by Tara Meyers
“I tried texting you,” he said, still holding her close. “But when I saw your and Mel’s cars in the driveway, I figured I’d find you out here.”
“Oh!” Ember checked her pocket to make sure her phone was there. “I still have my phone on vibrate from work. I don’t think I can feel it through this heavy coat.”
“Hello,” Mel interjected with a knowing smile. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you since you got back.”
“Busy.” Finally releasing Ember, he bent down to pet Daenerys before examining the snowman. After digging around in his pocket, he pulled out a pack of lifesavers and picked out two red ones which he carefully pushed into place for eyes.
“That’s kind of freaky,” Mel said with mock fear.
Nodding, Nathan swapped them out for orange and then offered the cherry ones to Mel.
Plopping them both into her mouth at the same time, Mel grinned. “You joining us tonight for our exciting Ladies of Sanctuary dinner sampling meeting?”
Ember groaned inwardly. She’d almost forgotten. The Christmas dinner was catered, and part of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the event was the pre-dinner sampler. They would finalize the decorations, music, and schedule and would sample the dishes being served to narrow it down to two main entrees to choose from, as well as the desserts. Becky assured her it was a fun night, but Ember was already exhausted, and spending a quiet evening at home with Nathan sounded much more enjoyable. But she didn’t have that option.
She had promised Becky that afternoon when they parted that she would be there. Becky softened toward Delilah after her emotional response to the accusation, but things were still tense. While Ember knew there wasn’t anything that would ever come between her and Becky, she still felt a need to go out of her way to be supportive of her aunt. The dinner meant a lot to her.
“Nah,” Nathan replied. “I think I’ll leave the Ladies of Sanctuary to the…um, ladies.”
“Okay, but the loss is yours!” Mel pulled one of the “arms” off the snowman and tossed it for Daenerys. “We’re going to have to leave soon if we want to make it on time.”
“Yeah.” Looking up at the purplish alpenglow on the distant mountain peaks, Ember closed her eyes and took in a cold, cleansing deep breath. Feeling so small below the mountain had always helped her put her problems in perspective. Especially as a teenager, she’d often retreat to the same vista. It was reassuring that some things never changed. Although, she was still struggling to even get a grip on what she was currently dealing with.
“I got your message,” Nathan said. “Is Becky okay?”
Tilting her head slightly as she suppressed a grimace, Ember tried to answer honestly without being overly dramatic. “She’s coping. I think she’s less frantic after talking with Delilah this afternoon.”
Nathan took her gloved hand as they began to walk back toward the house. Mel and Daenerys were already running ahead, with Peaches prancing across the trampled path occasionally. It was a nice night.
“What are you thinking?” he asked. “Because it would seem that you’re caught up in this now, whether you want to be or not.”
Ember stopped and looked at Nathan, finding a strength in his presence that helped her to focus. “I think it would be really easy to blame all of it on Delilah. It’s true that her returning has triggered something, but I think it was always here, lurking. And you know I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Nathan leaned forward slightly with a puzzled expression. “You aren’t talking about your dad?”
“No,” Ember confirmed with a shake of her head. “I’m talking about the missing animals. There’s a pattern. There’s always a pattern. I’m going to find out what it is, and I’ll start by taking a closer look at Allen Swenson.”
SEVENTEEN
Cheerful Christmas music filtered out of the community center, spreading an invisible layer of warmth and joy around it.
Snow began to fall again as Ember and Mel approached the open front doors, adding to the festive atmosphere. Pine trees lined the walkway, and someone had been very ambitious in decorating them with dozens of strands of white twinkling lights. They were each carrying a large bag full of the supplies they needed to create four centerpieces for the mock dinner.
Mel put an arm out to stop Ember just short of the threshold. Tilting her face up, she inhaled deeply. “Do you smell that?” she asked with wide eyes. “The perfect combination of steak, coffee, and cinnamon.”
Ember gave Mel a playful shove to move her inside, eager to get out of the cold and find Becky. There was a good reason why the rest of the small town was relatively quiet for a Saturday night. The temperature was plunging, and a storm front was moving in later. She was already longing to get back to Daenerys and Peaches, whom she knew were both cuddled up in front of the banked fire.
Nathan would have stayed and waited for her, except he was on call for the weekend. With the weather moving in and the station a good half-hour drive up a winding mountain road, he had to stay closer to his own home.
Large vibrant white, red, and yellow poinsettias filled the foyer, and fake snow ensconced the floor around them. A four-foot-tall wooden nutcracker identical to the ones on Main Street stood off to one side like a sentry. Ember was impressed with the magical setting it all created, and she was unexpectedly proud to be a part of it.
Finding an empty table, they set the bags down and shed their heavy coats. There was a good-sized crowd milling about, but it was only a fraction of what would be there on Christmas day.
“Ember!”
Jolted from her thoughts by the loud greeting, Ember was somewhat surprised to see her neighbor, Bertie Collins. Growing up, the Collins had been like grandparents to Ember. The older woman was approaching her with a huge smile on her face. She wore one of the ornate red silk sashes bestowed upon a select few. She was a Sanctuary Monarch.
“I’d heard that you were helping with the dinner!” Bertie said as she took both of Ember’s hands in hers.
The scent of lilacs followed her like a veil and always evoked fond memories for Ember. “Yes! Both Mel and I got recruited by Aunt Becky. I didn’t know you were one of The Ladies.”
“Oh, yes,” Bertie fussed, tugging at her sash and making sure it was aligned just right. Bertie’s accent was a clear giveaway of her Irish roots. She and her husband immigrated to the states as young adults. Her long gray hair was normally done up in a proper bun, but that evening several tendrils were allowed to escape to trail down her slight frame.
“I’ve been a member for several years now, and I so love the holiday festivities! You know,” she continued, her face softening, “Henry and I enjoyed having you and Daenerys to dinner last month. Could we do it again sometime soon? Henry keeps bringing it up, so I know it would mean a lot.”
Guilt was the overriding emotion as Ember eagerly accepted the invitation. Time was a precious gift, and though she’d meant to go and visit again, she’d neglected to do it. “Of course, Bertie. I’d love to. Henry will be here on Christmas?”
“Oh yes. He isn’t one for party planning, but he would never miss the food! Let’s set a date then after the party on Tuesday.”
Another monarch ushered Bertie away to look over one detail or another, leaving Ember to search the room for her aunt. Mel was already on the other side of the large open space, grazing on the appetizers.
Making her way to the back kitchen area, Ember began to get concerned. She hadn’t seen Becky’s SUV in the parking lot, but she figured Paul would have dropped her off. About to dig out her phone and call, she was brought up short when she caught a glimpse of Delilah walking in through the back door, a box in her arms. Behind her was Cody, also laden with goods.
“Go ahead and set it all on the counter,” Becky directed as she followed them inside.
Speechless for a moment, Ember silently watched as the three of them started unpacking pies and other assorted desserts. It was the last thing she’d expected to see that
night, but at least Becky looked better. Her color was good, and gone was the haunted, strained look from earlier that day. She thrived off of planning and organizing, so she was in her element, and it showed.
Mayor Gomez walked by, her nose buried in some papers, and Ember took the opportunity to stop her. “Delilah is still catering the desserts?”
Although no one was close, the mayor still ushered Ember several feet away into a storage alcove. Surrounded by folding chairs and shelves of shatter-proof tableware, the older woman wrung her hands together nervously. “It was decided by The Ladies that since Delilah was hired well over a month ago to provide the desserts, that it would be…unbefitting of the benevolent code they strive to promote to replace her with such short notice.”
Ember raised an eyebrow at the rehearsed line. “That was a mouthful.”
“Please, just let it go,” Mayor Gomez begged. “I don’t want anything to spoil the dinner. So many people count on it being a part of their holiday, and I know personally that it’s the only Christmas fellowship some of them will have. I expected Delilah to withdraw voluntarily and figured we’d simply extend the menu with the other caterer. But she called this afternoon to find out what time she needed to be here tonight!”
Ember did her best to prevent a smile from making its way to her lips. It wasn’t too often that she saw Elly Gomez rattled. And she was glad that Delilah was still involved. Why shouldn’t she be? She hadn’t been officially accused of any wrong-doing and, if anything, was the victim.
“Can you believe your aunt supported the decision?”
Ember blinked. “She did?”
“Yes! I swear I don’t know what’s going on in my town anymore. I’m beginning to feel like it’ll be a Christmas miracle if we can make it through the next three days without anyone else dying!”
Looking for some wood to knock on, Ember watched the other woman march away, already calling out an order to someone else. Ember stepped out of the alcove and saw that the desserts were lined up on the counter, but Becky and Delilah were already gone. Maybe their conversation with Delilah had affected her aunt more than she’d realized.
Encouraged, Ember decided to go get the center arrangements put together. She and Mel planned on spending Monday evening doing the other twenty, so long as there weren’t any complaints with what they’d come up with. She found Mel already back at the bags, pulling out the contents. Large pillar candles, holly branches, clip-on ornaments, and tinsel were strewn about.
“I saw Cody,” Ember said as she picked up a candle.
“Yeah, I did too! He already left. He was just dropping stuff off. I was kinda surprised that Delilah’s still doing the desserts.”
Ember dropped some tinsel into the bottom of a glass and set the candle in on top of it. It accomplished the desired effect. She set it in the middle of the table, and Mel began arranging the holly branches around it.
“I was too, but I’m glad. She’s all alone.”
Mel scrunched her nose and pointed a holly branch at Ember. “I’m trusting your instinct on this one,” she said with sincerity. “I’ve seen first-hand how good that instinct is, just…be careful.”
“Hey, ladies!” Becky slapped two copies of sheet music on the table, a wide grin on her face.
Ember picked up the one nearest to her, reading the title. “‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’ I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Uh-uh,” Mel said. “I told you at the first meeting, Becky, that I do not sing. At least, not in public. Unless I have a mask on.”
Becky gave Mel a curious look. “So, pretend you’re at one of your comic con thingies. Dress up like a snowman; I don’t care. But Missy and her sister Claire both have bronchitis and won’t be able to perform. Come on,” Becky begged when she saw Ember’s expression. “It’s Christmas!”
Ember was so relieved to see her aunt acting so…Beckyish, that she rushed to agree without giving it much thought. “We’ll be happy to make ourselves a momentary object of comedic entertainment. Right, Mel?” Turning to her friend, she widened her eyes in a “just do it” gesture.
Mel answered by finishing the decoration with extra vigor. “How’s this?” She stepped back to admire her work.
Becky tilted her head as she studied the arrangement. “It’s great! Twenty-five more, and we’re set. Come on,” she continued, putting a hand on each of their backs to direct them over to another table. “Elly is very proud of her place settings this year, so be sure to sit in your proper spot. We need to serve the first entre in ten minutes, so hurry up and get the centerpieces done on the other three tables!”
Ember glanced at her silver-gilded name tag on the table before going to gather the supplies. She and Mel busied themselves for several minutes, filling in the gaps on the lavishly decorated round tables. Each sitting had a four-piece ensemble for soup, salad, entree, and dessert. Red-and-green-striped cloth napkins were rolled and secured with a silver ribbon next to the plates, which complimented the centerpieces perfectly.
“Huh. We couldn’t have planned that any better,” Mel commented, pointing at the napkins. “Did you know they were doing those?”
“Nope.” Ember was pleased with the over-all look. “I think Mayor Gomez is going to be happy with this. Mission accomplished!”
The two women high-fived each other as “Jingle Bells” began to play at a much louder volume than the songs before it, signaling the formal start of the meeting.
Mayor Gomez stepped onto the slightly raised stage area at the front of the hall and clapped her hands several times to get everyone’s attention. The music faded, and she cleared her throat.
“Good evening, everyone! I’m thrilled to see such an impressive turnout tonight. I’m quite certain this dinner will be our largest attendance to date.” She beamed at the few dozen people in the room. “I’m honored to be a member of The Ladies of Sanctuary and to participate in this time-honored tradition. The mission to bring the families of Sanctuary together as a community is something I believe in whole-heartedly.
“Now, let’s get on with the meeting. We’ve finalized the music and program schedule already. The tables look magnificent, and we get to enjoy them while undertaking the arduous task of sampling and choosing the food!”
There was light laughter from the group and a couple of shouts of encouragement.
“If you open your nametag, you will find a scorecard of sorts on the underside. Please use this to check off your first and second choice for each course. The food is set up in the kitchen tonight, buffet-style, but it will be served on Christmas. Thank you in advance to those who volunteered to be waitpersons. Let’s begin!”
Mel rubbed her hands together as she and Ember grabbed their plates and joined the quickly forming line. Becky fell in behind them.
“I already know I want the steak, but I’m not sure yet if I prefer the strawberry cheesecake or pumpkin pie.”
Mel turned to shake her head at Becky as she reached for a roll. “I plan on sampling everything. We’ve been entrusted with an incredibly important task, Becky. It would be unforgivable if we didn’t do a thorough job.”
Ember was glad she’d managed to get in front of Mel, as she opted to shirk her duties and stick with only a few items. Chicken cordon bleu, cheesy potatoes, and green bean casserole was plenty for her. The traditional turkey and stuffing were a given, but they’d agreed early on to have one other option, hence that evenings dinner meeting. Ember was certain it had more to do with an excuse to create a nice free evening for the organizers. But it was The Ladies of Sanctuary fundraising money being spent, so she wasn’t about to complain.
Back at their table, Ember sat obediently at her labeled seat. Mel’s and Becky’s names were displayed to either side of hers. Looking around, she saw that a few others at her table were already eating, so she decided to dig in. Picking up the napkin, she removed the silver cord and shook it open.
A six-inch-long leafy stem fell out, landing to the side of he
r plate. Curious, Ember leaned in closer to inspect the delicate purple flowers hanging from the end. She’d seen the pretty plant before but couldn’t quite place it. Reaching to pick it up, she wondered what the point was behind placing them inside the napkins.
A hand suddenly clamped down hard on her wrist, stopping its forward motion. Shocked, Ember gasped and jerked her arm back involuntarily as she swiveled in her seat to see who had grabbed her.
Becky was staring down at her, a perplexed expression on her face. She still held tight to Ember’s wrist while balancing a plate loaded down with food in the other.
“What are you doing?” Ember demanded.
“Where did that come from?” Becky barked, jerking her head toward the stem.
“The flowers? It was inside my napkin. Why? I figured it was part of some weird decorating scheme.”
Mel set her own plate down and unrolled her napkin. It was empty. Walking around the other two women, she unrolled Becky’s with the same result.
“I don’t understand,” Ember muttered, her arm finally released. “What is it?”
“That’s Belladonna,” Becky whispered as she sat down next to Ember.
“Belladonna?” Ember knew she’d heard the name before but couldn’t place it.
“Nightshade,” Becky explained. Wrapping it back up carefully inside her own napkin, she looked suspiciously around the room. “Deadly Nightshade. You know what that is, right?”
Ember’s eyes widened. She certainly did know. It was an indigenous plant to the region, although it wasn’t seen around there very often, due to their extreme temperatures. She remembered once, as a child, she’d found some growing in the back pasture. She thought the purple flowers were pretty, so she picked several and brought them in proudly to her mother. She learned then that, although attractive, the flower later bore deadly fruit, small red berries that ultimately turned purple. It was best known for its deadly berries which could kill a child with as little as three or four of the pieces eaten, but the leaves, stem, and roots were also poisonous and shouldn’t be handled without gloves.