“It’s all they’ve ever had, I suspect. We’ll do our best to stay away from them. After our routine tonight, we don’t really have to hang with them anymore.”
“Sounds good.” I gave my blonde curls one more fluff before grabbing my parka.
“Take your credit card with you,” Ophelia said. “This way we can hit the slopes after rehearsal practice. We’ll just go rent the equipment and clothes.”
“Sounds great.” I dug in my wallet for my card then zipped it in my coat pocket.
The other two bedroom doors were shut as we started up the stairs and into the main living area. Helen and Bitsie were sitting on the sofa near the fireplace, but there was no sign of Margot and Chloe.
“Hey, you two,” Helen said softly. “We were just about to knock on your door to see if you wanted to walk over to the chateau together for our rehearsal.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Have you heard from Margot or Chloe?”
Bitsie wrinkled her nose. “No. And I don’t want to have to go down there and see if they’re coming, either. They were there when Andrew said nine o’clock. If they come, they come. Otherwise, the four of us can do it.”
“Agreed,” Ophelia said as she looked at her watch. “We should probably head on over then.”
It only took a few minutes to walk the short distance to the chateau, so we were technically a few minutes early. Luckily Andrew was waiting for us in the foyer. He was dressed in an azure button-down shirt that reflected nicely with his eyes. And his tight, dark-washed blue jeans fit in all the right ways. Too bad he wasn’t as amazing on the inside.
“Ladies, don’t you all look lovely this morning.”
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes.
“You must be Helen,” Andrew said as he thrust his hand out for her. “I didn’t get to meet you last night.”
“Yes.” Helen’s face was flushed as she shook his hand.
“Where’s Margot and Chloe?” he asked.
We all shrugged.
“They hadn’t made it upstairs yet this morning,” Bitsie said.
Andrew chuckled and shook his head. “Those two will never change. I don’t think they’ve ever been on time to anything.”
“Well, we aren’t going to wait on them,” Ophelia said. “I say we get started. If they show up, they show up. Otherwise, we’ll go on without them.”
Andrew led us to the prop room and for the next fifteen minutes we dug through costumes, found matching Mrs. Claus outfits, and tried on different sizes until we found some that fit. The costumes were more on the sexy side than practical side, but they would definitely do the trick. We were standing in our costumes going over the routine with Andrew, when Margot and Chloe finally walked in.
“You didn’t wait for us?” Margot pouted.
“There’s still plenty of time,” Andrew said as he dragged a wooden fireplace over to where we were standing.
“We’ll just go change,” Chloe said and grabbed the left-over Mrs. Claus suits.
I knew this wasn’t gonna be pretty. The suits were left over because they were too big for us. No way were they going to fit Margot and Chloe.
A few minutes later, the girls made their displeasure heard.
“Absolutely not!” Margot exclaimed as she made her way into the room.
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
Ophelia and Bitsie weren’t so kind. They both doubled over in laughter, practically screaming at the ridiculous picture Margot and Chloe made. Even Helen had a hard time biting back her chuckles.
Margot threw up her hands and the costume’s arms fell straight to her shoulders. “Look at how huge this is! It’s like eight sizes too big!” The skirt, which should have hit right above the knees, fell to mid-calf. “I can’t even cinch the belt tight enough!”
With every word Margot spoke, Ophelia and Bitsie laughed louder and harder.
“At least the hat fits,” Helen pointed out thoughtfully.
Margot yanked off the hat and threw it on the floor, causing Ophelia and Bitsie to clutch their aching sides.
“This isn’t funny!” Margot hissed.
“Yeah,” Chloe pouted, tears filling her eyes. “We don’t look like a sexy Mrs. Claus, we look like drowned rats!”
I couldn’t help it…I let out a giggle.
“It’s not that bad,” Andrew said lamely.
Margot glared at him.
“Okay,” he said, “it’s pretty bad. Maybe I can find someone to take them in for you by tonight.”
We all gave him incredulous looks. No way was that happening by tonight.
Andrew sighed. “I’m sorry, girls. Let’s just keep practicing, and I’ll see what I can do about getting them taken in before the show, okay? Maybe Clive knows someone.”
Margot and Chloe stomped over to where we were standing, their eyes shooting daggers at us the whole time. A part of me wanted to offer to trade, but the other half of me thought it would be a good lesson for the girls to learn.
Always the teacher.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Andrew said. He turned his back to us and started talking.
Margot grabbed hold of my arm in a fierce grip. “You need to trade with me.”
“Actually,” Ophelia said, “she doesn’t need to trade with you.”
“Yeah,” Chloe whispered as she grabbed hold of Helen, “trade with me!”
“No,” Bitsie said. “You’re only picking on them because you think they’re the weakest. We’re here to tell you it’s not happening.”
“Ladies, have I lost you?” Andrew said irritably.
We promised we’d focus better and he went back to directing our moves. “I’ll put up a ladder back behind the chimney so I can climb up and be at the top of the chimney. Then as the song progresses, I’ll slide headfirst down the chimney, but just up to my chest. I have good core strength, so I can hang upside down and kick my feet like I’m stuck but trying to get down.” Andrew turned to us. “Now, let’s put it to music.”
We stood in front of the chimney and lip synced to the song, shimmied when we were supposed to, and gave a pretty rowdy performance. It wasn’t something I’d normally do, but it was a lot of fun.
“I think we can call it a day,” Andrew said as he looked at his watch. “You’re all naturals. You’ll have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand tonight.” He turned to Margot and Chloe. “I have about twenty minutes before I have my first ski lesson. Hurry and give me the costumes, and I’ll see what I can do.”
The girls ran off to change.
“Are you four skiing today?” Andrew asked.
“We aren’t today,” Bitsie said. “While I love to ski, I’m trying to talk Helen into going to town to do some shopping and other touristy things.”
“Have you ever been to Winterdale?” Andrew asked Helen.
“No,” Helen said quickly.
“Well, there’s lots to see.” He turned to us. “What about you two?”
Ophelia nodded. “I’ll ski the mountain. Even though Holly and I go to Snow Peek—a resort not far from Kansas City—every chance we get, Holly doesn’t really ski.”
I chuckled. “I was the one that introduced Ophelia to skiing about five years ago, but I never venture far from the little slopes. Ophelia is a wonderful skier, though.”
Ophelia bumped my hip. “I always do the mountain while she does the bunny slopes. In fact, Holly has a ski lesson at eleven. I wonder if you’re her instructor?”
Andrew turned his beautiful green eyes on me. “I hope I am.”
“Excuse me,” Margot said snippily. “I don’t mean to interrupt this little lover’s chat, but our costumes need fixed.”
“I can’t be seen in this dreadful thing!” Chloe wailed.
“On it,” Andrew said. “Holly, hopefully I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.”
We all watched as Andrew strode out of the room, Mrs. Claus outfits thrown over his arms.
“Stay away!�
�� Margot hissed at me.
“Yeah,” Chloe echoed. “He’s ours. We waited for Andrew to come back to Winterdale for years. No way are we letting a tourist tramp get her clutches into our Andrew.”
My mouth dropped open. I’d never in my life been called a tramp before.
“You might want to watch how you speak to my friend,” Ophelia said. “Or tonight you’ll be up here singing All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.”
Helen laughed, then quickly clamped a hand over her mouth…her eyes wide with fear.
“Andrew’s a full-grown man,” Bitsie said. “He can see anyone he wants.”
Margot laughed wickedly. “That’s where you’re wrong. Dead wrong.”
Chapter 5
“You’re back early,” Ophelia said as she flung herself down on her bed. “Was Andrew not your instructor?”
I opened one eye and scowled at her. “I was sleeping. Couldn’t you tell?”
Ophelia grinned. “Yeah, but it’s like three-thirty. You need to get up. Besides, I want to know how your afternoon went with Andrew.”
I groaned and sat up. “He’s handsome, has a fabulous body, flirty…”
“But?”
“But then he opens his mouth. He’s kinda smarmy.”
Ophelia grunted. “Did you ski together? Did he ask you out?”
“Um…did you not hear me say he’s smarmy. I didn’t want him skiing with me or asking me out. I did my hour lesson with him, then just practiced going on the bunny slope alone for a while.”
“I swear, Holly, you’re no fun at all! It’s not like you have to marry this guy! The purpose of coming here was to forget about your ex.”
I laughed. “That was your purpose for me coming. My purpose was to visit a beautiful place for Christmas so I could show my students I actually got out of the house.”
“Since you don’t want him, I may take a go at him tonight after the talent show.”
“Be my guest. Just watch out for Margot and Chloe. They don’t seem like they want to share.”
Ophelia rolled her eyes. “Are they here, do you know? I saw them a couple times skiing down the mountain. I have to say, they’re actually pretty good. Like semi-pro good.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think they’re here. I don’t think Helen and Bitsie are back yet, either. I haven’t heard footsteps.”
Ophelia got up from the bed, pulled out dry clothes, and started dressing. “Helen is here. I saw her upstairs sitting in front of the fireplace. When I asked if she and Bitsie had a good time in town, she said she only went for a little while because she had a headache. She had Bitsie drop her off here at the condo around one-thirty. I think Bitsie is still out shopping.”
“Helen must be a ninja,” I laughed, “because I haven’t heard any footsteps all afternoon.”
“She actually looked pretty upset. I thought maybe she’d been crying, but I wasn’t sure.”
I frowned and looked up at the ceiling. “I still think something weird is going on.”
“I need to shower and get ready for tonight,” Ophelia said. “I’ll jump in the shower first so I’m not holding everyone up.”
“Sounds good.” I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
***
“Smart thinking to have Helen and Bitsie take the outfits with them after rehearsal,” Ophelia said as she adjusted her Santa hat in front of the mirror.
“I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.”
Ophelia smiled. “I think the sobbing has finally subsided.”
Andrew had dropped by half an hour ago with bad news. He couldn’t find anyone to take in the Mrs. Claus outfits. He suggested the girls safety pin what they could and not worry about it. That had gone over like a lead balloon.
“Are you seriously going to wear that hideous jewelry over your outfit?” Ophelia asked.
I looked down at the strand of blinking Christmas lights and laughed. “Yep. Both the necklace and the earrings.”
We finished zipping up our boots and headed upstairs. We were all supposed to walk over to the talent show together. Helen and Bitsie were pouring champagne in glasses when we strolled over to the kitchen.
“Nice sparkle,” Bitsie laughed as she handed me a drink.
I shot Ophelia a look. “See, others appreciate my Christmas jewelry.”
Ophelia rolled her eyes and took a glass from Helen. “She’s being kind.”
I took a drink of my champagne and let the ribbing go. I was in too good a mood to let anyone bring me down.
A few minutes later Margot and Chloe trudged up the stairs.
“Do you want some champagne?” Bitsie asked.
Margot scowled. “No.”
“I’d like some,” Chloe said. “Maybe it will help take my mind off how hideous these outfits are.”
Margot sighed. “Fine. I’ll take a glass.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell Chloe she would need more than one glass of champagne if she wanted to forget how dreadful the dress was.
“A toast,” Ophelia said as she lifted her glass in the air. “May tonight be unforgettable and our act a show stopper!”
We ended up pouring another glass to calm our nerves, so by the time I started walking to where the talent show was being held, I was a little more than tipsy.
“It’s out behind the chateau in front of the mountain, right?” Bitsie asked.
“Yes,” Chloe said as she covered her exposed ears with her hands. “They always hold the talent show outside, even if it’s snowing.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Chloe smiled. “Nights like this I wish I had longer hair. This Santa hat isn’t providing any warmth.”
“There it is.” Ophelia pointed to a makeshift wooden platform on the snow with numerous halogen lights pointed to the stage.
“And there’s Andrew,” I said. “Looks like he and a couple other guys have already carried out the chimney.”
The wooden chimney was sitting in the middle of the stage. Someone had taped paper stockings to the front of it.
“That’s quite hideous,” Helen said softly.
We all laughed and agreed.
“Over here,” Andrew called when he saw us.
Ophelia reached down and grabbed my hand. “This should be a fun night.”
I squeezed her hand in agreement.
“It looks like we’re the fourth act tonight,” Andrew said around his Santa beard.
“How many acts are there?” Helen asked.
“Six,” Andrew informed her. “So hopefully we’ll give a performance worth remembering. First place winners each receive a complimentary bottle of champagne and a sixty-minute massage from the chateau’s spa.”
My mouth dropped. “All of us?”
Andrew nodded. “Yep. Doesn’t matter if it’s one person that wins or a team. It’s the same prize for each person.”
My mind went into overdrive at the thought of a sixty-minute massage. Now more than ever I wanted to win this competition.
“Places people!” a handsome blonde man with electric blue eyes called out. “Make sure you line up in order.”
“Is that your brother Clive?” I asked Chloe.
Chloe looked to where I was pointing. “Yep. He’s been the manager here for almost four years now. He’s the one that finally talked Andrew into coming back to Winterdale after he left the pro circuit and being a ski instructor for the resort.”
We spent a few minutes rearranging ourselves in line order with the other contestants, then settled down and waited with bated breath for our number to be called.
The first three contestants were good—especially the soprano who sang Silent Night. But I hadn’t seen anything yet that might beat us out. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw Clive and Margot in a pretty heated discussion. Before I could ponder anymore about it, my attention was drawn back to the stage.
The audience clapped for the third contestant as he left the stage. With one m
ore glare at Margot, Clive walked to the microphone and announced our act. As we sashayed onto the platform, Andrew quickly slid the ladder behind the chimney.
The music started and we gave the performance of a lifetime. During the turns and sultry moves, Andrew slowly ascending the ladder, working the crowd. By the time he reached the top of the ladder, the crowd was going wild. In time with the other girls, I snapped my chin to my shoulder and looked coyly at Andrew. We all crooked our finger at him and mouthed for Santa to hurry down the chimney.
With a wolfish grin, Andrew leaned over the chimney to slide partway down. I heard a small scream come from Andrew, but it was quickly cut off over the crowd’s raucous behavior. At first, I thought Andrew was just playing up to the crowd. I didn’t realize anything was wrong until someone in the audience started to scream and point, yelling we needed to get him up.
The music faded and I watched in horror as Clive stepped onto the platform and started bellowing instructions at people around him. The man who was to go on after us scrambled up the ladder and grabbed hold of Andrew’s feet. At the same time, another person in the audience pointed in my direction and started screaming about blood.
I looked down at my costume but didn’t see any blood.
“Omigod!” Margot cried. “There’s blood under the chimney!”
I looked down at the bottom of the chimney and could see drops of blood hitting the platform. I started to scream along with the others in the crowd. I stumbled backward, fell down on my butt, and looked up just as Andrew was being lifted out of the chimney.
It was then all hell broke loose.
I looked out into the crowd and saw people pointing, screaming, and running in all directions. I glanced over my right shoulder and saw a gentleman trying to steady Andrew’s body and get him down the ladder. Andrew was in obvious shock. He was swaying and screaming, trying unsuccessfully to lift his hands to his face.
Or what was left of his face.
I tilted to my left and vomited.
Killer Christmas Cozies Page 3