by Carol A. Guy
A hissing noise was followed by a white foamy mist that enveloped the small fire. “Got it, Chief!” Larry Schwartz called. He tossed the fire extinguisher aside, joining the officers trying to restrain Brenda. She flailed around, clawing and biting. The knife lay inches away from Adelaide, forgotten in the fray.
Daniel was suddenly at her side, helping her out of the coal cellar into the improved, but still not-so-sweet air of the basement. Dennis Ackerman and Ken Lafferty hustled Brenda past them and up the stairs. She was screaming like a mad woman.
“Here, Mrs. McBride,” Judy Hess said, handing Adelaide a cold bottle of water.
Adelaide drank thirstily, finishing over half of it before she stopped. “Did you hear everything Brenda said?”
“We heard enough,” Judy said.
Daniel examined Adelaide’s wrist. “It’s broken. Badly, I’d say.”
Two paramedics, Reed Fletcher and a younger man Adelaide didn’t recognize, came running down the steps.
Adelaide said, “I can walk out to the ambulance. And Daniel needs to go back to the hospital at once. And where is my cat?”
Suddenly Vernon was on one side of her, James on the other, helping her up the stairs.
“Don’t worry, Addy,” Vernon assured her. “Oscar is fine. He’s in one of the police cruisers. We’ll get him back into the house.”
The paramedics insisted Daniel lie down on a stretcher. Walking beside him as they wheeled him out of the house, Judy held his hand. He decided he like the feel of that very much.
Epilogue
As Adelaide looked out her kitchen window, a light snow began to fall. It was Christmas Day and although her kitchen was a hubbub of activity she, along with Daniel, had been instructed to sit this one out.
In a revised Christmas Day schedule, she’d exchanged gifts with Daniel that morning after breakfast. Vernon and James had arrived bearing gifts around eleven to help with dinner preparations. The Henshaws weren’t far behind. “We decided we didn’t want to spend Christmas alone this year,” Ethel had said.
At the stove, Vernon was basting the turkey breast. Standing next to him at the kitchen counter, James arranged dinner rolls on a cookie sheet. The ham was already done and now sat, covered by foil, on the kitchen counter.
Ethel was expertly chopping up apples for the Waldorf salad. “These are gorgeous, Adelaide. So crisp and juicy.”
“They were in a fruit basket Buck sent me the other day,” Adelaide replied. “It came with a get-well card.” She’d gotten many such cards during the past few days as well as numerous phone calls and visits from well-wishers.
In the dining room, Carl was setting the table with Adelaide’s best china, silverware and crystal glassware. For this year’s centerpiece, she’d chosen something simple—white candles sitting in a cradle of live pine boughs.
“How is your wrist feeling, Mother?” Daniel asked. He was sitting next to her at the kitchen table.
After her ordeal in the coal cellar, she’d been rushed to the medical center where x-rays confirmed that her wrist was broken. She would be in a cast up to her elbow for the next six weeks.
Daniel was readmitted that same night, but released two days later. He was now on sick leave from the police department, leaving Lieutenant Luke Fagan in charge.
Adelaide smiled at her son. “I’m fine. I wish everyone would quit hovering. I’m certainly capable of fixing Christmas dinner.”
“We’ve got it all under control.” Vernon said. He put the lid back on the roasting pan then shoved the rack into the oven. Closing the door, he turned and grinned at her.
Finished with his task of arranging the rolls on the cookie sheet, James turned to face her also, a big smile on his florid face. “This meal is coming along right on schedule. You just sit back and relax, Adelaide.”
“I got a call from Luke this morning,” Daniel said.
“About Brenda?” Adelaide asked.
Daniel nodded. “She’s been transferred to Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare in Columbus for psychiatric evaluation. Mark Cardosa is her lawyer.”
“Maybe she’ll finally get the help she needs,” Adelaide said.
“You’re a lot more magnanimous than I would be, Adelaide,” Ethel said. “That woman was going to kill you. She did kill Jerry. She also tried to murder Carl and Susan. I think she belongs in prison.” Her face was red, her eyes bright with anger.
“She’s mentally ill, Ethel. She needs treatment, not punishment,” James said.
Ethel huffed. “Everyone who commits a crime these days wants to get off using some sort of insanity plea. They had a bad childhood, their mother didn’t love them enough, their daddy loved them too much, they were abused, they were bullied—the list is endless. No one is willing to take responsibility for what they do. I’d be a widow this Christmas if Brenda Collier had her way about it. Susan Hatfield will have months of rehab ahead of her. Carl still has dizzy spells from that whack on the head she gave him in that dark alley. To say nothing of the fact that Jerry Hatfield didn’t live to see his thirty-ninth birthday. That woman is a cold-blooded psychopath and no amount of psychiatric treatment is going to change that.”
The silence that followed Ethel’s tirade was almost palpable. Carl, standing in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen, stared open-mouthed at his wife.
Adelaide wanted to say something in Brenda’s defense, but found she couldn’t. She glanced over at Daniel. He was staring down at his hands, which were clasped tightly together on the tabletop.
Vernon finally broke the awkward silence. “Has anyone heard from Douglas?”
Douglas Underwood had been released from jail the same night Brenda Collier was arrested. He’d promptly disappeared without saying a word to anyone, taking only his personal belongings.
“It’s like he vanished into thin air,” Carl said. He went to Ethel, patting her on the shoulder. She was standing by the back door, staring out into the yard. “It’s all right, dear, we understand,” he said softly.
Ethel returned to the counter where she resumed chopping the apples. Carl took a seat next to Adelaide at the kitchen table.
Vernon and James remained standing against the counter.
James said, “I called the district superintendent at home yesterday but he hasn’t heard a word. I don’t think Douglas wants to be found. His cell phone has been disconnected.”
“Maybe he needs some time to get his head together. I can relate to that,” Daniel said.
Ethel faced Daniel. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I know you were very fond of Brenda. I know you’re hurting now. I guess I should keep my mouth shut sometimes.”
Adelaide stood up. “We’ve all been through a terrible time. Our nerves are still raw. But this is Christmas Day. I want us to remember that. We have much to be grateful for.” She looked at James. “The service last night was beautiful. Your message about celebrating the season in the face of loss was inspiring. I think we should take it to heart today.”
James flushed a little, as though embarrassed by the compliment. “I have some news. I’ve agreed to stay on at Crescent Falls UMC until at least February. Hopefully, by then, the district will be able to send a permanent replacement for Douglas.”
Adelaide noticed a slight frown briefly cross Vernon’s face. He turned quickly to check on the turkey breast again, even though he’d just basted it.
“That’s wonderful news, James. I have some news of my own. You all can make up your minds whether it is good news or not. It seems that Gayle Nelson and Mark Cardosa are engaged to be married,” Adelaide said.
Ethel’s mouth turned down. “What is that girl thinking?”
Daniel, too, was frowning. “I didn’t know things were so serious between them.”
“You don’t like him, do you?” Adelaide asked her son.
Daniel met her gaze. “I don’t trust him. He’s a little too oily to suit me.”
Ethel put the Waldorf salad in the refrigerator. Wiping her hands on
her apron, she took up a position next to her husband’s chair. “Tell them about mayor’s court on Wednesday, Carl.”
“I’ll bet it was packed,” Adelaide said.
Carl nodded then chuckled. “Our lion painting vandal came before me. Lloyd Fletcher was there, of course, to make sure justice was served.”
“Did you throw the book at the kid?” Vernon asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
“I fined him three-hundred dollars and sentenced him to one hundred hours of community service at Sustenance and the thrift store,” Carl replied.
Daniel smiled. “No jail time, which made Lloyd unhappy, I’ll bet.”
“I couldn’t see any sense locking the boy up where he can sit around all day and get fed at the town’s expense. Let him work it off. He’ll have to get a job to come up with the three hundred dollars, too,” Carl told them.
James went to the refrigerator and took out a casserole dish, which he put in the oven. “My special candied yams,” he explained. “Oh by the way, Marsha Burns, who worked for the Hatfields in their insurance office, has agreed to take the job as church secretary. She starts tomorrow.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. She was so worried about finding work,” Adelaide said.
“Well,” James said, “thank you for recommending I talk to her, Adelaide.”
A knock on the back door signaled the arrival of Officer Judy Hess. She came in carrying an armload of presents, which Carl rushed to distribute under the Christmas tree in the living room.
Adelaide noticed that Judy’s gaze sought out Daniel immediately. She also saw the smile on his face at the sight of the young woman.
After brushing the snow from her jacket, Judy hung it on one of the pegs by the back door. She seemed at ease, very relaxed. “Thank you so much for inviting me. Mom and Dad aren’t eating until this evening. We exchanged gifts last night. Something smells delicious.”
Her good mood seemed to perk Daniel up, Adelaide noticed. She had a feeling that Judy’s presence in Daniel’s personal life could be a positive thing, if he’d only allow it.
Just as they were sitting down to eat, Dora Carmody knocked on the back door. The snowfall had increased in intensity.
“I can’t stay,” she said as she stepped into the kitchen. “I just wanted to bring by this black forest cake. I made two.” She put the cake on the counter.
“Did Anita and her family make it in?” Adelaide asked. Dora’s daughter and her husband, Josh, lived in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
“They did. They came with wonderful news. I’m going to be a grandmother!”
Adelaide gave Dora an awkward hug, since the cast made things difficult. “Congratulations. I’m so happy. Give them my best. What about Paul?”
“He’s working at the pub today. You’d think Marty could close one day a year, especially on Christmas.”
Once Dora was gone, Adelaide rejoined her guests in the dining room, where she shared the good news with them.
They were just about to have dessert, which included the black forest cake as well as the pumpkin pies Ethel had baked, when the front doorbell rang. This time Daniel answered, returning seconds later followed by Rudy and Tina Engler.
“We can’t stay, but we wanted to bring this by to you, Adelaide. It’s from Leon, it arrived yesterday,” Tina told her.
The package was big and square, wrapped in brightly decorated Christmas paper. It had been Leon Engler’s habit since he was a child to give Adelaide a gift at Christmas time, a token of gratitude for all the help she’d given him with his studies. Through the years the gifts had progressed from homemade items to ones purchased with money he’d earned himself.
“Open it now, Mother,” Daniel urged.
“Sit down for some dessert,” Ethel said.
The Englers joined them at the large dining room table. Carl got up to go get more dessert plates and silverware.
With Vernon’s help, Adelaide managed to get the box open. Inside was a hand carved cuckoo clock. The detail was intricate, the colors bright and cheerful. Tears sprang to her eyes. “It’s lovely,” she managed to say.
“Leon called from Germany this morning. He said to thank you for the sweater you sent him,” Tina told her.
They chatted over dessert and coffee for a half-hour. The talk was congenial, with no mention of the traumatic events that had occurred recently. After the Englers left, Adelaide led everyone into the living room, where they opened the remaining gifts. The Henshaws went home first, followed soon by Judy, James, then Vernon.
Once it was just her and Daniel, Adelaide prepared them steaming cups of hot chocolate, which they drank at the kitchen table.
“Your team of officers really came through for you that night in the basement, Daniel. But you still have a problem to clear up.”
“The mole,” Daniel said.
“Someone leaked sensitive information to the press during the Hatfield investigation. The sooner you find out who that was, the better.”
“Luke and I are working on it, believe me.”
“You’re a good cop and a wonderful chief of police. But there are forces in this town who want to see you ousted. Lloyd Fletcher and Ed Lucas seem to be getting closer each day. Watch your back, son.”
Daniel sighed. “Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on Ed. Truthfully, I’m more worried about Lloyd and his growing contingent of casino backers.”
“We can’t let thugs like that Bruno person I encountered in Columbus get a foothold here, Daniel.”
“Then we need to begin educating people about what it would really mean to have a casino here in Crescent Falls.”
“We also need alternative ideas. I’d say it is time a citizen’s task force was formed to look into other ways of bringing much needed income into our small town.”
“Take the idea to the next council meeting, Mother. You’re a force to be reckoned with when you are touting a noble cause, everyone knows that,” Daniel said with a grin.
By seven o’clock Daniel was gone and Adelaide was alone in the big house.
She sat propped up against the arm of the living room sofa, her legs covered by one of Ethel’s hand-crocheted afghans. The only light came from the Christmas tree in the front window. She cleared her mind of pressing political matters and let thoughts of her late husband take their place.
“Well, Albert, another holiday has come and gone without you. Oh, how I wish you could have been here this year. You absence is like an empty hole in my life. Daniel is hurting and I don’t know how to help him. You’d know what to say, wouldn’t you? You always did have a way with our son. He loved you so much. So did I. We both still do. I don’t think love dies when our loved ones leave this earth. It wouldn’t make any sense if it did.
“I’m so lucky. I had you for my husband. I have a wonderful son, good friends and my health. No one can ask for more than that, can they? Still, if I had one wish, it would be to see you one more time, to hold your hand, to hear your voice.”
The soft sound of feet on the hardwood floors alerted Adelaide to Oscar’s presence. He jumped up onto her lap, nestling on the afghan, purring loudly. She stroked the cat’s soft, thick fur as she looked at the Christmas lights, feeling Albert’s loss as acutely as ever.
About the Author
Carol A. Guy is a former newspaper reporter who traces her love of a good mystery back to the first time she picked up an Agatha Christie novel. “As a teenager, I typed my first short story on a little portable typewriter my father got me. He assumed I’d use it for homework; little did he know!” Carol is the author of a true crime book, a suspense novel, several cozy mysteries and, more recently, two paranormal mystery/romance series. She makes her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Epilogue
About the Author