Guarding Candy Kane (The 12 Mysteries of Christmas Book 3)

by V. B. Tenery

  A commotion at the front door told Sean the sheriff and his forensic crew had arrived.

  Ten minutes later, Doyle led a uniformed man into the kitchen Sean assumed to be the sheriff. Doyle confirmed it. “This is County Sheriff, Wilber Dawes.” The sheriff was medium height, almost as wide as he was tall, red hair neatly combed, and wore a scowl on his rugged face.

  Before Doyle could introduce Sean, Dawes asked, “You McGregor?”

  Sean nodded. “Yes, and this is Candace Kane and Frank Calla. He works for me.”

  “In what capacity?” Dawes asked.

  “Poison prevention.”

  The sheriff pulled out a chair and sat across from Sean. He smirked. “He didn’t do such a good job with the girl upstairs, did he?”

  “I think she was dead before Frank got here.”

  “You a medical examiner along with your other accolades?”

  The sheriff arrived with a chip on his shoulder and Sean didn’t appreciate it. “No, but someone called in sick for her the morning Frank arrived. Are you saying she was poisoned? Cyanide?”

  The sheriff’s small brown eyes glared at Sean. “What makes you think it was cyanide?”

  “A maid found a bottle in one of the bedrooms yesterday. She didn’t know what it was and gave it to Doyle. Mrs. Kane gave it to me this morning.”

  Dawes didn’t like the answer. “Where is it now?”

  “Locked in a case in my room.” Sean reached into his pocket and handed Frank a key. “On your way back from delivering the coffee, stop by my room and bring back the cyanide for the sheriff. You know the case.”

  Sean pressed the sheriff for an answer. “Was it cyanide?”

  “Not that I owe you an explanation, but that’s the ME’s first thought due to the red color of the body’s lividity.”

  Frank left the room and the sheriff asked his first pertinent question. “Who found the body?”

  “I did,” Candace said.

  The sheriff cut his eyes towards her. “And why were you looking in the laundry supply closet?”

  She looked mystified but explained. “I was playing hide-and-seek with Teddy.”

  If possible, Dawes’ eyes narrowed even more. “Aren’t you a little old to be playing a child’s game, or is this some new fad among the young and rich? Who’s Teddy?”

  Candace’s back straightened, and she gave him a defiant stare. “The four-year-old I was playing with.”

  Frank returned and handed the poison to the sheriff. “It’s been opened,” Dawes said.

  Sean tried to keep his voice steady without revealing how ticked off he was. Was the sheriff thinking Sean might be involved? “I know. The seal was broken when it came into my possession.”

  “Did you touch the bottle?” Dawes asked.

  “No, as you can see, it’s in a plastic bag. I used my handkerchief to handle it.”

  The sheriff examined the bottle, holding it with the cloth. “Did anyone else touch it?”

  “I’m confident you will find the maid’s, Doyle’s, and Mrs. Kane’s fingerprints,” Sean said. “I have no idea who may have handled it prior to the maid finding it.”

  Sheriff Dawes leaned back in his chair. “The Secret Service is a security force, not an investigation agency, right?”

  “They do some investigations as needed in assassination attempts, but it’s usually in coordination with the FBI. However, I’m no longer with the Bureau. Frank and I both have Florida PI licenses. Why do you ask?”

  Dawes leaned forward in his chair and glared at Sean. “Just letting you know this case belongs to the sheriff’s office. No federal help will be needed.”

  “Look, Sheriff Dawes, I don’t want to interfere with or take over your case. However, since it may be connected to past attempts on my client’s life, I would like to know what you find.”

  Mrs. Kane walked into the kitchen as Sean spoke.

  She cleared her throat. “Sheriff Dawes, I would be most appreciative if you would keep Mr. McGregor informed.”

  The sheriff rose from his chair and almost bowed. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll see to that personally.”

  The matriarch of the Kane family had a lot of clout.

  Dinner that evening was a dismal affair. Sean kept an eye on Candace. She tried to distract Teddy from the long faces by asking him about school, but he had already caught the solemn mood of the adults.

  Morgan and his wife Dolly concentrated on the food, making faces at the overcooked steak.

  Clay tried a couple of times to start a conversation but they never took hold. The sad faces of the servers didn’t help.

  Perhaps to shut him up or just to get under his skin, Velma asked, “Clay, weren’t you and Annie an item once?”

  “Not seriously. We went to the movies a few times, had a few petting sessions. Then she dumped me for Logan.” He gave his cousin a sly look. “She was putty in his hands.”

  Velma gave Logan a sharp glance. “Really?”

  “Really,” Clay said.

  “That will be enough, Clay. A young woman has lost her life. You will not speak ill of her, or you will leave the table immediately.”

  “Sorry, Nana.” He made eye contact with everyone at the table. “My apologies. I meant no disrespect.”

  Morgan and Dolly announced they would be leaving after breakfast the following morning.

  “Clay, are you and Velma staying over at the chalet for Christmas?” Morgan asked.

  “I’ll be here until after New Year’s. I’m on vacation. Logan and I want to get in some skiing at Vail before I go back to the office grind.” He glanced over at his sister. “I’m sure Velma will be here as well. You couldn’t drag her away as long as Logan’s here.”

  When the meal finished no one seemed interested in socializing and they retired to their respective rooms.

  Sean followed Candace to her quarters. He was on high alert since Annie’s death. The killer would have to be inside the chalet to kill the maid and plant the body in the laundry room without being seen. That meant he or she was a family member or one of the staff.

  Stepping next door to his room, Sean brought back his bag of tricks and installed a gadget of his own design similar to a two-way baby monitor. Except his invention had an emergency button to summon help if needed.

  He pulled a watch from the bag that resembled those used by divers. “This has a military grade GPS. It’s also waterproof. Don’t take it off, even to shower. Mine is a tracking device.” He held up his left arm and indicated his own watch. “I can find you wherever you go within a fifty-mile radius.”

  “My, my, Mr. Bond, do you have a Q in your development lab?” Candace asked.

  Sean fastened the watch around her wrist. “That would be me.”

  She held her arm out scrutinizing the new toy. “It isn’t very fashionable, but I can live with it. And no fair using this if we play hide-and-seek.”

  He held up two fingers. “Scouts honor.”

  She eyed the monitor. “I guess now you’ll know if I snore.”

  “I won’t tell anyone if you do. It’ll be our secret.” He made a last-minute system check. Satisfied everything was okay he turned to leave. “Lock and bolt the door behind me and don’t open it for anyone but me. I’ll be listening so if you talk in your sleep I’ll know all your secrets.”

  “I’ll be sure to watch out for that.”

  In the hallway, he waited to hear the lock click into place then went to his room.

  The next morning the chalet emptied. Morgan and Dolly left for home. Clay, Logan, and Velma left for the Vail ski lodge. Sean, Candace, Nana, and Teddy left right behind them headed to church.

  Pastor David Kirkland greeted them at the door. “Good morning, Hilda. I heard about Annie’s death last night. I’m so sorry. She was a member of our church. Her parents have arranged for the funeral here, Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.”

  “Annie’s death was a terrible shock. I’ll be here for the service as will most of my household staff.”


  The Kane matriarch introduced Sean and Candace to the pastor.

  “Are your grandchildren here for Christmas?” the pastor asked.

  “Yes, but they left this morning on a ski excursion. They’ll be back at the end of the week.”

  A look Sean couldn’t identify came into the man’s intelligent blue eyes. “Try to entice them to church next Sunday.”

  Nana smiled. “I always do, David. A few prayers for them would be appreciated.”

  Candace and Nana left to find their seats.

  The pastor pulled Sean aside. “Mr. McGregor, I would appreciate a few minutes of your time in private after church.”

  “Of course,” Sean said and followed the women down the aisle to find his seat.

  Pastor Kirkland preached a fiery message on 1 Peter 5:8. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

  To Sean it appeared the pastor was preaching to Sean and his companions.

  After the service, Sean asked the women to wait for him in the vestibule while he visited with Pastor Kirkland.

  The preacher led him back to his office and offered him a seat. “Mr. McGregor, this is none of my business but I wanted to caution you to keep a close eye on Candace.”

  “Please, call me Sean. Is there something you know, Pastor, that I or the authorities should know?”

  “Only my own suspicions. I have no proof and I don’t want to make unfounded accusations. I’ve felt for some time that there is an evil presence at the Kane chalet.

  “One of my parishioners was sexually assaulted last year. She claimed it was Clay Kane. She later dropped the charges and left town. Now, one of the maids has been murdered. There have been other rumblings in the community but nothing I could pin down.

  “I’ve known Hilda Kane many years. She is a God-fearing, honorable woman. But I sense something unholy is going on in her home.”

  “You can’t be more specific?” Sean asked.

  “I wish I could, but it would only be conjecture on my part. I just felt led today to warn you.”

  Sean rose from his chair. “Thank you for confiding in me, Pastor. I also feel uneasy about the Kane place, but nothing I can point to. Do you have a contact number for the young woman that was assaulted?”

  “Yes, my wife has stayed in contact with her. She prays with Cathy regularly.” He walked back to his desk, opened an address book, and wrote the information on a post-it note. “Try not to upset her. She’s still very fragile. I’ll have my wife call her and tell her to expect a call from you.”

  Sean walked to the office door. “I should go find my party. Thanks again, sir.”

  “You’re welcome.” He handed Sean a business card. “Give me a call if you need me.”

  Sean grinned. “Do you do exorcisms?”

  Pastor Kirkland laughed and shook Sean’s hand. “No, but I may have to study up on the practice.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Kane Chalet

  Christmas Tyme, Colorado

  M

  onday morning Sean called Bella and gave her the name and number of Cathy Collins, the young rape victim. He felt she would be more comfortable talking to another woman. “See if she will confide in you and explain why she dropped the charges and moved away.”

  “Do you want this before I finish with the board members?” Bella asked.

  “Let’s give this priority, Bella. That girl may hold the key to what has been going on with our client.” Sean trusted her skill in dealing with traumatized women. She hid a tender heart under her gruff exterior.

  Bella called back that afternoon. “Okay, here’s the straight skinny on what happened to that poor kid.

  “She worked as a reservation desk clerk at the hotel in town. Her shift ended at 1:00 a.m. When she walked out to her car a man came up behind her, put a pillow case over her head, and drove her to a cabin somewhere outside of town.”

  “If she couldn’t see, how did she know it was Clay Kane?”

  “I’m getting to that,” Bella said. “Before she came to Christmas Tyme, she worked in a large department store in Denver in the men’s cologne department.

  “Prior to the assault, she met Clay socially at the hotel and recognized his cologne. It was Clive Christian No.1, the most expensive men’s cologne the department store carried. Her attacker wore the same scent.”

  Sean wrote the name down on a note pad. “That’s not a lot to convict a man. Anyone could wear that fragrance.”

  Bella released a heavy sigh into the phone. “Not just anyone. That particular brand sells for somewhere between seventeen hundred to over two thousand dollars an ounce.”

  “Ouch. I see what you meant by the Kane kids living beyond their means. At that price, not many people in this small town could afford it. Did she say why she left?”

  “Not only did she leave town, she left the state. She was still afraid of him. She was getting hang-up calls at all hours and unsigned gifts and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

  “The DA told her there wasn’t enough evidence to get a conviction so she dropped the charges and split.”

  “Good work, Bella.”

  “This one I would’ve done without pay. That poor girl is still living with the nightmare. I hope you can bring that fool to justice, Sean.” Bella sounded compassionate. Rare for her.

  The next couple of days were slow and uneventful. With everyone out of town he felt it was safe enough to play games again with Candace and Teddy. Sean was always “it.”

  In his many years in protection service, kids’ games had never been part of his assignment. He would make sure future cases didn’t include children.

  Candace wanted to take his watch away to prevent him from cheating. He refused and warned her not to remove hers under any circumstances. “That is non-negotiable.”

  During lunch, Sean’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen. The message was from Bella. Call me.

  She had apparently finished collecting information on Kane Industries board members.

  The noon meal finished, and Sean led Candace into the library. He took a seat on the sofa in front of the fire, patted the cushion for Candace to sit beside him, and put his phone on speaker.

  “Bella, I’m here with Candace. What did you find out about the board members?”

  “Hi, Candace. As Mrs. Kane suggested, it appears Ernest Truett, the board chairman, is indeed the bad guy. Ironic, isn’t it, that a snake-in-the-grass would be named Earnest. But I digress.

  “He’s a nasty piece of work and is up to his eyeballs in gambling debts. His wife is suing for a divorce claiming abuse and asking for full custody of the children plus a ton of alimony and child support. His bank account is almost empty.

  “There are three lemmings on the board that follow where Truett leads.” Bella read off the names. “They are not bad people, just misguided. All the other board members appears to be upright, doing a good job, and trying to rein Truett in.”

  “Thanks, Bella,” Sean said. “You are worth every penny I pay you.”

  She laughed. “And then some. Nice meeting you, Candy.”

  Candace smiled and shrugged. “You too, Bella. I hope to meet you in person someday soon.”

  Sean once asked Bella how she was able to get so much information so quickly. She told him she had relatives and past contacts across the country who were always anxious to help Aunt Bella. Part of that might be true, but Sean knew the truth. No one would ever guess she was a world-class hacker. Consequently, the information she gave him couldn’t be used in a court of law. However, he could point the authorities in the right direction.

  He handed the list of names to Candace. “Discuss this with Nana. Decide what you want to do, and if you need to go to New York, we can do that.”

  Candace folded the list and put it into her handbag on the end table. “I wish we could handle it from here, but it isn’t kosher to fire someone over the phone.”

/>   “Agreed,” Sean said.

  The chalet’s anxiety level amped-up when the skiers returned unexpectedly early Wednesday morning.

  Logan informed them that Clay had fallen into a black funk after a snow bunny he was interested in died on the slopes when her ski pole broke. They cancelled their holiday and came home.

  Sean raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t those poles made of carbon steel? How could one break?”

  Logan shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s highly unusual I’m sure.”

  Dinner that evening was again under a dark cloud, even though the food was excellent. The cook was back on her game.

  Clay picked at the shrimp-stuffed chicken breast and imbibed more than his share of wine. “Dawn was a sweet girl. We had a lot in common. She was so alive at dinner Tuesday night, excited about a trip to Switzerland to ski the Alps. She invited me to come along.” He lowered his face into his hands. “Then this morning she was dead.”

  “How did it happen?” Sean asked.

  He inhaled a shuddering breath. “She was an expert skier and ran the advanced slopes. On a downhill run, her ski pole broke at the handle. She lost control and hit a tree.” Clay took another deep breath. “They said she died minutes later.”

  “Were you there when it happened?” Sean asked.

  “No, she asked me to ski with her that morning, but I told her I intended to sleep in and would catch her after her morning run.”

  Sean glanced at the group around the table. “Were there any witnesses?”

  Velma nodded. “Logan and I were right behind her. He saw what happened and tried to cut her off before she reached the trees. She had a big lead and was moving too fast. Logan couldn’t catch her. We tried CPR until the ski patrol arrived, but it was too late.”

  A single tear rolled down Clay’s cheek. “Nana, if you will excuse me, I’m going to my room.”

  Nana stood and came to his side. She placed her arms around him. “Do you need me to come sit with you, son?”

  Clay shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’ll be okay. I just have some thinking to do.”