Christmas is Murder

by Arnold, Carolyn

  “We’re not too convinced their deaths were an accident.”

  “Oh no. Here we go again. Neither of you suit retirement, you know that? Has anyone told you that before? Because I’m telling you now. Most people blessed by a multi-billion-dollar inheritance would be off living it up somewhere, not working themselves to the bone, getting themselves involved with solving murders.”

  Sara’s eyes grew large. “You believe it was murder too?”

  “Now, I didn’t say that. I was speaking metaphorical like, all right.” He reached for the photo again, and this time Sara let him take it. His facial expression never even registered shock when he looked at it. “The Wilsons’ living room? What’s left of their tree?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you hope to accomplish? Didn’t the fire department already rule on the cause?”

  “They did, but they rushed the conclusion, Jimmy.” Sean made sure he had the man’s full attention. “Sara—we—have a feeling there’s more to the situation. It started from a Christmas ornament that shorted or overheated. That’s as detailed as they get.”

  “I haven’t heard anything that convinces me it was anything other than an accident.”

  “Every year the Wilsons would hire Rudolph’s to do all of their holiday decorating,” Sara perched on the edge of the sofa cushion, “but this year, they did it themselves. The owner wasn’t too happy about it. Said that business is slow already.”

  “So you believe he sold them something that was faulty, as a sort of payback?”

  “We have a feeling that’s possible. He might not have intended for them to die, but that’s the result. He needs to be held accountable if that’s the case.”

  “If that’s the case.” Jimmy analyzed the photo. “Where are you with this?”

  “We know they sold them strands of lighting, and we found one that had a frayed wire,” Sean said.

  “That could have happened during the fire, though, and it doesn’t mean it was the cause.”

  “We’re just checking out all the angles, Jimmy. You ought to have seen that man’s face.”

  “That man?”

  “Rudolph’s.”

  “As in the reindeer?”

  Sara smiled at Sean. “We never caught his real name.”

  “Okay, let’s say this strand caused the fire, couldn’t it have been bought anywhere?”

  “Jimmy’s right, darling, we’re spinning in circles here,” Sean said as he rubbed the back of her hand.

  “I am not giving in that easily. Before you got here, Jimmy, we found something at the Wilsons’ that wasn’t on the list from Rudolph’s.”

  “You visited them and got their purchase list?”

  Sara shrugged it off. “We’re thorough.”

  “What was it?”

  “This.” Sara pointed to what was left of a gold starburst ornament.

  “They could have bought it somewhere else.”

  “We saw one just like it at the store.”

  “So you think they sabotaged it in some way?”

  “I do.” Sara nodded to back up her words.

  “What are you going to do now?”

  Sara turned to Sean. “We’re going back to the store. We did promise to see him first if we found anything.”

  Jimmy got up. “And I’m getting back to work. Ho. Ho. Ho. What? I need to practice.”

  -

  Chapter 12

  “DOMINICK, THE ITALIAN CHRISTMAS DONKEY”

  SANTA’S GREETING FELL TO THEIR BACKS. The elf who had offered to help them was waylaid by Sean’s raised hand, communicating they didn’t need assistance. Rudolph was at the counter, just as he had been earlier that day. Now, it was early evening.

  “Two times in one day? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  The blinking nose, a prop intended to add magic to his image, couldn’t offset the man’s attitude. Even if the store wasn’t involved with the Wilsons’ deaths, the man’s aggressive spirit and ungrateful attitude pushed Sean away.

  “We’re here to talk to you about this.” Sean took one of the starbursts off the display and placed it on the counter. “Did you sell one of these to the Wilsons?”

  “You have the list. Why can’t you leave me alone? You’re not even cops. You know, better yet, I should call the cops and report you two as harassing me.”

  “You seem to forget what we told you earlier. We have contacts deep inside the PD. Unless you want a full-blown investigation into your shop, I’d suggest you work with us.” Sean blew smoke, hoping the man wouldn’t call his bluff.

  The reindeer crossed his hooves. “No, I don’t believe they bought one of those from us.”

  “They had one in their home,” Sara said.

  “They didn’t get it from me,” Rudolph said through clenched teeth. “And I’m the only licensed distributor in Albany.”

  Sean had an idea. If they could find out who else had purchased the starbursts from Rudolph’s, they could confirm whether or not the item was faulty. It may not have been an intentional murder, but a manufacturer’s defect.

  “We need a list of anyone who bought these.” Sean pointed to the ornament.

  “You’re kidding me, right? People come in here and pick them up on a spontaneous urge.”

  “We’ll need a report detailing who these were sold to—we’ll settle for the ones on account.”

  “I’m not giving you—”

  “Darling,” Sara nudged Sean’s arm and directed his attention to a back room.

  A young man was packing decorations into boxes. He had facial hair, wore a hoodie, and pretty much slammed everything in. He glared at them when he realized they were watching.

  “Who is that?” Sean asked.

  “Who?” Rudolph turned, more out of irritation and going through the motions than real interest. “That’s Donnie. Why?”

  “He doesn’t look too happy to be here,” Sara observed.

  With her statement, Sean picked up on her thinking. If Rudolph wasn’t involved, a disgruntled employee could be a logical leap.

  “What is his job here?” Sean asked.

  “He packs up some of the customers’ orders.”

  “Is it possible he could have slipped in the starburst by accident?”

  “You two are—” Rudolph became contemplative as if giving consideration to Sean’s question. “Donnie’s going to be let go at the end of the season…well, if things don’t turn around.”

  “Does he know this?”

  “Yeah. I like to be upfront with my employees. You don’t think he had something to do with it?”

  “The list we asked for?”

  The hooves remained crossed. “I’m not going to be bullied into this. Leave my store.”

  POSSIBILITIES WHIRLED THROUGH SARA’S MIND. Were the Wilsons’ deaths intentional? An accident? To know for sure, they needed to see who else had purchased the starbursts, to rule them out.

  Sean got behind the wheel. “We might not even be looking at Rudolph for this. It could have been one of Santa’s elves.” He smirked and she giggled. “I’m not sure what else we can do. I had the thought it could even be a manufacturer’s defect, and that’s assuming it is an ornament that started the fire.”

  “We’re going to need a couple things. First, we need that list.”

  “You’re not getting it. You heard the reindeer.”

  She narrowed her eyes, and he put his hands up in surrender. She continued, undeterred. “From there we’ll visit the customers’ homes to make sure they’re still standing.”

  “Why do I sense there’s more to this?”

  She wanted to hold back what she thought should be their next course of action until the last minute, so instead, she revealed something else. “What if Donnie was so upset about losing his job that he to
ok it out on people who’d cut back their business?”

  “You’re thinking he tampered with the starbursts before packing them?”

  “Why not?”

  “If that’s the case, there could be more people out there—”

  “Now you’re recognizing my sense of urgency.”

  “Still, how do you propose we get their information?”

  “Adam.”

  “Adam. Yes, I should have known.”

  She smiled at him as she dialed. Adam was a relative tech genius and always more than eager to help.

  -

  Chapter 13

  “SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN”

  “YOU WANT ME TO HACK into a Christmas shop’s database?” Adam asked.

  Sara had him on speaker and, based on his incredulous tone, she questioned her decision to call him.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I can do it. I just won’t tell my mother.”

  “If you don’t feel right about it.”

  “No, Sara, anything for you two. My conscience is clear. Besides, I’m doing this to bring about justice for an older couple, right? That’s the way I look at things.”

  Sara smiled at Sean.

  “Glad to hear it, Adam. How long should that take?”

  The sound of clicking keys was tapping in the background.

  Sean’s face pinched. “Adam?”

  “Just a minute…All right, I’m in.”

  “You’re in?” Sara sat up straighter. “Already?”

  “Well, it was just as I thought. Very little security. Guess the reindeer didn’t anticipate anyone hacking into his records.”

  “You are amazing.”

  “Hold your praise, Sean. Let’s see if I can get you exactly what you’re looking for first. Actually…I have access going back seven years. The guy really needs to get his online security taken care of. If I were so inclined, I could even modify his records.”

  Listening to Adam, Sara realized the vulnerability that came with the digital age.

  “We’re only interested in customer records from this year,” Sean said.

  “And we’d like to narrow that down to people who bought decorations only and didn’t utilize Rudolph’s for install or catering,” Sara added.

  “I can do that.” The faint clicking of more keys.

  They waited it out for a minute.

  “Adam?”

  “Sara, I got it. Is that all you needed?”

  Sean’s eyes communicated he was thinking the same thing as her. Adam’s giftedness was unbelievable. It gave her an idea. “Actually, one more thing.”

  “Name it.”

  “Can you narrow it down by customer service clerks?”

  “Let me…yep.”

  “Search Donnie.”

  A few seconds passed and Sean’s phone beeped.

  “I take it you have it already.” The smug smile in Adam’s tone was clear, even through the phone line.

  “How do you do that?”

  “I’m talented.”

  “I’d say.”

  “Thanks, Adam,” Sara said.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “Adam, before you go, make sure we talk about getting you to head-up network security for our companies.”

  Sara smiled at Sean, but his attention was on her phone.

  “Really? Mr. McKin—”

  “Sean, it’s always Sean to you.”

  “I’d be honored.”

  She loved that Sean had dangled the promotion in front of the clerk, and she trusted her husband’s choice in delegating such a heavy responsibility to Adam. Despite the fact he was in his early twenties, he was solid and reliable. There was no doubt that he was loyal and would carry out his responsibilities with the utmost diligence.

  “Good day, Adam.” Sara was certain her smile carried with her good-bye. She ended the call and turned to Sean. “You just made his day.”

  “He does a great job. He deserves to be recognized for it.” Sean brought up Adam’s message.

  “But if we go legit, you know, get our PI licenses…I always thought Adam would be our technical go-to guy.”

  “There’s nothing saying he can’t be both.”

  “Yes, very true.”

  “So, here you go. We have five other residences.”

  “Five? Business was slow.”

  -

  Chapter 14

  “LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!”

  THEY SPENT THE EVENING ON the road instead of curled up by the fire inside their warm house. They drove by the addresses that showed electrical decorations purchased from Rudolph’s and packed by Donnie. Four of the five houses they had checked on were still standing. One more residence to go.

  Sean didn’t want to come out and put it bluntly, but maybe it was time to consider the Wilsons’ deaths were simply a random tragedy. “I’d say everything looks fine, Sara.”

  “But it might not be. If Donnie sabotaged any of the decorations, the only way we’ll know is by looking at their trees to see if they are plugged in.”

  He suspected what she was going to say next and contemplated if there was a limit to what he would do for his wife.

  Sara continued. “Also, none of these invoices show the customer buying a gold starburst. If we find one in their home, then something really isn’t right. Rudolph said he’s the only one who carries them in Albany.”

  “That doesn’t mean they couldn’t have bought it outside of the city.”

  “I know, Sean, but it would seem too coincidental to me. It might not even be the starburst. What if Donnie frayed the wires on the light strands?”

  “I can accept that the Wilsons’ eyesight may not have been good, but wouldn’t people typically notice something like that?”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “We need to get inside.”

  He pulled the car over to the curb and made a sudden stop. “You want us to break into one of the homes?”

  “Not one of the homes, this one in particular.” She pointed at the two-story brick colonial across the street. “They purchased strands of lighting as well.”

  “And how do you propose we get in there—without ending up with a jail sentence?”

  “Where’s your sense of adventure, Sean?”

  “It lives on this side of the bars.”

  “Darling,” Sara touched his shoulder, “you’re not afraid, are you?”

  “Yes. Yes, I am afraid. Life is great, Sara, I don’t want to sacrifice it on a whim. I’m too cute for prison, and you, well, I’m not even going to elaborate on that thought.”

  “So, you’re saying that you’re not capable of pulling this off?”

  “I never said that.”

  She withdrew her hand. “It sounded like that to me.”

  “That house will take more than a bobby pin.”

  She smirked, and he knew he was toast.

  “You did so well with your lock-picking kit at the Wilsons’ house.”

  “Ah, yes, the Wilsons and their silent alarm.” He nailed emphasis on silent.

  “And yet we never got caught. Things could have been a lot worse.”

  “Worse than alarms that notify the police?”

  “Yeah, guard dogs.”

  “That would qualify.” Sean ran his hand down his face. His focus was ahead. If he risked gazing into Sara’s eyes, he’d be done for. As it was, he felt like he was on an icy decline. “What if someone caught us?”

  “You mean the homeowners?”

  “Yes, darling. What’s to say they won’t return home? What’s to say someone isn’t home when we break in? I can’t believe we’re discussing this.” He steadied himself and faced her.

  She held her cell to her ear. “Adam? Yes, we could use your help
again.”

  As he heard Sara request Adam to hack into the home’s security system, he didn’t know whether to be impressed or worried.

  “There.” She put her phone in her purse. “He’s going to see if he can get into the system and find a pattern to know when they are typically home.”

  “Typically.” Were they actually going to do this? With the question, came the thought. “We’ll need their bypass code as well.”

  She smiled at him and he was putty.

  “Adam’s on it, darling.”

  -

  Chapter 15

  “BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE”

  SEAN WAS HUNCHED down beside Sara. She pulled off the cat-burglar look with sex appeal, dressed in black leather pants and matching coat. He mirrored her, wearing black jeans and jacket. Their current wardrobe choice was a far cry from what they used to stand for—that should have been their first clue that they were crossing the line with this case.

  Sara kept her eyes on the house, which was about sixteen yards away. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

  “You can’t?” He wanted to add you’re the one who suggested this but he didn’t have any desire to get into it right now. He just wanted the task over with.

  Adam had gotten back to them within thirty minutes of Sara’s call. They had their opportune time slot and their security code. Even with the assurances that the house was typically empty between eight and eleven, Sean disliked gambling with their freedom. How would they explain all of this if they were caught? Why not make up some cover story to get inside the home? He had pled his case to no avail. Sara wanted answers sooner, not later. She had a gift about her that worked like that of a snake charmer. He wasn’t sure if he cared for the drawn analogy that put him in the role of a serpent, but Sara was definitely the charmer.

  So, here they were at nine fifteen, staking out the perimeter and analyzing their best approach. Going through a side door in the garage seemed like the most isolated option. The direction it faced had them blocked off from the neighboring property with a seven-foot-high fence.

  He tried to turn the handle. As anticipated, it was locked. And so it began. Maybe he’d suit the red prison uniform. “Are you sure we want to do this, Sara?”