Connie looked at Jo and Gianna and they both shrugged. She went over to stand near Damian while he told the crowd about Just Jewelry and the store’s Fair Trade section, encouraging them to stop by to do some Christmas shopping. Then he invited Connie to explain about the chicken coop project in Kenya, which she happily did.
After Connie’s explanation, Damian announced that he had purchased a pair of candy cane earrings for the cast and crew of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and invited Connie to hand them out, while her mother, sister, and friends assisted her. Everyone was delighted at Damian’s gesture. Those not involved in the play promised to visit the store and support the fundraiser.
Damian continued, “I purchased enough for the entire cast, even the men. Gentlemen, please give yours to someone special. You can even tell your sweetheart that you bought it for her as Christmas present. I promise I won’t tell. Except you, Stevie. You’re too young to have a sweetheart.”
When they finished distributing the earrings. Jo squeezed Connie’s shoulder. “It seems my sister’s fundraising efforts have continued even beyond her death.”
Connie smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.”
After Damian’s introduction, the women suddenly became popular. They mingled and met various people, who talked of their love for Concetta and promised to stop by Just Jewelry. Soon it was getting late, and the women decided it was time to go home. Between work and the play, Connie would have a long day tomorrow, and she was certain that Hannah and Noah would wake her sister up early, as well.
So, finally around midnight, they left.
***
Connie’s alarm went off on Friday morning mere seconds after her head hit the pillow. Or at least it felt that way. After kicking off the sheets and dragging herself out of bed, Connie made breakfast, took Ginger for a quick walk along the boulevard, then headed into the store to get ready for a busy day. Fortunately, Gianna was occupying the twins, so she was able to make a quick getaway.
The first thing Connie noticed when she arrived at the shop was a basket on the table filled with candy cane earrings. Abby and the jewelry-making group had come through!
Connie counted fifty pairs, which did more for her energy level than her morning coffee had done. After Damian’s purchase of twenty-five, and the others that had already been made, Connie calculated that they had about a hundred more to make. There was light at the end of the tunnel.
Connie had insisted that Grace take the day off, since she had a longer-than-usual day on Wednesday, the day Connie’s family arrived. Abby would be there at 4:00 so that both Connie and Grace could attend the opening of the play.
The day passed quickly, and before Connie knew it, Abby had arrived.
“I hope I’m not working you too hard,” Connie said. She hadn’t intended on having Abby work the store alone when she hired her, but she proved herself more than capable. Besides, Abby would be going home for Christmas break a week from Monday, so Connie wanted to take advantage of her availability while she could.
“Are you kidding? I love it here, and I’m a poor student who needs the money. Especially at Christmastime.”
Connie laughed. “Well, you certainly have been a lifesaver.”
She spent a half hour with Abby before heading home to get ready for the play.
The women once again met in the lobby of Palm Paradise so they could arrive at the playhouse together. Connie couldn’t wait to see the play. It was not only one of Concetta’s favorites, but it was one of Connie’s, as well.
They arrived at the theatre with plenty of time to spare. Connie handed their tickets to a friendly usher with short dark hair sprayed firmly into place, who was wearing a pair of Connie’s candy cane earrings. She sported a hunter green blazer that was embroidered with the Sapphire Beach Playhouse logo and held a black flashlight at her side with one hand while she examined the tickets with the other.
“You have fantastic seats,” the woman said.
“We are so grateful,” Connie said. “The play is being done in honor of my Aunt Concetta, who was Chair of the Board of Directors before she passed away.” Connie introduced the others in her group.
The woman put her hand on her heart. “I am so happy to meet you. My name is Dottie McKenzie. I have volunteered as an usher for years, and Concetta was the most down-to-earth person in this whole place. She was my favorite celebrity, except for Damian Pritchard, of course.”
Dottie went on to gush over Damian until Connie finally managed to change the subject by commenting on the woman’s earrings. “You look familiar,” Connie said. “You must have bought your earrings in my shop, Just Jewelry. Perhaps we met when you purchased it.”
“Ah, yes,” Dottie said. “The display in the window with the sign about the chicken coop project caught my attention. I bought one for myself and a few for the girls. That’s what I call my close friends. We always meet for dinner around Christmastime to exchange gifts, and these will be perfect. They will love both the earrings and the fact that they are for a good cause.”
Connie thanked Dottie for her patronage, and the women slid into their front-row seats.
While they were waiting for the show to begin, Grace called their attention to a two-page spread in the beginning of the program, which had a picture of Concetta, along with a beautiful tribute highlighting both her career as actress and her contributions to the playhouse. A feeling of nostalgia came over Connie as she looked at her aunt’s picture.
While they waited for the play to begin, the women chatted about the things they would do over the next couple of weeks. Connie was so wrapped up in their conversation that she didn’t realize it was 7:05 until Elyse mentioned it.
“I wonder what could be holding up the performance?” Elyse asked.
“Plays always begin at least five minutes late,” Grace assured her. “They want to make sure everyone has arrived and is seated before starting.”
After ten more minutes, murmuring began among audience.
Jo turned and scanned the crowd. “I think people are beginning to notice the time.”
Connie looked around for Dottie to see if she knew what was going on but was unable to locate her.
“There seems to be a lot of scurrying around back there,” Grace said. “Why don’t we go see what’s happening? I’ve been backstage enough with Concetta to know my way around.”
“I’m coming,” Jo and Gianna said in unison.
“Stephanie and I can wait here so there aren’t too many of us,” Elyse said.
Stephanie nodded her agreement. “Text us if there’s any news.”
Connie, Jo, Gianna, and Grace discretely made their way backstage. Since they had been at the party the night before and knew some of the cast, Connie hoped they would blend in with the others.
There was so much activity that nobody even noticed them.
“The twins would love it back here,” Gianna said. “With all these curtains, they could have quite a game of Hide and Seek.”
The first person they recognized was Eloise Lambert. She had her arm around Stevie and appeared concerned.
“Eloise, do you know what the holdup is?”
“We are waiting for Damian to emerge from his dressing room so the play can begin. He was feeling nauseous and lightheaded earlier, so Rick went in a while ago to check on him, but he hasn’t returned yet.”
As if on cue, Rick appeared. He looked paler than the Ghost of Christmas past.
“What’s happening, Rick?” William asked. “What’s the delay?”
“This time, I don’t think the show will go on,” Rick said, barely able to get out the words. “Damian Pritchard is dead.”
Chapter 4
Connie fumbled for her phone, and with quivering fingers, shot off a text to Elyse to inform her and Stephanie of Damian’s death.
I’m leaving the theatre right now, Elyse replied. Josh is watching the girls, and he’ll want to be here. Stephanie’s going backstage to be with her mother.
Grace must have read her mind. “Where’s Sophie?” she asked.
“She was the first to find Damian’s body,” Rick said. “She was in his dressing room sobbing when I got there. I found a couple of her friends to take her to another room and stay with her. That’s what took me so long.”
While they waited for the police to arrive, Connie observed each person’s reaction to the news of Damian’s death, just in case the information would be useful later. It was possible that Damian died of natural causes. People unexpectedly passed away every day from hidden health issues. As far as she knew, he didn’t have any life-threatening concerns, so foul play was at least a possibility.
Everyone, without exception, genuinely appeared to be in shock. But, then again, she was looking at a cast of actors, so of course they would all appear innocent. Appearances were their livelihood.
“I want to get Stevie out of here,” Eloise said.
Connie placed a hand on her forearm. “I’m sorry, but I think you’ll have to stick around. The police will want to question everyone when they arrive.”
Eloise gasped. “The police? Are you saying you think there was foul play involved?”
“I’m not saying that. But as far as we know Damian didn’t have any life-threatening illnesses, so the police will likely treat it as a suspicious death until they know more.”
“Connie’s right,” Rick said. “I’ll make an announcement that the show is cancelled.”
William looked confused. “What do you mean cancelled? The show can still go on. I’m prepared to play the part of Scrooge.”
Those around him just stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Your friend and colleague was just murdered, and the Sapphire Beach Playhouse could potentially become a crime scene. I think it’s safe to say that tonight’s performance is cancelled,” Grace said in the tone one would use to reprimand a young child.
Rick headed toward the curtain leading to the stage, but Connie grabbed his arm to stop him from making the announcement. “I wouldn’t do that quite yet. We don’t know if the police will want to question anyone in the audience. I would let them decide who to dismiss and when.”
Unfortunately, due to some recent experiences with murder investigations, Connie wasn’t unfamiliar with basic crime scene procedure.
“Good point,” Rick said. “I’ll just announce that there will be a delay in tonight’s performance.”
While Rick made the announcement, Connie whispered to Grace, “Do you know where Damian’s dressing room is?”
“Yes, I think I can find it.”
The two women disappeared before anyone could stop them. But since everyone was preoccupied with the tragic news, nobody seemed to notice when they slipped away, including Jo and Gianna. They peered into a few empty rooms, and when they came across a closed door, Grace tugged on Connie’s arm. “I think this is the one.”
With Grace hovering close behind her, Connie slowly opened the door and found Damian Pritchard lying lifeless on the floor.
“It looks like he just collapsed,” Grace whispered. “I don’t see any blood or weapon.”
Connie scanned the room for any clues that might reveal what happened. Two water glasses had been left on the vanity, one with red lipstick, and an opened bottle of antacid with some of the chalky white liquid dripping down the side, sat couple of feet away, also on the vanity. Connie’s heart sank when she spotted a candy cane earring on the floor next to Damian’s body.
Judging from Grace’s expression, she must have noticed the earring about the same time as Connie did.
Connie cautiously entered the dressing room.
“Don’t touch anything,” Grace said.
“I know. I won’t.” Even with his stage makeup applied, Damian’s body appeared pale, and there was some foaming around his mouth. “I smell bitter almonds.”
“Connie! What are you doing?” Her mother’s shrill tone made her feel like a teenager who just got busted for something she knew she shouldn’t be doing.
She turned around to find her mother, Gianna, and Stephanie looking curiously at her. “I don’t want you getting involved in this, Connie,” her mother said. “Don’t you encourage her, Grace.”
Grace shrugged. “Believe me, Jo, I’ve tried to keep her out of these things before but as you can see, I’ve given up.”
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” Gianna said, plowing past Grace.
“Don’t disturb anything,” Connie said, before pointing out the earring.
The commotion in the area where members of the cast and crew were gathered told Connie that the police had arrived. The four women scooted out and found a police officer and two EMTs from Sapphire Beach Fire Rescue talking with the actors. Then they all dashed out back to Damian’s dressing room.
Sergeant Tim Donohue was the next to arrive on the scene, followed a few minutes later by Zach and Josh. They were the only two detectives in the Sapphire Beach Police Department, so Connie wasn’t surprised that they both showed up.
Zach came over to where Connie, Jo, Gianna, Stephanie, and Grace were standing. “I almost forgot that tonight’s show was dedicated in memory of your aunt,” he said to Connie.
Connie revealed what she knew, leaving out her own mini-inspection of the crime scene. “By the way,” Connie added when she finished, “this is my mom, Jo, and my sister, Gianna. Mom, Gi, this is Zach.”
It wasn’t how she envisioned her mother and sister meeting Zach, but truth be told, it kind of took the pressure off. She wasn’t exactly sure how to introduce him, and she didn’t want her family to create an awkward situation by making too big a deal out of their relationship, so this worked out perfectly. Well… except for the murder.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Zach,” Jo said, a wide grin spreading across her face. “We’ve heard so much about you. I do hope we will see you again soon under better circumstances. Perhaps you could come to the house for Christmas dinner?”
Connie’s cheeks grew warm. She had totally planned on reaching out to him to extend the invitation herself. After all, Zach didn’t have any family in Sapphire Beach. Josh was his best friend, and he and Elyse had already agreed to come. But it was still a little awkward that her mother took the liberty of inviting him.
Connie’s eyes met Zach’s questioning glance.
“Of course, you are welcome, Zach. I had planned to invite you, but it looks like my mother beat me to it. Josh, Elyse, and the girls will be coming, as well.”
He smiled warmly. “I appreciate the invitation. I’ll be there.”
Zach glanced over at Sergeant Donovan, who had his hands full interviewing witnesses. “I’d better go.”
By the time the women talked to the police and were able to leave the theatre, it was after 10:00. The forensic investigators were still at work, and much of the theatre was being treated as a crime scene. Connie overheard Sergeant Donovan telling Zach that the surveillance cameras hadn’t been working for a while, so they would be of no help. They were on the list of items needing to be repaired, but unfortunately, there was no money in the budget to fix them.
As they drove home, there were two questions that weighed heavily on Connie’s mind. Did Damian Pritchard die of natural causes, or was there foul play involved? And What was one of my candy cane earrings doing next to his body?
When they returned to Palm Paradise, everyone gathered in Connie’s living room, including Grace and Stephanie. Although it had been an exhausting evening, nobody seemed quite ready to call it a night. Ginger hopped onto Connie’s lap, and she stroked the dog’s silky fur.
The women filled Greg and Gary in on what happened in more detail and described what they saw in Damian’s dressing room.
Jo hung her head. “It’s just h
itting me that a man was murdered at what was supposed to be a tribute to my sister. Concetta would be devastated if she were alive to see this.”
Grace put her arm around Jo’s shoulders.
It hurt Connie’s heart to see her mother so upset.
“You ladies were at the Christmas party at Damian’s house last night,” Greg said. “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary with Damian or any of the guests?”
“Aside from popping antacid pills like they were candy, Damian appeared healthy,” Gianna said, looking to the others to see if they agreed.
Connie, Jo, Grace, Elyse, and Stephanie all nodded in agreement.
“He was well-liked as far as I could tell,” Jo said.
“Maybe his heartburn wasn’t heartburn at all. It could have been a symptom of heart disease,” Greg said. “He probably had a heart attack.”
“Normally I would agree,” Connie said. “But I specifically remember Eloise saying that he had had this problem for many years. If it was a heart condition, it would have killed him long before tonight."
“What I want to know,” Grace said, “is what one of our candy cane earrings was doing next to the body.”
“Let’s just say for the sake of argument that Damian was killed,” Connie said.
Greg opened his mouth to object, but Connie cut him off. “Just humor me, Dad. The other actors said he seemed fine when he arrived at the theatre two hours before. So, he must have gotten suddenly ill. And there was a faint scent of almonds near the body. I did a quick search on my phone while were waiting for the police to dismiss us, and that could indicate cyanide poisoning. If Damian was poisoned, the earring could belong to the killer.”
“But Damian gave a pair of candy cane earrings to the entire cast and crew at the party last night,” Gianna said. “If it was indeed the killer who left the earring at the crime scene, it could have been anyone connected to the play.”
Candy Canes and Cadavers Page 3