Candy Cane Killer

by Kate Bell

  He looked at me quizzically as he entered the kitchen.

  “Where’s that notebook?” I asked.

  “Hold on,” he said and went and got it from the living room.

  “Mama, can you tell us how many of the names in this book are local women? I know some of them, but not all of them,” I said, sitting at the kitchen table.

  Mama sat next to me and Alec sat across from me and I opened the notebook.

  “Oh, looks like an address book,” she said. Her reading glasses hung from a chain around her neck and she put them on. “Oh, Naomi Appleby. She’s the checker at the Piggly Wiggly. Well, she used to be. She passed away last summer. I heard it was a heart attack.”

  “Oh, that’s sad,” I said. “How about Hattie Atkins?”

  “Oh, Hattie runs bingo down at the Catholic church on Saturday nights,” she said. “She’s a nice lady.”

  “So, still alive?” I asked.

  “Yes, quite,” she said. “And Natalie Baker is still alive, too. She used to work as a secretary at the used car lot that was down on First Avenue. You remember her, don’t you?”

  I nodded, although I really didn’t. It was amazing how you could forget so much of the town that you grew up in when you didn’t visit often.

  Alec was making notes in his own notebook as we talked. I wondered what he was thinking. We were going over an elderly man’s little black book that was probably nothing more than an address book. It didn’t seem useful.

  “Oh, there’s Janice Cates. That’s an evil one, if you ask me,” Mama said, nodding her head. “I wouldn’t put it past her to kill Tom. She has a temper that one does.”

  “Oh? Evil in what way?” I asked.

  “She double charged me for my bananas at the Piggly Wiggly one time. I told her I wasn’t going to let her do that, and she had the audacity to argue with me,” she said, looking at me very seriously.

  I sighed and glanced at Alec, who had stopped writing to look at her. I could tell by the incredulous look on his face that he was having trouble believing what she was saying.

  “Mama, stop it. That doesn’t make someone evil and you know it,” I said. “Let’s move on.”

  “No, that just shows she was mean. And she was. But what made her evil is that Rita Smith’s daughter, Hayley Sue, used to work at the Piggly Wiggly with Janice and Janice didn’t like Hayley Sue on account of Rita not liking Janice. So she always gave Hayley Sue a hard time. She was the newest cashier, and it was her first job. Well, Hayley Sue had just gotten married and a few months later she was pregnant, but her husband got laid off at the lumber yard because the price of houses had fallen and they were depending on Hayley Sue’s wages at the Piggly Wiggly.”

  “Mama, is there a point to this story?” I asked. I was worried she was just going to keep talking without getting there.

  “Well, of course! She never was a patient child you know, Alec,” she said, looking at him.

  “Oh, you don’t have to tell me that. I understand completely,” he said, giving me the eye.

  I stuck my tongue out at him. I could be patient. Sometimes. I just chose not to be. Most of the time.

  “As I was saying, before I was interrupted,” Mama continued, nodding at me. “Janice told the manager that Hayley Sue was stealing money from her cash drawer. So the manager went and surprise counted Hayley Sue’s cash drawer, and it was short one hundred dollars.” Mama had a smug look on her face as if she had just proven her point, but I couldn’t see it.

  “I don’t understand. If Hayley Sue’s cash drawer was short, then why is that Janice being evil?” I asked.

  “Because Hayley Sue was newly pregnant and having morning sickness all day long. That day, Hayley Sue got real sick and had to rush to the bathroom, but she had a line of customers. Janice was passing by, just coming back off her lunch hour and Hayley Sue asked Janice to take over her drawer for a minute, which she did. And then she went and told the manager and the money was missing.”

  I looked at Alec.

  “Yes, but, that doesn’t really prove anything. What if Hayley Sue just made an honest mistake and miscounted? You know, because she wasn’t feeling well?” he asked.

  “I guess that could be, but how did Janice know to tell the manager?” Mama pointed out.

  She did have a point there. “How do you know she was the one that told the manager?” I asked.

  “She bragged about it. She said she had seen Hayley Sue pocket the money, but anyone that knows Hayley Sue, knows it isn’t true. She’s the sweetest girl you ever met.”

  “Did you see Janice over at Tom’s?” Alec asked.

  Mama nodded solemnly. “Yes. Lots. She brought him dinner at least every other week. And I heard them arguing sometimes. Once, she was screaming at him that he didn’t appreciate her and he’d be sorry, and slammed his screen door so hard I thought it would come off the hinges. She pulled away from the curb so fast, she left black skid marks in the street.”

  I tilted my head, looking at Alec as he scribbled in his notebook. “When was the last time you saw Janice over at Tom’s?” he asked without looking up.

  “Oh, I’d say it’s been a couple of weeks. I don’t know, but I thought they might have gotten in an argument again, because she skipped bringing him dinner last Wednesday,” she said.

  “Who do you know, besides me, that bakes gingerbread men? I know it’s Christmas and it could be anyone, but, is there someone that stands out to you?” I asked her.

  “Yes, Charlotte Moody.”

  “I remember her. She was my friend Tammy’s aunt,” I said. I remembered Charlotte being a quiet woman of few words. I had wondered if she was all there mentally when I was a kid. Something about her made me think something was wrong with her, but I liked her just the same. She always smiled when she saw me and since she didn’t talk much, she never required much out of me.

  I sat back and watched as Mama flipped through the notebook and Alec took notes of the interesting ones. I was beginning to wonder if anything she said would lead us to the killer, or if these were just small town stories being passed on. Someone had done the deed, and we needed to know who. I just wasn’t sure we were going to find out.

  --11--

  Alec and I had decided on dinner out. My sister was coming to visit in the morning, and I knew things would get hectic, so I wanted some alone time with Alec. We were at The Pitt. The Pitt was a barbecue place that featured the most tender brisket and steaks you could imagine. Not to mention beef ribs that fell off the bone. You could smell the smoking oak wood for a couple of miles around. It was one of my favorite places to eat when I came home to visit.

  “So, what do you recommend?” Alec asked, looking over the menu.

  “Mmm, anything. Everything is good here. But if you like to get messy, the ribs can’t be beat,” I said.

  It was after six o’clock in the evening and the place was filling up fast. The room was warm and felt good after being outside in the chilly air. The ambiance of The Pitt was warm and homey. Each booth and table was covered in a red and white check tablecloth and cold drinks were served in Mason jars.

  “I think I’m going to have to go with those ribs,” Alec said after looking over the menu a few more minutes. “Now what about sides?”

  “Well, you have to go with the coleslaw. It’s famous all over the county. And the beans are wonderful, too. I’m going to have a side salad with ranch along with the beans, and I think the brisket.”

  The waitress came and set a basket of sliced garlic toast on the table and took our orders. “I’ll be right back,” she said with a smile and was gone.

  “Well, look who’s here,” Alec said, looking over my head.

  I turned and looked behind me. Elmer Jones. It took all I had not to curl my lip in disgust. I turned back to Alec. “Maybe he won’t see us.”

  “I don’t think we’re in luck there,” he said.

  Elmer was beside our table lightening quick.

  “Hey, Allie,
how you doing?” he said, ignoring Alec.

  “I’m wonderful, Elmer. You’ve met my boyfriend, Alec, haven’t you?” I said. I couldn’t help myself. Nobody ignores Alec and gets away with it on my watch.

  The smile left Elmer’s face, but he didn’t look at Alec. “Yeah, I met him. Say, Allie, you should get back here to visit more often. I mean, with your husband gone and all, there’s no reason not to visit more regularly.”

  I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He had better watch how he brings Thaddeus up, or he could end up with some part of his body broken. He didn’t want to make this redhead mad.

  “Yes, well, I do have a life back in Maine,” I said.

  “Your mama’s gettin’ older now. I’m sure she could use your help and it would do her good to see you more often,” he said, trying to sound helpful.

  I could see Alec smirk out of the corner of my eye. “Are you doing social work now, Elmer? I can take care of my mama just fine, thank you.”

  “Oh, I don’t mean to pry or nothin’,” he said. “I just thought about how nice it would be to see you more, is all.”

  “Well, we’ll certainly consider coming out here more often,” Alec said, butting in.

  It was my turn to smirk as Elmer slowly turned toward Alec.

  “Well now, that would be nice to see you, too. I’m sure you Northerner’s know how to investigate real good, don’t you?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

  “Now, Elmer, let’s not turn this into a Northerners against Southerners thing. That war was fought long ago,” I said, trying not to giggle.

  “And as I recall, it didn’t turn out so well for you all. Excuse me, y’all,” Alec said. He kept a straight face and everything when he said it. I was proud of him.

  Elmer’s face turned dark red and for a minute I thought he was going to blow.

  “We have no problems investigating our own murders around here,” Elmer said through gritted teeth.

  “I’m sure you don’t,” Alec conceded. “John McGinty certainly seems more than competent.”

  Elmer stood up straighter at the mention of John’s name and I wondered if there was some tension between the two of them. I made a mental note to ask John about it.

  “John McGinty? He doesn’t understand investigating. He’s okay, I mean,” Elmer said, catching himself. “It’s just that he’s a little too laid back. You need to be on top of things to get anything done.” He swayed a little bit when he said it and I wondered if he had perhaps been drinking a little this evening.

  “I find being methodical more important than being aggressive. But then, I’ve only been a detective for around twenty-three years or so,” Alec said.

  I raised one eyebrow at him. He was feeling his oats tonight, for sure and I wondered what had transpired between the two of them the day of Tom’s murder.

  Elmer narrowed his eyes at Alec, but turned to me. “I guess I ought to leave you two to your meal. Ann Marie Cason is over there in the corner, waiting on me. You remember Ann Marie Cason, don’t you, Allie?” he grinned at me, waiting for my reply.

  It was my turn to grit my teeth. Ann Marie Cason and I had been rivals in high school. Actually, we weren’t even rivals. She couldn’t stand me and every time I got a new boyfriend which wasn’t that often, but often enough, she would try to get him to go out with her. It worked a couple of times, so she wasn’t my favorite person in the world. Back then, I had spent many a night crying myself to sleep over the boyfriend she had stolen away. Mama would try to make me feel better by saying she was one of those loose girls and I was better than that. But all I wanted was to be with whatever former boyfriend she had stolen.

  “Oh? Is she still in town? Well, I guess if you never make it to college, you don’t have much choice but to stay in Goose Bay, do you?” I said with a smile.

  The grin left Elmer’s face. “She done all right. We both did. I’ll talk to you later,” he said and spun around, almost lost his balance and pin wheeled his arms to stay on his feet, and then headed back toward the corner table.

  I couldn’t see that table from where I sat, but I wanted to. I wanted Ann Marie Cason to either be fat and looking old beyond her years or skinny and toothless. Either way, her blond hair had to be gray by now and she had been a smoker in high school, and I hoped she had aged poorly. I knew I would feel badly later for thinking such mean thoughts, but for right now, I was feeling justified. I picked up a piece of garlic toast and bit into it.

  “Who’s Ann Marie Cason?” Alec asked, reaching for his Mason jar of Cherry Coke.

  I sighed and tore into the bread again without having swallowed the first bite. “Boyfriend stealer,” I said around the wad of bread in my mouth.

  “Really? And did she steal Elmer away from you?” he asked, amused.

  I swallowed. “No, she did not. But she did steal some others. The little tramp. I’d like to get a look at her,” I said, leaning to the left and trying to see back to the table Elmer had indicated.

  Alec chuckled.

  “I’m glad you think this is funny,” I said.

  “Tell, me. How did you end up dating someone named Elmer in the first place?”

  I sighed. “Well, back then, he had a little more hair and a little less belly. And he was on the football team. Football is important in a small town. It was every girl’s dream to date someone on the football team.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, the things we did back then. Makes you wonder how we ever made it in the real world, doesn’t it?”

  I smiled. “It sure does. I bet you have some date skeletons in your closet, don’t you?” I asked.

  “Maybe. But you’ll never know,” he answered.

  “When do I get to meet your family? I bet if we go visit your hometown, I’ll get to see some of those skeletons.”

  He shrugged. “I guess once I’m officially retired, we could make the trip. But we won’t be hanging out in any place one of my ex’s will show up, I assure you.”

  “That’s just wrong,” I said, shaking my head. “You’ve seen the worst I have to offer, and I want to see yours.”

  Our food came before we could continue the exes discussion and we dug in. Elmer walked by with Ann Marie and thankfully they didn’t stop by to say hello. I’m sad to report that Ann Marie looked like she had hardly aged since high school and had that same knock out body the boys went for back then. Call me small. I don’t care. She was a mean boyfriend stealer.

  --12--

  “I highly suspect Mrs. Anne Beale,” I said to Alec as we pulled up to her house. “It’s a given.”

  “Oh? And why is that? Don’t tell me. She has a temper?” he asked, turning the minivan off.

  “I have no idea if she does or not,” I said. “But she’s the quiet, mousy type. It’s always them. And she cheated for her daughter during the summer reading programs at the library.”

  “Me thinks someone sounds bitter,” he said, and got out of the van.

  I got out and hurried over to his side of the van so I could hiss, “No one, and I mean, no one was as fast a reader as I was in the sixth grade. You mark my words.”

  He chuckled. “You need to tone down that competitive nature a little,” he said, giving me a quick kiss, and then took my hand as we headed toward the front door.

  Mrs. Beale lived in a cute pink gingerbread house. The pink was light and sweet and somehow managed to fit the house perfectly. White gingerbread trim set off the front of the house and there were white wooden planters under the windows. She had put fabric poinsettias in the planters for the Christmas season and white twinkle lights encircled the windows and planters. It was very small-town cute.

  Alec knocked on the door and we waited. A dog in the backyard yapped at the sound of his knocking. Alec put his hand up to knock again when the door slowly opened. Mrs. Beale peeked out from behind the gold chain that kept the door from swinging all the way open.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  Alec smiled to show he was friendl
y. “Mrs. Beale, we met several days ago over at Tom Turner’s house. I’m detective Blanchard, and of course you remember Allie.”

  Mrs. Beale turned her head to look in my direction and then closed the door. We heard the chain being pulled back, and the door opened again.

  “Good afternoon,” she said, smoothing down her skirt.

  “Good afternoon,” Alec said. “May we come in and speak with you? We won’t be long.”

  “Yes, of course,” she said and led us to the living room. The room had beige carpet, beige sofas, and a beige ottoman. I had expected a flower explosion, considering the cute façade of the house. There were no Christmas decorations other than a small Christmas tree that sat on an end table in the corner, decorated in silver and red. It looked kind of lonely all by itself.

  “Can I get y’all some tea?” she asked after offering us seats.

  “That would be wonderful,” I said before Alec could answer. I liked being able to stay in someone’s house for more than a few minutes. It gave me a better sense of them. Tea would give us a little extra time.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said, and left the room.

  “It’s a cute house,” I whispered.

  “We could paint your house pink,” he answered.

  I smiled, trying to imagine my neighbor’s reaction to a pink house. I was pretty sure I would get a visit or two with some pointed questions asked.

  Mrs. Beal had very little décor in her living room. A couple of family photos hung on one wall, and one seascape on another. I got up to look at the photos. One was a picture of her daughter Sadie when she won the reading contest in the sixth grade. In the picture, Sadie held up a twelve-inch gold tone plastic trophy, complete with loving cup on the top. Sadie smiled for all she was worth, her pigtails tied in orange yarn. She wore a denim jumper and blue Keds shoes. I silently snorted. The cheater.

  The other photo was one of Mr. and Mrs. Beale on their wedding day. She wore a long white gown that had lace all over. The picture was black and white and Mrs. Beale beamed behind a long veil. She had been very pretty when she was young. She was actually still pretty and I could see why Tom had an interest in her.