Candy Canes and Cadavers

by Angela K Ryan

  Connie did her best to shorten the gap between them, but with so many people out and about, it was hard to make much progress. Connie followed her onto the Surfside deck and into the indoor dining area, attempting to avoid the dark green plastic tables and chairs in her way. When the woman reached the dining room, she stopped to glance behind her and looked right at Connie.

  It was definitely Dottie.

  Her eyes seemed to contain more fear than guilt. Dottie turned and bolted out of the restaurant. Connie arrived at the front entrance about ten seconds after Dottie. She scanned the shop-lined pedestrian street in every direction, but Dottie had too much of a head start. She was nowhere to be found. Connie entered a few of the nearby shops, thinking she might have ducked into one of them, but no luck. She was gone.

  Connie clenched her fists in frustration and went back to get Ginger.

  “What was that all about?” Gallagher asked.

  “I thought I saw someone I knew, but I wasn’t able to catch up with her,” Connie said. It was at least partly true. She just didn’t mention that Dottie clearly didn’t want to be caught up with.

  Gallagher smiled playfully at Connie. “Let me get this straight. I happen to know you attended the opening performance of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ where a murder took place, and now you take off chasing someone across the beach. There’s no way you’ll convince me and Ginger here that there’s no connection,” he said, handing Connie back the leash. “We know better.”

  “Okay, I won’t try to convince either of you.” There was no point in trying to fool Gallagher. He had her number.

  “Just be careful, my friend. As you know from experience, killers are dangerous.”

  “I know. I promise.”

  Connie thanked Gallagher for watching Ginger, then headed back to the Just Jewelry to get ready for the afternoon rush.

  On her way back, Connie stopped at Ruby’s souvenir shop, located next door to Just Jewelry. Ruby carried a few Fair Trade products made by Connie’s artisans. The items, which included purses, wallets, beach bags, and handbags were selling well, and Connie had been meaning to check and see if she needed more inventory.

  It turned out Ruby’s inventory was indeed running low, especially her supply of beach bags from Kenya, so Ruby placed an order to replenish her stock. Dura would be pleased. The more items Connie ordered, the busier Dura was able to keep her artisans, and additional orders even allowed her to train and hire new ones, providing much-needed income to an area desperately in need of employment opportunities. Since Ruby’s shop sold mainly t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other Sapphire Beach memorabilia, Dura had created a special line of beach bags with the words “Sapphire Beach” embroidered on them, as well as other tropical designs, which were doing well with Ruby’s clientele.

  “How is your fundraiser going?” Ruby asked.

  “We’ve sold a lot of earrings in the past couple of weeks, but I wish we had started earlier. We still have about fifty more to go to make our goal.”

  “Say no more,” Ruby said. “I probably can’t sell as many as you, since we have a different clientele, but with some gentle prodding, I think I could sell some. They make wonderful Christmas gifts, and they are for a great cause. I’d be happy to keep some next to the cash register and talk them up while people are checking out.”

  Connie was so excited that she hugged Ruby. “You’re the best neighbor, Ruby. That is so kind of you.”

  “God has been good to me. It’s the least I can do to give back.”

  Connie returned to Just Jewelry, arranged some earrings in a small basket, and printed and framed a sign detailing the project for Ruby to display. Since Grace and Ruby had become good friends, Grace happily volunteered to bring everything over to Ruby’s shop before leaving for the day.

  Being the Saturday before Christmas, the shop was bustling with activity all day. The energy on the downtown streets was palpable, and Connie enjoyed gazing out the front window, observing shoppers in action. More than a few men of various ages came into the shop, looking for gifts for their significant other. Connie enjoyed asking questions about the recipient’s taste and helping them choose the perfect gift. The Fair Trade jewelry was selling well, too. People were eager to buy gifts that would help to employ those in need. Soon, Connie would have to send another jewelry order to Dura and her other artisans.

  There was a brief lull in the middle of the afternoon. Judging from the line at Gallagher’s, Connie guessed shoppers were taking a late lunch or an early dinner. She sat down on the sofa in the seating area to rest her feet and was pleasantly surprised to see Elyse walk in.

  Connie jumped up to greet her friend. “What a wonderful surprise.”

  “Josh is watching the girls while I sneak out to do some last-minute Christmas shopping,” Elyse said, examining one of the jewelry displays. “Actually, my mother is the last person on my list, and I think these would be perfect for her.” She held up a teal necklace and bracelet made in Ecuador. “She will really appreciate that it is Fair Trade.”

  After Connie rang up Elyse’s purchase, she caught her up to speed on her latest investigative activities.

  “You’ve been keeping busy,” Elyse said. “I can’t believe your mother and sister are helping you. They have always been so against your getting involved in these things.”

  “I know, right? But since Damian was a friend of my aunt’s, it’s hard not to get involved.”

  “You might not have wait much longer for justice. Josh said that they are getting close to making an arrest.”

  “Are you serious?” Connie asked. “Do you know who?”

  “He didn’t say, and I don’t usually ask.”

  “I guess we’ll know soon enough. Thanks for letting me know.”

  Elyse held up the box with the jewelry she just purchased and smiled. “And thanks for helping me finish my Christmas shopping.”

  “Anytime,” Connie said. “I’ll see you on Christmas Day, if not before.”

  When Abby arrived for her Saturday evening shift, she practically pushed Connie out of the shop. “Go,” she said. “I’m flying home to Indiana on Monday for Christmas break, so this weekend is your last chance to take evenings off until I return in January.”

  “Are you sure, Abby? I’m taking tomorrow evening off for my date with Zach.”

  “Positive. Go enjoy your family while you can.”

  When Connie got home, there was nobody there; however, it didn’t take long to locate them. She stepped onto the balcony, and as she scanned the beach below, just beyond the pool area, she discovered her mom and Gary playing with the twins, while Gianna and her dad tossed a frisbee. Connie smiled at the sight.

  She grabbed a light sweatshirt, since it was cooling off, and walked around the building onto the silky white sand.

  The twins were the first to spot her and ran in her direction. She wrestled them onto the sand, then carried them toward the blanket, holding one in each arm.

  “You two are getting so big,” she said, collapsing onto the blanket. “I’m not going to be able to do that for much longer.”

  The others came over to join Connie and the twins.

  “Honey, what a pleasant surprise,” Jo said, giving her a hug. “We thought you were working.”

  “I decided to play hooky tonight while I can, before Abby goes home for Christmas.”

  Once the sun began to set, they went upstairs to share a dinner of baked chicken, broccoli, and ziti alfredo, which Gianna had prepared, and spent the evening further catching up on one another’s lives. Connie heard all about the twins’ adventures in preschool, Jo and Gianna’s booming home staging business, Greg’s accounting business, and Gary’s physical therapy practice.

  It wasn’t until the twins were finally in bed that Connie filled the others in on her near run-in with Dottie and on Elyse’s news that the police were close to making an arrest.

  “Are you sure it was Dottie?” Gianna asked. “Why would she run away from you of a
ll people?”

  “I don’t know,” Connie said, “but for a moment I looked right into her eyes. I’m telling you, she looked more scared than guilty.”

  “I guess we’ll know soon enough, if the police make an arrest,” Greg said. “I, for one, will be happy to see this case resolved so I no longer have to worry about the three of you getting into trouble.”

  Chapter 15

  On Sunday morning, the whole family woke up early to attend the 7:00 Mass at Our Lady, Star of the Sea with Connie. She had told Fr. Paul Fulton about the chicken coop project in passing a couple of weeks ago, and, to Connie’s delight, he had placed a notice in the bulletin informing people of the fundraising project taking place at Just Jewelry. She could have hugged him when her father pointed out the announcement, which encouraged parishioners to support the worthy cause.

  With only a couple of days left until Christmas, the publicity came just in time.

  After Mass, Connie and her family went out to breakfast, then Connie headed to the shop.

  The first two customers of the day were women that Connie recognized from Mass.

  “Hi ladies,” Connie said. “Didn’t I see you at church this morning?”

  “We heard Fr. Paul’s announcement about your fundraiser,” one of the women said. She held up a pair of candy cane earrings she had taken from one of the displays. “Are these the earrings he was talking about? They are just beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Connie said. “Yes. And they are all handmade.”

  Each woman purchased five pairs. “I’m going to give one to each of my daughters and my sister and keep one for myself,” the first woman said.

  “I’m going to give them to some friends. I’m always looking for meaningful gifts that don’t cost an arm and a leg, and these are just perfect,” the other said.

  After ringing up their purchases, Connie gave them each a flyer with information on the nutrition center project and took their email addresses. She had been collecting the names and email addresses of those who purchased a pair of candy cane earrings, if they wished to leave it, so that she could send pictures of the project when it was complete and inform them of future projects.

  All morning, people popped in, occasionally from the parish, to purchase earrings. For the first time all weekend, Connie was confident that they would reach their goal by Christmas Eve. When Grace arrived, she went over to Ruby’s to check on her progress. Ruby had sold twelve pairs, and Grace picked up the extras. There were only sixteen pairs left to sell.

  Abby arrived early for her shift so that Connie could get ready for her date with Zach that evening. As Connie was getting into her car to head home, her phone pinged with a text from Gianna. Can you come home? It’s Mom.

  Connie’s heart raced as she shot off a quick reply. I’m on my way.

  The one-mile drive home seemed like ten as Connie’s thoughts leapt to every negative conclusion. Her mother had just barely turned sixty, and she was in good health. Maybe the stress of running the business with Gianna was beginning to take its toll. If both Connie and Gianna had a heart-to-heart conversation with their mother, maybe she would consider cutting back on hours.

  Connie punched in the access code to the underground garage and pulled into her designated spot. It felt like the elevator took an eternity to arrive and take her to the seventh floor. When the door finally opened, she practically ran down the hallway and burst through the door and into her unit. She was surprised to see Zach sitting in the living room with her family. It didn’t appear to be a social call.

  Her father had his arm around her mother’s shoulders, with Gianna and Gary sitting on the other side of Jo. Gianna was holding her mother’s hand and comforting her.

  “What’s going on?” Connie asked.

  Gary stood up and handed Connie his phone.

  “Your mom was at the flea market doing a little shopping, and when she returned to her car, this note was on the windshield.”

  Gary’s phone displayed a picture a note that read, If you know what’s best for you and your daughters, you will mind your own business or you will end up like Damian.

  It wasn’t the first time Connie was threatened as a result of her sleuthing, but this one involved her mother and her sister. This one crossed a line.

  “Mom, did you see anyone you knew at the flea market? Somebody from the playhouse maybe?”

  Jo shook her head. “No. I wasn’t there for that long. I just popped in to pick up a pair of sunglasses and a battery for my watch. After that, I got an ice cream cone and headed back to my car.”

  “The person was likely following you,” Zach said, “since they knew which car was yours.”

  Connie hadn’t thought of that.

  “You ladies need to take heed of that note,” Greg said.

  “I agree,” Gary added. “You’ve clearly done something to hit a nerve. This person has already killed once. You need to leave the investigating to the police.”

  “I doubt whoever left the note would be dumb enough to leave fingerprints on it, but I’ll have the letter checked for prints, anyway,” Zach said. “Connie, are you still up for going out tonight?”

  Connie hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was cancel her date with Zach. After all, it took them nearly eight months after their first date to finally schedule a second one. She was afraid if it didn’t happen tonight, it would never happen. But she also hated the thought of leaving her mother’s side at a time like this.

  “Of course she is,” Jo said. “We’ll be fine here.”

  “And if Connie is going to be out tonight, I feel better knowing she will be with a police officer,” her father said.

  Zach looked at Connie for confirmation.

  She reluctantly nodded in agreement.

  “It’s settled then,” Zach said. “I have to drop the letter off at the station, then go home to change. How about if I pick you up in an hour and a half?”

  “Perfect,” Connie said. “I’ll meet you in the lobby at 4:00.”

  Greg insisted on accompanying Connie while she walked Ginger, so Connie humored him. She doubted the killer would make two dramatic moves in one day. He or she was trying to scare the women away from the case and would likely wait to see what affect the first threat had before trying something else.

  When they returned upstairs, Connie took a shower and got ready for her date with Zach. She chose a casual hunter green dress with a light cream-colored sweater, since evenings could be cool this time of year. It might have been her imagination, but Connie could have sworn her blood was thinning out already from the warm Florida weather. She found herself wearing a light sweater in the evenings, even when her family didn’t seem to require one. She also chose a lightweight necklace made with genuine seashells and a matching bracelet.

  Gianna went downstairs to keep Connie company while she waited for Zach in the lobby. They sat in two oversized chairs by the Christmas tree, which had red Christmas berry branches scattered throughout for decoration.

  “Judging from how you’ve operated in the past, I know the note Mom got isn’t going to deter you,” Gianna said.

  Gianna was right. The note had the opposite effect on Connie. Now that the killer involved her mother and her sister, she was more determined than ever to see to it that he or she was behind bars. “There’s nothing I hate more than a bully. We must have the killer scared if he or she is resorting to threats.”

  “You had a run-in with Dottie shortly before Mom received the note. If she’s the killer, you might have scared her.”

  “I was thinking that, too,” Connie said. “But we were also at the playhouse recently with the scrapbooks asking questions.”

  “I won’t try to convince you to stay out of it, because I know that when you make up your mind to do something, there is no stopping you. Just promise that if you sense that you’re in any danger, you will let someone know.”

  Connie crossed her heart with her index finger. “I promise.”
r />   “The berry branches in this Christmas tree made me of something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Gianna said. “I was doing some research and, did you know that Christmas berries contain cyanide?”

  “I didn’t,” Connie said. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

  “The tree in the lobby of the theatre is decorated with Christmas berries, just like this one,” Gianna said. “Maybe the killer used the berries to poison Damian.”

  Connie had to laugh. “I think Damian would have noticed if his antacid was red. And besides, we saw the bottle in his dressing room the night of his murder, and some of its contents had dripped down the side. It was definitely white, remember?”

  Gianna leaned back in her chair, looking disappointed. “I suppose you’re right. I thought maybe I was on to something.”

  Zach drove into the parking lot in his gray Jeep, and Connie waved to Gianna on her way out.

  “Have fun,” Gianna said. “I want details tonight.”

  As they merged onto Route 75 South towards Naples, Connie realized how much she was looking forward to leaving behind her stress and enjoying some Christmas festivities with Zach. They cruised down the highway, leaving Sapphire Beach behind, and all the tension melted from Connie’s shoulders. The timing of their date turned out to be perfect.

  The plan was to explore the neighborhood, find a restaurant for dinner, and check out the infamous artificial snow, which fell nightly at 7:00 on Third Street South. They had also planned a bit of last-minute Christmas shopping for the grab. It turned out Zach drew Gianna’s name, and since Connie had Gary, they agreed to help one another choose gifts.

  Zach parked in a garage near Third Street South, then they headed off to explore a little corner of Naples. Palm trees tightly wrapped in white lights greeted them as they emerged from the parking garage. As they strolled toward a more populated area, they passed a majestic ivory staircase decorated in garlands and giant wreaths. They stopped to take a selfie at a massive Christmas tree with lights bouncing off gigantic red and gold bulbs.