“Did you notice anything different in your garage? See anyone hanging out in the alley?”
“No on both counts.”
“This is the store where Gwen bought the sleigh . . .” I blinked. Silver reindeer pranced before a sleigh full of glitzy round white Christmas ornaments. Either they had another one just like the one Gwen had bought or it was back. I handed the leash to Mars. “I’ll just be a second.”
I entered the store and approached a bald man with a precisely trimmed mustache who was polishing a deer-head candlestick exactly like the ones that had graced Gwen’s mantel. “Excuse me. The sleigh in the window—did you have two of them?”
He had the nerve to look me over top to bottom. “You must have had your eye on it to notice. Someone bought it, but it was returned to the store.”
“When?”
He raised an eyebrow critically. “I’m quite sure that’s none of your business.”
“Is it sterling?” I asked.
“Are you interested in purchasing it?”
What a pill! “Yes,” I lied.
He forced a smile, showing pointy little teeth. “It is indeed sterling silver. We have these coordinating buck antler candlesticks that go with it.”
“How much for the set?”
When he told me the five figure number, my knees nearly buckled. I could renovate both of my bathrooms for that kind of money. I thanked him and hurried out of the store, making a mental note not to patronize it. Not that I had that kind of excess cash anyway.
“It was returned,” I said to Mars. “It costs a small fortune.”
He didn’t appear interested. “Guess who’s next door working at Rocking Horse Toys.”
“Claudine? Will you let that go? Unless we ferret out a reason for her to have wanted to kill Gwen, you’re wasting your time on her.”
“What about Gwen’s brother-in-law, Elvin?”
“He’s working at the toy store?” We edged over to the store window and peered inside.
The buttons on a Christmas red vest threatened to pop off of Elvin’s tummy. He wore jaunty pointed elf ears and a green elf hat with red accents in the shapes of stars. Elvin laughed with a customer while he wrapped a gift.
“I wonder if he knew Gwen was Sugar’s mom. There must be more to that story, don’t you think? Why would they hide their relationship?”
“We can add Sugar to the list of suspects, too.” Mars cringed. “Although I can’t imagine killing a family member. How are we going to find out what the deal is with Sugar?”
“I guess we’ll have to ask her. But maybe we should start with Elvin. He probably knows something about what was going on in that household.”
All smiles, Elvin’s customer left.
Mars started for the door.
“Wait! How are we going to bring it up?”
Mars tilted his head at me. “Sophie. I deal with slick politicians all the time. Do you really think I don’t know how to weasel information out of someone?”
I was game to let him try. He must have learned something in his years as a political consultant. Mars held the door for Daisy and me. She led the way into the store.
Elvin couldn’t have been more jolly if he’d been Santa himself. “You’re Baxter’s neighbors. Right?” He placed a pudgy finger aside of his nose. “Sophie, you helped Baxter the day he fell off the roof. And I know Mars because he lives next door. What can I help you with today?”
Mars thought he was so clever. I let him handle that question.
He let it slide. “I didn’t expect to see you working here.”
“Aww, I’m just a big kid. If there are two things I know about, it’s kids and toys!” Elvin lowered his voice, his tone a bit less cheery. “Need to make a little money for Christmas presents. Now that Gwen is gone, Sugar and I are extending our trip to help take care of things around the house. Poor Baxter isn’t himself. It’s terrible to lose someone close to you, but at this time of year it’s twice as hard. Everyone wants to embrace the joy of the season. Instead, poor Baxter feels like nothing will ever be right again. We thought we’d be a comfort to the kids. Make things a little merrier, so the house doesn’t feel so empty without Gwen.” He gazed at the floor. “I guess I should have waited until after the funeral to start working, but we don’t know exactly when her body will be released.”
“Such a tragedy,” murmured Mars. “Do the police have any leads?”
I tried to act casual and picked up a baby doll.
Elvin’s lips twisted inward. “Not that I know of. Gwen seemed like a warm and loving person to me. I can’t imagine why anyone would do her in.”
Was that really how he felt? Gwen had said he couldn’t stay with them and had instructed Baxter to hide Elvin’s bus immediately. Hardly warm and loving.
“I heard she kicked the family out for the cookie swap.” Mars laughed.
Elvin grinned. “Guess she was afraid we’d eat all the goodies. Everyone except Sugar, that is. She got to stay because she’s a lady. Just for women is what I was told.”
Sugar! Sugar was the only person left in the house with Gwen after the cookie swap. She had the best opportunity of anyone to kill Gwen. They must have been alone together once the party broke up. Then again, anyone could have slipped inside after the guests left.
Mars leaned toward Elvin like he was confiding something. “Is it true that Sugar is Gwen’s daughter?”
Elvin’s eyes went wide, and he slapped his thigh. “Who’d have thought that? Came as a surprise to everyone. Sugar lost track of her mom a few years back. Gwen married Baxter and moved, and the name Gwen Babineaux didn’t mean anything to Sugar. Can you imagine their surprise when we drove up? I’m just glad they had a chance to see each other again before Gwen died.” He stared at the doll in my hands. “Funny how life works out sometimes.”
Lost track? Who loses touch with her mom? I chided myself immediately. Just because I was close to my mom didn’t mean everyone was. I thought back to Sugar’s arrival. Had Gwen and Sugar acted like long-lost mother and daughter? Gwen had hustled Sugar into the house very quickly. Why would she have done that? I tried to recall if they had hugged. I thought they had. Still, there had to be more to that story. Something didn’t smell right to me.
“Must be awkward having Patty around,” said Mars. “The ex-wife? Oof!”
I groaned inwardly. Mars had failed to read my mind and pursue questions about Sugar.
Elvin grinned from ear to ear. “It’s not like that at all. Patty’s a great gal. Baxter never should have dumped her the way he did. She’s the best. True-blue, you know?”
“Sounds like you have a soft spot for your former sister-in-law.” Mars winked at Elvin.
Eww! How creepy. Since when did Mars wink at people?
“It’s not like that.” He leaned toward Mars and whispered again. “But from what I hear, Gwen put the moves on most of the men in the neighborhood. At least Patty didn’t sleep around.” Elvin raised his palms. “I shouldn’t be speaking ill of the dead. Gwen’s gone and Baxter sure misses her.”
Mars asked him a question about a train set as though he were interested in purchasing it.
My phone rang and I stepped outside with Daisy to answer the call.
“This is Mrs. Horace Scroggins calling. May I speak with Ms. Winston?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Dear Natasha,
I’m throwing a Christmas tea for my visiting mother-in-law. She seems to think we should give each guest a favor. I’m at a total loss. A gift for each guest seems like overkill.
Nothing Is Ever Enough in Blitzen, Oregon
Dear Nothing Is Ever Enough,
You must have favors. Make spiced sugared almonds or jalapeno nut brittle. Put them in pint-sized canning jars. Adhere festive labels and tie circles of holiday-themed cloth over the tops.<
br />
Natasha
It had been years since I’d heard anyone speak quite so properly on the phone. I identified myself and said it was nice to hear from her.
“Would you do me the favor of coming to tea this afternoon around three?”
I assured her that I would be delighted. But what little I knew of Edith led me to believe that she wasn’t simply being sociable. Something must be up.
Mars joined me on the sidewalk. “If I were a little kid, I’d be begging my mom for those trains. Did you see how cool they were?”
I rolled my eyes. “Did Gwen ever make a pass at you?”
“Not like Elvin made it sound.”
“So she did!”
“Don’t go imagining anything. Gwen had a habit of cozying up to people. She liked to hear that she looked good.”
“Cozying up? What exactly does that mean?”
“She’s just a little bit more forward than you are. More like Natasha.”
“Natasha comes on to men like a Mack truck!”
Mars laughed. “She’s not that bad. Gwen didn’t mean anything. It was just her way. She liked attention from men. Why are you surprised? She liked attention from women, too. Didn’t you notice that she wanted to have the best house, the best cookies, the best party, the best clothes, that kind of thing? You never noticed that she was always trying to trump the women around her?”
I bet he had never noticed it, either. That observation probably came directly from Natasha’s complaints about Gwen. He was right, of course. I just hadn’t ever given it much thought. Gwen reminded me of Natasha in that way. Except that Natasha was irritating because she always thought she was right and had to correct everyone else. Gwen had never done that. At least not that I knew of. “Maybe that’s the problem between Gwen and Sugar. Maybe Gwen competed with her own daughter?”
“Not a reason to kill her, is it?”
We walked toward my house. “Probably not. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Sophie! Wait. What can I do to help?”
I thought for a minute. “Find out where Baxter was during the cookie swap and what time he got home.”
Mars pretended to pout. “Isn’t there something more important that I can do?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and faced him. “Remember the broken ladder that caused Baxter to fall from his roof? Maybe Gwen tried to kill him first.” I ticked off my reasons on my fingers. “Baxter had a wife who was spending huge amounts of money even though they were broke. You admitted that she was overly friendly to men, and Baxter told me he thought she was having an affair. Gwen didn’t come home the night before I found her. Either she was with her paramour, or she was already dead. I think it’s important to know where everyone was, and I’m sorry to say that the situation doesn’t look good for Baxter.”
“How do you do that?” Mars’s brow furrowed.
I shrugged. “You just have to pay attention to people.”
“Sophie!” Nina yelled at me from her front door. She hustled out to the sidewalk. “You won’t believe this. Baxter told the cops about falling off the roof. They’re looking for that ladder, but they can’t find it. Wolf wants to talk to you.”
Mars shot me an amused look. “Just can’t quite keep away from your Wolf, can you?”
“Why, Mars,” teased Nina, “if I didn’t know better”—she pretended to cough—“I would think you were jealous.”
Mars groaned. “Why would Wolf want to see Sophie if he wasn’t still interested in her?”
Nina batted her eyelashes at him. “Because Sophie is the only one who got a good look at the ladder. I saw it, but I wasn’t paying attention.”
I looked at Mars. “And whose fault is that?”
“I had nothing to do with Nina’s inattention,” he quipped. He drew a deep breath of air. “Okay. The next time you think someone has sawed a ladder in hopes of killing her husband, I promise I’ll go look at it with you.”
I ignored his sarcasm. “Is Wolf in the alley?”
Nina nodded. “You can cut through my yard.”
Mars tagged along with Daisy.
Nina grabbed my arm. “Did you get an invitation to tea at Edith’s house?”
“I did.”
Nina opened the gate that led to the alley. “I’m almost afraid to go. Think it’s some kind of trap or something?”
Wolf spotted me and walked over before I could answer. “Looks like you’re the only one who got a good look at the ladder.”
“It was the old wooden kind. I’m not an expert, but the second rung looked to me as though it had been sawed through on one end. It didn’t splinter there like wood normally does.”
Wolf frowned at me. “How do you know what wood looks like when it’s sawed as opposed to broken?”
Mars snorted. “Haven’t you figured out by now that Sophie observes all kinds of weird things that the rest of us don’t notice?”
I shot him a look. Hadn’t we just had this very discussion? But Mars smiled at me, evidently pleased with himself.
Wolf cocked his head. “Did you happen to notice what they did with the ladder after the fall?”
“Sorry. Nina and I went home. Doesn’t Baxter know?”
“He seems to think it belonged to the neighbors. Gwen must have put it away. Will you be around to identify it when we find it?”
“Just call my cell phone, and I’ll come right over.”
Wolf thanked me, and I turned to head home. Why hadn’t Alex called yet? I punched his number into my phone.
“Sophie!” he exclaimed. “I forgot all about lunch with you today. I’m sorry, something came up.”
It sounded like he was already in a restaurant. And I could hear a woman in the background—one who sounded suspiciously like Sugar. I just bet something came up. “No problem. I thought I should touch base.”
“Thanks for understanding. I’ll call you later. Okay?”
Understanding? He sure had that wrong. I ended the call.
“Anyone for lunch?” I asked. Nina, Mars, and Daisy came with me.
“Shouldn’t you check on Natasha?” I asked Mars as he shrugged off his jacket in my kitchen.
“After lunch. The food is better here. And you two are more fun anyway. Nat will drone on endlessly about Gwen putting those awful pictures of her on the Internet.”
I smacked my own forehead. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? “I’ll whip up the lunch if you two will pull up the pages where Gwen posted the offending photos of Natasha.”
While they looked for the pages on their phones, bacon sizzled in a pan. I pulled out my panini maker, the world’s easiest way to make grilled cheese sandwiches. I washed spinach leaves, spun them dry, and dropped them in mounds on three white plates. I topped them with warm black-eyed peas and added a dab of cranberry sauce to each plate before drizzling it with a vinaigrette made of sweet balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and a bit of the liquid from the cranberry sauce.
I didn’t bother asking them what they wanted to drink. Reindeer juice was fast and easy, nonalcoholic, and both of them loved it. I poured sparkling apple cider into a pitcher and added cranberry juice. An apple slice garnished each tall glass. I poured the reindeer juice into them and carried them to the table along with the salads.
After setting them on the table, I assembled the sandwiches, first spreading creamy butter on both sides of each slice of bread. Extra sharp cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon went between two slices, and then I grilled them in the panini maker.
Meanwhile, Nina had pulled up Gwen’s Facebook page, and Mars had her website on his phone.
“What time were they posted?” I asked.
They said, “Ohhh,” at the same time.
“Facebook is at six forty p.m.”
“Website is at six forty-five p.m.”
&nb
sp; “So we know for sure that Gwen was still alive around seven in the evening,” I mused. “It would be interesting to know where Baxter, Sugar, and Elvin were at that time. I wonder if any of them have alibis.”
“What time did Luis get shocked?” asked Nina. “Wasn’t it Baxter who called the ambulance?”
I thought back. “What time was that? Around eight o’clock?”
“But we don’t know for sure that’s when she was murdered,” said Mars. “It could have been during the night or sometime the next day.”
I slid the hot cheese sandwiches onto plates and served them while I grilled one more. “Do either of you really think Gwen was having an affair and was with her lover?”
Nina snorted. “Not a chance. No woman would ever allude to such a thing in a Christmas letter if she were really involved with another man. Not even in jest. It would hit too close to home. A husband who might be suspicious would flip. My husband would not find it in the least bit amusing.”
Mars ran an uneasy hand through his hair. “I’m not so sure. Gwen could be very flirtatious. Some poor guy might have fallen for her advances. Maybe he killed her by accident and tried to do the right thing by bringing her body home. The Babineauxs don’t have a garage. That would explain why she was in our garage.”
“Really?” Nina put down her sandwich. “You really think that wrapping her like a gift was doing the right thing?”
Mars waved his hand. “No, of course not. I meant he might have killed her someplace else but instead of dumping her in the river or something, he brought her back here so her family would find her.”
“Eww.” But I conceded the merits of what he was saying. “I didn’t see blood in the garage. Where was she killed?”
We all exchanged looks for a long silent moment.
“So we need to know where Gwen went after the cookie swap.” I bit into my sandwich. The rich salty bacon meshed with the tangy cheese in my mouth. No wonder they were among Mars’s and Nina’s favorites.
Diva Wraps It Up, The Page 19