Petunia couldn’t help herself. She pounded on the bell even though Robin Bridgewater was at the desk. Robin nearly sneered when she locked eyes with Petunia, who merely smiled back.
Instead of the standard, “How can I help you?” Robin’s eyes widened as she pointed to Pansy.
“Cats aren’t allowed in here,” Robin choked out. “Out!”
Petunia took the blanket off of Pansy and set him down. “I’m sorry, but it’s important to keep my familiar with me at all times.”
Robin’s eyes protruded as Noah attempted to smooth things over. “Don’t mind my girlfriend. She has the feeling you don’t like her.”
“I don’t,” Robin said as she smoothed her hair in place. “She has no business here.”
“Why would you say that?”
“She’s not a member.”
“What if she planned to join the country club?”
“Memberships are carefully reviewed.”
“We’re only here to ask you a few questions,” Petunia said.
“I don’t have time for your questions right now.”
“How about mine?” Noah asked.
“You’re an attractive man; why would you waste your time with, Petunia?”
“Sorry, that’s not the questions we’re talking about,” Petunia interjected. “We’re looking for a woman with dark hair who might have reserved a room here. Oh, and she has a little boy with her by the name of Timmy. I believe he’s about three.”
“What’s her name?”
“I don’t have it, but certainly you would remember a woman fitting that description with a little boy.”
“So you don’t even know her name?” Robin laughed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Mallory Winters. I believe that’s her name.”
Robin directed her attention to her computer. “We don’t have a Mallory Winters staying here.”
“I could have the name wrong. Perhaps if I took a stroll around the dining room I might spot her.”
“No.”
“It will take only a minute.”
“I said no.”
“There’s no need to be rude,” Noah said.
“Get moving, Pansy,” Petunia said. Right on cue Pansy ran off. “Pansy, get back here!”
“I’ll get him,” Robin said.
“He bites,” Noah offered. “And scratched me horribly today.” He glanced at Petunia. “Did you remember to get Pansy vaccinated?”
“I forgot to get his rabies shot,” Petunia said as she hurried in the direction of the dining room, an enraged Robin trailing her.
12
Petunia smiled at the patrons, mostly older, established men and their wives. In the corner a woman and a child sat facing away from her.
“Excuse me,” Petunia said as she rounded the table. When the sixtyish woman glanced up in confusion Petunia quickly apologized. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
“Get out,” Robin hissed from behind Petunia.
“Don’t be so rude, Robin,” Bonnie Hopkins admonished as she joined them. “Petunia and Noah are friends of mine and the mayor. I expected you both earlier.”
“Sorry, we were running late,” Petunia said with a smile as Petunia and Noah joined Bonnie at her table.
Robin, cut from the conversation by Bonnie, walked away.
“That was close,” Petunia said. “Thanks, Bonnie.”
Bonnie motioned over the server, who took their drink orders.
“We didn’t come here to interrupt your dinner.”
“You’re not. My husband is running late. He’s helping deliver toys tonight.”
“I would have helped had I known,” Noah said.
“I’m rather glad you didn’t. We have plenty of help this year. And I never get a chance to see you two together when you’re not investigating.”
“That’s exactly what we are doing here.”
“Not right now, you’re not. We’re having a nice dinner. So what’s the scoop?” Bonnie asked as she slathered butter on a roll.
“We’re still looking for the woman and little boy.”
“And apparently you haven’t found them here.”
“No, but I thought I spotted them near your house today, but I lost them.”
“They’ll turn up,” Bonnie insisted. “Now, tell me all about your holiday plans. Where are you and Noah going for Christmas?”
They fell silent as the server set their drinks down.
“I haven’t made any plans for Christmas,” Noah said.
“I really hadn’t thought about it, we’ve been so busy,” Petunia said.
“I suppose I could pick up a ham for us,” Noah offered.
“Nonsense. You’re both invited to spend Christmas with the mayor and me,” Bonnie insisted. “Don’t even try to say no.”
“I wouldn’t dream of saying no.” Noah grinned. “My mother always made a big dinner with all the trimmings.”
“My cook makes a wonderful meal. I was raised in the Hamptons and my parents were more worried about me marrying well, which didn’t involve me learning to cook.”
“I wouldn’t worry about the woman and child. I’m certain you’ll find them,” Bonnie assured Petunia.
“I still don’t know why she introduced herself as Mallory Winters.”
“Maybe she is Mallory Winters.”
“I’m quite certain she’s not.”
“Lucy’s granddaughter finally arrived and is staying with her,” Noah said.
Petunia picked at her meal, waiting for an opportunity to excuse herself, which she managed not much later. She walked in the direction of the bathroom until she was out of Bonnie’s sight.
Petunia then darted down the hallway and into a smaller dining room as she followed Pansy.
“It’s about time,” he hissed. “I hope you’re bringing some leftovers home.”
“Is that all you think about?”
“No, but my stomach is empty at the moment.”
Petunia groaned as she bumped into a chair.
“You should have turned on a light,” Pansy said.
“I don’t want to be seen.”
“They’ll hear you for sure if you keep bumping into things.”
Petunia crossed the room to the patio doors that offered some light. There was something about snow on the ground that made it look lighter outside than it really was.
She cupped her hands against the glass and held her breath. She saw something on the ground.
Petunia unlatched the door and walked outside wincing when the door emitted a screeching alarm sound. She put her hands in her pockets to make sure the elves were in place as she stood looking down at a woman crumpled in the snow. She knelt and felt the woman’s frozen skin. No pulse. She ran back inside to the reception desk and begged Robin to call the police.
“That’s a sick joke,” Robin sneered.
Petunia pulled Robin outside and showed her the body.
“Oh no,” Robin cried as she stood staring at the body.
As Robin froze, Petunia dialed 911 with her cell phone. The operator insisted she perform CPR even though it was obvious the woman was long dead. Petunia did as instructed until the paramedics arrived.
Petunia hugged Pansy, who was shivering. Patrons pressed their faces against the windows to catch a view of what was going on outside, but when Sheriff Pinkerton and Deputy Cartwright arrived they were shooed into the dining room to await further instruction. Petunia knew that meant to be questioned when they were ready.
Noah pulled her aside. “What happened?”
“I thought I’d poke around. I spotted someone on the ground out there. The woman’s dead.”
“What woman?” Bonnie asked as she drew near.
“The woman outside. It’s too dark outside to see who it was clearly.”
“I suppose you’ll find out. The sheriff is coming this way.”
“Come into the hall with me, Petunia,” Sheriff Pinkerton said.
; Petunia and Noah followed him, leaving Bonnie in the dining room.
“Robin told me you found the body, Petunia.”
“Yes. Noah and I came here to ask a few questions about the woman we’re seeking. Bonnie insisted we have dinner with her.”
“So how did you find your way outside?”
“I thought I’d take a look around.”
“She was looking for Pansy,” Noah offered.
“How about I speak to Petunia first and then we’ll get to you, Noah?”
Noah’s eyes darkened. “We did lose the cat.”
“He’s right, we did. And I went looking for him and the missing woman at the same time.”
“Continue.”
“I went into the smaller dining room and looked out the window. I saw something on the ground outside. When I went outside, I found it was the body of a woman. She was so cold that I knew it was too late to help her, but I called 911 and performed CPR as instructed by the operator until the paramedics got here.”
“Very well. When they get the woman loaded in the ambulance I’d like you take a look and tell me if it’s the same woman you’ve been looking for.”
“You think the woman we’ve been looking for is dead?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I need you to take a look.”
“But she’s with a little boy,” Petunia reminded Pinkerton. “Is there a little boy here too?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” the sheriff said. “We’ll be able to remove the body once we get more lighting out there.”
“It’s been very cold today,” Petunia said. “She could have frozen to death, but I’d think someone would have noticed a woman lying out there before now.”
“Don’t you dare turn this on me,” Robin said as she approached. “The woman certainly wasn’t dead before you arrived.”
“We only just arrived,” Petunia countered. “We were having dinner with Bonnie Hopkins.”
“Then how did you find the body?”
“I didn’t try to find the body. It was out there for all to see. Except nobody saw it until I did. It could have been planted there after we arrived.”
Robin pursed her lips. “What are you insinuating?”
“I’m not insinuating anything, but you don’t like me, so nothing would surprise me. You wouldn’t even answer any of our questions.”
“I checked to see if a Mallory Winters checked in and she didn’t. I can’t look up a name that you don’t even know.”
Noah squeezed Petunia’s shoulder. “She’s right. And while Robin is rude, you can’t blame her for the body turning up. When was the last time someone was in that dining room?”
“We haven’t been using it,” Robin said.
“Were there any activities outside today?”
“Really?”
“It sounds like a valid question,” Pinkerton said, taking over the questioning. “Well?”
“People don’t come here this time of year to go outside. They stay here over the holidays and come and go into town visiting relatives or friends.”
“I’ll need a list of names,” Pinkerton said.
“Has anyone seen a little boy named Timmy?” Petunia asked the people in the dining room. She frowned when the responses consisted of shaking heads.
Pinkerton disappeared outside. Petunia and Noah joined him out front.
Petunia’s heart was in her throat. She held Noah’s hand as they walked to an ambulance where the woman’s body, now in a rubberized bag, was strapped to a gurney. She asked the paramedics if she could see the woman, and one of them unzipped the top of the bag. She swallowed bile in the back of her throat as she stared at the pale face of the woman they had been searching for all this time.
“Th-that’s her,” Petunia choked out.
“That’s the same woman you chased after the other night?” Deputy Cartwright asked.
“I don’t know if it really was her because she was gone by the time I got around the corner. You can tell the sheriff all about it. It makes me sick that the woman is dead and poor Timmy is missing. You should focus on finding the boy now.”
“We’ll be doing that,” Pinkerton said, “and we’ll search all of the rooms for him.”
Petunia lingered in the lobby while the search was conducted.
“I want to help find the boy,” Petunia said to Noah.
“It’s better that they do it. You’re probably considered a suspect at this point. We both are.”
“I don’t see why when the woman was obviously dead before we even got here.”
“If you say so,” Robin grumbled.
“My alibi can be verified, Can yours, Robin?”
“Let’s sit over there,” Noah suggested, trying to separate them.
Petunia plopped down in a chair. “They have to find Timmy.”
“They will if he’s here.”
“Do you think he’s somewhere else?”
“I’m not saying that.”
Petunia’s eyes widened. “I wonder if she stashed him somewhere before she came here.”
“We don’t even know if she came here at all. He might be with family in town.”
“We can’t knock on every door in town.”
“He’ll turn up,” Noah assured her.
Sheriff Pinkerton frowned when he rejoined them. “That’s it, then. He’s not here.”
“Ask them about their alibi,” Deputy Cartwright demanded.
Petunia detailed her day for the sheriff, and he shook his head at Cartwright. “I know Petunia and Noah didn’t have anything to do with this. Petunia is as concerned as we’ve been about finding the woman and child.”
“What if it’s a custody dispute? Who called you about the missing woman, the Grand Rapids police?” Petunia asked.
“The Grand Rapids called me, but the first call came from an anonymous source,” Pinkerton agreed. “That’s a good point. We’ll look into it.”
“I feel just awful.” Petunia said.
“Noah take Petunia home. There’s nothing either of you can do here. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Maybe she can look in her crystal ball and see where the little boy is,” Robin said as they passed the reception desk.
“That will be enough out of you, Robin. I want all the tapes from the security cameras the last few days,” Pinkerton said.
“I hardly think the woman has been out there longer than a single day,” Petunia said.
“Her body could have been moved here recently under the cover of darkness,” Noah suggested. “Were there any footprints near the body?”
“I walked by the body,” Petunia said. “And so did Robin.”
“Maybe her body was out there longer than we think,” Pinkerton mused. “The snow covered the tracks.”
“I just can’t see her being out there that long, though,” Petunia said. “It wasn’t that long ago that I saw her.”
“Can we take a look outside, sheriff?” Noah asked.
“Go ahead. I’d appreciate any help either of you could offer.”
Petunia and Noah walked outside. The lights were still in place, melting the snow. “It will be impossible to see anything of any use now,” Petunia said. “The lights made the area a mess.”
Noah stooped down. “And revealed a clue.”
Noah pulled a pen from his jacket and sifted through a mound of soggy snow. He lifted a gold chain with pendant with the initials M.W. engraved on it.
Petunia pulled on one glove and took the chain to the sheriff.
“Where did you find this?” Pinkerton asked as he pulled on a rubber glove and placed the chain into an evidence bag.
“The lights melted the snow,” Petunia said. “It was on the ground near the spot where the body was.”
They walked back outside and Petunia and Noah stood out of the way as the sheriff searched the ground and repositioned the lights to look for more clues. It was a slow process, and when nothing of interest was found Petunia collected Pansy and Noa
h took them home.
Petunia yawned, parted ways with Noah and walked inside, gladly closing her door. She went upstairs and removed the elves from her pocket and set them on her pillow.
“What an awful place this is,” Victor lamented.
“I want to go home,” Chloe seconded. “Nobody dies at the North Pole.”
“Not anyone you know of,” Petunia said. “It might be better if you stay here tomorrow.”
“But we can’t. It’s Christmas Eve and we have to find a way home.”
Petunia yawned. “Can we talk about that in the morning? I need to get some sleep.”
Petunia set on the table a plush towel and facecloth as a makeshift bed for the elves, who climbed into it with yawns of their own. It was quite a sight to see elves making themselves comfortable in her room. She worried about them. How would they get back home?
13
Petunia toweled dry her hair on the way into her bedroom in the morning. She frowned at the elf ears that were still there. She turned to complain to Pansy, but he wasn’t there, and neither were the elves.
She quickly tugged on a pair of jeans and sweater, and padded down the stairs. Petunia covered her ears with her hands at the meows that sounded closer to roars as Merlin, Sassy and Gem chased her to the kitchen.
Petunia sprinkled dry cat food in their dishes and then searched for the canned food, knowing full well that her cats wouldn’t be satisfied. She rolled her eyes when she realized she must have left the food at Noah’s house.
“I’ll be right back,” Petunia announced to her cats. She slipped on a jacket and boots before heading to Noah’s house. Petunia met Cora at Noah’s door. She welcomed Petunia in and greeted her, “You saved me a trip.”
Petunia walked inside and Noah shrugged from behind Cora. “What’s going on?”
“I popped over to remind Noah to be over to my house at seven,” Cora said. “To my surprise, he now says he’ll be unable to attend.”
“He’s quite right. We have a pressing matter that requires immediate attention.”
“That’s convenient.”
“A woman’s body was found at the country club last night.”
“Again, that’s convenient.”
Meows, Magic & Elves Page 10