Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder

by Carolyn L. Dean

  “Good, now we need to be careful. When the constable comes, we will not tell him we suspect the Clarks.”

  Katherine blinked and shook her head. “Why shouldn’t we tell the constable? I want to see the Clarks hang.”

  Her grandfather shook his head. “You were clever to overhear our conversation, but you don’t understand their power and influence. With your father gone, I have only a few old friends whereas the Clarks have many. More importantly, there are many in the constabulary who look to them for sponsorship. If we tell them now, the Clarks will know within a few hours that we suspect them.”

  Katherine looked away, despair threating to overtake her as she struggled with what her grandfather had told her. Who could they trust if they couldn’t trust the very men sworn to protect them? “What do we do then? Just wait here to let them kill us at their leisure? The staff is loyal, but we can’t ask them to put themselves in the way of murderers.”

  “No. We cannot just sit and wait. I have a secret to tell you, Katherine. When your father died in that supposed accident in the factory, the facts didn’t fit with what we were being told. Your father knew that factory like the back of his hand, and he would never have gone around heavy machinery after having several drinks as Daniel told the constables. Your father was far too responsible for that.”

  Katherine gasped and put her hand to her mouth. She never knew how her father had died. Eustice had claimed the facts were too gruesome for her delicate sensibilities, and her grandfather had remained quiet on the subject until this moment. Now, she realized how unlike her father it sounded. Even in his worst moments, he had never turned to drink, citing it as a debilitating condition for any successful man. It was an unpopular opinion, but it had been her father’s.

  “They did do it,” Katherine finally breathed. “Grandfather, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “I couldn’t take the chance that you would accuse them and raise their suspicions before I was ready,” her grandfather paused, coughing and pulling the covers up over himself as the room was still freezing. “Katherine, listen to me. You cannot stay here. I’ve been making plans for you to flee for many weeks now, but I didn’t have the last piece until tonight but still we need more time.”

  Katherine froze in shock. “Flee? What do you mean flee, grandfather? I can’t leave. This is my home! Can’t we do anything to fight them?”

  Her grandfather seemed to deflate and sank back against his bed. “No, Katherine. At least, not now. I am far too old, and my time is short and your father is gone. They will never let you inherit my fortune and business. If you tried to stay, I’m afraid that you would meet with an accident and I cannot abide that thought.”

  Katherine stared at her grandfather for many long moments, trying to make his words mean something different, but she could not. Terror and anger warred within her. He was talking about sending her away from the only home she had ever known, but did she have a choice? If the patriarch of their family only saw death in her future, what could she do? “Where will I go?” Katherine finally breathed.

  “Oregon, dear Katherine. Oregon.”

  Chapter 9

  It was well past Katherine’s bedtime by the time she was able to retire to her room. The constables had taken more than an hour to come, but when they did they had come in force. The Moore’s were still an important family in the community and an attempted murder was considered very seriously.

  Everyone was questioned closely. She and her grandfather stuck to their story that they did not know or recognize the man who had broken into their home nor did they have any suspicions who might be at fault. Katherine and her grandfather were particularly alarmed to learn that a rope had been tied from her grandfather’s balcony. Something the intruder would not have been able to do without inside help.

  Katherine wept into her pillow when she was finally able to lay down. Most of the staff had been with them for a long time, and for one of them to have betrayed their family was devastating. She couldn’t help but study each of their faces, but there was no telling when it had happened, and too many of the staff had access to their rooms to level an accusation.

  Still, it accented the danger they were in and helped Katherine to come to terms with the need to leave. She didn’t know much about Oregon, but assumed it would be far rougher than her life here in Boston. From what she’d heard, she wondered if she’d be washing clothes on rocks or forced to hunt for her food.

  She looked around herself at the lavish decorations of her room, lamenting each item in turn. Somehow, she doubted she would be able to take much with her. She didn’t get halfway through the things in her room before she finally slipped off to sleep.

  The next morning, Katherine woke to a knock on the door, followed by a maid moving into the room a few steps. The woman’s name was Primrose, and she was a small, mousy woman who had been with the house for several years. Katherine was thankful it wasn’t Mary, but she couldn’t help a flash of suspicion as she remembered the rope tied to her grandfather’s balcony. A moment later, she felt a flush of sadness wash over her as she realized the damage whoever had helped the attempted murderer caused. How could she trust any of them, anymore?

  “Pardon, Miss Katherine,” Primrose said, her voice uncertain. “Your husband wishes you to meet him in the small dining room for breakfast, if you could?”

  Katherine sat up, a shiver of fear racing up and down her spine. Eustice was here? What did he want and why did he want her alone? She swallowed but tried to school her expression, nodding after a few moments. “Did his uncle come with him?”

  “No, ma’am. Just Mr. Eustice himself.” She stopped, leaning in and whispering despite them being alone. “He has a black eye, miss. Do you think he was out drinking again?”

  Katherine frowned, thinking furiously. She did not want to be in a room alone with Eustice, but her grandfather had told her she had to act as if nothing was wrong. If she refused, Eustice would know something was wrong. Finally, she nodded. “I don’t know, Primrose, but best not to mention it. Tell him I will be down as soon as I get dressed. Can you send up Margaret to help me?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Primrose said, then turned and left. Katherine quickly rose and rushed to the water closet as she waited for Margaret. A few minutes after she had finished, the older woman entered in a bustle and began to lay out the complicated dress for Katherine to wear.

  As Margaret helped her into her clothing, Katherine felt stiff and uncomfortable as the same troubled thoughts ran through her head as when Primrose entered her room, but it was mixed with guilt and sorrow. The kindly old woman had been part of her life since she was born, and Katherine was battling with guilt at suspecting her.

  Finally, she just turned and hugged the older woman, surprising her as she was about to bring over another layer. “Margaret, I refuse to suspect you. This whole business has been terrifying and I don’t know who to trust, but I refuse to suspect you.”

  Margaret froze for a moment, but as Katherine spoke, the woman wrapped her in her own arms and hugged her back. “Oh, thank you, ma’am. I was so worried after I heard about the rope. Those constables were just brutes, but I’d rather they yell at me for a week as long as they catch whoever did it.”

  Katherine pulled back, and Margaret’s tears matched her own as they shared the moment, Finally, the woman nodded and sniffed, then reached for a towel to wipe Katherine’s face. “Come on, now, let’s get you dressed and downstairs. You know how Mr. Eustice is when he’s made to wait.” She slowed down, cleaning carefully around the fading bruise on Katherine’s cheek. “Beast of a man. I don’t know why he was ever allowed to come near you.”

  Katherine sniffed, not choosing to answer. It was terrible, but they could do nothing about the way he treated Katherine since he never did it where someone could see. After cleaning her face, Margaret resumed helping Katherine into her clothes and a scant twenty minutes later, they were finally done.

  “What kind of mood is he in,
Margaret? Did you see him before you came up here?”

  “Yes, Miss Katherine,” Margaret said before pausing, giving Katherine an odd look. “He’s in a strange mood. Not angry as I would suspect from being punched by his uncle. He was… careful. That’s the best word I can come up with.”

  Katherine nodded, considering Margaret’s words before heading out of her room and walking toward where Eustice was waiting for her. It made sense that he was being cautious. Perhaps he was here to feel her out for their thoughts as to what happened last night. If so, she would do her best to make assuage his suspicions. She knew her life depended on it.

  Chapter 10

  James was standing outside of the door to the dining room when Katherine walked up. Though he did not know about Eustice’s connection to the murder attempt last night, he still showed a concerned look on his face. He frowned in concern at Katherine when she stopped in front of the door. “I’ll be here if you need anything, Miss Katherine.”

  “Thank you, James,” Katherine said as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She trembled slightly as the weight of the situation settled on her, knowing that if she couldn’t fool Eustice, she might jeopardize her grandfather’s mysterious plan. She was sure he was here to find out what they knew, or what they suspected and she vowed to leave him thinking they were ignorant.

  Opening the door, she saw her husband already sitting at the table and eating. She swallowed a sense of irritation and put a smile on her face, walking into the room as calmly as she could. There was a place next to him at the table, and he gestured for her to take a seat without looking at her.

  “Good morning, Katherine,” Eustice said as he chewed. “I understand there was some excitement last night? I came to check on you and your father.”

  Katherine nodded, moving to the seat and taking her place in front of the food. She didn’t reach for the silverware, instead choosing to look at Eustice and answer his question. “Yes, it was terrible. Someone broke into the house and tried to hurt grandfather. We think he interrupted them during the robbery.”

  Eustice glanced up with a frown. “A robbery? That’s unfortunate. There are so many rough characters in Boston these days, but why would he attack an old man in his bed? Did he at least see the man?”

  Katherine shrugged and finally picked up her tea, taking a sip as she considered what Eustice had said. He was definitely probing for information. “Who knows the mind of a thief?” she asked. “Grandfather doesn’t even remember it except for a pillow over his face so no, he didn’t see the man. The constables are sure that whoever it was won’t be back. I’m choosing to put it down to happenstance, if an uncomfortable one.”

  Eustice took another bite, eating in silence for several moments. She focused on the sound of the silverware and chewing, embracing the irritation at the sound to help her mask her nervousness. It must have worked because Eustice finally grunted and shrugged himself. “It’s too bad your grandfather isn’t younger, maybe he could have defended himself and apprehended the thief. The man’s just lucky I wasn’t here, or I would have.”

  Katherine gritted her teeth as silently as she could. The idea that Eustice would have even woken up was ludicrous, but she knew better than to express her opinion. Instead, she only nodded in apparent support of his statement.

  She was just taking another sip of her tea when he gestured with his knife, pointing to her plate. The sudden movement made her flinch in a moment of fear. In a panic, she looked up at Eustice who was studying her, but instead of scowling, he was grinning. “Don’t be so jumpy, Katherine. I wasn’t going to hit you. I apologized for that, but you should know better than to disagree with me. I was just going to say your food is getting cold.”

  Katherine forced herself to laugh, though she couldn’t avoid the edge of nervous energy that scattered at the edges of it. Still, for the first time in her life she was thankful for Eustice being a brute as it provided the perfect screen to hide her fear. She picked up her knife and fork, then took a small bite of the eggs though they tasted like ash in her mouth. She had no appetite but knew it would be a mistake to ignore him.

  They ate in silence for the rest of the meal. It was the longest meal of her life, but eventually Eustice finished and stood, throwing his napkin into the remains of his greasy meal. “I need to go speak to your grandfather, Katherine. Finish your meal, I most likely will be leaving afterwards so won’t see you before I leave.” He leaned down, kissing her on the cheek before strolling toward the door.

  Katherine waited until he’d left before quickly wiping off the kiss and started to shake. The stress of the breakfast wracked through her and she closed her eyes as the emotions spilled over. She couldn’t believe she’d made it through the meal, and the knife waving in his hand kept flashing through her memories.

  She wasn’t sure how long she sobbed quietly, but when she heard the door open behind her she quickly stifled her emotion. Bringing her napkin up to her face, she simulated a sneeze to hide the fact of wiping her tears. When she looked up, James was at the table and clearing the plates. He didn’t look at her or acknowledge her red eyes, and she was grateful for his consideration but before he left, he reached over and squeezed her shoulder softly.

  After he’d left, she stood and moved out into the hallway. She caught sight of someone’s face down the hall peeking around the corner. The woman ducked quickly away, but not before Katherine saw the dark hair and too-pretty face of Mary.

  A sudden rage swept through Katherine. She knew it was a mistake, but she charged down the hallway and turned the corner, startling the younger woman who gave a yelp of surprise. “What are you doing?” Katherine said angrily. “Why are you lurking around the corner here?”

  “P…pardon, Miss Katherine,” the woman said, blinking rapidly as she held her hand to her chest. “You startled me. I was just dusting in the hallway and heard you come out, ma’am.”

  Katherine stared at her angrily, noting the feather duster in the woman’s hand, but also seeing there was nothing to dust on this corner. The closest thing was a table with a vase several paces away. “Don’t lie to me, Mary. Why are you standing at this corner?”

  Katherine watched as a mischievous smile tugged at the corners of Mary’s lips. “Nothing, ma’am. I was just waiting to see if Eustice was going to come out. I had a…question to ask him about something he’d said earlier.”

  Katherine felt her own eyes narrow and she replied in a cold tone. “He left several minutes ago. It’s a shame you didn’t see him.”

  “A crying shame, ma’am,” Mary said, “but not to worry, I’m sure I’ll see him soon.”

  Katherine slapped her, the sudden movement coming almost as much a surprise to Katherine as it did to Mary. The red mark on the maid’s face blossomed as she fell back, holding her cheek in shock. Katherine stared at Mary, feeling her eyes flash in anger as she watched the woman began to tear up before turning and running down the hall.

  She knew she would pay for that later. Mary was probably going to run right to Eustice, and his temper would take over, but she didn’t care.

  She would do it again.

  Chapter 11

  Katherine moved toward the front of the house and called for her coat. The slap had felt good, but she did not want to face Eustice’s wrath and had to get out of the house. James came out and helped her prepare for the winter weather, looking quizzically at her.

  “I’m going to Seamstress Crenshaw’s,” Katherine said, avoiding James’ gaze. She knew he wouldn’t approve of her hitting one of the staff which was another reason she wanted to leave. He wouldn’t chastise her, but she didn’t want to see the look in his eyes at her momentary loss of temper. “Can you please have Ben bring the car around? Also, please have one of the houseboys accompany me to help carry things.” Katherine paused, tapping her chin as if thinking of which one, though she knew very well who she’d name. “Billy, the red-headed one should do nicely.”

  Lady Crenshaw’s was the
perfect place to go. She was one of the premier seamstresses in Boston and while eccentric, the woman had been creating masterful dresses for Katherine since she had been young. “At once, Miss Katherine,” James said, raising his hand and snapping at one of the staff that was standing close. The man raced away, heading toward the staff quarters.

  After Katherine had donned her coat, she moved to the door as if to go out even though it would be several minutes before the car would be ready and able to move around. She knew it would be cold, but wanted to feel the biting chill on the air. As she stepped outside, she was struck by the calm beauty that lay before her.

  The grounds were beautiful all year round, maintained in the finest tradition of the Bostonian wealthy, but winter seemed to add another level of unmarred grace to the scene. It reminded Katherine of how close Christmas was, though in honor of her father they had not decorated the house yet. However, with the soft flakes falling, pitter-pattering against the already fallen snow, Katherine felt a sense of peace settle over her.

  For many long moments, she let herself disappear into the elegant scene before her, ignoring the cold as she drank in the view. Once again she was reminded that her time here might be short, and she tried to burn this moment into her memory. Would she ever be back? Would she have to hide forever? Or would her journey be cut short by violence? She did not know, but hoped her absence wouldn’t be long.

  Her reverie was broken by the bang and roar of one of the cars starting up and a few moments later she watched the red Tonneau come sputtering out of the large barn. She could see Ben driving, and the smaller head of Billy sitting in the back seat, wrapped up in an old coat and hat.

  “Miss Katherine!” Billy called, waving to her as the slid to a stop. Katherine waited on the top step until they’d come to a halt before making her way delicately down the stairs. Ben jumped down, rushing up to meet her and offer his hand so she didn’t slip, but almost lost his own footing in his rush. When he recovered, he tipped his hat apologetically and held his hand out for her.