Claus for Alarm

by Gretchen Allen

  Just as Charlotte was about to object, admitting that she couldn’t keep up, Hannah popped her head out of one of the doorways.

  “Franco. Slow down. I knew I should have been the one to come and get her,” she scolded him, wagging a finger.

  “My apologies,” Franco said, slowing down. “Here we are.”

  Hannah let Charlotte into her office.

  “I’ll let you know when we’re through,” Hannah said, closing the door before Franco could follow them.

  “That’s your assistant?” Charlotte asked, rather surprised.

  “Franco, yes. He’s been with me since I was voted in two years ago. Nice guy, a little overwhelming, and definitely high-strung.”

  “I can see that,” Charlotte agreed.

  “How did it go?!” Hannah asked, getting settled in her over-sized office chair. “I’ve been so eager to hear the details!”

  Charlotte was glad to hear that Hannah was so interested.

  “I’m still alive if that’s what you mean.” Charlotte chuckled. “Everyone was right to warn me. They take their cookie exchange very seriously.”

  After a quick overview of what had transpired at the meeting, Charlotte couldn’t help but grin at the look on Hannah’s face.

  “I don’t know what to comment on first. The fact that we have to bake all those cookies or the fact that you got them to agree to make something that wasn’t on their list. Do you have any idea how impressive that is? Kira makes thumbprint cookies every year. Gabby Raye makes shortbread, Mary makes gingerbread, Cathy makes butterscotch, and, well, you get the idea.”

  “This year, Gabby Raye wanted to make her own thumbprint cookies and…”

  “What?!” Hannah gasped.

  “Yes. Apparently, that’s a huge deal. It’s also why I came up with my idea. I agree that everyone should make something different, but I don’t think the rules should be so strict that people end up arguing. I don’t know what will come of it if anything, but I wanted to see if everyone tried making something new, if it would make a difference. Maybe Mary will make pinwheels, and Cathy will try snickerdoodles.”

  “Sounds like a tough sell, but it’s an interesting idea.” Hannah tapped her fingers on her desk. “It’s always been that everyone makes one type of cookie and brings it to the event. Then the volunteers split them up, and everyone takes home a fair share of everything.”

  “That makes sense, and it will probably still be that way. I just thought that if people try something new, they may get inspired,” Charlotte explained.

  “I like it. I’m glad you’re part of this. To be honest, I’m shocked any of them agreed to even meet with you, never mind bake something different and then meet up again,” Hannah admitted.

  “Thanks.” Charlotte grinned. She felt good about her idea and hoped that it truly did inspire people. “Now, all we have to worry about is baking our cookies. Are you free tonight?”

  “Let me check with Franco. He’s my human calendar.” Hannah pressed a button on her phone, and Franco was in the room in under ten seconds.

  “Yes?” he asked, standing tall, adjusting his suit that was already perfectly well kept.

  “What do I have going on tonight?” Hannah asked.

  Franco flipped a few pages on his clipboard, pulled out his cellphone, and looked at the clipboard again, frowning.

  “Either I made a mistake, or the world is a very forgiving place. You don’t have a thing happening for the next three evenings. That’s unheard of. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to double check,” Franco said.

  “You can double check, but I’m deeming myself busy for at least tonight. If anything comes up, reschedule,” Hannah directed. “Actually, I need to reschedule my morning appointments as well. I won’t be in until late afternoon.”

  Franco gawked at Hannah like she’d spoken a foreign language. “Are you certain?” he asked.

  “Yes. That will be all,” Hannah replied. “Wait!” she called at the last second. “I’m feeling generous today. Why don’t you go ahead and take the night off and don’t come in until two tomorrow as well?”

  “Are you feeling okay?” Franco asked, eyeing Charlotte. “Is this a hostage situation?”

  Charlotte cracked up laughing. Apparently, Hannah didn’t take much time off.

  “I’m sixty-five years old. What, pray tell, do you think I’m capable of?” Charlotte laughed again.

  “I’m not sure.” Franco looked her over carefully. “Hannah telling me to take time off is even more unheard of than her not having a full schedule. I’m skeptical, to say the least.”

  Hannah nodded. “He’s right. It is bizarre. I never have personal plans, ever. Now, I have cookies to bake, and intend on making that happen.”

  “You’re baking again? Yikes,” Franco mumbled.

  “I heard that.” Hannah scrunched her nose. “Charlotte is going to teach me everything she knows. Before you know it, I’ll be doing all the baking around here for our holiday parties.”

  “Oh, boy. I can’t wait,” Franco said, looking more unsure than before. “I have to ask again, are you sure about the schedule?”

  “Yes, Franco. I’m sure. Now get to work before I tell you to take the rest of today off, too,” Hannah joked.

  “Or maybe you should have him stick around the office and do a bit of decorating. It’s a little dreary around here.” Charlotte suggested with a grin.

  “I don’t think I’ve touched a Christmas decoration since I was a child.” Franco grimaced, waving away the thought. “I better take your advice and get out of here.”

  “He’s quite the character,” Charlotte pointed out once Franco had hightailed it out of the room.

  “He certainly is. He’s a very hard worker and goes above and beyond for me.”

  Charlotte noticed the look on Hannah’s face as she talked about Franco.

  “Is there something going on between the two of you? Ya know, romantically?” Charlotte asked. “Never mind. That’s none of my business.”

  “It’s okay. There’s nothing going on. I used to think that he might have a crush on me or something,” Hannah answered.

  “And if he did, would the feelings have been mutual?” Charlotte pried.

  “Not particularly. As dumb as it sounds, I’ve not even been on a date since Teddy left. I guess I was holding out hope for some reason.”

  “That doesn’t sound dumb at all. I think it’s sweet. Have you ever considered asking him now why he left? I see why it wasn’t something you wanted to do before, but time has passed. Maybe things are different?” Charlotte wondered.

  “Every now and then, it crosses my mind, but I don’t have the courage to find out. He obviously left for a reason, though. He didn’t want to be with me, and that’s all that matters.” Hannah sighed.

  “I understand,” Charlotte said.

  “I’m not suggesting you’d do this, but I have to say it, anyway. I also hope it doesn’t come out wrong, so if it does, forgive me in advance. Please don’t try to find out why he left. I sense you might be a bit of a matchmaker, and I really don’t want to know why he left. I’m not over the hurt, yet and I don’t think I can take much more.”

  “I briefly considered it, but I promise I won’t ask him,” Charlotte agreed, realizing how comical it was that Hannah had her all figured out already.

  “Now, tell me about the cookies we have to make. I can stop at the store and pick up some ingredients on the way home.”

  “Okay.” Charlotte nodded. “Let’s split the list down the middle. I’ll call a taxi and get a ride to the store rather than walking home. We have our work cut out for us, so getting everything done together will be a tremendous help.”

  “I’m excited!” Hannah said, looking over the long list Charlotte had given her.

  “As am I. This has been the best trip I’ve taken in a long while.”

  Chapter 7

  “How come my cookies aren’t as fluffy as yours? They look all flat and floppy,�
� Hannah complained.

  “Hmmm. I’m not sure,” Charlotte said, looking at Hannah’s cookies. “I think they look okay.”

  “Don’t lie.” Hannah laughed.

  “Well, I didn’t know it was possible for cookies to look floppy, but…”

  “Oh, my gosh!” Hannah squealed. “I knew it!”

  “Did you add the baking powder?” Charlotte asked.

  “Probably not,” Hannah admitted. “Maybe you were right, and I should just bake with you, not on my own.”

  “You’re doing fine. We’ve already made four batches of cookies from the list. I’d say we are ahead of the game,” Charlotte said, trying to ease Hannah’s mind. “I didn’t promise anyone that I’d get everything baked all in one night or anything, so there’s really no reason that we have to try. If it happens, it happens. If not, that’s okay, too.”

  “I used to bake with my grandma all the time when I was a kid. She always made it look so easy.” Hannah pulled her ugly cookies off the pan and stood next to Charlotte, watching.

  “My grandmother was the same. It took me a lot of years to get into my groove, and sometimes I still make mistakes. It’s not a big deal at all. We’ll get it done. Cookies are supposed to be fun, not stressful.”

  The two rolled out dough, mixed ingredients, and put batch after batch of cookies into the oven until they were both ready to drop.

  “How many did we do?” Hannah said, flopping in the chair across from Charlotte. “I don’t think I want to look at another cookie in my life.”

  “We made two dozen of each kind, and we managed to get eight kinds made. Unfortunately, for you, we have six more to make.” Charlotte laughed, sipping her tea.

  “I wish it was six more cookies total, not six more kinds! I’m super glad I got into politics and not baking. I can’t imagine the number of people I’d have poisoned by now with my horrid attempts at making anything.” Hannah sipped her own tea, tucking her feet beneath her. “Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time, and I’m totally going to come over again in the morning to bake more. So long as I’m still invited, that is.”

  “Of course you’re invited. I’ve had a great time, too. I’m thrilled that you’re helping and that I get to teach you. I’m also looking forward to you being at the meeting tomorrow. I never thought we’d get all the cookies done in such a short time, but I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised.”

  “We aren’t done yet,” Hannah said. “Who knows what trouble I’ll make in the morning. I do have to say, though, I’m very fascinated by how clean your kitchen stayed. If I was on my own, I’d need to hire a professional to clean up after me.”

  Charlotte couldn’t argue. The state of Hannah’s kitchen on the night she’d met her was shocking. She’d not only made a huge mess but ended up with not a single salvageable cookie. Hannah had tried, and that was more than she could say about most. Often times, people who couldn’t cook or bake well, just gave up and never tried to learn.

  “We’ll be just fine. You’ve been loads of help. I couldn’t have done it without you,” Charlotte told her.

  “That means a lot. Normally, I’m the one relying on everyone else,” Hannah admitted.

  “That may be true, but you also have an entire town that looks to you and relies on you for things.”

  “I suppose. I just never thought of it that way. I can’t do my job without Franco. He gets my dry cleaning, runs mostly all of my other errands, and he even checks my mail for me. At my own house… where I live…” Hannah sighed. “I have a housekeeper, I eat out every day so I don’t have to cook, and I don’t even send out my own Christmas cards.” Hannah leaned back in the chair.

  “Hey. At least you send out cards. I think that’s great,” Charlotte said. “You can do all of the things you hire others to do for you. I know you can. It’s just easier to have helpers when you have such a demanding career.”

  “You can say that again.” Hannah sighed.

  “I’m sure he’s compensated well, too,” Charlotte pointed out. “He was hired to work for you, and that’s what he does. Don’t feel guilty for that.”

  “He’s paid by the town, but I also pay him personally. He goes above and beyond for me, and it’s important that he knows how much I need him,” Hannah explained, startled by a knock on the door.

  “Who on earth could that be? It’s after eight-thirty. Are you expecting someone?” Charlotte asked.

  “I wouldn’t have invited anyone here, and the only person who knows where I am is Franco, and I can assure you he didn’t come to help us bake.”

  Charlotte went to the door, leaving Hannah where she was.

  “Hi, there. I’m so sorry that I came by so late, but my mother insisted,” the man said when Charlotte opened the door.

  “That was nice of her.” She recognized him from the senior center but hadn’t known exactly who he was.

  “Sorry. I’m Teddy Kline. This is for you. Emmy, my mother, asked me to bring it by.” Teddy handed her a bag, confirming her suspicions.

  “What is it?” Charlotte asked, wanting answers but also wanting to speed up the process so Hannah wouldn’t come to the door. She’d told her she hadn’t spoken or seen Teddy in over a year, and the last thing Charlotte wanted was their first encounter to be with her standing in the middle.

  “She made cookies. She was so impressed by how you handled everything today that she spent all afternoon and evening baking,” Teddy explained.

  “That wasn’t necessary,” Charlotte said, looking past him and out onto the road where a car was parked. “Especially since she was supposed to have stepped down from the exchange to spend time with you.”

  “She thought you might feel that way. This was important to her, though, I could tell. She even had me helping her bake, which was a feat.” Teddy laughed. “Either way, she thanks you for all of your help and wasn’t sure what your favorite cookie was, so we just baked a bunch. If it makes you feel any better, we did spend time together while we baked.”

  “Charlotte, is everything okay?” Hannah called, walking down the hall to the door, pausing the moment she locked eyes with Teddy. “Oh.”

  Hannah turned around, grabbed her purse and coat, and slipped her feet inside her boots. “Excuse me,” she said.

  Charlotte and Teddy moved out of the way as Hannah rushed by. She was already down the driveway and onto the sidewalk before either spoke.

  “Hannah,” Teddy said.

  “Let her go,” Charlotte put her hand out.

  “I had no idea.” Teddy held up his hands.

  “I know.” Charlotte nodded. She felt terrible for the younger woman.

  “I should go,” Teddy said.

  Charlotte nodded again. She obviously hadn’t expected Teddy to show up at her door, and the fact that Hannah was there made it so much worse. She hoped that Hannah didn’t think she’d done it on purpose, trying to play matchmaker or something. After thinking for a bit, and wanting to give Hannah some time to herself, Charlotte picked up the phone. She wanted to assure Hannah that she had no idea Teddy was coming over. After calling twice and receiving no answer either time, Charlotte pulled her coat on and trudged over to Hannah’s house. It had started to snow earlier in the night, and there was about four inches on the ground so far. The air was bitter cold, and the snow was still falling, but Charlotte didn’t care. She had to talk to Hannah.

  Getting closer to the house, she realized there weren’t any lights on. Charlotte climbed the steps to Hannah’s porch and knocked on the door. No answer. She looked around, seeing a faint set of footprints. Even though the snow had mostly covered them already, Charlotte went back down the stairs and followed them, stumbling on a woman’s body lying lifeless on the side of Hannah’s house.

  “Hannah!” Charlotte shouted, dropping to the ground. “Someone help! Call an ambulance!”

  Charlotte was afraid to look, but the snow surrounding the body was no longer white. She had no doubt that the woman lying in front of
her was dead. Realizing that no one had heard her calling, she pulled out her phone, thankful she’d thought to bring it, and dialed the number no one ever wanted to have to call.

  Chapter 8

  “You had me so worried!” Charlotte exclaimed, placing a mug down in front of Hannah a little too hard.

  “Jeez. It wasn’t my fault,” Hannah replied, wiping up the splashes of hot tea that had gotten on the table.

  “I know,” Charlotte muttered. “It’s just so awful. I’m still trying to get over the fact that it wasn’t you who I found, but I’m afraid to let that happen.”

  “I’m safe. I really am thankful for how highly you think of me, though. After such a short time and all.” Hannah smiled, swirling her finger around the rim of her mug. “But why?”

  “Why am I afraid to come to terms with it, or why do I think so highly of you?” Charlotte asked, unable to hide her smile.

  No matter the situation, as ugly as it was, she did care for the younger woman. It was clear to her that Hannah didn’t have very many people in her life that she considered anything more than an acquaintance.

  “Both?” Hannah shrugged.

  “Well, if I get over the fear that I had when I thought it was you, that means that I’ll have to face the reality that it was someone else. Even if I didn’t know her well, she was a person. One that didn’t deserve to die,” Charlotte answered, having a hard time getting the words out.

  “I can’t believe it, either. I’ve known Kira for a really long time. We didn’t always see eye to eye. Honestly, it was rare that we ever did, but you’re right. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. I just don’t know why she was at my house. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It all seems rather strange, doesn’t it? Were you supposed to meet with her or anything?” Charlotte asked. She knew that Hannah had already answered that question, and plenty more, several times over. She’d gone to the police department last night and then again that morning. Hannah was probably sick and tired of answering questions, but it wasn’t every day that the town’s mayor had a body in her yard. This was a big deal.