Calm down, Uncle Andy,” Tony said, placing a hand on Dad’s back. “Meera will be fine. She’ll be solving this soon with that sharp mind of hers.”

  “I just want to get out of here,” Dad said grimly.

  He turned to Stan.

  “What are you doing about that? You already talked to all of us Patels. And you know where to find us. When can we go home?”

  “I’m not holding you here,” Stan said.

  “What?” Dad asked. “And you’re telling me now?”

  He turned toward me and grabbed my arm.

  “Go get your grandma. I’ll get Pappa. We are leaving right now.”

  “The roads…” I started.

  “I don’t care,” Dad burst out. “We have a big car. We’ll muddle through somehow.”

  “I wouldn’t advise that, Mr. Patel,” Stan warned. “You have two senior citizens with you. You don’t want to get stuck in the snow. It will be really hard to get a tow truck to pull you out.”

  Dad sighed in frustration.

  “We will have backup as soon as the roads are clear,” Stan said. “Why don’t you try to relax?”

  “How about a game of chess, Uncle Andy?” Tony suggested.

  “Chess always calms you down, Dad,” I said.

  “Don’t try to patronize me,” he growled.

  He turned around reluctantly and followed Tony to a nook where a chess board was set up on a small table. Two club chairs flanked it. There was a game in progress on the board. But old Mr. Frank had made his last move.

  Chapter 13

  We walked into Ted Junior’s office, ready to tackle the next round of interviews.

  “What’s this?” I exclaimed.

  Chorizo sat on the desk, bang on top of Stan’s papers.

  “Hey Kitty, how did you get in here?”

  I stroked the orange fur and the cat purred, looking at me with her sparkling green eyes.

  “Didn’t we close the door on the way out?” Stan asked. “How did she get in here?”

  “Are you sure you shut the door, Stan? She could have squeezed in through a tiny gap.”

  “I pulled the handle while going out and shut it myself,” Stan said.

  “It wasn’t locked though,” I reminded him. “Someone must have come in here and left it open.”

  We spent some time trying to get Chorizo to jump off the desk. She wouldn’t budge. Stan reluctantly agreed to let her stay.

  “Who are we talking to next, Stan?”

  “Sophia. She is the only family member we haven’t talked to.”

  Sophia Frank walked in a few minutes later. She was wearing a designer suit in a light peach color, with a bright geometric print scarf around her neck. Sylvia was clearly not grieving over her dead husband.

  She took us to task as soon as she settled into her chair.

  “What steps are you taking to control crime in this town?” she asked Stan. “One of your top residents has been killed. Theodore Frank was a champion of industry. Hundreds of people in the area are thriving because of him. And this great man was struck down in his own home. Clearly, the police have failed in maintaining law and order.”

  Stan ogled the woman, struck speechless by her tirade. I tried to suppress a giggle. Sophia turned to me next.

  “Who are you? I suppose you were here trying to sponge off Theodore? Just like that other girl out there.”

  I presumed she was talking about Crystal. There wasn’t an ounce of similarity between us, certainly not by appearance. Did Sophia really think I was some kind of scheming gold digger?

  “My Pappa was old Mr. Frank’s friend,” I told her. “He invited us for Christmas dinner.”

  “Never heard of him,” Sophia dismissed.

  “You don’t live here, do you?” I asked.

  That shut her up for a second.

  “What are you doing to protect the people in this house?” she turned to Stan again.

  “I’m the only police officer here at this time,” Stan told her. “I am trying to find out who harmed Mr. Frank. Shall we move on?”

  Stan can be quite intimidating when he wants to be. He was no match for Sophia Frank. She launched into another tirade about inefficient law enforcement and the lack of orderliness in Swan Creek.

  “That blasted cat!” she suddenly exclaimed, leveling her gaze on Chorizo. “Take it out right now.”

  I called Julie and she picked up Chorizo in her arms. She stroked the cat and kissed her grandma. That calmed the old woman down a bit.

  “Shall we get on?” Stan asked after Julie had shut the door behind her.

  Sophia nodded. She had apparently decided to clam up now.

  “Where do you live, Mrs. Frank?” Stan began. “Is that still your name?”

  “Of course,” she nodded. “Mrs. Frank will do.”

  So either Sophia had never divorced the old man, or she had kept his name.

  “I don’t live here,” she continued. “I am just visiting.”

  “Any particular reason for your visit?”

  “A mother doesn’t need a reason to visit her kids, does she? I missed them so I came for a visit. It’s only natural.”

  “Based on the information we have, you never visit Swan Creek during Christmas.”

  “Is there some kind of law against that?” she asked brazenly.

  “No, there isn’t,” Stan agreed. “So there was no other reason for your visit?”

  Sophia was silent.

  “We heard something about a cruise,” I spoke up.

  Sophia pursed her lips.

  “I have never missed my annual cruise,” she burst out. “Not once. But you need to book it on time if you want the luxury suites. Can you imagine having a cabin on the lower decks?”

  She trembled with the thought.

  “What happened to this cruise?” Stan asked.

  “Some idiot in the office forgot
to book it for me,” Sophia spat. “I wanted to set things straight.”

  “You could have done that on the phone.”

  “I could have. But I wanted to see to it in person.”

  “Does that mean you wanted to confront your husband about it?”

  “We had an agreement. He takes care of my needs, pays my bills. I stay away.”

  “Has this happened before?” Stan was curious. “Has your husband or his staff neglected to pay your, err, expenses any time in the past?”

  “Never,” Sophia agreed. “It’s like clockwork. Theodore never said a word about how much I spent or where I spent it. There were times when I acted out, shopped a bit too much. But he always paid up.”

  Sophia sounded wistful. I wondered if she had tried to get the older man’s attention via her shenanigans. Apparently, it had made no difference.

  “What were your plans, Mrs. Frank? Did you intend to fight with your husband when you came here?”

  “I wasn’t going to harm him, if that’s what you are getting at.” Sophia hesitated. “I may not live here, but I hear things, you know. There was some talk about the business being in trouble.”

  “And you thought the money would stop?” Stan probed.

  “I was worried alright. Frank Foods is the present and the future of my family. I wanted to know what the real situation was.”

  “Did you find out?” I asked.

  “There are some problems,” Sophia conceded. “But we won’t be starving anytime soon. Frank Foods is the top manufacturer of sausage in the country, you know. But Theodore had been running it his way for far too long. It’s a new Millennium. Times are changing. He needed to fall in line.”

  “And you planned to tell him that yourself?”

  Sophia shook her head at Stan.

  “I have never interfered with the business. I didn’t plan on starting now. I just wanted to find out how bad the situation was.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “I talked to my husband, of course.”

  A blush stole over her.

  “He knew how important the cruise was for me. He made sure his staff didn’t book it on time.”

  “He did that on purpose?”

  The old man was wily alright.

  Sophia paused for a minute and nodded. “He thought I might come here to pick a fight.”

  “And you did exactly what he predicted.” I smiled at her. “He wanted you here for Christmas, didn’t he?”

  Sophia looked bewildered.

  “I walked out on my husband a long time ago. I was young and I felt I couldn’t live with his deception. I guess you know about Noah?”

  We both nodded.

  “Neither of us knew about Noah at that time. It was enough that he strayed. I felt betrayed.”

  “How does that matter in the present context?” Stan smirked. “Why don’t we focus on what happened yesterday?”

  “That’s what I am trying to tell you,” Sophia explained. “Time dulls a lot of wounds, Officer. You may be too young to realize that. I have had my own life all these years. I have friends. I do a lot of fun things. But I am all alone in my room at the end of the day.”

  “You started missing your family,” I guessed.

  “I have been yearning for them the past few years. And I missed Theodore. I thought maybe I had been too hasty in condemning him.”

  “Why didn’t you come back?” I asked.

  “Pride! I wished someone would say they wanted me. My grandkids grew up without me. I suppose they never imagined I would want them now. I was waiting for some kind of sign.”

  “And you got that sign when Mr. Frank forgot to book your cruise.”

  “You’re smart,” Sophia nodded at me. “I am sick of going on that cruise – I have done it dozens of times. When I found out the office hadn’t booked my tickets, I grabbed the opportunity. I wanted to talk to Theodore face to face.”

  “You were ready to reveal your feelings?”

  “I was ready to grovel if need be,” Sophia admitted, a faraway look in her eyes. “But it wasn’t necessary.”

  A tear popped up in her eye and rolled down her cheek.

  “Did you talk to Mr. Frank?” Stan demanded. “Face to face?”

  “I followed him into his study. He was sitting at his desk in his lord of the manor pose. We talked.”

  “Did you get into a fight?”

  “One look at him and I knew. We didn’t have to say much. He hoped I would stick around. We agreed to meet in his study later after the guests left.”

  Sophia’s anguish was evident on her face.

  “If only I hadn’t left him alone then…”

  “What time was this?” Stan asked, picking up his pencil from the table.

  “Some time after dinner, but before 9 PM.”

  “Was it before or after Madam Isadora began telling fortunes?” I asked.

  “Before that,” Sophia said.

  I remembered I needed to talk to Pappa. Where had he been when Sophia talked to the old man?

  “How do we know you are telling the truth?” Stan asked. “Maybe you had a fight and shot the old man. You finally had your revenge.”

  “I got back to the living room,” Sophia reminded him. “That’s where I was when we heard the shot.”

  Stan changed tracks a bit.

  “Do you know who inherits your husband’s wealth?”

  “Junior and his wife, of course!”

  “What about Noah?”

  “Noah knows his place. Theodore made sure he was taken care of for the rest of his life. That was good enough for Noah. Anyway, from what I hear, he hardly has a head for business. Spends his days fishing at the lake.”

  “Say Mr. Frank wanted to change his will,” Stan offered. “Would he tell you about that?”

  “Normally he wouldn’t have,” Sophia told us. “But after last night, I can’t say for sure.”

  “Could you have been mistaken?” I asked. “Maybe he wasn’t thinking of reconciliation. Maybe he wanted to tell you about a new will.”

  Sophia looked disappointed.

  “We’ll never know now.”

  “Have you met the girl called Crystal?” Stan asked.

  “You mean that young, attractive blonde girl? What about her?”

  “What was her relationship with Mr. Frank?”

  “She was his guest. That’s all I know. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her since yesterday.”

  “You don’t think Mr. Frank was involved with her?”

  Sophia threw back her head and laughed.

  “Have you seen that girl? She’s Julie’s age. Even Theodore wouldn’t do something that crazy.”

  “Here’s a theory,” Stan boomed. “You came here with the intention of reuniting with your husband. You saw him cuddling with a young slip of a girl. You lost your head. You went to your husband and gave him a piece of your mind. But that wasn’t enough. You grabbed his gun and shot him.”

  Stan leaned back and gloated at us. Sophia’s eyes widened with shock. I felt like throwing something at Stan’s head. He’s come a long way this past year but every now and then, he slips and starts acting like a douche bag.

  “You’re crazy!” Sophia cried. “You have it all wrong. Didn’t I just tell you where I was when the shot was fired?”

  Stan seemed to remember that and his face crumpled.

  “Can you think of someone who might want to harm your husband?”

  Sophia shook her head. Her face had turned ashen and she was beginning to look exhausted. I stood and helped her out of her chair.

  “That’s enough for now, Stan,” I hinted.

  “Thank you for your help, Mrs. Frank,” he told her.

  Chamberlain was hovering outside the door as I suspected. Sophia clutched his arm and he escorted her back through the hall.

  Had someone wanted to thwart Sophia’s reunion with her husband?

  Chapter 14

  “Do you believe her?” Stan a
sked after I had shut the door.

  “You mean the part about her getting back together with her husband?”

  Sophia Frank had a commanding presence. She had no soft edges. Admitting to being wrong about something must have been a big thing for her. I could see her ordering people about or being high-handed about her position. But she wouldn’t own up to a mistake on purpose.

  “Can love last that long?”

  Stan looked sad in that moment. He had lost the girl he was dating a year ago. Prudence Walker had been my nemesis and Stan had been deeply in love with her. Prudence had been cheating on him though. Stan had faced a double dose of grief. I wonder what he remembered more now, the good things about Prudence or the fact that she had deceived him.

  Anyone in Stan’s position would be questioning the existence of love.

  “Maybe companionship matters more at their age. They don’t want to die alone.”

  “Too little too late for the old man,” Stan remarked.

  “She wasn’t lying about one thing. She was in the living room when the shot rang out.”

  Sophia’s presence amongst the rest of us vindicated her in my opinion.

  “Who shall we talk to next?” Stan sighed.

  He was beginning to look a bit worse for wear. I wanted a break too.

  “Do you think we should stop for lunch?”

  Stan Miller has never missed a meal in his life. A look of panic flared in his eyes.

  “You don’t think they will eat without us?”

  “Motee Ba will come get me.”

  Even as a guest in someone’s house, and given the odd circumstances, I knew my grandma would never forget to feed me.

  Our longing for food was forgotten as the door burst open. I saw a wall of purple as Madam Isadora blocked the door, one hand on her hip, her eyes breathing fire. She was wearing another purple outfit of some kind. Her turban today seemed to tower a few inches more. She trained her flame colored eyes on Stan and willed him to speak.

  “How can I help you?” Stan croaked, a bit taken aback.

  It takes a lot to ruffle Stan. Madam Isadora had managed it quite easily.

  “I need to get out of here. When can you arrange some transport?”

  “I am a police officer,” Stan protested. “It’s not my job to arrange transport for anyone.”