Christmas with the Franks

by Leena Clover

  We looked carefully but we couldn’t find anyone else.

  “We know the kids and Noah were in the game room. Where is Amanda?”

  Stan frowned when I mentioned Amanda’s name. He looked through his papers again.

  “That’s right. Crystal mentioned Amanda was in the room. But she’s not in the drawing. What do you remember, Meera?”

  “I don’t think she was in the room,” I nodded.

  “Is Crystal lying?” Stan asked. “Why would she lie for Amanda?”

  “Let’s ask the others, Stan.”

  “That’s another action item for you then. We’ll ask everyone who else was in the living room or around them. We need at least two people vouching for everyone’s position.”

  “Don’t you see what this means?” I asked Stan. “We can eliminate all the people who were in the living room.”

  “That is assuming there was only one shot and it was the one that killed the old man.”

  “We heard only one,” I offered. “Are you saying something else could have caused the old man’s death?”

  Stan slumped.

  “No. It was the bullet alright. It was a single bullet.”

  “So we can rule these people out?”

  “Count William Derry too,” Stan reminded me.

  We had forgotten all about him.

  “He drew the picture so he must have been there. Unless he wasn’t and he drew this just to throw us off.”

  “You think he’s capable of that?”

  I tried to remember if William Derry had been sitting in that room, occupying one of the numerous couches but I just wasn’t sure.

  “Maybe some of the other Patels will remember,” Stan said hopefully.

  “Let’s assume he was in the room,” I said. “Who does that leave?”

  “Noah, Ryan, Julie and Amanda,” Stan rattled off, “and maybe Ted Junior.”

  “That narrows it down a bit,” I nodded.

  We went over our reasoning again and arrived at the same conclusion.

  “You know what this means, Meera?”

  I wasn’t feeling too bright so I shook my head.

  “One of the family did it. One of the immediate family.”

  “But why?”

  “That’s what we have to figure out. Once we find the motive, it will be easier to pinpoint the culprit.”

  The Franks were living in the lap of luxury. They seemed to have everything any ordinary human would want. Could one of them have done this heinous act, that too on Christmas?

  “One of them has been naughty this year,” I tried to joke.

  “Could one person have carried this off?” Stan wondered. “Or were they working as a team?”

  “You mean all four of them working together?”

  We discussed this new possibility and agreed that it could have been more than one person.

  “But why?” I cried out.

  Stan looked beat and I had a pounding headache. The overhead lights flickered for a minute, plunging us in darkness.

  Stan swore colorfully and I wasn’t far behind.

  “Don’t tell me…”

  “Looks like we lost power,” Stan sighed. “We are in the dark alright, Meera.”

  Chapter 19

  I rushed out of the door to make sure my grandparents were okay. I didn’t want Pappa tripping over his cane or stumbling against furniture. The living room was dimly lit by some candles. The tapers on the mantel lit a small area around it, and the fire added a golden glow.

  Pappa was muttering something in Gujarati, our native language, and Motee Ba was rubbing his knee. This was exactly what I had been afraid of.

  “Are you hurt, Pappa?”

  Pappa pointed to his knee. His pant had a small tear in it.

  “I’m almost beginning to believe that woman.”

  “Calm down, Mr. Patel,” Motee Ba said sharply. “It’s a small scratch.”

  “Do you remember when I had my last tetanus shot?” he asked her. “Can’t risk an infection at my age, especially with my high blood sugar.”

  “You had one last year,” Motee Ba told him. “And nothing’s going to happen to you.”

  She looked at me and rolled her eyes. I sat down next to them, trying to think of something to distract my grandpa.

  Amanda entered the room carrying an armful of fat candles. Julie followed close behind.

  “We are lighting some candles in the essential areas,” she explained. “We don’t know how long the power will be down, so we need to ration the candles. We’ll have some here and in the kitchen. There’s a couple of candles in a drawer in every bedroom.”

  Julie added that Chamberlain was putting together a set of hurricane lamps that could be carried from room to room.

  “Don’t you have a generator?” Pappa asked.

  “We use it sparingly,” Amanda said. “Only for emergencies…all rooms are not wired for the generator.”

  “What about the kitchen?” Pappa whispered to Motee Ba.

  His main worry is always his next meal.

  “There are candles in the kitchen,” Amanda said. “We might have to help Mrs. Jones or have a cold dinner. She’s already getting jittery.”

  “Can I help?” I asked. “I’m tired of being cooped up in that room all day. I can use a break.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Motee Ba approved. “There’s a lot of us for dinner. Your cook must not be used to doing for so many people.”

  “Not for every meal,” Amanda agreed.

  My Motee Ba has drilled some things into me. Helping in the kitchen when visiting someone is one of them.

  I looked around, wondering where Dad and Tony were.

  “Have you seen Dad?” I asked Motee Ba.

  “There’s a few lanterns in the garage,” Amanda told us. “They can use those to get back home.”

  “You mean they are all still fawning over cars?”

  “Men!” Amanda snorted. “I sent Noah to go get them. It’s getting late. I’d rather have everyone right here in the house.”

  “We need to stick together,” Pappa seconded her.

  Was Amanda genuinely concerned about our welfare or was it all an act?

  Julie grabbed my arm and almost dragged me to the kitchen.

  “We are here to help,” she announced gaily.

  Mrs. Jones grunted, shaking her head from side to side.

  “Good, ‘coz I am getting out of here. Never liked working in the dark. I’m going to get home and lock myself in. You won’t get a peep out of me until it’s daylight.”

  True to her words, she took off her apron, grabbed a coat from a peg and walked out.

  “Wow!” I exclaimed. “She seems temperamental.”

  “All good cooks are,” Julie giggled. “That’s what Chamberlain says anyway.”

  “What do we do now?”

  Julie and I lifted the lids off some of the pots. Tomato soup was bubbling on a stove. There was a roast in the oven. There was a mound of potatoes on the center island. Only half of them were peeled.

  “Our cooking range runs on gas,” Julie supplied. “So we can cook whatever we want. We’ll just have to do it in candlelight.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said, “as long as I have company.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Julie grinned. “There’s a lot I want to talk to you about.”

  I just hoped I could get in a word and ask her a question or two.

  Julie seemed to be in a better mood than yesterday. The younger generation can be quite fickle. At least, my Motee Ba says so. Julie wasn’t that much younger than me of course. A mere 3-4 years separated us. But she seemed childlike to me. She was a bit pampered.

  We decided to make a big chopped salad and fry some potatoes.

  “Make something spicy,” Julie urged. “Like you make at the diner.”

  “We’re making some Indian style potatoes. Are you sure everyone here would like those.”

  “Who cares?” Julie pouted. “
They can take it or leave it.”

  I showed her how to dice the potatoes uniformly. I hunted around in the pantry and found some fresh red chili peppers. I decided to use them to season the potatoes.

  “Tell me about all these cases you solved,” Julie pressed. “Weren’t you afraid?”

  “I didn’t have much of a choice,” I explained. “The first time, I was implicated in a murder. So I had to do something to save myself. Then my best friend’s diner was shut down.”

  I realized I had always had a greater reason to dip my toe in the investigation. Julie had sobered a bit when I mentioned the murder. I was relieved to see her show some emotion. She wasn’t a cold blooded killer after all. At least, I hoped she wasn’t.

  “How’s college life?” I asked, peeling a cucumber.

  Julie was enjoying college more than she had expected to.

  “I was homesick for a while,” she admitted. “I’ve never been away from home, you know. And I was really mad at my mom for making me go away.”

  She told me how ill Mr. Frank had been in the summer. It had been touch and go for a while. He was frail after his illness and somewhat depressed. I wondered if he had befriended Crystal to fill the void Julie’s absence had created.

  “Do you like dorm life?” I asked.

  I had gone to Pioneer Poly, our local university, so I had been a day student. I had remedied that by hanging out with people who lived in the dorms. It is an experience everyone needs to have, in my opinion.

  “What’s wrong with Pioneer Poly?” Julie asked, reading my mind. “Kids from all over the country try hard to get into it.”

  “Did you apply to Pioneer?” I asked.

  “I didn’t get in,” she admitted. “But Grandpa was ready to fix that. He always gives them tons of money. He just had to make a phone call.”

  “Didn’t you make any friends at college?” I asked her.

  It’s hard to get through college without some loyal friends. My brother Jeet was away at Harvard and I hoped he had managed to connect with some kids over there.

  Julie had got along well with her roommate. But then they had both fallen for the same guy. The girl had accused her of being a slut.

  “I didn’t see it coming,” Julie said, tearing up. “One moment we were hanging out, going shopping and stuff, and the next moment she was accusing me.”

  “Do you want to come back home?” I asked.

  Julie looked around and leaned forward.

  “I think Grandpa was working on getting me transferred to Pioneer Poly. He said he had a surprise for me.”

  Apparently, Julie had no idea what her grandpa’s surprise was going to be. I wanted to spell it out for her though.

  “Did you talk to Crystal yet, Julie?”

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, she is. Did you get a chance to hang out with her?”

  “Not really. I got here a couple of days ago.”

  Her eyes teared up.

  “We were supposed to go to the city today. Grandpa was taking us both shopping. He said he had a surprise for his special girls.”

  “I think he was going to put you up in an apartment.”

  “So that he could visit?”

  “I guess so. He also had a roommate for you, I think.”

  Julie was clearly surprised when she heard about Mr. Frank’s plans for Crystal.

  “That would have been fun,” she said sincerely. “But it will never happen now. Grandpa will never come and visit me at college.”

  She wasn’t really worried about what would happen to Crystal. She was more affected by losing her grandpa and how his absence would create a void in her life. I didn’t blame her for that. All said, Crystal was an outsider.

  “You had no idea about all this?” I asked.

  She shook her head.

  “But you would have been okay with it?”

  Julie could give any answer now, of course. She wouldn’t have to see it through. Based on what I had seen of her, I didn’t think she could pretend though.

  “Sure, why not? My own apartment and a readymade friend. Crystal would be so grateful she wouldn’t pick any fights with me.”

  Mr. Frank had been shrewd enough to bank on that. Julie was his kin alright. I started measuring out olive oil to make the salad dressing. The candles cast long shadows across the room. The oven timer dinged, making me jump.

  “Let’s start making the potatoes,” I said with false cheer. “You wanna watch?”

  Julie nodded and moved closer to the stove, standing next to me. Her gaze seemed transfixed on the chilies sizzling in the pan.

  “Mom would never have agreed to it. She hates Crystal.”

  Hate was a strong word. I could imagine any mother reserving her judgment about Crystal.

  “She’s a hypocrite, you know,” Julie said. “She carries on with Uncle Noah as if there’s nothing wrong with it. And then she snubs Crystal because she’s a dancer.”

  I hesitated. I didn’t want to rile Julie up.

  “Are you sure about that, Julie?”

  She gave me a fierce look that said it all. I held my hands up, warding her off.

  “Uncle Noah is so cool, you know. He listens to me go on about school and stuff. He’s a good man. But then he does something like this.”

  Julie took the spatula from my hands and slowly turned the potatoes. I focused on chopping the parsley.

  “I don’t understand people, Meera.”

  Julie looked anguished. I had plenty of practice playing nursemaid to a teen. I nodded and stroked her back, trying to calm her down.

  “Shouldn’t there be some kind of code of conduct? Like Uncle Noah can’t be involved with my mother if he is staying in our house.”

  “Most people follow this code of conduct, Julie. Some don’t. Not much you can do about them.”

  “Our family has a history of divorce,” Julie said with a sob. “Grandma Sophia walked out on Grandpa. Maybe my mother will do the same.”

  Sophia had been the injured party all those years ago. Julie had forgotten that. Were Amanda and Noah planning a future, or were they just having a fling. How did that affect the investigation?

  Amanda walked in just then and we shut up. She started bossing over us and Julie and I meekly followed her orders, rolling our eyes at her back. Ryan came in to help and carried some food out to the dining room.

  Chamberlain appeared with some hurricane lamps. He seemed to sway on his feet. I detected a whiff of brandy around him for the first time.

  “Where have you been, Chamberlain?” Amanda demanded. “Start escorting everyone to the dining room.”

  Pappa was first to the table and he squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what we had served for dinner. Dad and Tony had finally turned up.

  Madam Isadora settled into her chair, grumbling about darkness and bad omens. Amanda asked her to shut up.

  Everyone began to slurp the soup as a scream rent the air.

  Chapter 20

  I pushed back my chair and rushed into the hall. Tony wasn’t far behind.

  Crystal lay sprawled at the foot of the stairs, moaning with pain. None of us had noticed her absence at the dining table.

  I squatted on my knees and helped her up, resting her back against my body.

  “Oh my God, Crystal, are you alright?” Julie screamed, voicing my thoughts.

  A bunch of people had gathered around the poor girl, gaping at her supine form. I looked at Tony and motioned him to lend a hand. Ryan and Tony helped Crystal up and put her arms around their shoulders. They almost carried her into the dining room.

  Motee Ba gently lifted Crystal’s foot and placed it on a chair. The ankle was swelling up rapidly.

  “We need ice,” I declared.

  “Good luck with that,” someone said.

  Amanda crooked a finger at Julie and picked up a lantern. They retreated into the kitchen. They came back with something wrapped in a towel.

  “We are lucky
to have this. The ice will start melting now that power’s out.”

  Ryan sniggered at his mother.

  “Don’t be silly, Mom. Have you looked outside? We have all the ice we need.”

  That produced some nervous laughter from everyone. Henry Robinson cackled loudly and brought her hands together in a clap. Madam Isadora clutched her wrap tightly around her shoulders.

  “It’s happening again,” she said dourly. “This house is doomed. There is evil lurking here.”

  “Shut up, you impostor!” Henry roared. “Enough of your nonsense.”

  Madam Isadora puffed up, about to launch into a tirade.

  “That’s enough, Madam Isadora,” Crystal silenced her. “You can stop your act now.”

  Isadora turned red and sputtered angrily. No one paid any attention to her. We served ourselves, and food trumped every other topic. Crystal picked at her food, quietly listening to the different side conversations that had sprung up around the table. I tried to focus on what people around me were saying. Stan was seated at the other end of the table. Maybe he would remember to listen in over there.

  We hadn’t planned on dessert. No one asked for it. In Indian culture, sweets are generally eaten only on happy occasions. A death in the family is certainly not the time to feast or eat dessert. I didn’t know what the Frank family culture was. The ubiquitous sausage was absent from the meal. No one asked for that either.

  We were beginning to feel the cold as the temperatures dropped. Motee Ba sent me upstairs to get an extra sweater and shawl for Pappa. Then everyone wanted one. We trooped upstairs in a group, Tony, Ryan and Julie following me. I held up a lantern, feeling like the sleuth in some retro detective story.

  “Do you have something for everyone?” Tony asked.

  Tony and I had put on our jackets. Ryan and Julie had raided the closets for an assortment of warm garments. It was barely 9 PM so I wasn’t sure how we would survive the night.

  Crystal was sitting on a couch in the living room when we went in. Dad or Ted Junior must have helped her. I was wrong.

  “Noah and Amanda brought me here,” Crystal spoke up. “They are so nice.”

  Amanda brushed her off.

  “I put your grandpa by the fire,” she told me. “We have lots of firewood. We can keep the fire burning all night.”