Mayor Frost waved his hand back and forth. “Nothing for you girls to worry your pretty little heads about. Well, it’s time for me to get back to business. Oh, and I apologize if we disturbed anyone here. When Mr. Easterly asked to meet with me, I thought it’d be good to talk over a cup of coffee. But . . . well let’s just say it didn’t go quite the way I thought it might.”
Pinky had missed the action, but said, “No problem at all. It’s a slower time of the day for Brew Ha-Ha, between the morning rush and coffee hour. And most people haven’t caught on that Curio Finds is open an hour earlier for the month of December. Have they, Cami?”
I shrugged. “Not so much on weekdays anyway.”
“Well, enjoy the rest of the day, girls.” The mayor gave us a nod and then left.
Pinky and I picked up the mugs and plates from the mayor’s table, carried them to her serving counter, and set them in the soapy water-filled sink. I glanced up at the Betty Boop clock on the wall above it: 9:45 a.m. The place would be filling up with customers any time now. “Pinky, you were here all the years I was gone. I know there are complainers who don’t like the job the mayor’s been doing. But most of the people must like him since he’s been reelected over and over.”
“Frosty was always popular, but he’s lost a few fans lately. Some folks think he’s losing it.”
That might have been the gossip he was referring to a minute ago. “I didn’t meet the mayor until I moved back home, but he’s always seemed ‘with it’ to me. I’ve talked to him a number of times when he’s stopped in for his morning coffee.”
“I sure haven’t noticed that he’s forgetful or confused either, but we don’t exactly have in-depth conversations,” Pinky said.
“When did he move to Brooks Landing, Pink? He wasn’t around when we were growing up.”
“I’m not exactly sure, around twenty years ago. He was CFO of some manufacturing company in Minneapolis and commuted for a while. After he retired, he got more involved in the community. And then he was elected mayor however many years ago that was, six or so, I guess.” Pinky shrugged and filled a stainless steel cream container.
“With the way Frosty was talking this morning, maybe he should consider a second retirement and not run again in the next election.” I thought about his visitors. “You know Marvin Easterly, the one who farms west of town? He was the guy with the mayor before you went on your errands.”
“Sure.”
“Things heated up between them pretty fast after you left. Mr. Easterly had finished what he had to say and was about to leave then Harley Creighton tracked down the mayor here. First Creighton read Frosty the riot act, then he said he was quitting, giving up his seat on the council. A minute later, Rosalie Gorman stormed in and told me to leave so she could talk to Frosty in private.”
Pinky shook her head. “Stormin’ Gorman, that’s what a lot of folks call her.”
I laughed. “Gee, I wonder why.”
“So Harley Creighton said he was quitting? I bet he’ll change his mind after he thinks about it some more.” Pinky picked up her coat and hat and headed to her back room.
“We’ll find out soon enough, I guess,” I said.
Pinky got back as the bell on the shop door dinged. It was Emmy with the first of the coffee-break crowd following behind her. Good timing. Emmy first went to the storeroom in my shop to deposit her coat and things, and then returned to the coffee shop ready to serve drinks and ring up orders. After a shaky start, she had come a long way in a month. Thankfully.
I noticed a small group of customers in my shop and went through the archway to greet them. “Nice and cozy in here,” one said.
“I smell coffee,” another said, then threw back her head. Her nostrils opened wide as she took a deeper whiff.
“Gift ideas first, then we can indulge ourselves with a good cup of coffee,” the third said. The others agreed to the plan.
“Is there anything I can help you find?” I said.
The three of them looked my way and one said, “Thanks, we’re browsing for now, but we’ll let you know.” They started on their paths through the aisles admiring some of the unique music boxes, candleholders, trinkets, and snow globes. My parents had items for almost everyone on a person’s shopping list. Tooled copper, blown glass, kiln-dried pottery, carved wood treasures. You name it.
A young woman I hadn’t noticed was there stepped out from behind a shelf and cleared her throat. She looked like she was in her late teens, early twenties at the most. She gently waved her hand at nothing in particular. “Are these all the snow globes you have in stock?” Her manner of speaking was unlike most young peoples’. It was slower and her word pronunciation was distinct and clear.
I moved over to her side. “Yes, this is it. Everything we have is on display, but we’re expecting a shipment sometime today and another later in the week, I believe.”
“What time do you expect your delivery will arrive?” she said.
“Usually they come right around noon, although it could be later. The delivery guys have been especially busy this month with extra orders.” She nodded, and then cocked her head slightly to one side and stared at a spot high up on the wall, like her mind had gone to a faraway place. “Is there something special you’re looking for?” I asked.
She switched her attention back to me. “No, but I thank you. I asked you only to see if there was more to choose from. Of course, you have many choices now, but I thought I would ask just the same.”
One of the things I’d learned working in retail sales was people oftentimes didn’t know what they were looking for specifically but they knew it once they saw it.
The young woman attempted a smile, but made it only about halfway. “Good-bye,” she said and slipped out the door. I took a step closer to the large shop window and watched her walk away. She was waiflike, and something about her reminded me of some of the young homeless people I’d seen on the streets of Chicago and Washington, DC.
But Brooks Landing, Minnesota, was not the place to be homeless in December when the average high temperature was around ten degrees below freezing. And if the wind was howling, it often felt like the town was situated on top of a glacier. I wondered if the girl was really interested in a larger selection of snow globes or if she was in search of a refuge from the falling snow flakes. Perhaps asking about another delivery gave her a legitimate reason to return later.
I shook my head, and switched my focus back to the other customers. They were busy picking up a variety of snow globes, shaking each one of them, and watching to see how the snow settled on the different scenes. “Oh, look, this is a music box, too. How cool is that? You can listen to White Christmas while the people ice skate in the falling snow,” one said. And then all three of them sighed like they couldn’t imagine anything better.
2
The women selected a number of items so Emmy came into Curio Finds and helped me gift wrap their purchases. Then Emmy followed the trio into Brew Ha-Ha, and lent Pinky a hand with serving them beverages and treats. I boxed up two special orders I’d received from a pair of Brooks Landing snow birds who spent their winters in Arizona. They were loyal customers and had asked me to send them photos of our new stock via e-mail. From those, they selected the items they wanted to buy for gifts.
When I heard a loud, familiar voice next door I set the boxes aside to find out what Sandy Gibbons, longtime reporter for the local newspaper, was all excited about. “Oh, there you are,” Sandy said when she spotted me. Emmy nodded as she passed by me then disappeared through the archway into Curio Finds. The young shoppers seemed a bit put off by Sandy’s enthusiasm and moved from the counter to the back seating area with their mugs. When Sandy singled me out, I was tempted to follow them.
“Hi, Sandy.” I’d known her for most of my life. She had always seemed like she was about sixty years old, from the time I was a little kid
to now. When I returned to Brooks Landing, I was surprised she looked about the same, right down to the dyed brown hair she had professionally styled each week. She must have passed the seventy-year milestone by now.
“So. The word is Harley Creighton told Mayor Frost that he was stepping down from his council seat after they had a big showdown right here in Brew Ha-Ha.” She pointed her finger and moved it up and down toward the floor like she was marking a permanent spot.
“Who told you that?” I asked, knowing there were only three possibilities. I looked at Pinky and she shook her head. That left two possibilities.
“I rarely reveal my sources,” she said with a smile. “You were here and I understand you heard the whole thing.”
“I couldn’t say,” I said with a smile of my own.
“Oh, come on, Camryn. A witness statement would give my story more credibility.”
“Sandy, you named the two men who supposedly had the conversation. One of them gave you the scoop, so talk to the other one.”
She crossed her arms and let out a big breath. “He won’t take my calls.”
“If what you heard is true, then it won’t be long before everyone in town knows about it.”
“That’s the trouble. I want to know now so I can include it in my article for tomorrow’s edition. It’d be a great ending twist, sort of the final straw of what happened the day after all the controversy at last night’s meeting. And that reminds me, I’ve been trying to track down Assistant Chief Lonsbury and Officer Weston, but neither one of them are answering their cell phones.”
Pinky leaned in toward Sandy. “I’m sure they’ll call you back when they can. And really, I don’t know why all those people can’t just find a way to get along and not get so riled up. I heard it was all over a microbrewery and a clothing factory. I mean, isn’t it a good thing to get more businesses in town? It’d sure help me out here. More people in town would mean there’d be more coffee drinkers, right?”
“Especially if they stayed at the microbrewery too late the night before,” Sandy said.
Pinky laughed. “Good one, Sandy.”
Sandy zeroed in on me. “Well, Camryn, if you’re not going to give me a confirmation, I’ll just have to go see if I can find someone who will. And don’t give a thought about me running around in the snow while I’m looking.” She turned and picked up the large bag that held her writing supplies from a counter stool.
“Be careful out there, Sandy,” I said with sincerity as she headed out the door. “Doesn’t she remind you of the Energizer bunny from that battery commercial? She just keeps on going.”
“You are right on there. I don’t think she’ll ever throw in the towel and retire,” Pinky said.
“I don’t think the paper will let her. She gets her stories, by gosh and by golly,” I said.
“I think she’s even snoopier than I am.”
I’d have to think about that one. “I hear Emmy talking to a customer so I better get back to my shop.”
Emmy was waiting on an elderly couple that was still spunky enough to get out for some shopping in the snowy conditions. Emmy was pointing out different snow globes with winter and Christmas themes. Since she had everything under control, I greeted them then went back to my counter to finish packaging the gifts for mailing.
A brown UPS delivery truck stopped outside our shop. The spry young driver jumped out, opened the side door, and pulled out a box. It was just after eleven a.m., earlier than usual. “Hey,” he said as he hurried in, set the box on the checkout counter, punched in something on his device, and then handed it over to me to sign.
“You’re ahead of schedule. Nice.” I scratched out what served as my signature and gave it back to him.
“I got an extra early start today. And it’s a full load so I better keep moving. Thanks,” he said and took off.
I called out, “Thank you,” to his back.
Emmy showed the couple a snow globe they both loved, and they joined me at the counter where she rang up their purchase. I found a gift box and asked if they wanted it wrapped. “No, thank you. It’s a gift we’re giving each other. A little tradition we started almost sixty years ago,” the gentleman said as he put his arm around the woman’s waist.
I found a card and stuck it in the bag along with the globe. “Here’s a certificate for twenty percent off your next purchase.”
“That’s lovely, thank you. Merry Christmas,” the woman said.
“And the same to you.” I handed the bag to the man and watched as the two made their way out the door and safely to their car.
“What a sweet couple. I try not to get sad when I see two people who are able to grow old together,” Emmy said as her eyes grew moist.
I touched her hand. “I’m sure this time of year is sad for a lot of people who have lost loved ones. And you went through a lot when your husband died.” In fact, she’d been falsely accused of poisoning him and had spent months in jail before she was acquitted.
“That was bad all right. But I’ve had a few years to deal with it and have come to accept it, somewhat. But Irene Ryland, losing her daughter Molly like that. That’s who my heart goes out to most of all this year,” Emmy said.
“Me, too. I’m glad you and Irene have become friends. And the offer still stands if you want to spend Christmas with the Vanellis. Again, the friendly warning that my family gets pretty loud at our gatherings.”
Emmy swiped her tears away and smiled. “I appreciate that. My friend Lester has asked us—both of us—if we want to get together with him. So we’ll see. We haven’t really talked about it; Irene and me, I mean. She may have other plans.”
“No pressure, just know that you are welcome.”
She nodded and pointed at the box the UPS man had delivered. “Would you like me to help you unpack that?”
I looked at the label. “It’s from a new supplier in the Netherlands my parents are trying out. They sent us a catalog month and my parents put in an order. I guess they carry mostly new snow globes, but they run across old ones, too. And, that’s our specialty, as you know. The older and more unique, the better.”
I opened the drawer under the counter and found a box cutter. Then I sliced through the packing tape and spread the flaps open. Under the packing peanuts, there were four plain brown square boxes. Emmy watched over my shoulder.
“Here you go. Let’s see what treasures are inside these.” I lifted the first box out. Emmy took it, set it on the counter, then pulled out a snow globe with an ornate bottom and a scene of a gingerbread house in the woods. Two characters that appeared to be Hansel and Gretel stood side by side, holding hands near the front door.
I picked it up, gave it a shake, and we watched the snow settle around the pair. “I love it,” I said.
“Oh, my, this will sell in no time,” Emmy said.
We removed the other three from their boxes, and the next two were as delightful as the first. The fourth one felt heavier, and I noticed the base was more solid. When I looked at the globe, I was struck by its unusual scene. There was a cabin with pine trees behind it. A man stood by its front door and was holding a long-barreled gun, pointing upward, not in the shooting position. Three bears appeared to be walking toward him, closing in on him. I studied the man’s face and he looked calm, like he wasn’t afraid of the bears at all. I tried to figure out what the scene was depicting. It was more sinister than the others. Would any of our shoppers be interested in it? It must have looked better in the catalog than in person.
I picked up the order sheet with the wholesale and retail prices listed and handed it to Emmy. “This says it’s the first of three shipments.” I picked up the phone and dialed. “I’m going to give my parents a jingle.”
“Hello Cami,” my dad answered.
“Good morning, Dad. I wanted to let you know we got our first snow globe order from the Dutc
h company.”
“Glad to hear it. How do they look?”
“They’re high quality. One’s a little different, but the others are very nice.”
“Different, you say? Well, I asked for their top sellers, and any old, unique ones they came across.”
One certainly fit the description of being unique. “We got four in this order with more coming.”
“Only four? We ordered twelve, but I suppose this close to Christmas, they’re scrambling to keep up with demands.”
“I wouldn’t doubt that. Thanks, Dad, I’ll catch you later.”
“All right, my dear.”
We hung up and I pointed at the new snow globes.
“Emmy, go ahead and mark these. I’m going to run to the post office and get these packages we wrapped up mailed to our customers in Arizona.”
Emmy picked up the pricing gun. “I’m happy to do that.”
I grabbed my coat, gathered up the packages, and walked the two blocks to the post office. It had quit snowing, making the journey less slippery. I’d hoped to avoid the lunch-hour crowd, but when I saw the long line, I glanced up at the wall clock. It was 11:47, later than I’d thought. I made small talk with others in line and twelve minutes later, it was finally my turn.
The two workers behind the counter had a growing stack of boxes behind them and they looked harried. As wonderful as the season was, it created extra work for a lot of people. I greeted my helper as pleasantly as possible, and almost got a smile out of him. Maybe on another day. Like a lazy afternoon in the middle of summer.
When I got back to Curio Finds, I noticed Emmy looked about as stressed out as the postal workers had. “Oh, Camryn, I’m glad you’re here.” She was alone in the shop so I knew her tension wasn’t because she was swamped with customers.
“What’s up?” I said.
“First Mayor Frost came by to talk to you, not a minute after you left. It seemed kind of urgent. He went to get some lunch and said he’d stop back after that. Oh, and by the way, he looked at the new snow globes sitting on the counter here and asked me to put one of them on the back shelf for him. He’ll get it when he comes back.”
Frosty the Dead Man (A Snow Globe Shop Mystery) Page 2