The Diva Cooks a Goose

by Krista Davis

  To my surprise, Laci was sitting in a folding chair in the middle of the auction room.

  TWENTY-ONE

  From “Ask Natasha” :

  Dear Natasha,

  I hate to sound ungrateful, but we receive so many gifts from family and friends that our house overflows after Christmas. I don’t have enough room for all this stuff. Is there a nice way to tell them to give us less?

  —Stuffed to the Gills in Turkey, North Carolina

  Dear Stuffed to the Gills,

  My rule is that for every one item you receive, two similar items should be given away. Think of it as renewing and recycling. Someone else will appreciate the items you can’t use anymore.

  —Natasha

  I whipped off my coat. “Good morning!”

  Laci glanced up from the pad of paper on her lap. “Tyler called us. Shawna’s not doing well. We have to get her out of jail. I’m so angry with Beau. If he really loved her, he would have stood by her.”

  Even if he thought she murdered his mother? That would be asking a lot of him. “Are you all alone?”

  She nodded. “It’s terrible of me, but the noise level and drama at my house was getting on my nerves.” Her shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I’ve been a basket case. I needed a little quiet time to get my thoughts together. The rest of them will be along later. Right now, I have to concentrate on my sister.” She thunked a pen against her thigh. “Will there be a food vendor? I could use some coffee and a nosh.”

  Like magic, Bernie backed through the glass door, holding take-out coffees and a box of pastries. “I thought the early birds might need some sustenance.”

  Laci jumped from her chair and cleared a spot for him. “You’re an angel. Now if you could just wave your magic wand and spring Shawna.”

  Bernie shrugged off an elegant loden coat. “Got some time, Soph? Maybe if the three of us put our heads together ...”

  Laci pulled the top off a coffee and added sugar. “I’m making a list of facts. Someone else did this and framed Shawna. I’m sure of it. She was an easy target because she’s so nice.”

  I wanted to believe Laci. She was right about Shawna being an easy target for framing, but the facts didn’t bear that theory out.

  “Laci,” I said gently, “I saw Shawna bring that package to Bonnie’s party and leave it on the gift table. I remember because of the cute felt snowman decoration. I didn’t realize that Shawna was adept at crafts.”

  Laci pointed at me with her pen. “Aha! Another fact. I’ll start a list of inconsistencies. Shawna isn’t a crafter.”

  “What are you saying? That someone else wrapped the package for Shawna?” I asked.

  “A lot of stores wrap gifts when you buy them,” offered Bernie.

  It was a nice try but it didn’t fly. “So she bought a music box that already had poisonous gas in it and the store wrapped it?” I didn’t think so.

  Bernie bit into a bear claw. “Do we know where she bought it?”

  Laci flipped the page on her pad and said as she wrote, “Questions to ask Shawna.”

  “It looked antique, or at least vintage,” I offered.

  Bernie sighed and said sarcastically, “Like there aren’t any antiques stores in Old Town.”

  He was right. It seemed like there was an antiques store, if not two, on every block.

  “I’m sorry, Laci,” I said, “but I think Shawna wrapped it herself. There was a huge fancy bow and the paper coordinated perfectly.”

  Laci flipped back to another list. “That’s evidence, too. Shawna is a lousy wrapper.”

  “You don’t think she would have taken extra time on the wrapping for a future mother-in-law she wanted to impress?” I asked.

  Laci scowled. “Then we’re back to someone else wanting to murder Bonnie, and convincing Shawna to give her the music box. From what I’d heard, there was a huge field of contenders. Bonnie wasn’t the sweet, thoughtful person she pretended to be.” At that moment, the food vendor arrived to set up, and our little discussion came to an abrupt end.

  People began to straggle in to view the items before the auction. I’d been to the auction in prior years, but I suspected that news of Bonnie’s demise had brought more people than ever. I saw my family arrive, and gave them a quick wave, but didn’t have time to chat.

  Tom Thorpe glad-handed his way through the crowd, with Dasher and a very pregnant Emma following along. Tom extended a hand to me. “Thank you so much for pulling off my sister-in-law’s auction. The whole family is grateful. We were shocked by her sudden death.”

  “Bonnie was your sister-in-law?”

  “My late wife’s sister. She was such a help to us when my wife died. The boys were small and I had trouble coping. We’re all devastated by her death.”

  Aha. So Tyler was Bonnie’s nephew. Not that it mattered, but it did make sense that he worked for his aunt. I smiled at Emma. “You look positively radiant.” She did, too. Her hair was still wild, but she’d removed the ring from her nose. She wore a chic new maternity outfit, and she played with a couple of elegant gold bracelets dotted with what appeared to be diamonds.

  “Thanks! The Witch will be here today, and I want her to see that we’re doing great. If she ever wants to see her grandchild, she needs to accept us. I’ve done everything I can. I gave her a beautiful Christmas gift—”

  Dasher interrupted her, “That nearly bankrupted us.”

  She gave him a friendly shove. “I knew she would adore it. Haven’t you ever done that? Spent more than you should have on a special gift? It was my way of trying to reconcile with her.”

  Tom hugged her. “Your mother is a difficult woman.” To me, he said, “You should have seen the fight she had with Natasha over the Christmas decorations for our community center and the Christmas pageant. Like two cats in an alley.”

  I hoped Ginger would come around and be the mom Emma so desperately wanted. They moved on to talk with Mars and Natasha, and it was time for me to open the auction. I thanked everyone for coming and gave a tribute to Bonnie for her generosity over the years. The audience was an odd mixture of people who didn’t seem to care and others who dabbed at their eyes when Bonnie was mentioned.

  The auctioneer had a lively style and got the crowd going with a few deals that were so incredible I wished I could bid. Kenner had shown up, not a huge surprise. He kept an eye on me that made me uneasy. I tried to put him out of my mind, which wasn’t hard since I had a lot to do.

  Lamps, statues, paintings, small tables, china, and crystal fairly flew out. Forrest engaged in heavy bidding for a gorgeous crib with fancy carving. Emma sat next to him, wearing an excited grin, eagerly awaiting the result. I scanned the crowd for Ginger. She watched with interest and a sour expression.

  Poor Emma. At least her father shared her delight about the baby. I tried to give Ginger the benefit of the doubt. After all, the bidding had gotten a bit high. Maybe she thought they shouldn’t spend so much on a crib. When Forrest won the crib, Emma threw her arms around her father’s neck and planted a major kiss on his cheek. He embraced his daughter, laughing and clearly delighted by his win.

  Ginger didn’t join in their happiness. From her position several rows away, she bid aggressively on the next item, an antique Staffordshire bowl and pitcher. Apparently, money wasn’t the issue.

  “Sophie,” whispered Natasha, “do you think Vegas could sleep over with Jen tonight?”

  “Jen’s not staying with me. You’ll have to ask Laci.”

  Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because she returned minutes later with Laci in tow.

  “If you don’t mind, I think it would be great for Jen. She needs to get away from the drama like I did this morning,” said Laci.

  “Hello? I’ve been on my feet all day. I love Jen, but I’m fairly sure I’m not going to want to host a slumber party tonight.”

  “George will get some movies and you can order in pizza,” said Laci.

  “Order in?” Natasha’s
nostrils flared like she smelled rotten eggs. “I’ll make you pizzas. We’re having a big meeting about Vegas tonight, and I don’t think she should be in the house. She might overhear too much.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Her father is home for the holidays from a military deployment. Her parents are divorced, but her mother agreed that Vegas could spend Christmas with him. He has to go back next week, and now her mother has vanished. Packed up and left her apartment without a word to anyone. Mom and I are her closest relatives, so we’re trying to help her dad figure out what to do with her.”

  “That’s awful!” Laci and I chimed simultaneously.

  Natasha took a deep breath. “I don’t think we should tell her the truth. When my father left me and my mother, it was devastating. Anyway, I don’t think she should be in the house where she might overhear our discussion.”

  “Sure, drop the girls by.” It was the least I could do for Vegas, poor kid. “Movies and pizza will be much appreciated, since I plan to collapse.”

  It was with enormous relief that I wrapped up the auction, and the icing on the cake was the phenomenal amount of money we collected for the donated items. Kenner and Zack expressed their gratitude and assured me that several families would receive much-needed help from the proceeds.

  Hannah and Zack rushed back to my house, so Hannah could change for a holiday party with Zack’s friends. The rest of my family took off with plans to try to visit Shawna, leaving Jen with me. When we emerged from the auction site, two inches of snow covered the ground. It came down heavily as Jen and I walked home. She skipped ahead, giggling and sticking out her tongue to catch the icy flakes.

  Vegas met us at the gate, armed with videos and a makeup kit she’d received for Christmas. The girls bounded into the house, hugged an excited Daisy, and immediately chattered about the kittens, ignoring Mochie, who had raced to the foyer to greet us. I swooped him up, but he didn’t care for the cold snow that clung to my jacket and wriggled to free himself.

  “Look what I brought for the kittens! They’ll flip.” Vegas pulled off her jacket and handed Jen what appeared to be a little snowman. “I brought one for each of us.”

  I followed them into the family room, where Alice and Jasper snuggled in their basket like little angels. Vegas dangled a felt snowman over their heads.

  Alice saw it first and snagged it with her tiny claws. The girls giggled.

  I peered closer. The snowman looked an awful lot like the one that hung on Shawna’s gift to Bonnie. “May I see yours?” I asked Jen.

  “It won’t hurt them,” she protested.

  “I’d just like to have a closer look.”

  She handed it over with preteen disdain. Had she already picked that up from Vegas?

  Made of felt, the snowman was stitched around the edges with white yarn. He wore a black hat and a red muffler, and the longer I studied him, the more I thought he looked exactly like the snowman on Bonnie’s deadly gift.

  TWENTY-TWO

  From “Ask Natasha” :

  Dear Natasha,

  I loved your show on wrapping presents so much that I taped it. But now I have paper, ribbons, glitter, glue, felt, stamps, and ink all over my desk. How do you keep everything organized?

  —Wrapping Wizard in Rudolph, Wisconsin

  Dear Wrapping Wizard,

  The trick to a neat crafting area is boxes that are the exact same size. They stack easily and look neater. Choose two or three sizes that work best for you. Even better, don’t buy them, make them yourself, and label them with calligraphy for that special touch!

  —Natasha

  “Where did you get these?” I asked Vegas.

  “Natasha made them on her show. She used them on a lot of her Christmas packages this year. I can probably get you one if you want it.”

  Had Shawna watched Natasha’s show and made the snowman? If she was as inept at crafting as Laci suggested, that seemed unlikely. Could Natasha have given Shawna a gift with a felt snowman on it that Shawna reused on Bonnie’s package?

  In spite of the long day, curiosity prickled me. “Before you take off all your outdoor stuff, how about we walk Daisy?”

  The girls readily agreed, and flounced out with energy that I coveted. By the time I reached the front door, Jen held Daisy’s leash and was racing around my teensy front yard with her. Vegas fell to her knees and began rolling a ball for a snowman.

  “Stay right here, okay? I’m going over to Natasha’s for a minute.”

  They were absorbed in snowy fun, and I thought they’d be fine since I wouldn’t be far away. I crossed the street and walked to Natasha’s home on the end of the block. She’d hung teal lights on the railing of the stairs that led to the entrance of her home. The wreath on her front door was square, and made of magnolia leaves that she’d painted pink and sprinkled liberally with iridescent glitter—another project from her TV show, no doubt.

  I rang the bell and waited. Natasha didn’t hide her surprise at seeing me. “The pizzas are almost ready. I’ll bring them over.”

  “That’s not why I’m here.” I held up the felt snowman. “Did you make these?”

  “Aren’t they cute?”

  I agreed that they were. “Did you by any chance give one to Shawna?”

  “Did she love it? I got so many compliments. Next year I’m thinking about gingerbread men cut out of felt. Wouldn’t they be darling?”

  So Shawna had regifted the snowman Natasha gave her. “She used it on the package she gave Bonnie.”

  Natasha drew a sharp breath. “She regifted it!?”

  Who was she kidding? I laughed. “You regifted what I gave Mars—and it was personalized! You’re hardly in a position to criticize her for reusing your little snowman.”

  She waved a hand carelessly. “To be honest, I didn’t plan to give her anything, but then Mars made a big fuss about how she waits on him and his business clients at the restaurant all the time. She’s made sure he got a table when they were full—things like that.”

  “So you gave her a snowman?” I suspected she would have preferred a tip.

  “Don’t be silly. The snowman was part of the giftscape.”

  “Giftscape?”

  “Don’t you watch my show? First impressions are the most important thing about a gift. Just like food tastes better when it looks beautiful, a gift is more meaningful and fun to receive when it’s wrapped in a gorgeous giftscape where everything matches harmoniously. You covet the gift because the wrap is so wonderful, without even knowing what’s inside. I gave her a lovely music box, and the snowman was simply part of the giftscape.”

  Music box? A shudder ran through me. “You gave her a music box? What did it look like?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but it was an antique with musical instruments inlaid in wood.”

  I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs. Shawna had regifted Natasha’s gift! “You have to tell Kenner.”

  “I can’t imagine why.”

  Uh-oh. She didn’t know yet. Would she confess to the police if she knew the music box was the instrument of death? “Bonnie died from inhaling poisonous gas that was in the music box. Shawna has been arrested.”

  Natasha stiffened, and I could see her going pale under her perfect makeup. She lifted a trembling hand and braced herself on the door frame. “Ginger!”

  “What?”

  Natasha gulped air, and for a moment, I thought she might collapse. “Ginger Chadwick gave it to me. I thought it was an apology for the spat we had over decorating the community center. She was determined to use an Olde English Dickens theme. She must have meant to kill me!”

  I blinked at her. “Let me get this straight. Ginger Chadwick gave you the music box. You regifted it to Shawna, and Shawna regifted it to Bonnie.”

  “I guess so.”

  Anyone along the line could have rigged it with the gas. And who knew where Ginger got it? What if Natasha was right, and Bonnie was never the target?<
br />
  “You have to tell Kenner. I’m no cop, but I think this puts the situation in a completely different light.” My head spinning with the implications, I started down the stairs, but Natasha caught my sleeve.

  “Ginger actually tried to kill me?!” Her mouth dropped open and she gulped air. “Why didn’t I see it? She was so angry that they picked me to decorate the square. Just like Bonnie, Ginger wanted to be me.”

  Too bad Natasha had such a poor self-image. “You don’t know that.”

  She clapped a hand to her chest and scanned the street. “What if she’s still after me? I can’t stand out here. Who knows where Ginger might lurk?” She shut the door, and I hurried down the street in blowing snow. Even though I’d wanted to pooh-pooh Natasha’s immediate conclusion that Ginger intended to murder her, I was a little bit creeped out and couldn’t help glancing around for a snow-frosted killer.

  During my absence, Vegas and Jen had erected a small snowman, complete with twig arms and carrot nose. I recognized Jen’s muffler around his neck.

  The perfect symbol considering that an innocent snowman might have led to the very information we needed to spring Shawna. I praised their project and dashed into the house with them right behind me. Since they were so full of energy, I asked them to put our wet duds in the bathroom, and I sped to my study to phone George.

  I spilled Natasha’s story, and he promised to call me back after he phoned Kenner. At least I didn’t have to do that.

  What a nightmare. It didn’t really get Shawna off the hook, though. The poison could have been added at any time. Had one of these women hated another so much that she had to eliminate her? Ginger was certainly unpleasant and generally disgruntled, but would she really want to kill Natasha over Christmas decorations? Or had something else gone on between them?