Crumbling Up Crooks

by Emmie Lyn

  “Before Lily helps me in the kitchen,” I said, “I want to know who Harry Glassman is.” I directed my statement at Kelly since she’d already accused him of being the murderer.

  “The recluse glassblower?” Luke asked.

  “You’ve heard of him?” I said. Luke had a rolodex in his brain so I shouldn’t have been surprised that he knew the glassblower. He knew just about everyone in the whole Blueberry Bay area, at least by name.

  Kelly, who had sagged onto one of the comfortable living room chairs, still bundled up in my thick parka as if it served as a protective layer from the disaster at her gallery. “Luke’s right. Harry’s a glassblower, and he recently contacted me. He saw Rose’s article in the Blueberry Bay Grapevine about my open house featuring Nick North.”

  “Let me guess,” I said. “Harry isn’t a fan of Nick’s?”

  “It’s actually worse than that, Dani. Harry told me that Nick stole his work.”

  I felt my jaw drop into the silence that settled in the room.

  “All the boxes of glass reindeer and trees that Nick brought for the open-house? Everything in the back of my store? Stolen. At least allegedly.” Kelly sounded defeated and discouraged to say the least. Did she know that one of the reindeers was the murder weapon?

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “This is a huge accusation and would certainly give him a motive to murder Nick North. But where is this guy, this Harry Glassman?”

  “That’s the thing,” Kelly said, her voice echoing her confusion. “I’m not one hundred percent sure about the accusation, but after Harry called me, he said he and his daughter would be coming to Misty Harbor. This morning I confronted Nick about the accusation, positive he’d laugh it all off and say Harry was some kind of nut job or something.”

  “Not at all,” Luke said. “Harry’s the real deal. The only reason I know about him, though, is because of his daughter, Marion. I got to talking to her one time when she came to pick blueberries. She saw an old hand-blown glass bowl of my mother’s. Marion was impressed and told me about her father’s work.”

  “So, Kelly, what did Nick say to you this morning about the accusation?”

  She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she seemed to shrink inside my thick parka while she stared out the window at the choppy ocean and racing clouds.

  Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know why I waited to ask him until after I’d helped him carry in all of his boxes, I suppose I was working up my nerve. I’d just put the last box on the stack when Nick said how excited he was about the show. I had to know the truth. I told him that someone called me and accused him of stealing all the reindeer and Christmas trees.” Kelly fidgeted, wringing her hands, and blinking like she was holding back tears.

  “And?” I asked.

  “Nick denied stealing anything, of course, but I heard hesitation in his answer. And he had that deer caught in the headlights look. You know what I mean? Like his whole world had just been exposed.”

  “What happened next?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know but we’d come this far, and I couldn’t pretend we weren’t involved.

  “I told him to pack everything up. I wanted him to be gone from my shop when I got back from my errands. I wasn’t going to risk my whole reputation taking a chance on selling stolen goods. Open house or not, it just wasn’t worth it.”

  “I hope that Harry guy came in to confront Nick,” Maggie said. “Otherwise…”

  “It’s definitely time for coffee,” Lily said, “before we jump to the wrong conclusion.”

  Right. I knew what Maggie had left unsaid. Otherwise… AJ was the only one in the store.

  Before I left to help Lily, I had to ask Kelly one more question. “Did AJ hear you argue with Nick?”

  She seemed to shrink even farther into the chair. “And, you know how he is when it comes to protecting me if he thinks someone has done me wrong. Before I left, I told him it was all under control and to stay out of the back room. I thought he would respect my decision about how to handle the situation.” She buried her face in her hands.

  Maggie knelt next to Kelly. “Don’t worry. I know AJ, too, and he’s not a murderer.”

  Once I was in the kitchen and out of hearing range of the others, I asked, “What do you think about all this, Lil?”

  “First off, all those Christmas cookies won’t be needed tonight at Kelly’s open house. So,” she grinned at me, “maybe the police would like a big basket of unexpected Christmas treats?”

  “A bribe? I’m shocked.” I faked a surprised look and tried not to laugh at Lily’s suggestion that I take a bribe to the police. When I needed information, Dani Mackenzie and bribe went together like jingle and bells.

  “I never said a bribe, Dani. Consider the cookies a Christmas gift for the hard-working men and women in our police department. What’s wrong with that?” She turned on the coffee maker.

  “Nothing at all. It’s a fantastic idea.”

  I carried a tray with mugs, sugar, and cream into the living room just in time to hear Kelly say, “I left the door into the back room unlocked for Nick so he could get started on the display. Anyone could have come in.”

  6

  Before Lily poured the coffee, a knock on the front door stirred Pip off her cushion and sent her barking to warn any intruder that she meant business.

  AJ let himself in, looking haggard, subdued, and wearing at least ten extra years since I’d seen him only a few hours earlier.

  He took one look at all of us sitting in the living room and his face fell even farther.

  Had we sent some sort of accusatory expression in his direction?

  He stayed in the entrance to the room with his hands deep in his pockets. “I didn’t kill Nick North. Someone had to have come in through the back door.”

  Maggie pulled him into the room toward an empty chair. She filled a mug with coffee and handed it to him. “That’s exactly what we were just talking about. But who? Did you see anyone?”

  He pulled his hand over his face and flexed his jaw from side to side like he needed to loosen those muscles that he’d probably been clenching all morning.

  “Detective Jane Winter is in charge of the investigation. I’m off the case. Too close to Kelly, she said, and the crime scene. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has me at the top of the suspect list for now. I mean, I’d probably jump to the same conclusion. I had half of the murder weapon in my hand, no one else was at the scene of the crime, and I wasn’t exactly a fan of Nick North.”

  He rambled on. Probably because he felt he was in a safe space and could get some things off his chest. His shoulders drooped as he sipped the coffee, showing the toll the day had taken.

  “You can’t imagine how good it is to be here instead of sitting at the crime scene with everyone looking at me and trying to pretend they didn’t think I killed Nick North. It sure gives me a new appreciation for how it feels to be a suspect.”

  “Did you see anyone in the shop this morning, AJ?” Maggie asked again.

  He stretched his legs out trying to get comfortable, but I didn’t think it was working. He was too caught up in reliving the morning at the shop.

  “I didn’t go straight into the back room when Kelly left,” he explained. “I tried to keep busy by looking at all the beautiful items for sale. The Christmas music helped force Nick out of my thoughts, but only for about fifteen or twenty minutes.” He let out a deep heartfelt sigh. “When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I did go into the back room.” He glanced quickly at Kelly with an apologetic look on his face. “Just to make sure Nick was packing up like you told him to. But to answer your question, Maggie, no, I didn’t see anyone.”

  “Was Nick still there?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “I didn’t see him anywhere at first… which was fine with me. If he’d left to crawl under whatever rock he’d come out from, I was fine with that.”

  “But?” I asked. There’s always a but that follows an if.

  “But, you’re righ
t, Dani. I saw feet sticking out from behind a stack of boxes. When I moved in to get a closer look, I saw it was Nick with the glass reindeer stuck in his chest. I know it was a bonehead move to touch anything, me being a cop and all, I should have thought about fingerprints and evidence. But I guess I was thinking about Nick. You know, to help him?”

  The same thing went through my head. If Nick was dead, why would AJ touch the murder weapon? I let him explain.

  “I tried to stop the bleeding, or pull it out, I’m not really sure. I guess it must have broken off in my hand. I don’t remember that part very well because that’s when someone knocked me over from behind. I must have crashed into all the boxes filled with the glass stuff Nick brought and cracked my head on the floor, too.”

  That explained the shattering glass noise I’d heard. “When I walked into Creative Designs,” I said, “I heard a lot of glass breaking. If I hadn’t slipped on ice and fallen outside the gallery, maybe I would have seen the murderer fleeing.” I kicked myself for that timing, which might have saved AJ from living under a cloud of suspicion.

  “Or, you might have been killed, too,” Rose said. “And what worries me now is that the murderer might have seen you and doesn’t know what you know, Danielle. Good grief, this a terrible situation.”

  “That’s right.” AJ rubbed his head. “A terrible situation for sure. But one positive piece of information is that even with this lump I got here, my head is so hard, the paramedic said there won’t be any lasting damage.”

  I appreciated his attempt to lighten up the mood, but it didn’t work. I was still stuck on Rose’s comment. Was it possible that the killer saw me? I shivered and saw myself jumping at every sound and screaming with every approaching footstep.

  “Well, that fills in a few gaps,” Maggie said, sticking with the facts instead of speculation. “I’d better start looking for more clues. Maybe begin with this Harry Glassman guy.”

  AJ held his hands up. “Stop right there, Maggie. I know you want to jump in with both feet, but I think it’s best if we let Jane do her thing and stay out of her way. I’m already on her suspect list and if my girlfriend gets in her way, she’ll be more likely to think that I’m hiding something.”

  “You mean you want me to sit around and wait for Jane to arrest you before I try to save your sorry butt?” Maggie crossed her arms and fumed.

  She had a point in my opinion, but I wasn’t jumping in the middle of that argument.

  “How about this?” I said, realizing this was the moment to share Lily’s fantastic idea. “While we were in the kitchen, Lily reminded me that she made a lot of Christmas cookies for Kelly’s open house. Sadly, that won’t be happening now.” I glanced at Kelly with a sorry tip of my head.

  Rose interrupted before I finished explaining the plan. “Perfect. No sense in letting those cookies go to waste. Bring some Christmas cheer to the police. A wonderful idea.”

  “A bribe?” AJ asked, a horrified expression on his face. “I know how you operate, Dani.”

  “Not a bribe at all,” Lily said, sharing a conspiratorial wink with me. “A gift for all the hardworking men and women in the police department. I’m sure they’d love a delicious Christmas surprise at this time of year. Who doesn’t love cookies?”

  Maggie snorted but said nothing. She knew AJ would try to stop her at every turn. It looked like I’d have to be the face of this clandestine investigation. He couldn’t very well call Rose a liar and say her idea smelled exactly like a bribe instead of a buttery Christmas present. Even if he wanted to.

  AJ sighed again. He knew when a roomful of women had him cornered. “If you have all those extra cookies, how about you bring some here first. I could use a little cheering up.”

  That was AJ’s round-about way of telling me to do what I had to do but maybe leave out the details so he wouldn’t have to lie to his co-workers.

  I could live with that, as long as I could do some investigating of my own.

  7

  Before AJ had time to change his mind about handing the investigation over to me, I made a quick announcement.

  “So, here’s what I think we should do. Lily and I will go to the Little Dog Diner and box up the Christmas cookies.” I looked at Maggie. “Do you want to come too?” I was pretty sure the answer would be a resounding yes, but there was a small chance she might think she needed to stay at Sea Breeze and keep AJ company.

  “Yes!” she said, reinforcing my gut instinct. “I’ll follow you, check on my kitty Radar, and bring some cookies back here. How does that sound?”

  She had her eyes on AJ, letting him know, I guess, that she’d stand by him and stay out of Detective Winters hair. He gave her a tired nod.

  Kelly jumped out of her chair. “I’m going with Dani. If she’s bringing cookies to Detective Winter, I want to go, too. I can find out what happened at my shop.”

  I saw a look of horror cross AJ’s face. “Kelly?” he said. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Yeah, well, I told you to stay out of the back room when I left you in charge this morning and did you listen? No! I’m doing what I think is best for me.”

  He slumped lower in his seat, a sign of resignation. “Just don’t tell Winter more than she needs to know.”

  “Like what, AJ?” Kelly stood with her hands curled into fists on her hips and her jaw muscles working overtime.

  Listening to these siblings argue was awkward at best, but I knew AJ had much more sense about crime scenes than his sister did. I also knew how hard it was to keep thoughts in my head instead of letting them fall out unbidden. I hoped Kelly didn’t have that same problem around Detective Winter.

  “Like telling her about your argument with Nick this morning. It will make it look like you had a motive to kill him.”

  Kelly’s eyes grew big, round, and dark as midnight. “Is that what’s going on? You think I killed Nick North, don’t you? Admit it AJ. You think that’s why I told you not to go in the back room.” She flopped back onto the soft cushion as if her legs just couldn’t hold her up anymore. “I don’t believe this.”

  AJ didn’t answer her, and that said more to me than any denial. Did Kelly kill Nick?

  AJ waited for half a minute before responding, but the tension between the two siblings made it seem like a year.

  AJ softly explained, “Kelly? I’m a detective. I don’t think you killed Nick, but it won’t be a leap for Jane to come to that conclusion once she knows all the facts about Nick and the alleged theft. At this point, she only has me at the scene of the crime, and I’d rather let it stay that way and have Jane focus on me. As far as everyone knows, Nick was still alive when you left your shop.”

  I felt like a helpless onlooker as the brother and sister stared at each other. One with defeat written on his face and the other shooting daggers at her brother as she shouted. “Nick was alive when I left! I can’t believe what you’re saying… Detective.”

  If looks could kill, I wouldn’t have traded places with AJ as Kelly marched to the door.

  “Kelly,” I said, realizing she’d forgotten how she’d gotten to Sea Breeze. “Uh, you came in my car. Do you want a lift back to town?”

  She closed her eyes and I’m sure she counted to ten before she said through clenched teeth, “I’m ready to go when you are, Dani.”

  “Okay,” I said, pasting on a breezy smile. Rose and Luke would have to try and cheer AJ up, but if this wasn’t the perfect time to separate these sparring siblings, I didn’t know what would be.

  With Kelly in the passenger seat and Pip on her lap, I headed into town. This was going to be a chilly ride, in more ways than one, unless I could soften Kelly up and convince her to talk about Nick. She had to know something about him that would help us get to the bottom of this disaster.

  “Your grandmother’s going to have her hands full with AJ,” she said with a sour inflection. “He’ll sit there and pout like a two-year old that didn’t get his way.” Kelly made a face, rubbed he
r eyes, and said, “Waa, waa, waa.”

  I burst out laughing at her image. “I wouldn’t worry about Rose,” I said. “She won’t have any trouble telling him to get over himself. I heard that more times over the years than I can count on my fingers and toes.”

  We both enjoyed a laugh at AJ’s expense before the MG went air borne when I hit a frost heave. Poor Pip flew off Kelly’s lap, almost hitting the ceiling of my little car.

  “So sorry, Pipster,” I said and reached over and reassured her with a scratch on her chest while she got herself resettled in Kelly’s lap. No more feet on the dashboard for her, I noticed.

  “What’s your game plan when we get to town, Kelly?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know. I couldn’t just sit at your house and do nothing.” She twisted sideways so she faced me. “Do you think AJ could be right about Detective Winter thinking I murdered Nick?”

  “Your brother’s an excellent detective.” I carefully considered my words before continuing. I took a deep breath and hoped she wouldn’t think I was attacking her. The image of her reaction to AJ’s comments was still fresh in my mind. “I do think it’s possible. Look at it this way. Jane has to work with the facts at her disposal.”

  “But—”

  I held up my hand to silence her. “First, Kelly, Creative Designs is your shop. I found Nick murdered in the back room. That’s a big problem right from the get go. She has to reconstruct the scene—who was there, when, what exactly happened, and any motives to help solve the crime.”

  “I—”

  “Not yet. I need to finish before you say anything. You say Nick was alive when you left the store, but who can confirm that? Only AJ, which puts him in the crosshairs. I think what he was trying to tell you was to be careful what you say to Jane and let him be her target. For now, anyways. Unless,” I paused trying to decide whether I should say this part or not. “Unless… you think AJ killed Nick.”