by Mona Marple
“Obviously dead as a dodo but let’s get on with the show,” the female paramedic said as she bent down and repeated the steps I had taken a few minutes before.
“What a way to go. Hopefully he never saw it coming. Strange, though. These events are impeccable. Very odd that an accident like this would happen,” the man said.
“He’s just as dead as he was when you checked. We’ll have to call for the police to move this thing off him. Where’s Wiggles? He loves to strut his stuff at the New Year’s Eve Ball.”
I looked around the room and saw that Chief Superintendent Wiggles had lead a group of the waiting staff in efforts to cordon off the whole of the dance floor, probably in fears that something else might tumble from the ceiling.
I gave him a little wave and the senior police officer waddled across to me with a sombre look on his face.
“Sorry you had to see this, Holly,” he said.
“Oh, don’t worry about me. It’s Greasy, from The Greasy Spoon,” I explained.
“We’ve called it in. He’s dead as a…” the female paramedic began.
Wiggles lifted a crazed eyebrow and she stopped mid sentence.
“Dead as a dead person, sir.”
Wiggles shook his head morosely. “This is a loss indeed. He was a man who knew how to use a bottle of ketchup. I fear that Twisty will turn The Greasy Spoon into the kind of place that serves kale.”
“Snowman forbid, sir!”
“Alright, well, I’ve called for back up so we can get this glitter ball moved right away,” Wiggles said.
“Are you going to check the scene first?” I asked.
Wiggles cocked his head and frowned a little. “Check it for what?”
“Well, it’s just… are we sure it’s natural causes?”
“Definitely unnatural causes. Nothing natural at all about a giant glittering globe falling on someone. It’s a tragic act of nature, is what it is.”
“A freak accident,” the male paramedic offered.
“That’s it. The acts of nature are the weather things, aren’t they? Like a snowdrift or a tornado.”
“But you don’t think it’s worth just sweeping the scene for prints or at least taking some photographs? Once we move things, we can’t ever come back and check the scene again,” I said.
Wiggles gave a laugh and batted at me with his paw of a hand. “I’m not sending one of the boys out to get the fingerprint kit. We need to get this moved so we can crack on with the party. Midnight draws near and all that.”
I nodded. I’d already had some experience with Wiggles and I knew that one of his main priorities was making sure that Candy Cane Hollow ticked along like clockwork.
I pulled my phone out of my clutch bag and looked across at him. “Do you mind?”
“Knock yourself out,” he said with a wink, then left the dance floor.
I snapped a few photos of the glitter ball from different angles and even allowed Greasy to appear on some. Then I looked up above and took some photos of the ceilings.
There was an intricate pattern of beams up there and I guessed that the glitter ball had been secured to one, although perhaps not well enough.
Satisfied that I’d done all I could do, I forced myself to make eye contact with Greasy one last time, gave a resolute nod, and left the dance floor.
5
Although the New Year’s Eve Ball did continue after Greasy was covered and removed from the scene, nobody seemed to be in a celebratory mood.
Nobody left early, though. Everyone stuck it out until midnight, at which time a halfhearted cheer rang out and everyone hugged each other. More than a few people had tears in their eyes; if not for the loss of Greasy in particular, then because they’d witnessed someone meet their maker.
I hugged anyone and everyone, my voice repeating Happy New Year until the words seemed to blend together and stop making any sense.
“Are you ready to investigate another murder?” Ginger Rumples asked as she released me from a pretty intense hug. The red-haired woman was Nick’s oldest friend and as close to him as a sister.
“Murder? Thankfully not. Just a tragic accident,” I said.
“Really?” Ginger raised an eyebrow.
“I think so. You think different?”
“Let’s just say I saw Greasy in a pretty heated conversation with Drayton yesterday,” Ginger whispered.
“Oh, I heard about that. It’s a big leap to assume that Drayton killed him based on one argument.”
“Maybe. Except I happened to hear Drayton’s last words to the dearly departed Greasy.”
“You did? What did he say?” I asked. I liked to think that I wasn’t interested in gossip, but really who was I kidding?
“Let’s just say that Drayton mentioned crushing the competition,” Ginger said, eyes wide.
I pulled her to one side, away from the general hubbub of the crowd, so we could speak more freely.
“Crushing the competition? He said those exact words?” I asked.
Ginger nodded. “It’s no secret that Greasy and Drayton couldn’t stand each other. They had totally different ideas of what a cafe should offer.”
“Isn’t a bit of rivalry good, though?” I asked.
“This went beyond rivalry. If The Greasy Spoon had a special event on one night, Sleigh A While would host something that same night and charge less. And did you hear about the food inspector?”
“No,” I admitted.
“Someone called Food Standards about Sleigh A While. They said that instead of black truffle, what Drayton was actually shaving on to his fettuccine was a lump of coal,” Ginger said with a giggle.
“That’s so far-fetched it’s funny. Let me guess, you think it was Greasy who made the call?”
“He admitted it. He was pretty proud of himself for that. Sleigh A While was closed down on a Friday night while Food Standards checked the whole place. Drayton was spitting mad.”
“That’s awful, but I don’t know. Murder?”
“Well, you are Candy Cane Hollow’s very own amateur sleuth. If you’re convinced it’s an accident, I’m sure you’re right,” Ginger said.
She leaned in and gave me another hug, then left me alone with my thoughts.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that Ginger might be right. It was an awfully big coincidence if Greasy had accidentally been crushed to death the day after Drayton had threatened to crush the competition.
“Here you are,” Nick murmured. He looked good enough to eat and I felt my heart race the way it always did when I set eyes on him.
“I was just taking a minute,” I explained.
“This sure wasn’t the first date I’d planned for us. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, and this has been a wonderful date. Anytime I’m with you, it’s good. I feel awful for poor Greasy, though, and his family.”
“I don’t think he has a family,” Nick said.
“Really?”
“Well, he has a family, of course. But I don’t think he has any contact with them. He was a fairly cantankerous elf from what I saw and heard.”
“He must have been lonely,” I said.
Nick shrugged. “He had a girlfriend until recently. In fact, you’ve met her tonight. You remember Lila, the event manager?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed.
“That’s her.”
“Wow,” I said. Lila was young, attractive and switched on. She wasn’t the kind of woman I imagined Greasy to be in a relationship with.
“Yeah, she was pretty cut up about the split.”
“Nick Claus, how do you know these things? You’re always saying how you can’t keep up with everyone’s lives as well as your mum does,” I teased.
“Oh, I wouldn’t have known that if you’d asked me earlier today, but Lila found me at the bar earlier and spent quite a while asking for my advice to win Greasy back.”
“That’s interesting,” I said.
“I know! I think she got her Santa confused wi
th Romeo. Although, I have to say that things are looking up for me romantically right now.”
I smiled and leaned in to kiss him before I could lose the courage. He seemed surprised, but happy, and I allowed myself to sink into his embrace for a few moments, before a thought occurred to me.
I pulled away and gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked.
“Greasy’s ex-girlfriend is the event manager? She’s the one in charge of the glitter ball!”
Nick frowned. “You’re right. She must feel awful.”
“Nick, what if this isn’t an accident?”
“Oh, no, it has to be an accident.”
“I’m not so sure. Ginger told me that she overheard Drayton threaten Greasy yesterday. He threatened to crush the competition.”
Nick winced. “That’s an unfortunate choice of words. But have you met Drayton? He’s not a killer. Look, he’s there.”
I followed Nick’s gaze and saw a tall, handsome man with tight curly hair and a lopsided grin on his face. He had an arm around a woman and was clearly flattering her while he undressed her with his eyes. The woman appeared to be loving every moment.
“He’s a smooth operator,” I murmured.
“I don’t know about…”
“I’m going to introduce myself,” I said.
Before Nick could stop me, I tottered across the room. Drayton eyed me up as I approached and I had the distinct sense that he was always ready to eye up any female who went near him.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt, I just had to come over and introduce myself. You’re Drayton, aren’t you? From Sleigh A While?”
Drayton managed to peel himself away from his lady friend and offered me his hand. When I offered my own, he clasped it, dipped in, and placed a slightly wet kiss on my palm.
“And you are?”
“Oh, my name’s Holly. I’m new in town.”
“Well, young attractive women are always welcome if you ask me. Hold on. Holly? You’re not Holly Wood, are you?”
“That’s me,” I admitted.
“Is that your real name? There must be a story there! Parents with a sense of humour?”
I shrugged. “I’m a December baby. How did you hear about me, anyway?”
“I like to keep abreast of the women in Candy Cane Hollow,” he said with a wink.
I looked him up and down. His suit was made from that shiny material, and he had a blood red handkerchief sticking out of his top pocket. I spotted a patch of dust on each of his knees and averted my gaze quickly.
Dust on his knees. Interesting.
“This is your partner?” I asked, with a smile at the lady he had practically been drooling over until I’d arrived.
I saw the woman smile with pride at the exact same moment as Drayton began to shake his head.
“Never mind, it’s late. You must be ready to call it a night,” I blurted out, desperate to stop Drayton speaking before he could disappoint the poor woman.
No doubt she’d realise how awful he was in her own time.
“Well, it’s been a delight. I sure wood like to see you again,” Drayton said, as if he’d been out for the night with me, not the woman by his side. I watched in horror as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card.
I accepted the card from him and then looked at the woman he was with. “Do you have a card? I’d love to find a time to chat to you more.”
“Oh! I don’t have a card, but you can get my details from Drayton. That sounds great,” she beamed.
I said goodnight and returned to Nick, who had retrieved our coats and looked ready to call it a night.
“Did you find any clues, Poirot?” He teased.
“Well, other than learning that Drayton is clearly a ladies’ man, he also had dust all over the knees of his trousers.”
“What does that mean?” Nick asked.
“Well, if someone cut down that glitter ball, they had to be up in the ceiling beams. I’m guessing it’s pretty dusty up there.”
“You have a point.”
6
I woke up bright and early the next day, to a fresh snowfall and the smell of bacon.
“Good morning, Miss Holly. Did you enjoy the Ball?” Gilbert asked as I joined him in the kitchen.
“I sure did, although I’m guessing you heard about what happened?”
Gilbert took his eyes off the frying pan and looked at me. “I didn’t hear anything. What happened?”
“The big glitter ball fell and crushed someone to death. Greasy from The Greasy Spoon.”
Gilbert gave a laugh. “Is this a joke?”
“Sadly not. He died right away but still, what a way to go. I can’t believe you didn’t hear about it.”
“I was asleep before 9pm. I have this New Year’s Day ritual. I get up before sunrise and set my intentions for the year, do a little meditation. Then I make myself a hearty breakfast to set me up right for the year. There’s enough to share, though, if you want.”
“That’s really kind, but I’m actually heading out myself,” I said. I really had planned to get up and out straight away, and something about Gilbert’s demeanour told me he would prefer to finish his New Year’s Day ritual alone.
“You’ll be back for the luncheon?”
“The luncheon?”
“We have one every year on January 1st. It’s pretty much an open house and everyone’s welcome. You’ll be expected to be here, as part of the Claus family.”
“I’m not part of the Claus family,” I reminded Gilbert.
He let out a snicker. “Not yet, officially. Trust me, you need to be here. We start at 1pm.”
“Then I’ll be back before then,” I agreed.
I decided to walk into town because the scenery was so amazing and I didn’t have a car of my own. I’d ended up in Candy Cane Hollow after my car had skidded into a snowbank and Mrs Claus had rescued me. I still hadn’t managed to track down where exactly my old rust bucket of a car had been taken to, and I had no idea how to get a sleigh ready.
The walk was enjoyable. The town centre was just a few minutes away and it was so early that the roads were empty. Everywhere was covered with a thick blanket of white snow, and the only sounds were the occasional grunts from reindeer in the fields I passed.
I quickly found Sleigh A While and a little bell jingled to signal my arrival.
A young and very pretty waitress in a uniform of black trousers, fitted white shirt and black apron greeted me and told me to choose any table.
I picked one in the window and realised that The Greasy Spoon was across the road and a few doors down the street. It was dark and there appeared to be no signs of life in there.
The waitress returned with a menu.
“Do you know what you’d like to drink? Our hot chocolate is to die for,” she said. Her name tag told me her name.
“Summer? That name has to be a hoot in Candy Cane Hollow,” I said with a smile.
“Right? Although I believe you’re Holly Wood, so you can probably guess exactly how fun it is,” the woman said.
“Touche. I’ll get a coffee and the avocado smash,” I said and handed the menu back to her.
“Great choice,” Summer congratulated me.
“I noticed that The Greasy Spoon’s not open yet. This place must do well if they open later. You get the early trade?”
“Oh, no, it’s normally open much earlier. They cater to a lot of the elves on their way to Tinkertown. We don’t really want that clientele.”
“Oh, I see.”
“They’re closed now because of the glitter ball incident last night, I’d guess. I don’t know if Twisty will manage on his own,” Summer confided. She had pinged my order through to the kitchen on a device she held in her hand.
“It’s a real shame. Do you all get on?”
“I get on with everyone. As far as I’m concerned, life’s too short for these silly fall outs. And I know if I lose this job, The Greasy Spoon would be the most
natural place for me to apply. So I’m not getting involved in any beef.”
“Beef?” I asked.
“You know, trouble.”
“Trouble about beef?”
“No, silly! Beef means trouble. I can’t imagine anyone managing to have beef about beef. That would be weird. Although, you just never know with some people I guess,” Summer said.
“What kind of trouble has there been?” I leaned in and hoped that Summer enjoyed gossip as much as most people did.
“Drayton - he’s my boss - he thinks that The Greasy Spoon lowers the tone of the High Street. He’s all about the palate, you know? Pushing boundaries and creating new taste sensations. The Greasy Spoon is more about home comforts. It’s good food, I eat there. I mean, don’t tell Drayton I said that.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. Maybe you could call it market research if he finds out,” I suggested.
“Oh, girl, already done that! How do you think we have this avocado smash recipe?” Summer asked, then gave me a wink and sashayed away to greet another new customer.
I sat and looked around the place. It was dark inside, but the ambience was nice if a little stuffy. I felt pleased that I’d done my hair and put on a fairly nice outfit for the trip, whereas The Greasy Spoon had a more welcoming vibe to it.
“Ah, we meet again,” Drayton’s velvet voice was by my side.
I turned to him and offered a smile as he presented me with my drink.
“Hello,” I said.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I was out and about and decided to give your avocado smash a try. The recipe sounds interesting,” I wondered whether he would admit stealing the idea from The Greasy Spoon.
“A chef never divulges his secrets,” Drayton said as he licked his lips.
“You’re the chef here?”
“Goodness, no. My skills are very much of the higher level than that. I oversee everything.”
“Ah,” I said. In my experience, the people who liked to oversee things didn’t like to actually do much.
“You’ve made an excellent choice. Of course, you didn’t have much choice. The Greasy Spoon’s not even open. This is the problem with some so-called entrepreneurs, they don’t have the commitment or the professionalism. If the sign on your door says you open at a certain time, you need to be open then every day without fail.”