Claus for Alarm

by Gretchen Allen

  Charlotte and Teddy went to her car, and she gave him the cookies, telling him he could eat them, share them, or bring them inside to the group. Charlotte said her goodbyes to Teddy, planning on seeing him again in the future, yet, all that was going through her mind was the fact that someone was out to get Hannah. Someone who didn’t like her for some reason. Someone like Teddy’s mother, Emmy.

  Chapter 10

  Charlotte hadn’t expected to find herself feeling quite so lonely. She knew when she agreed to house-sit for Ian that she was walking into a situation where she didn’t know anyone or anything about her surroundings. Still, she was looking forward to being in Partridge Point and experiencing something new. When she was lucky enough to meet Hannah, Charlotte had felt comfortable. Now, with her only friend in jail for murder, she had no idea where to turn. If she went to Teddy, and it turned out they were both correct in the fact that Hannah had nothing to do with Kira’s murder, she’d risk Hannah being upset with her for involving him in the first place. Charlotte wasn’t about to talk to Burt, the taxi driver, or even one of the ladies from the exchange about everything, so instead, she did the only other thing she could think of. Franco had been Hannah’s assistant for two years and was probably the person she felt the closest to. Franco had agreed to come over on his lunch break and talk to Charlotte.

  She prepared him a meal, so the poor man wouldn’t go without since he was being so generous with his time. The air was getting more bitter by the hour, and snow was in the forecast. A hearty stew was just the ticket. Once the stew was ready to come out of the crockpot and be served, a knock sounded at the door. Charlotte quickly got the stew into bowls, placed them on the table, and rushed to answer the door.

  “Franco. Thanks for coming,” Charlotte said, seeing what looked to be an Eskimo on the other side of the door.

  “Of course.” Franco followed Charlotte into the house.

  “Would you like me to take your coat?” she asked.

  “I’m fine. Thank you,” he replied.

  “Okay. How about your scarf, or your hat, or maybe the gloves?” Charlotte chuckled.

  Franco grinned, his demeanor softening. “Sure. It’s a little chilly out there.”

  Charlotte peered out the window. “Did you walk?”

  Franco hesitated for a moment, watching Charlotte. “Tell me about your relationship with Hannah.”

  Charlotte answered, not entirely sure why she was doing so, but Franco seemed uncomfortable, maybe even leery, and she wanted to ease his mind.

  Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Franco removed his gloves and hat. “I walked, yes.”

  “It’s awfully chilly out there. Why on earth would you do that?” she asked, holding out her hands to take his scarf and coat.

  “Unfortunately, while Hannah sits in jail, I have to serve someone else. The stand-in.” Franco’s face said everything about how he felt about that.

  “I see. Well, isn’t that your job?” Charlotte mused.

  “Indeed, it is.” Franco gave a nod. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.”

  Charlotte understood. “Would you like some stew?”

  “I’d love that. Thank you.”

  Once they’d gotten settled in with their lunch, Charlotte asked again, “how come you walked?”

  “I was told that I wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with Hannah or the murder while everything was being investigated. I don’t believe for a second that she could have done something like this, but no one really cares what I think. I was asked, very impolitely, I might add, to stay as far away as possible from anything that related to Hannah. However, I can’t do that. They cleared her home as a crime scene, which is great, but now she has no one to water her plants, or check her mail or…”

  “How do you know her house was cleared?” Charlotte asked.

  “The grapevine.” He shrugged. “It’s not too hard to hear about what’s going on in Partridge Point when you work in the town offices. All I know is that if I want to keep my job, I have to follow the rules. I’m all for following the rules, but I can’t not help Hannah out. She needs me.”

  Charlotte remembered when Hannah had told her about how much she relied on Franco. To her, it seemed like Franco needed that. He liked to be needed, and there was nothing wrong with that, unless it put him in danger, of course.

  “I think Hannah would appreciate your kindness, but I have to admit that I worry you might get caught. If you aren’t supposed to be helping her, then maybe I could do it?” Charlotte offered. “I assume that you walked because you didn’t want your vehicle to be seen at her house?”

  “Yeah.” Franco took a spoonful of stew, savoring it. “I see what you mean. I need to do what I have to do, so when she gets out, things can go back to normal.”

  “Have you heard anything else about the case?” Charlotte asked, feeling awkward talking about it.

  “The knife was one from her set, it had her prints on it, and now her house is clear,” Franco answered.

  Charlotte noticed how he moved a little slower than he had on the first day she’d met him. He wasn’t talking as fast, and he seemed to need the calm moments that Charlotte had offered.

  “Her prints being on it makes sense, though, since it was her knife.” Charlotte frowned.

  “Do you think I could ask you a question?” Franco asked.

  “Of course.” Charlotte rested her spoon in her bowl, hoping she could help.

  “On the night that it happened, Hannah was here?”

  Charlotte paused. For some reason, she had assumed that was known information already. Being the small town that it was, it seemed like everyone would have been talking about something like that. Then again, Charlotte reminded herself that she didn’t really know any of these people.

  “She was. We were baking cookies for the exchange. Hannah had a bit of trouble getting around in the kitchen but was eager to learn. I offered to help her and to tie in with the exchange, it was perfect timing. I had dozens of cookies to bake, so we did it together.”

  “So, you baked, she went home at the end of the night and then suddenly Kira was killed? I heard you found the body, and while I know not everything going around the rumor mill is accurate, I have to know, why did you go back over there? Did she forget something?” Franco stared off into the distance. “She always forgets something.”

  “You’re close, but that’s not quite how it happened. We baked, and then Emmy’s son, Teddy, showed up and Hannah left upset. I tried calling her but didn’t get any answer, so I went over to see her. It was important to me that she knew I hadn’t invited him. I realize I can put my nose where it doesn’t belong sometimes, and I believe Hannah knew that, too, so I was worried she thought I’d invited him over. I went to her house, and after I received no response to my knocks, I saw the footprints. I followed them right to who I thought was Hannah.”

  “You thought it was Hannah?!” Franco gasped. “How horrifying for you.”

  “It’s been an experience I will never forget, that’s for sure.” Charlotte was suddenly glad that she was the one to have found Kira. Not that it had been easy for her, but all of these folks had known each other for such a long time. She couldn’t imagine how someone like Franco would have felt if he found her and thought it was Hannah at first.

  “An experience. That’s one way to put it. I can’t seem to figure anything out. I see the evidence for what it is, but I don’t believe Hannah killed Kira. I can’t even figure out why Kira was there. I’d say it was regarding the cookie exchange, but she’d already talked Hannah’s ear off about it, and Hannah stood her ground. She was adamant that no one in the regular group would be in charge of the exchange. That’s why she was so happy when you offered.”

  “I wish I knew more.” Charlotte finished her stew. “Are you still hungry?” she asked, seeing Franco had also finished his.

  “Yes, but I should be going. I made sure that no one saw me come inside here, would you mind keeping
a lookout for me when I make my way over to Hannah’s?”

  Charlotte eyed the man. He was very loyal to Hannah, and she appreciated that about him. “How about you go the back way? You can leave out the back door and sneak over to her house. I assume you have a key?”

  “She always leaves it unlocked. Silly, if you ask me. The one person that probably shouldn’t leave her place unlocked is the mayor of the town, and go figure, she’s the only one that doesn’t seem to think it’s necessary.” Franco shook his head, rising from his chair.

  “I don’t know too much about it, but I’d think the police would have locked up behind themselves,” Charlotte pointed out. “I have a key. I can let you in.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I have one just in case. I’d be glad if they did lock her doors. It’s about time someone did.” Franco went to the door, began bundling himself back up into his Eskimo gear and trudged back through the house, prepared to leave out the back door. “Let’s hope Stewart doesn’t spot me. He’d probably chase me.”

  Charlotte laughed. Apparently, Stewart had quite a reputation. “I’ll talk to him. We’re like old pals,” she joked, knowing that wasn’t entirely true.

  Franco gave her an odd look. “Thanks for letting me go out this way.”

  “No problem. I’ll do anything I can to help. Good luck, and don’t get caught being a good guy.”

  “Yeah, those good guys always finish last,” Franco muttered as he snuck out the back door.

  Chapter 11

  Before Charlotte had the chance to make sure that Franco had gotten to Hannah’s unnoticed, there was a knock on her door. Torn between keeping an eye out for Franco or checking to see who her visitor was, Charlotte had no choice but to go to the door when she heard a familiar voice.

  “Hellllooo. Charlotte, are you home?” Gabby Raye called, knocking again.

  Truth be told, Charlotte had all but forgotten about Gabby Raye. The worst part was, she’d also realized that she’d forgotten about Christmas. There wasn’t a time in Charlotte’s life that she remembered having that happen.

  Opening the door, she saw Gabby Raye looking cheerful and festive. It was a breath of fresh air to be reminded of the holiday, yet Gabby Raye clearly wasn’t having a hard time forgetting which concerned Charlotte since she’d just lost a friend of hers. She couldn’t imagine looking so cheerful after something like that.

  “Hi, Gabby Raye.” Charlotte stepped back, letting the Santa hat wearing woman inside. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well. Life’s been a bit hectic lately, but that’s to be expected, right?”

  “Is it?” Charlotte asked. “Care for something warm to drink? It’s pretty chilly out there.”

  Charlotte looked out the back door, seeing if Franco was anywhere in sight. She caught a glimpse of him leaving Hannah’s, his face almost entirely covered with his hood. She had to give him credit. He did a great job of hiding his identity.

  “If you have something going, sure. I’d love that. I just stopped by to let you know that you don’t need to bother with the exchange anymore. I figured it would be best if you heard it from me.”

  Charlotte paused, hand in the air, preparing to retrieve a mug for Gabby Raye’s tea. “Oh?” she replied, turning to face the other woman.

  “Yup. One thing off your plate, right?” Gabby Raye said, smiling as though she was proud of her announcement.

  “I’m actually sorry to hear that. I enjoyed what little I did so far and was looking forward to more. I wasn’t too sure what the plan was after what happened to Kira, but it was canceled. I understand.”

  “Oh, no. It wasn’t canceled. I’m taking over. Like I said, I thought it was best that you heard it from me. I know we aren’t close, but I thought we had a nice chat the first day we met, and it would only be fair that I filled you in.”

  “Wow. Okay, then,” Charlotte said, taken aback by the news. “I’m still more than willing to help. I hope I didn’t do anything to cause this decision.”

  “Not at all. It felt right that I take over. I’ve been doing the exchange for a lot of years, and now that I’m stand-in mayor, it just makes sense. One good thing about Hannah is that she was always on the ball. She’s ahead on almost all of her work, so I don’t have a lot going on. There was plenty of time for me to fit in the exchange. I’m so excited. I was disappointed when I found out Emmy was stepping down, and I wasn’t chosen to be the leader. Of course, it felt good that no one else was either, but still. All is well in my world. I don’t really need any help, but you’re more than welcome to bake some cookies and participate if you’d like.” Gabby Raye nodded, a smile on her face.

  Charlotte wasn’t left speechless often. When she met Gabby Raye, she seemed strong-willed but wouldn’t have considered her to be a cold-hearted person. She thought back to what both Burt and Hannah had said about Gabby Raye. Burt had called her high-maintenance, and if she was remembering correctly, Hannah had called her terrifying. Charlotte hadn’t gotten that impression in the beginning. Now, she wasn’t so sure what to think of Gabby Raye.

  “You’re the stand-in for Hannah?” Charlotte asked, puzzled.

  “Of course. Who else would it be? I am the town administrator,” Gabby Raye said, her nose literally in the air.

  “I didn’t know. Well, I suppose congratulations are in order,” Charlotte said, attempting to be polite, but not really feeling like it was deserved. She finally pulled down a mug, dropped in a tea bag, and poured hot water over it.

  “Thanks. So, will you be baking? I tried a few of your cookies. They were out of this world,” Gabby Raye said, sitting at the table where Charlotte had placed the mug.

  “You did?” Charlotte asked. “When?”

  “You brought some into the meeting at the senior center, remember? Jeez. I’m glad I was able to take the job from you, you have so much going on that you must have forgotten.” Gabby Raye giggled.

  Charlotte forced back what she wanted her actual reply to be. “I remember. I just didn’t see you there that day.”

  “Yes, well, I wasn’t going to show up at all, to be honest, but I saw Teddy Kline outside, and there were a few other cars I recognized, so I stopped by. I was hoping to see you there, but you’d already left.”

  “You and Teddy are friends? I didn’t realize. It makes sense, considering he used to live here and all.” Now that Teddy was the topic of conversation, she might be able to find out if his idea was even sort of close to being possible. If he was right and someone had framed Hannah for Kira’s murder, there was someone else that could be added to the list of possibilities. Not only had Gabby Raye been in line for Hannah’s job if something happened that required her to step down, but now, there was a man involved. That always changed things.

  “We grew up together. Hannah was his real love, so if that’s what you’re thinking, don’t worry. If anything, Kira was the one to worry about when it came to Teddy. No wonder she and Norm were always having trouble. Poor guy,” Gabby Raye stopped, pursing her lips. “I’m afraid I’ve said too much. Thanks for the tea, and please, consider baking some cookies. I postponed the exchange to a week after it was originally planned. I hope you’ll still be in town.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed them. I’m glad Teddy shared them with you. I think I would still like to participate,” Charlotte answered, thinking deeply about something Hannah had said. She wanted to figure out who killed Kira, and since Hannah was unable to accomplish that from where she was, Charlotte felt that the job fell in her hands.

  “Lovely! I’m glad to hear it. I’ll give you a call with the details.” Gabby Raye sipped the last of her tea and stood. “Listen, I didn’t mean to say what I said about Kira and Teddy. That wasn’t my place. I hope you’re able to overlook it.”

  Charlotte watched Gabby Raye as she got her coat back on. “I just have two questions.”

  “Okay,” Gabby Raye agreed. “Then, you’ll forget what I said?”

  Ignoring the last statement, Ch
arlotte asked, “you mentioned something about Norm and Kira having trouble. Were they seeing each other?”

  “Oh, sweetie. They were married. That’s why Teddy being home was such a big deal. Everyone knows that Kira had a thing for Teddy. Truth be told, even Norm knew. They’ve always had a strained relationship, but when Teddy left, things got better. When he came back, well… you know what happened.” Gabby Raye waved a hand. “What’s your other question?”

  “Were you and Hannah good friends?” Charlotte asked.

  “Good friends? Hmmm. No, I wouldn’t go that far. I forgot my yoga mat all the time, and she always let me borrow hers. That was about the extent of our relationship.”

  “I see. You two took classes together?”

  “Not quite. I take classes religiously. Hannah did them for like five minutes. Her house is on the way to the studio, and she’d let me run in and grab her mat if I forgot mine. It became a long-running joke, actually. I never even asked to borrow it in the end. I just went to her house and got it. She always told me that I should just keep the mat since she never used it, but then I said if I forgot mine, I’d forget hers if I kept it, too. Why do you ask?” Gabby Raye put her hands on her hips.

  Charlotte hadn’t thought about Gabby Raye wondering why she was asking. “Oh, umm. Well, I was hoping I could make her favorite meal for her when she gets out. I was looking for someone who might know what she likes is all.”

  “Ahh. Yeah, that’s not gonna be me. I have no idea what she likes.” Gabby Raye shrugged. “I should get going.”

  Charlotte watched Gabby Raye leave. She was astonished at everything that had gone on so far that day. Not only had Franco surprised her with his reveal about still helping Hannah when she was gone, but everything she’d just found out from Gabby Raye was almost impossible to believe. If Charlotte continued with her belief that Hannah didn’t have anything to do with Kira’s murder, there was now a long line of people that could have. Small-town living could be fun, and apparently, small-town living could also be murder.