Murder So Festive

by Eileen Curley Hammond

  I waved my hand to reassure her. “Water under the bridge.”

  “Do the police know who did it?” Lauren asked.

  “They’ve arrested Drew.”

  Philip leaned back in his chair with a slight smile on his face. Rob cocked his head. “What’s so funny?”

  “Not funny, ironic. The police released him after he killed Amanda. Now they have to believe he is the murderer.” He frowned. “It’s just too bad that it took another killing for them to do the right thing and keep him in jail.”

  I said, “They released him on bail. He was still going to have to stand trial. No one else needed to be killed.”

  Philip grimaced. “That’s not exactly what I said.”

  Lauren rubbed his back. “It’s just such a surprise for all of us. Let’s change the subject.”

  Philip’s face relaxed. “Good idea.” He picked up the salt shaker. “How’s the tooth doing? Did Dr. Malcolm do a good job?”

  Still bothered by Philip’s accusation, I tried to smile but only got halfway there. “He’s a great dentist. I was lucky he was able to fit me in on such short notice.” I tapped the side of my mouth. “See? No pain.”

  “I’m glad he was able to help. I’m sorry I was so slammed that day or I would have seen you.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but everything turned out fine.”

  Philip said, “This has been fun, but I promised Lauren a trip to the movies today.”

  I dabbed my lips with the napkin and stood. “We need to get moving too.”

  Rob and Philip haggled over the check. Rob said, “I’ll let you pay next time when we’re going somewhere more expensive.”

  Philip laughed and handed Rob the check. “Let’s go shooting again sometime soon.” Hands clasped, Philip and Lauren left the restaurant.

  I moved closer to Rob. “No alibi.”

  He rolled his eyes. “That we know about. He could have had a real dental emergency.”

  “That’s something I’m going to find out.”

  Chapter 24

  Returning home, I put a load of laundry in the wash and settled down to do some work in my office. My hand kept reaching for the phone. Finally, I picked it up and punched in Pam Gruber’s number.

  “Hi, Merry. How are you? I was just thinking about that sour cream pound cake you made for the church bake sale. Would you send me the recipe?” She laughed. “I’m sorry. You called me. What’s up?”

  “First, I’d be happy to send you the recipe. I’ll e-mail it to you as soon as we get off the phone. Second, the reason for my call was to understand the timing of your billing system.”

  “Our billing system?”

  “Yes. I saw Dr. Malcolm last week. How long would it take for you to get the information to send out a bill?”

  “Is money tight? We can set up a payment plan for you if this is a bad time. I sure know it’s tight in our house, what with Christmas and all. I’m glad you’re reaching out. Some people don’t for too long, and then we have to turn debts over to creditors. I hate that.”

  My face burned. “No, it’s not that, although I probably did overspend on Jenny. I need to move some money around and wanted to get an idea of how much time I had.”

  “Oh. Well, everything’s computerized these days. As soon as the service is provided, it’s uploaded to the insurance company. Once we hear back from them, we send you a bill. Let me see here. Yes. You saw Dr. Malcolm last week, so you should get the bill from us sometime in early January.”

  “Thanks. That’s really helpful.” Doodling with my pencil, I drew the beginnings of a noose. “Hey, one more thing while I’m on the phone. Do you have a moment?”

  “Sure. The kids won’t be back for another hour. I love Sundays.”

  I smiled. “What would happen if there were some type of dental emergency?”

  “Same thing, but we’d tack on a fee for the emergency visit.”

  “So the dentist would always log it in even if it happened outside business hours?”

  “I’ve trained them well. They know how important it is to keep good records so that they get paid.” She laughed. “And like us, they do like to get paid.”

  “Let’s test it.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Rob and I had breakfast with Dr. Philip this morning. He told us he had a dental emergency on Friday night.”

  “Merry, you know I can’t disclose patient information.”

  “I don’t need to know who the patient was.” I mimed the word yet. “I’m just curious to see if he actually entered it in the system. Let’s see how good your training is.”

  She chuckled. “I’m up for the challenge. It would be easier if I knew who the patient was, but I can look for procedures done Friday night. Huh. I’m not seeing anything. The last entry for Dr. Philip was Friday at four thirty.” She typed furiously. “Nope. Nothing there. I’m sure he’ll input it on Monday. And if it’s not there by Wednesday, he’ll get a follow-up from me.” She typed some more. “There. I’ve set a follow-up for myself. Anything else? It appears I still have some training to do.”

  “Thanks for the lesson. I appreciate it. I’ll make sure to move some money around by early January.”

  “While you’re at it, you could send some to my account as a late Christmas present. Take care.”

  Moving the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer on autopilot, I texted Rob, “Philip lied.”

  A few minutes later, I received back, “????” My phone rang. Rob asked, “How did you find that out? Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure.”

  “I’m just wrapping up a story. I’ll be there in about a half hour.”

  Deciding to wipe down my kitchen cupboards, I filled a small bucket with water and vinegar. I pulled a chair over, climbing onto the counter. I cleaned several upper cabinets before stretching for one of the tall ones just as Rob came in.

  “Merry, what are you doing?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  “Trying to kill yourself. Don’t you have a ladder?”

  “This is easier.”

  He helped me down and kissed my forehead. “Broken bones would be bad.”

  I twirled in a circle, my arms out. “See? Nothing broken.” I poured out the dirty water and rinsed the bucket.

  Sitting at the counter, he patted the seat next to him. “Tell me how you know that Philip has no alibi.”

  I told him about my conversation with Pam.

  Rob poured two cups of coffee and handed me one. “Philip could just be a sloppy bookkeeper.”

  “I don’t think Philip has a sloppy bone in his body.”

  “True. Everything in his life is pretty orderly. But, from what he said this morning, he didn’t finish till late. Maybe he just hasn’t entered the procedure. It’s only Sunday.”

  “Pam seemed so sure that he would have. Plus, you thought you saw him at the supermarket. Susan’s apartment building is adjacent to that lot.”

  “It is suspicious. I’ll give you that.”

  “Do you think we should call Jay?”

  “Not yet. He’s pretty set on Drew, and I’m not sure that a bookkeeping lag would make him change his mind. I’ll text Philip and see if he wants to go to the range with me sometime this week.” Finishing his coffee, Rob rinsed his mug and put it in the dishwasher. “I hate to listen and run, but I have a few more things to do before I put the paper to bed.” He kissed me and left.

  Picking up the vacuum cleaner, I decided to do the vents. As I bent over and stuck the attachment in one as far as I could reach, Andy grabbed me by the waist. I jumped and glowered at him. “Why did you sneak up on me?”

  He laughed. “You really do need to invest in a new vacuum cleaner.” He lifted the canister to check it out. “One from this century. Yours sounds like a jet engine.” Since he was still laughing, I gave him the fish eye. He cleared his throat. “I even knocked.”

  “That’s something new.”

>   “I saw Rob leave and figured I may as well, as there was no chance to catch you in a compromising position.” Laughing again, he playfully hit my shoulder. “Lighten up, Merry.”

  Giving him a half smile, I edged around him to sit on the sofa. He sat in the chair opposite me. “What’s new?”

  “I can’t wait for the construction to be done. Either I’m there at the shop stumbling over things, or Ed’s staying late. One of us has to be there to make sure things get done the way we want. Ed didn’t get home Friday night till nearly eleven.”

  I raised one eyebrow. “Your construction crew works that late?”

  “No, silly. They did work till five, though. We offered them a bonus if they finish the job early. Ed was cleaning up so that I didn’t have to get there at the crack of dawn Saturday to get things ready to open.”

  “Good. Because I was thinking you needed to be asking Ed some pretty tough questions.”

  Laughing, Andy sat back on the sofa and crossed his legs. “No worries on that score. So dish. I saw the police drag your no-good ex out of his house yesterday morning.” Standing up, he wandered to the tree to play with my octopus ornament. Shaking its legs and turning it in his hand he said, “Shame about Susan.”

  “It is. We had our differences, but I’m sorry she was killed.”

  “Have you spoken with Drew?”

  “No.”

  He held the ornament up. “Who puts an octopus on their tree? Who would even make an octopus ornament for a tree?” Frowning, he rehung it.

  “Me. I put odd ornaments on trees. They remind me of trips. Jenny and I bought the octopus in Bar Harbor, Maine, when we went to Acadia National Park last year.”

  “Does Maine even have octopuses? Isn’t it too cold for them?”

  “Nope. I checked.”

  He gave me a severe eye roll. “Whatever. I stand by my original observation: trees are for things like berries, icicles, and such.”

  “Prude.”

  “Definitely not. You and Jenny should come over for dinner tonight. Ed’s making pizza.”

  I rose. “In the pizza oven?”

  He tsked. “Is there any other way?”

  “We’ll be there. I’ll bring wine.”

  He kissed my cheek. “I thought you might. Six fifteen, please. You know Ed gets cranky when people aren’t on time.”

  Jenny and I arrived five minutes early. Andy nodded approvingly. He took the wine and uncorked it, then poured lemonade for Jenny.

  She smiled. “This is great. Fresh squeezed, just like Mom makes.”

  Ed huffed. “I’m sure it’s better than that.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Hey, I make darn good lemonade. You don’t have the corner on that market.”

  He laughed. “You’re right. I mean, how hard is it to squeeze a few lemons?” Andy poked him. Ed cleared his throat. “I’m sure it’s a talent you have.”

  I gave him a dirty look. “Isn’t it too cold out for the pizza oven?”

  “Nope. You just have to get the fire started earlier and let it burn a bit hotter. Jenny, what toppings would you like?”

  Jenny picked mushrooms, pepperoni, and sausage. I chose mushrooms, peppers, and garlic. Jenny said, “Good thing Mr. Jenson’s not here.”

  I elbowed her. “It’s going to be delicious.” Sitting back down, I sipped my wine. “Andy told me that you’ve both been working around the clock.”

  Ed dotted the dough with the toppings. “It’s been exhausting, but I think I’m starting to see the end of the tunnel.”

  “When are they finishing up?”

  “Just after New Year’s, thank goodness.” He picked up the baking sheet holding the pizzas, grabbed the pizza peel, and scooted out the door to the backyard.

  Jenny shivered as the air hit her. “Brr. I’m glad I’m not cooking. Doesn’t he need a coat?”

  Andy laughed. “Believe me, it’s plenty hot by the oven. And that means they’ll only take a few minutes to cook. Speaking of which, I better get the salad on the table.”

  I jumped up to help him. The salad bowl landed on the table just as Ed banged on the door. Andy stood quickly to open it. Steam rose from the pizzas on the peel. Andy slid them off onto a wooden board, and Ed went to get the remaining two. He returned and shut the door, then quickly sliced the pies.

  The fresh oregano made it smell like a trattoria in Rome. Ed handed Jenny hers. She said, “Look how puffy the dough is. I love the crispy edges.” She took a bite and closed her eyes. “Yum.”

  Ed smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

  We all dug in, and appreciative moaning ensued around the table. I said, “I’m surprised that you were able to make the dough, what with all the midnight oil you’ve been burning. Andy said you were out past eleven Friday night.”

  He chuckled. “Saturday gave me a chance to recover. And anyway, I threw it together this morning. Plus, I wasn’t out that late. I’m sure I came in around nine. Andy’s exaggerating.”

  Andy’s eyes were huge. He started to object, and Ed gave him a look.

  Andy coughed. “Maybe I was confused.” Ed nodded slowly. “I fell asleep watching a show. I guess I was groggy when Ed woke me up.”

  I turned to Andy. “So you were home all Friday night?”

  “Didn’t I just say that?”

  Jenny asked, “What’s for dessert?”

  Ed stood. “I hope you don’t mind me testing out one of my recipes on you, but I made a cherry tart.”

  Jenny grinned. “Feel free to use me as a guinea pig anytime.”

  She and I cleared the table while Ed cut the tart. I savored every bite. “This is so good. Is there pastry cream lining the shell?

  His mouth full, he smiled and nodded.

  “I can’t wait till your shop opens.”

  Later that night, as I got ready for bed, my phone dinged with a text from Rob: “Paper to bed. Dinner tomorrow?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll cook.”

  He sent a smiley face in return.

  “Ed’s and Andy’s alibis for Friday are shaky too.”

  “What? Let’s talk tomorrow.” He appended a heart emoji.

  A light snow was falling when I rose the following morning. Beginning to frost the edges of the evergreens, the flakes wandered about, glistening in the waning moon’s light. Shivering, I dressed quickly.

  Work was busy, and the morning passed in a rush. At lunch, I ran home to put stew in the crockpot. I had just enough time to make myself a quick sandwich to bring back to my desk. At five, I gathered up some things I wanted to look at overnight and left.

  Rob was setting the table when I returned to the house. I hugged him. “Thanks for getting a head start on things, but we won’t be eating for another half hour or so. Is Jenny home?”

  “She’s upstairs studying.”

  Pouring us both a glass of wine, I handed him one. “Let’s go in the living room.”

  I plugged in the tree and flicked on the fire. Putting on some Christmas music in the background, I dimmed the lights and sat next to him on the couch. Rob put his arm around me, and I snuggled against his chest.

  I said, “Mmm. This is so cozy.” The snow continued to dance past the living room window, settling into a slender line at the bottom of the sash. “This would be perfect if we didn’t have two murders to solve.”

  Rob groaned as I pushed myself away and took a sip of the wine. “Do we have to talk about that?”

  I kissed his cheek. “Sorry, but yes.”

  He sat up. “Philip and I are going shooting again Wednesday night.”

  “Do you think I could come with you?”

  A slight frown creased his brow. “I thought you didn’t like to shoot.”

  “I don’t. But I don’t like the idea of you meeting with him alone.”

  “It’s a shooting range. I won’t be alone.”

  “That’s right. You won’t be. I’ll be there.” Smiling, I leaned back against him.

  He sighed as he took out his
phone and tapped in, “Okay if Merry comes with us on Wednesday?”

  “Fine. I’ll see if Lauren can come, and we’ll go to dinner after.”

  Rob put his arm around me. “Looks like we are going to make a night of it.”

  Chapter 25

  Rob pulled into the parking lot of the range just behind Philip and Lauren. He turned off the engine. “How do you want to play this?”

  I shrugged. “By ear, I guess. Let’s see what happens.”

  We joined them just as they checked in. Philip said, “Good, we’re all here.”

  The range manager opened the two gun cases Philip brought to check that the ammo was compatible with the targets used. Passing muster, he returned the guns to him. Philip took one case, handing the other to Lauren. They also had their own eye and ear protection.

  I frowned at Rob. He said, “No worries. I’ll rent what we need.”

  He had a short conversation with the manager, who disappeared into the storeroom and came back laden with everything. Weighing the case containing the gun, I raised an eyebrow.

  Rob smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.”

  After watching a short video on gun safety as well as getting some instruction from Rob and Philip, we entered the range. Nervous, I took the gun from its case and loaded it. Putting on my eye and ear protection, I stepped to the firing line, gauging the distance to the target. Philip took up his stance, shot, and hit the center of the target. He’s good. This could be embarrassing.

  Aiming, I fought to keep both eyes open as I squeezed the trigger. The slight recoil surprised me, and I staggered back. I looked at the target, surprised to see that I winged it. I grinned at Rob. He gave me a thumbs-up.

  Twenty minutes later, I was hitting closer to the center of the target. I was also ready for a break. I gave Rob a sign, and we put our guns back in the cases. Signaling to Philip that we were taking a break, we went into the observation room.

  Taking off my safety goggles and hearing protection, I giggled at Rob. “This is kind of fun.”