by Leena Clover
Leo told them he was assisting Teddy but couldn’t talk about an ongoing investigation.
“Don’t worry,” Cassie assured him. “We can usually get all the information we want from Teddy. We won’t be pestering you.”
Leo looked relieved.
“I spoke to some of my old buddies,” Gino volunteered. “The police are trying to establish a motive. The general consensus is that Edward was killed for his money.”
“That seems obvious, given how rich the man was,” Sofia offered. “A little too obvious, I’d say.”
“What do you think, Nana?” Cassie’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Was it a crime of passion?”
“Was it a scorned lover?” Meg joined in.
“Stop it, you two.” Anna tried to hide a smile.
Sofia declared it was time to serve the main meal. Gino exclaimed in Italian when he saw the loaded table and gave Sofia a tight hug. He carved the roast chicken on Anna’s request.
Sofia cut generous slices of her Italian sausage lasagna and insisted on serving everyone herself. Meg passed around the tomato and cucumber salad studded with fat olives and pickled peppers. It had been a regular item at the dinner table since Sofia arrived.
“How was your trip to the Gardiner estate?” Gino asked Anna. “Did you learn anything new?”
“It was quite uneventful.”
Anna told Gino about Sharon.
“I can’t make up my mind about her. Is she a bit whacko or just insensitive? How could she go shopping to the city mere days after she lost her brother?”
“People cope in different ways, Anna.” Gino took a hearty bite of the lasagna and asked Leo to pass him the roasted vegetables.
“I think it’s extremely selfish of her,” Anna huffed.
“What’s the matter?” Sofia intruded. “You don’t like my lasagna? Why are you pushing food around your plate?”
“The lasagna’s delicious, Mama,” Anna soothed. “Just a bit rich for me.”
“You’re not feeling queasy, are you, Mom?” Cassie’s voice was laced with concern. “Do you want that nausea medicine the doctor asked you to keep on hand?”
“That was just during the ch…” Anna stopped mid sentence.
She widened her eyes at Cassie, hoping she would take the hint and change the topic.
“What is going on here?” Sofia demanded. “Anna, are you suffering from dyspepsia?” She turned to Meg. “Go to my room and get the bottle of Pepto. It will set her right in no time.”
“Okay, Mama.” Anna hung her head.
Gino was giving Anna some concerned looks.
“Did you know Sharon was Edward’s half sister?” Cassie asked Gino. “I would never have guessed that, given how similar they look.”
“The dimple in the left cheek and the green eyes are classic Gardiner traits,” Gino told them. “Edward’s father and grandfather looked the same. Edward loved Sharon like a daughter. They became especially close after he lost his son.”
“And she never married?” Anna asked. “She’s an attractive woman, Gino. I’m sure she had plenty of suitors.”
“Don’t forget the money, Mom.” Cassie sighed dramatically. “If I were a man, I wouldn’t have cared how she looked.”
“She was quite reckless in her youth,” Gino told them. “Their parents had passed on and Edward indulged her every whim.”
“He didn’t have any eligible friends?” Anna wondered out loud. “I guess they would’ve been much older.”
“Did she have access to the money?” Cassie asked. “She must have some stake in the family wealth, considering there were only two of them.”
“We never talked about that,” Gino shrugged. “That’s a good point, Cassie.”
“She must be dependent on Edward in some way though,” Anna argued. “Why else would she stay in the same house with her half brother?”
“Didn’t you say this Edward was like a father to her?” Sofia frowned. “What’s wrong with living with your own family?”
“Says the woman who moved hundreds of miles away from hers,” Anna shot back.
“What’s for dessert, Nana?” Meg sat back, holding her stomach. “I barely have room for anything more.”
“Cannoli,” Sofia smiled indulgently. “And chocolate gelato. Cassie told me you like chocolate.”
“What do you think about Pearson?” Anna asked Gino. “Do you trust him?”
“He’s loyal to a fault.”
“Pearson said Edward was excited about some announcement he was going to make at Christmas.”
“He couldn’t stop talking about it at the party. Don’t you remember, Anna?”
“Any idea what it might have been?”
“Knowing Edward, it was probably a big donation to some charity.” Gino put his fork down. “I can’t eat a bite more. Thank you for a wonderful meal, Sofia. Can you teach me how to make this lasagna?”
The doorbell rang, announcing a new arrival.
“That must be Julie.” Anna stood up. “She’s joining us for dessert.”
Meg followed Sofia into the kitchen. She came back with a stack of dessert plates. Sofia was right behind, holding a large platter of homemade cannoli.
“I’m starving!” Julie swept into the room, dressed in a colorful plaid shirt and capris. “Wrote all day without breaking for lunch.”
Sofia started fixing her a plate.
Julie alternated between big bites of chicken and lasagna and didn’t come up for air until she had mopped up the last bit of sauce with a piece of crusty bread.
“Has Mary talked to you about the Seaside Christmas Lights stuff, Meg?” she asked. “They are meeting at the town hall tonight.”
“I forgot all about that!” Meg paused while scooping the gelato. “What time is it?”
“I’m going there myself, Meg.” Leo smiled. “You can join me if you like.”
“There’s plenty of time,” Julie assured her. “They don’t meet until 8 PM.”
“Mary didn’t say why she wants me there, Anna.” Meg’s eyes were huge. “I have never been to a town meeting.”
“Leo’s going with you,” Anna reminded her. “And you will know most people there.”
“Sally Davis and Mary are heading the Lights Committee this year.” Julie held a cannoli bursting with sweet cream. “What are you worried about?”
“When are we getting our tree, Mom?” Cassie asked. “Do you even know where we are going?”
“There’s a Christmas tree lot five miles north on the coastal highway,” Gino spoke up. “Leo and I are planning to go pick our tree tomorrow. Why don’t you all join us?”
“Great idea!” Sofia sprang up. “We can take thermoses of hot chocolate and I can make my special giardiniera sandwiches. That farm boy Cassie used to date dropped off some nice grapes today.”
“Please,” Anna pleaded. “No more talk about food. I’m bursting at the seams here.”
“We need to eat,” Sofia reasoned. “Picking a Christmas tree can be very exhausting. And we are choosing at least four.”
“I’m not getting a separate tree,” Julie groaned. “Yours will be enough for me.”
“Nonsense!” Sofia ordered. “We are doing Christmas right this year. You’ve let things slide in my absence.”
“What about a tree for the café?” Anna felt dazed. “John and I always got a tree for the bookstore.”
“Get two,” Gino said. “One for the bookstore and one for the café.”
“What if we ask people to donate?” Meg asked shyly. “We can ask them to place their gifts under the tree, then take them to some children’s home two days before Christmas.”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” Anna said brightly and Sofia clapped her hands in approval.
“I second that, Meg.” Leo gave her an admiring look.
“So how many trees does that make?” Gino laughed. “Even with my 4x4, we’ll need multiple trips.”
“I’ll have to close the café early, if all of u
s want to go.” Anna wondered when she would get a chance to meet Finn O’Malley.
Chapter 9
Anna cupped her hands around a steaming mug of coffee and gently blew on it. She couldn’t stop smiling. Julie and Mary, her best friends, sat before her, dressed in matching red holiday sweaters. Mary had knit them for the Firecrackers fifteen years ago and that had started a tradition. They always wore them when they went to pick a Christmas tree. Anna was surprised the old sweater still fit her.
Sofia sat on Anna’s left, pouring over some list she had made. Cassie sat on her other side, tapping some keys on her phone. Meg stood behind her with her hands on Anna’s shoulders.
They were all waiting for Gino and Leo to join them.
Anna hadn’t been this happy in a long time. She wanted to lock this moment in her memory so she could cherish it on long winter nights when her little birdies flew the coop.
“We need at least six trees.” Sofia looked up from her list. “We should be able to wrangle a big discount. And we need thousands of fairy lights, Anna.”
“There’s plenty of old lights in the basement, Mama.”
“You need to buy some new lights for the store.” Julie looked around. “You can’t string those old mismatched lights in here, Anna. The storefront needs a theme. I’ve already made a rough design. It matches the wreaths.”
Julie’s contact had delivered the handmade wreaths as promised. They were so huge Anna could barely hold them herself. The customers couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful they were and wanted to know where Anna found them. She had finally pinned a paper with the girl’s contact details up on the bulletin board.
“What’s keeping Gino?” Sofia grumbled. “I want to get there before it gets dark.”
Dolphin Bay was experiencing a misty day with intermittent showers. The mercury had dipped below fifty, spurring people to bundle up.
“How was your dinner at the Yellow Tulip?” Julie asked Mary.
“I was glad to get a break from cooking.” Mary’s husband notoriously hated eating out. She didn’t mind because she loved to cook for him. Lately, she had begun to crave a change. Their daughter had intervened, suggesting they have a ‘date night’ once a month.
“You went there again?” Anna grimaced.
“The only other restaurant is the China Garden.” Mary shrugged. “You know my Ben isn’t fond of Chinese food.”
“When is Ben taking you to a nice place for date night?” Julie pounced. “That tight fisted miser! You need to put your foot down, Mary. You can be too docile.”
“I didn’t want to drive too far in this weather. At least you can be sure of a hearty meal when you go to the Yellow Tulip.”
“That’s true,” Anna agreed. “So? Do they have a special menu for the holidays?”
“They do.” Mary added sugar to her coffee. “But it doesn’t start until a week before Christmas. We got the special of the day, rosemary crusted lamb with roasted potatoes and creamed spinach. They had cherry bread pudding for dessert.”
“Never heard of that,” Sofia dismissed. “What’s wrong with cannoli or tiramisu?”
“It’s a diner, Mama, not an Italian restaurant.”
“There’s one thing at the Yellow Tulip that’s tastier than the food.” Julie had a naughty gleam in her eye. “Spill it, Mary!”
“What are you talking about, Aunt Julie?” Cassie asked.
“Gossip, of course.” Julie poked Mary in the arm. “What’s the latest in Dolphin Bay? Come on, Mary. Give us the scoop.”
“Was anyone talking about the murder?” Anna asked.
Mary set her coffee cup down.
“That does seem to be the topic of the week. You know how it is, Anna. People are ghouls.”
“Can’t blame them, Mary.” Anna stifled a yawn. “I don’t think anyone expected something tragic like this to happen to the Gardiners.”
“So what’s the word on the street?” Julie was impatient. “Who done it?”
“It’s not as simple as that, Julie,” Anna protested.
“Public opinion rarely has any rhyme or reason,” Cassie said. “The press has hung me up to dry many a time, with no fault of mine.”
“People actually don’t have a clue about what happened,” Mary told them. “Some are saying Edward was shot in broad daylight. Others say he was poisoned.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Meg stepped in. “The Chronicle reported the whole story. People should at least know the poor old man died in his sleep.”
“The truth has a way of getting twisted, dear.” Anna kissed Meg’s hand. “Don’t lose your cool over this.”
“Most people are blaming the butler,” Mary continued.
“Pearson?” Anna leaned forward. “Are they saying why?”
“Pearson goes to the Tipsy Whale every week on his night off. He enjoys his whiskey, it seems. He’s been grumbling about his employer after a couple of drinks.” Mary sucked in a breath. “He talked about pushing Edward down the stairs!”
“Wow!” Julie grinned. “And you were sitting on it all this time? You’re a sly one, Mary.”
“Wait a minute,” Anna interrupted. “That’s just drunken nonsense. That doesn’t mean he really did it.”
“And Mr. Gardiner didn’t actually fall down the stairs,” Meg reminded them.
“This group of old biddies said he looks like a killer.”
“Even I can tell you that’s ridiculous!” Sofia had abandoned her list and started listening in.
Anna thought of Pearson with his respectful manner and middle aged paunch. His knees had creaked when they climbed up the staircase to the second floor. Anna had thought he was exceptionally protective of all the Gardiners.
“You wanted to know the gossip.” Mary looked worried. She hated disagreements and avoided them at all costs.
Anna felt a draft of cold air and craned her neck to see who had entered the café. Gino rushed toward their table, looking apologetic. Leo was right behind him.
“I’m sorry, ladies. There was a last minute crisis at the winery. But I’m all yours now.”
“I’m off duty too.” Leo beamed at Meg.
“I guess we’ll have to skip lunch.” Julie winked at Cassie. “We’re too late already, right, Sofia?”
“There’s a picnic basket full of food in your car, Julie.” Sofia rolled her eyes. “We can stop for a quick meal somewhere.”
“I know just the place.” Gino rubbed his hands. “There’s a scenic outlook on the coastal highway two miles out of town. Pretty spot in a wooded area with some picnic benches. The land slopes down to the cliffs and you can see the ocean in the distance. Wildflowers grow there in the spring. It’s beautiful!”
“So we will have a picnic lunch!” Sofia declared. “Let’s get going.”
Gino’s housekeeper had provided fried chicken and corn muffins. Sofia had brought three kinds of sandwiches with salami, fresh mozzarella and ham along with a macaroni salad loaded with olives and sweet peppers.
It was a day to remember. The group ate every morsel of food and Sofia surprised everyone by taking pictures with her phone. She sent them to her friends at the senior community. Anna was particularly touched when Sofia posed with an arm around Meg, bursting with pride and happiness.
They spent three hours at the Christmas tree farm, going back and forth over the right choice. Finally, they selected six firs based on everyone’s likes and preferences.
“Any update on that script?” Anna asked Cassie as they stood in line, sipping hot chocolate.
Sofia and Meg were selecting yard decorations.
“I gave a video audition. They are going to get back to me after the holidays. That means I didn’t get the role, Mom.”
“Don’t give up yet, Cassie.” Anna tried to be supportive without being critical. “You’ve been away for a long time.”
“I’m not thinking about it right now.” Cassie was unperturbed. “I am going to enjoy the holidays and get to know Meg better.
”
“Has she said anything more about that boy?” Anna deftly changed the subject.
Cassie shook her head. “She talked to a counselor about her gap year. They see a lot of kids doing that nowadays, it seems. Her SAT scores are high and she has good grades. She’s moved around so much though. They told her to address it in her essay.”
“Does she really want to go to DBU though?” Anna couldn’t hide the hope in her voice. “I don’t want to hold her back.”
“She knows that, Mom. We talked about it. Meg never thought she would go to college. She said the only thing she ever dreamt about was reconnecting with her birth parents.”
Anna felt her eyes grow moist.
“And we are lucky that dream came true. But she needs bigger dreams now. It’s our job to encourage her, Cassie.”
“I totally agree, Mom.” Cassie wove her arm around Anna’s. “I told her the same thing. She can go study art in Europe if she wants to. I’ll take a TV gig if I have to, or sell some of my baubles. I don’t have much use for them in Dolphin Bay anyway.”
Anna swallowed a lump and marveled at how much Cassie had matured in the past few months. Meg’s arrival had affected all of them.
“Isn’t that Alison Gardiner?” Meg whispered in Anna’s ear, subtly pointing toward a tall, green eyed girl strolling hand in hand with a dark haired young man. “What is she doing here?”
Chapter 10
Cassie chatted with Mrs. Chang, the proprietor of the China Garden restaurant. She was picking up dinner. After a massive cooking spree that had lasted for some days, Sofia had finally admitted she could use a break. No one wanted to admit they craved something different after a week of Italian food.
“Are you sure you added two orders of orange chicken?” she asked the woman. “And the crab wontons and spring rolls?”
Mrs. Chang bobbed her head and leaned forward conspiratorially.
“Who is Anna’s top suspect?”
Cassie mentally rolled her eyes. She figured the whole town knew by now that Anna was looking into Edward’s death.
“I have no idea. Why don’t you ask her, Mrs. Chang?”
“I say it is that man who doesn’t talk. You know, the one who goes everywhere with his dog?”