2 Yule Be the Death of Me

by J. D. Shaw

“That’s right.” Vivienne smiled. “He wanted to be here too, but he’s been held over at work tonight.”

  Natalie glanced at Eddie’s body in the casket. “He was very kind to both of us during the police questioning.”

  “He’s very good at his job.” Vivienne added. “The town is lucky to have him.”

  Natalie nodded and sniffed back some tears. “Eddie was never a great man or even a good boyfriend.” She placed her hand on the simple polished wood edge of the casket. “He did provide for us when he had to, though.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Vivienne felt a bit uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking. “I’m sure he cared for both of you deeply but was one of those guys who just couldn’t show it.”

  “No.” Natalie countered. “He was just Eddie. What you saw was what you got. He wasn’t particularly deep.”

  “I’ve taken up enough of your time.” Vivienne gestured to the line of people waiting behind her and Kathy.

  Natalie leaned in with her embrace and Vivienne felt an ice-cold chill seize her chest. The room began to swirl and then everything faded to black.

  She next felt a hard slap belt her across the face. The room was dark, but could make out a simple wooden table and some chairs as her eyes began to adjust.

  “You think I don’t know what you did?” A man’s voice growled at her. “Do you think me that naïve?”

  Vivienne instinctively put her hands up toward her face to ward off another blow. “Stop it.”

  Her hands were pulled away and she was twisted sharply so her back was to her captor. “You stupid woman, I’ve risked everything for us. He’s not even my son.”

  Vivienne tried to look at her captor, but she was unable to move. She could see now that she was in a rather large kitchen in an older-style home.

  She felt something like a belt twist around her wrists. “What are you doing?” She asked.

  “I’m taking care of this myself.” The voice replied and pulled the straps tight. “Stupid woman.”

  Vivienne dropped to her knees with a thud and then was kicked in the rear so that she pitched forward to the floor, banging her nose against the wooden boards. She heard his heavy footfalls trail off as she lay there in a daze.

  She could taste the salty tinge of blood in her mouth, as she rolled over to her side and saw what looked like the scattered remains of a breakfast all around her. Shattered plates smeared with egg yolk, silverware, and a red-hot skillet that was scorching the wooden floor. As she craned her neck, she could see Natalie’s reflection in a large serving spoon that was upended. Her eyes were blackened from bruising, her lips caked with blood and swollen.

  The heavy footfalls returned and she tried to free her arms. She could hear the cry of an infant in the distance as she tried to pick herself from the floor without success. “Please don’t hurt me.” She pleaded.

  She was struck on the back of the head and everything went black. “Vivienne?” A kinder sounding male voice sounded out. “Can you hear me?”

  She grunted in response.

  “I think she’s coming around now.” The kind male voice returned.

  “She’s getting her color back.” A female voice joined in.

  Vivienne opened her eyes and everything was so bright she forced them shut with a groan.

  “That’s it.” Kathy’s voice appeared. “Come on, girl, climb out of it.”

  “Is she diabetic?” The friendly male voice asked.

  Vivienne groaned once more and opened her eyes. “I’m not diabetic.”

  Kathy smiled at her from above. “There you are. You gave us quite a scare.”

  The visage of James Fritz suddenly swooped into view next to Kathy. “I called the paramedics just to be safe.” His brown eyes were kind, his receding black hair groomed into a pleasant style that displayed the slight graying around his temples.

  “I don’t need them.” Vivienne was surprised to find herself reclined on one of the fancy sofas in the funeral parlor. “I just pushed myself too hard at the bakery today and skipped lunch.”

  Kathy and James reached out and pulled her upright. “You should probably have them check you out.” Kathy added with a touch of concern in her voice.

  “I’m fine, honest.” Vivienne shook off the fuzzy feeling from her experience and gave a weak smile. “I just need a few minutes and maybe a glass of water.”

  “I’ll get that.” James patted her gently on the hand and rushed off.

  “So much for not drawing attention.” Kathy spoke softly.

  “Where is everyone?” Vivienne asked as she looked around the empty room. With the crowd dispersed, she could hear the rhythmic ticking of all the antique clocks.

  “They’re at the memorial service at Bistro Parisian. James thought it best to move everyone over there in case the medics needed room to work on you.”

  “How long was I out?”

  Kathy looked over at one of the clocks. “For about a ten minutes at least. You were so still we thought you had dropped dead. But then you started mumbling gibberish and James had you moved into here and called the paramedics.”

  They could hear the front door open with a bang. “Kathy? Vivienne?” Joshua’s voice called out.

  “In here.” Kathy shouted back.

  Joshua flew into the room, his eyes wild with a mixture of adrenaline and fear. “Are you okay? Selma heard the call go out over the radio and told me you were in trouble.” He rushed over to her side and plopped next to her on the sofa.

  “I’m fine, Joshua. I don’t need the paramedics.” She motioned him closer and whispered in his ear. “I saw Natalie getting beat up. She was hurt pretty bad.”

  Joshua raised an eyebrow. “So Eddie really was a bad guy?” He whispered back.

  “I think so. It was hard to see what was really going on.”

  Kathy folded her arms across her chest. “They’ll be here any minute. Just let them check you out to be sure.”

  The sound of the siren could be heard echoing off the buildings on the street outside. Joshua nodded to her. “I think that’s a good idea.”

  Vivienne sighed and shook her head. “Fine, they can check me out but I’m telling you both it’s nothing.”

  “Let the medicals guys decide that.” Kathy added as James stepped back into the room with a glass of water.

  She took the glass into her grip and sipped generously. The water soothed her throat, which was a tad sore. “Thank you, James.”

  Red and blue lights lit up the windows around them as the ambulance arrived. “I’ll bring them in.” He said and rushed off.

  “You certainly know how to pep up a deadly slow evening.” Kathy joked.

  “Really?” Vivienne groaned at the pun.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” Joshua added. “But I’ve got some rather distressing news.”

  “What now?” Vivienne asked.

  Joshua reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a green paper. “Looks like the bad Santa notes are back. I found this stuck to my car windshield when I rushed over to see you. Looks like they’re appearing all over town again.”

  “Oh, great.” Kathy spoke up. “Just what we need after this.”

  “Who is the note about this time?” Vivienne asked.

  Before he could answer, James rushed into the room. “The paramedics just got called away on an emergency call. Eunice Kilpatrick was just struck down by a car in front of the Bistro Parisian.”

  Joshua handed the note to Vivienne where Eunice Kilpatrick’s name was written with a flourish.

  CHAPTER 10

  Saturday, December 7th

  You better not cry! Eunice Kilpatrick, you are a mean-spirited old woman who delights in the misfortunes of your fellow friends and neighbors. You pretend to care, you give a shoulder to cry on, yet you are counting the minutes until you can spread gossip and add your spin. Santa is watching you. He sees you when you raise your nose in the air, as if you are so far above the other folks in town. The trou
ble with keeping your head held so high is that you fail to see what’s coming right before you. You’ve been warned. Santa Claus.

  Vivienne read the note for a third time, as she sipped her morning coffee at the kitchen table. Tommy curled around her ankles, wrapping his tail around her legs as he bumped his head against her for more treats. “Not right now. You’ve just had breakfast.” She warned him.

  He meowed back at her, one of his lower tones that informed her that he was a little annoyed that she wasn’t catering to his needs.

  “Go play with that paper bag I gave you last night.” She reached down and stroked the top of his furry head.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Joshua spoke as he stepped into the kitchen wearing only his blue plaid boxers and a plain white tee shirt.

  Vivienne looked up and smiled at him. “Not you.” She teased.

  He sat down in the chair facing her and pointed to the green note in her hand. “Please tell me you found out something that is going to help.”

  “I’m at a loss.” Vivienne conceded.

  “In your vision, you’re positive it was Natalie being attacked?” Joshua asked.

  “Yes.” Vivienne shuddered as she recalled the terrible feeling of being attacked. “I saw her reflection.” She paused for a moment as she replayed the terrible vision in her mind. “There was the sound of a baby crying in the background, so it had to be a few years ago when Connor was an infant.”

  “Was she with Eddie back then?” Joshua wondered.

  “I don’t think so.” Vivienne scratched her chin in deep thought. “The voice of the attacker was male, but it deeper and more nasty.” She recalled the feeling of his hands as he grabbed her and began to bind her arms. “The hands were rough, very worn. Like someone who’d done lots of manual labor during his lifetime. That definitely wasn’t Eddie.”

  “That’s for sure.” Joshua agreed. “So perhaps it was an ex-husband or boyfriend?”

  “We need to find out some information about Eddie’s background.” Vivienne agreed. “Can you run a check at the station?”

  “I think Sheriff Rigsbee already did during the early part of the investigation. I’ll go take a look at it and see what I can find out.”

  Vivienne stared at the letter on the table again and scowled. “We still have the mystery of these bad Santa letters to solve too.”

  “I think we can rule out Natalie because she didn’t even know Eunice.” Joshua added as he began to thumb through the morning paper. “So there’s a start.”

  “Eunice certainly has made more than her fair share of enemies over the years in Cayuga Cove.” Vivienne agreed. “But I don’t think any of them would want to run her down.”

  “She’s a tough old bird.” Joshua replied as he pulled out the sports section. “Run down by a car on Main Street and she ends up with two broken legs and a sprained wrist. It could have been much worse.”

  “I still can’t believe no one saw the car that hit her.” Vivienne set the note down on the table and stared at it some more. “Whoever is doing this knows exactly when to strike. They must keep close tabs on their subject.”

  “The preliminary autopsy report is due to come in this morning from Rochester.” Joshua reached out and gently held her hand across the table. “Maybe we’ll have some answers from that.”

  “I hope so. These notes are really starting to terrorize the town.”

  “Don’t worry.” Joshua reassured her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about.” Vivienne added.

  Joshua pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” She smiled back and then looked at the wall clock. “I better get a shower and go in early. Stephanie and I have a wedding cake to start today.”

  The telephone rang, piercing the quiet of the house with a shrill tone. Vivienne jumped up from the table and wandered over to the base where the caller information was displayed. It was Kathy. She picked up the receiver. “You’re up awful early.”

  “What can I say? Having a psychopath wandering the streets of Cayuga Cove has got me a little nervous these days.”

  “I slept pretty well last night.” Vivienne smiled at Joshua and made a little kissy face.

  “That’s because you had a big strong man with you, Vivienne Finch.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Some of us aren’t that lucky. On behalf of the sleep-deprived, I say this.” Kathy replied with coarse sound of blowing a raspberry into the phone.

  Vivienne laughed. “Was there another reason you called?”

  “Actually, yes. Do you want to swing by the hospital today and visit Eunice?” Kathy wondered.

  “Well, this is a change. I thought you couldn’t stand her?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, she’s a miserable old wretch who has cheated me at the bank more times than I can count.” Kathy countered. “But, given the season, I still feel the need to see how she is doing.”

  “Did you get visited be three ghosts last night?”

  “If I did I would have paid them to stand guard so I could get some descent shut eye.”

  Vivienne laughed. “I have some extra whoopie pies. Stephanie mentioned she stopped in the bakery the other day and bought one. Why don’t we bring her a few in a little basket?”

  “That sounds good.” Kathy replied. “I’ll tuck in one of my floral print scarves too.”

  “I really need to shower and get to the bakery. Want to meet at the hospital snack bar for a quick lunch and then visit?” Vivienne asked.

  “Sounds good. See you around noon.” Kathy finished and hung up.

  “What was that all about?” Joshua asked.

  Vivienne set the phone back on the receiver and shook her head. “She’d never admit it, but I think Kathy feels sorry for Eunice.”

  “Are you serious?” Joshua wandered over to the counter and poured himself a mug of coffee. “She can’t stand the woman.”

  “I know it sounds crazy, but I think sometimes Kathy sees Eunice as a cautionary tale of what her life could become in a worst-case scenario.”

  Joshua opened the fridge, pulled out a carton of milk, and poured in a generous amount that threatened to spill over the rim of the mug. “They’re nothing alike.”

  “Kathy is pretty forward and she sometimes gets away with outrageous things because of her uncanny knack for flirting her way out of some tricky situations. But she knows, eventually, that defensive measure isn’t going to always work. Then she’ll just be another bitter old woman mad who is mad at the world. That’s where the whole psychology of how her possible future fits in.” Vivienne reasoned. “Why didn’t I go to school to become a psychologist?”

  “Because you hate all the red tape and paperwork that goes along with the medical field.” Joshua surmised. “I mean, you were just complaining about changing insurance and having to fill out a new medical form at the dentist last month.”

  Vivienne thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

  “I wish this case were as easy to crack.” Joshua grumbled as he stirred his coffee with a spoon.

  * * *

  “We’re here to see Eunice Kilpatrick.” Kathy smiled at the volunteer who was working the front desk at Cayuga Memorial Hospital, a pleasant looking woman with a bun of grey hair and a nametag that identified her as ‘Helen’.

  “Are you friends or family?” Helen asked back.

  Vivienne was happy to see that the lobby of the hospital was decorated with seasonal cheer. Garland, white lights, and silver and gold ornaments were strung up around the many windows facing Peddler Parkway, where traffic raced by at the higher speed limit of forty miles per hour. “We’re friends.” Vivienne replied.

  Helen glanced at computer screen and then back up at them. “I’m sorry, Ms. Kilpatrick’s family has requested no visitors outside of family. Would you like me to have that basket delivered?”

  “Famil
y?” Kathy was shocked. “She has family?”

  Helen grimaced. “I’m not allowed to say anything without authorization. Privacy rules and such.”

  Vivienne glanced at Kathy, the basket heavy in her grip. “Well, we had a good lunch at least.”

  “Can you call up to her room and tell her that Kathy Saunders and Vivienne Finch are here to see her? I’m sure she’ll want to see us in person.”

  Helen shook her head. “I’m sorry ladies. I really can’t help you any further.”

  “Well, bah humbug to you too.” Kathy grumbled and stomped over to the exit.

  Vivienne rushed to catch up with her. “She’s just following the rules here. She could lose her job if she tells us something that’s not authorized.”

  “This is just another example of how screwed up the world is today. I mean, lawyers have got everyone so paranoid about every little detail of their lives, you can’t even visit a sick friend without getting the third degree.” She fumed.

  “Wow. I didn’t realize not seeing Eunice would be such a tragedy.” Vivienne set the basket down on one of the hard plastic chairs that lined the lobby. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” Kathy snapped quickly. “I’m just on edge with all this nonsense.”

  “Why don’t we tuck a note in the basket and leave it reception? If Eunice wants to see us, she can call down and put us on the visitor list.”

  “I guess so.” Kathy seemed to calm down. “Just when you think…” Her voice trailed off.

  “What did you say?” Vivienne asked.

  “Stay right here.” Kathy raised a finger and then dashed off toward the elevators and tapped a young blonde girl who was dressed in a soft-pink volunteer uniform on the shoulder. As she turned to talk to Kathy, Vivienne recognized that it was Alexis, the new waitress at Clara’s.

  Kathy engaged the young girl in conversation, used a few hand gestures toward the volunteer desk, and then reached into her purse and pulled out something she kept hidden in her palm. Alexis quickly stuffed whatever it was into the pocket of her uniform and then strolled briskly toward the reception desk.

  Kathy sauntered back over to Vivienne with a grin on her face. “So the old saying was right. A window just opened.” She practically cooed.