by Traci Wilton
“This is like a fairy tale,” Avery said in a wistful tone, not noticing the swing, or Jack. “Especially with the snow on the branches.”
“It adds a magical layer, doesn’t it?” Charlene turned her back on her playful ghost, checked the time, and groaned. “All right, Cinderella, let’s get to work.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Charlene dropped Avery off at the teen house, with the promise to see her bright and early the next day. The teenager had given a hundred percent, whether when folding towels or sweeping the kitchen. Her mother hadn’t dared make a single snide comment, and Jack seemed willing to give Avery a chance—but if one thing went into her pocket that shouldn’t, he’d let Charlene know.
Avery didn’t bad-talk about David, even though he’d let her go on her first night of work, and that said a lot to Charlene about the girl’s character.
Charlene had received a text earlier from Linda—curt and to the point, asking why Charlene had shown up at her house. Charlene explained about collecting donations, but Linda hadn’t texted back.
Her phone dinged. From Linda. We have a lot of children on the wards that need presents—the hospital staff donates here.
Charlene made a note to self to return the text later. First, a stop at Bella’s to see if Vincent was in his office, and if he would donate cash to Felicity House—while she slyly asked where he’d been that night. Then, she’d skip the online directory and hit up Archie at Vintage Treasures, and Kass, and Kevin . . . she’d even see if Sharon at Cod and Capers could dig a little deeper into her pocket. And how could she forget Brandy? Or Ernie, her real-estate agent? She was much better at this in person than cold calls.
Charlene entered busy Bella’s, and Laura, who was usually a hostess when David wasn’t at the podium, waited on tables too. The place was hopping due to holiday business. The city was crawling with tourists and would be until the first week of January when people had to return to their jobs.
She’d had a tuna sandwich and a cup of soup at home with Avery and Minnie, but still the Italian spices tempted her. Charlene waved to Jessica, who passed by with a full tray of lunch plates and couldn’t wave back.
“Is Vincent here?” Charlene asked.
“Either in the kitchen yelling at Dalton or in his office,” Jessica said in a low voice. “He’s not in a good mood, so be warned.”
Charlene made her way to the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, and almost got smacked in the nose by a swinging door as a waiter hustled out with steaming platters. Shouts from the chef sounded, and the clamor of dishes.
Chaos.
Jessica whooshed by with her now-empty tray, pushing the kitchen door open with her palm. “Good thing you aren’t eating—we have a forty-minute wait for food and Vincent is losing his mind. He’s like one of those Sopranos on TV, always yelling at everyone—David managed people. I sure miss him.” Jessica looked at the closed office door. “Did you knock?”
“I was gaining my courage.” She needed to just do it—she’d be knocking on a lot of doors in the next few days.
“I would say his bark is worse than his bite, but these days? He just threw a sauce pan at Dalton. What a mess.” Jessica disappeared into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind her.
Charlene crossed the hall and was about to rap on Vincent’s door, but paused to listen, in case someone was in there with him.
“She did what?” he asked in a loud voice. “Why would she come to your house? Does she suspect Kyle?”
She couldn’t hear the reply, but her heart raced and her throat tightened. This wasn’t good. Was he discussing her? It had to be Linda he was talking to. She lowered her hand.
“Why would she be sticking her nose into other people’s business? Kind of new in town. Runs a B and B, that’s all I know. What? Friendly with the cops? Well, you might want to get Kyle lawyered up.” A pause. “No, I don’t think he did it, but he had reason, that’s for damn sure. Hell, so did I. David left me holding the bag here. The restaurant’s falling apart. Now, I’m in business with Tori for Chrissakes.”
Laura walked over with her arms crossed. “Do you want to speak with Vincent?” she asked pointedly.
Busted.
“Yes, thank you. I was about to knock, but it sounds like he’s on the phone.”
“Only one way to find out.” She knocked firmly on the door and waited until Vincent opened it. “Charlene would like a word with you.”
He ended his call without a goodbye. “Fine, fine, but make it short,” he huffed, red in the face. “Come in. I haven’t got all day.”
“Thank you for seeing me. I understand that things have been hectic around here since David’s death, but I thought I should just go ahead and ask anyway.”
He drew back, defensive. “Ask me what?”
“I’m trying to help out Felicity House. Now that the checks are useless, a lot of children will be hurting this year. As a fellow business owner, I’m knocking on people’s doors to ask if they’d kindly donate a little money or some new toys so that every child will get a gift or two. They have around forty kids, averaging from five to seventeen.”
His mouth pursed and she could tell he was going to say no—at the least.
She rushed on. “I’m going to give a hundred, and I’m hoping that if everyone chips in, we’ll have enough to give them all a nice Christmas.”
Overhearing Vincent’s conversation regarding Kyle made her think of where Kyle worked. She added another note to her long mental list—surely the Green Market would donate turkeys or something? Charlene would ask first thing. How could they say no to putting food in children’s mouths? “If you could do more than a hundred, that would be appreciated.”
He puffed out his chest. “More? It’s a tough time for me right now. David’s death left me in a bad way. He managed the place, but I footed the money.” Vincent scowled. “I’m going through the books, and it doesn’t look good. Somebody either had their hand in the till, or David mismanaged the cash. We’re nearly bankrupt. No wonder he wanted to sell me his ‘share’ and get the hell out of Dodge. Probably afraid that my accountant would uncover his theft.”
What? Charlene couldn’t believe it and leaned against a hardwood chair. “David was taking money from the restaurant? That’s quite an accusation. I thought he was an honorable man.” She regretted saying so; it might not have been true.
“You calling me a liar now?” Vincent snarled.
“No, of course not.”
“Honorable men don’t cheat on their wives and ditch the kid. Did you know he only paid alimony for one year? Of course, you don’t! Nobody does. But one year, then nothing—after she moved here from New York for him. Linda had to take him back to court to get his child support payments for a couple of years. Kid’s nineteen now and those payments stopped the second Kyle had his eighteenth birthday.”
Charlene hid her shock by looking down at Vincent’s desk. It was a mess and stacked with receipts and file folders. There was a purple pamphlet tucked beneath a phone bill for Provenance Casino. She saw the commercials on television for the new and improved card room all of the time. The only time she’d ever gambled had been poker in Las Vegas on a company trip with Jared.
“That’s really sad, David treating his wife and son like that. He seemed like a better man.”
“Used to be. Back in the day. That’s why I went into business with him. He was a hard worker, honest, or so I thought.”
“Did you go to college with him and Freddy? The guy with the football jersey?”
“No, I met David after—never met Freddy until that sap showed up at the church. If what Linda said is true about their college days, then I highly doubt David would have wanted him around—or would have invited him here. Who knows, maybe he was the one who ran him down. Wouldn’t put it past him.”
“You think?” Charlene adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder. “He did seem a little shady, I’ll admit. Did David ever talk about his college
days to you?”
“Nah, he managed two restaurants for me in New York—did a great job and I was impressed. When this opportunity came up for Bella’s, I gave him a chance.”
She thought back—Kyle would have been in ninth grade—maybe eighth—and starting over with new kids and new schools. That might explain some of his troubled behavior. It wasn’t easy as a young teen trying to fit in.
“Linda didn’t mind moving here?”
“I told you, that woman is a damn saint. She found a nursing job pretty quick, and things were moving along—until he took up with Tori. Maybe that was the beginning of the end? David couldn’t keep up with her demands. She always wanted more. Fancy things. Trips to Hawaii. Luxury cruises. David went broke trying to make her happy.” He shook his head and spat out a piece of his cigar. “Guess that’s what got him stealing from me. Damn shame, but gotta admit I’m not sorry he got what was coming.”
Did anybody care that David was dead, other than Jessica?
“Thanks so much for talking to me, and I’m sorry I bothered you. Obviously, you have enough to worry about—we can forget about a donation this year.” She turned to leave.
“Wait a sec. I might have something in my wallet.” Vincent reached into his back pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, and a casino receipt fell to the floor. “There you are. Buy something nice for one of the kids.”
“Thanks, Vincent. I’ll do that.”
“Oh, one more thing. I heard that you paid Linda a visit. Talked to Kyle. I’d consider it a favor if you’d leave them both alone. This is a hard time of the year to lose someone close to you. They might not think too highly of David, but he was her husband and Kyle’s father—for better or for worse. If they’d hoped to gain anything from his lottery win, well, that hope died along with him.”
She put her hand to her heart. “Certainly—although, maybe you could pass along the message—I know what she’s going through, having lost a spouse myself. If she needs a friendly ear, I’d love to buy her a cup of coffee.”
Vincent’s jaw clenched and he looked at her as if he figured she was lying. Then his shoulders relaxed. “Fine. I’ll tell her that—if she’s interested, she’ll get back to you.”
“Thank you.” She left his office and passed the kitchen, hearing a shout before the sound of breaking dishes.
Vincent flew as if on wings from his office to the kitchen. “Dalton! That is coming out of your paycheck!”
She hustled toward the front podium, hoping to catch Jessica’s eye to say goodbye. Had David been pulling money out of the restaurant to satisfy Tori’s greed? He hadn’t paid his wife alimony and had pretty much turned his back on his only son.
What kind of man would do that? Poor Kyle. He wasn’t that bad of a kid. He’d been polite to her and certainly didn’t have to be. His mother had brought him up well. The two of them had so many reasons to hate David, and yet they’d both defended him. She remembered the way Linda had jumped up to battle Freddy. She’d been in protective mode for her son, as well as for her late ex-husband.
Charlene wanted to know why.
Laura joined her at the podium, her cheeks flushed from the extra hustle. “Did you get what you wanted?”
Charlene narrowed her eyes and thought how to answer. What was Laura digging at? Did she know something?
“I’m asking business owners around town to donate a little cash or a toy for Felicity House, since they didn’t get the check they’d been promised.” She smiled. “Vincent helped a little, which is all I can ask.”
“Oh? I’m glad—things have been really tense around here. I usually work as a part-time hostess, but Vincent asked me to step in until things get settled. David always made the staff relaxed, joking around, ya know? It was fun to work here. But not now.” She lowered her voice and glanced toward the office door. “Everyone’s keeping their heads down, coming in early, leaving late. Worried about being fired.”
Jessica had said the same—David had been a better people person, while Vincent had handled the cash. So how had it gone missing under his watch?
“Did Tori ever work here?”
“Teaching yoga was her life—I have no idea what her and David had in common. I shouldn’t say that—sorry.” Laura scrunched her nose.
“Did you know Zane?”
Her brows rose, and she whispered, “You know about them?”
Charlene nodded.
“Salem is not that big of a town to hide an affair. Everyone at the restaurant knew—but David didn’t talk about it. I don’t think it’s fair that Tori ends up with everything.” Laura reached beneath the podium for a bottle of water she’d stashed and took a drink, checking the time on her watch.
“I’m glad I’m not dependent on this—just making extra cash for Christmas so I don’t rack up a big debt on my MasterCard.” Laura blew out a breath. “I work at one of the tourist shops on Essex Street.”
“By Pedestrian Mall?” Charlene jingled the keys in her pocket. “It’s always busy there. Do you know Kass Fortune? She runs the tea shop?”
“Yes, but not well. I love that goddess fountain in her shop. I get my chamomile tea from her.”
“I had no idea there could be so many kinds of tea. Do you know Kyle and Linda, David’s first family?”
“A little. Kyle was behind me a few years in school. Kinda sullen, always getting into fights. It was hard for him when David hooked up with Tori.”
“Yes, I can imagine. Vincent and Linda are close. I hope he’s good to Kyle; someone needs to be on that boy’s side.” Charlene zipped up her coat and pulled her keys from her pocket, touching the twenty from Vincent. “Happy Holidays.”
“Same to you.”
Charlene left Bella’s and drove down Duval toward Brews and Broomsticks, where she could speak to Kevin.
He’d donated at the auction, like she had, but maybe he could do a bit more. The parking lot was packed, but she found a place near the road; slipping and sliding on the mushy snow, she tread carefully to the front door.
Instead of Christmas music, country blared from a small stage to the right. A trio of old men with scruff on their faces and ponytails were playing guitars and singing about honky-tonk women.
A few couples danced; though there wasn’t a dance floor per se, they had a little room between the band and the nearby tables. One couple did a two-step, and another swayed to the music, thigh to thigh, hands clasped.
Charlene crossed to the long bar and snagged a stool, waiting for Kevin to notice her—he was at the other end, watching the music. The song ended and he turned around, seeing her. His eyes crinkled as he smiled in welcome.
“How’s it going, girl?”
“Well, other than my mother, things are okay,” she managed somewhat cheerfully.
“That sounds like you need a drink. What can I get you? Beer, wine”—he leaned close to whisper—“bottle of scotch?”
She laughed. “A glass of wine would be fine. I’m actually here on a mission. First stop was Bella’s to see Vincent.”
He poured her an ice water, adding a slice of lemon before showing her a Pinot Grigio. She nodded.
“What did you see him about?” He moved as gracefully as a dancer behind the bar.
“I’m asking business owners for money to help buy presents for Felicity House. Doesn’t matter how much or little, but I want to make sure they have a merry Christmas.”
“That’s a great idea. I’m in for a hundred. Will that do?”
“Yes, it’s very generous. Thank you.” She sat back and nodded at the band. “Great music.”
“They’re a traveling band, do mostly Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.”
“I like it.”
“Have you decided to celebrate our Winter Solstice on the beach tonight? Amy hopes you’re going to come.”
“I don’t think so, but thank you for the invite. I’ll celebrate good fortune in the new year, indoors by my fireplace.” They shared a smile. “So, tell me about
Amy? When did you two meet?”
“A long time ago. We dated oh, maybe ten years back; then she left Salem and moved to California. Hadn’t seen her since, though she kept in touch for a while on social media—she’s an actress but spent a lot of time waitressing between decent roles in a few Netflix movies and TV. Played some meaty parts, kind of dark—always about a troubled woman in danger. She was real good too.”
“Aha! So you kept track of her. Watched her movies.” Charlene put a hand over his. “That’s really sweet. Is Amy the reason you never settled down?”
“She might have something to do with it.” Kevin delivered drinks at the opposite end of the bar and then returned to Charlene. “She’s back for good, or so she says. Now she’s in one of those reenactments for the witch trials. That should keep her busy.”
She hoped for her friend that it was true. She didn’t want Amy or any woman to leave his heart bruised; he was too nice of a guy to do that to once, let alone twice.
“I hope so.” It was good to see him happy. “Thanks for the donation. I’ll collect until Friday, then take it to over to Alice on Christmas Eve morning. Can’t let Tori ruin Christmas for the kids, now can we?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Charlene sat at the bar, too amped up to go home. She had so much to accomplish if she wanted her goals to be met, and time was limited. Where could she ask for the most donations in one spot?
The mall. Once she’d finished her wine and paid her bill, she’d go shopping. Win-win.
She pulled her Christmas list from the side pocket of her purse, along with a pen, as she waited for Kevin to have a moment free to bring her check. She sipped her wine and glanced at the purchases she had on her gift list. So far it included a gift certificate for Minnie and Will to a romantic restaurant in Boston. Also, for Minnie, a cute antique box she’d found at Vintage Treasures.
Charlene put a check mark by their names. A royal blue cashmere sweater for her mother that she could keep for herself, but wouldn’t. An e-book reader for her dad—she wasn’t sure if he would give up his physical books, so she’d wrapped the gift receipt inside. A fruit basket for her old college friend Brynne and her husband. Check, check, check.