by Kathi Daley
Ellie put her hand over mine. “I know, sweetie. But you need to try. If not for yourself, for Catherine.”
Ellie was right. The past twenty-four hours had been so hectic, and I knew I needed to create a safe and stress-free environment for Catherine, so I tried to focus on happy thoughts. “The ornaments I ordered are ready at the holiday store. I don’t suppose you’d mind picking them up on your way home?”
“I’d be happy to. And I love the idea of a custom ornament for each member of your family. I wish I’d thought of it, but it’s probably too late to order them now.”
“I was going to surprise you, but I ordered ornaments for you, Levi, Eli, and even Shep and Karloff.”
Ellie’s face softened. “Sweetie, that’s so nice. Thank you so much.”
“In addition to the ornaments I ordered for your family and mine, I also got ornaments for my parents and Harper,” I said, referring to my sister, “as well as my grandpa and Hazel.”
“I’m sure everyone will love them. It means a lot that you remembered us.”
“I figured I’m not good at cooking or baking like you are and I can’t sew like Mom can, but I can shop with the best of them and I wanted to do something special this year.”
“Well, I’m excited to see what you got.”
“Speaking of cooking and baking, Hazel texted me about the cookie exchange on Tuesday. I’m assuming you’ve made or will make cookies for both of us?”
“I’m totally on it. And we can go together, so you don’t need to drive.”
“Thanks, El. You’re a good friend.”
“I’m just trying to be as good a friend as my best friend.”
I frowned. “You do mean me?”
“Of course, silly. By the way, the kids and I plan to finish decorating tomorrow, if it’s okay with you. I don’t want to intrude on your space, but I figured you probably wouldn’t feel up to hanging the garland from the staircase or finishing the Santa’s Village Zak was working on for the front lawn before he left.”
“You’re right. I probably won’t be able to do it myself, but it would be nice to have everything done before Zak gets back. Alex knows where the garland for the stairs is stored and Zak had everything for the Santa’s Village in his shed. Oh, and tell Levi not to forget to feed the reindeer. I know Zak went over everything with him before he left.”
Zak had rented eight reindeer for the Hometown Christmas event that would be held from five p.m. on December 22 until five p.m. on December 24. The reindeer were in a pen on our property for the time being, but the events committee planned to truck them to a pen near the Santa’s Village, which was currently being erected for the annual event.
“I’ll make sure Levi feeds them using the notes Zak left. I don’t want you to worry about anything. Levi and I will take care of everything.”
“Thanks, Ellie. I feel like I should be home taking care of things, not lying here doing nothing.”
“The kids will be fine. The house will be fine.”
“I know. It’s just such a busy time at the Zimmerman household. Tell Alex the check Zak left for her shopping trip with the Santa’s sleigh committee this weekend is in the top drawer of Zak’s desk. I think they plan to go to the mall in Bryton Lake tomorrow to pick up whatever wish lists items weren’t donated.”
“I’ll tell her. And don’t worry. I have the impression Alex and her team have the whole thing handled.”
“I’m sure they do.”
“You look tired.”
“I guess I am.”
“Then I’m going to go and let you get some sleep. I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Okay. And thanks again.”
As I closed my eyes in an attempt to fall asleep, I tried to focus on all the good things in my life. My wonderful husband and three honorary children. Pi was Zak’s ward, or at least he had been before he turned eighteen. Currently, he was more of an assistant and would work full time for Zak once he finished college. He planned to come home for Christmas once he finished his last final on Wednesday. Scooter was thirteen and had first come to us when Zak agreed to babysitting duty after his mother died. Eventually, Scooter had come to live with us as well, and on a magical Christmas three years ago he’d brought with him his best friend, Alex, who had captured my heart the way no other child ever had. Alex was a brilliant and mature thirteen-year-old with a heart as big as creation. Last year she’d founded the Santa’s sleigh program, collecting toys and food for those in need and then distributed wrapped gifts and food baskets a few days before Christmas.
And then, of course, there were the four-legged members of the Donovan-Zimmerman household. My dog Charlie, Zak’s dog Bella, Scooter’s dog Digger, and my cats, Marlow and Spade. Alex seemed to have a revolving door of animals she fostered, but right now all the animals that had been in her care had found forever homes.
And last but not least, I was blessed with the best friends in the entire world, Levi and Ellie. They’d been my friends for most of my life and I considered them family. As I drifted off to sleep, my thoughts changed to baby Catherine, who would soon make her entrance into the world. I didn’t say so to Ellie, but even though Catherine wasn’t due until after the first of the year, I’d gone ahead and bought an ornament for her just in case she decided to make an early appearance. I’d been having a few contractions in the past week and the doctor has assured me Catherine was fully developed, so if she did decide to arrive a couple of weeks early everything should be fine. It was strange, because one part of me was anxious for her arrival and another was terrified.
Chapter 2
Monday, December 18
It had been several days since my elf incident and I was mostly back on a normal routine. Ellie and family were still staying at the house and vowing to do so until Zak returned. I’d spoken to Zak, who’d assured me that his mom was doing better and out of danger, although she had several broken bones, so it would be a while before she was up on her feet. Zak thought she might be released later in the week, at which time he planned to bring her to stay with us until she had fully recovered. My guilt about her being in Paris in the first place was so acute I agreed with a level of enthusiasm I was far from feeling.
Still, she was Zak’s mom and, of course, as her daughter-in-law, I was more than happy to do whatever it took to make sure she was happy and comfortable. I just hoped doing so wouldn’t make me unhappy and uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d imagined my final month of pregnancy would be like, but so far, the reality hadn’t come close to the intimate family-and-couple time I’d hoped for.
I’d been lying around for the entire weekend, so today I planned to go into town, check on things at Zoe’s Zoo, the wild and domestic animal rescue and rehabilitation clinic I owned and my good friend Jeremy Fisher ran, maybe do some shopping, take in some lunch, and possibly even buy the items I needed for an album I wanted to make for all the photos I planned to take of Catherine’s first year.
Before I could do any of that, however, I needed to make sure the animals were fed and settled. Levi had three more days of school before winter break, so he was at work, and Ellie had taken baby Eli to meet with her mothers’ group for breakfast, as they did most Monday mornings. Alex and Scooter were at school, so it was just me for the remainder of the morning. I was about to head out to check on the reindeer when Jeremy called.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Oh good, you picked up. I’ve been trying to call you for the past hour.”
“Why? What happened?”
“I’m afraid we have a reindeer situation on our hands.”
“A reindeer situation?”
“Have you checked the pen at your house this morning?”
“No. I haven’t been outside at all.” I could feel panic begin to build as I tried to imagine why Jeremy had called. “I went along with Levi when he fed the reindeer last night and was heading out to check on them when you called. Is there a problem?”
“S
o far this morning, I’ve received reindeer sightings from one end of Ashton Falls to the other, including the passing lane on the highway, aisle eight at the supermarket, the Christmas tree display in the town square, and the gazebo in the park at the edge of town. The only reindeer I know of in the area right now are yours.”
I took a deep breath, then let it out. “Hang on. I’m going to put on a jacket and check them right now.”
I pulled on the old boots I kept in the mudroom, then slipped into my jacket. I went out the back door and toward the pen Zak had built for our visitors only to find it empty. I cringed when I realized I must not have latched the gate properly. I’d gone with Levi to see to the feeding. He’d gone into the pen while I’d waited safely near the gate. After he’d fed the animals he’d exited the pen and I’d latched the gate. Based on the fact that the gate was now standing wide open, I must not have closed it properly after all. If Zak didn’t hate me for almost killing his mother, he was definitely going to hate me for losing his reindeer.”
“As you suspected, they’re gone,” I said into the phone. “We have to get them back.”
“I’m in the truck looking for them right now and Tiffany is on her way in. I spoke to Tank and Gunnar and they’re willing to do an extra shift as well. We’ll find them.” Tank and Gunner were the brothers who normally covered the overnight shift and Tiffany was the only full-time Zoo employee other than Jeremy.
“Zak’s going to kill me.”
“We’ll round them up and he’ll never even know they escaped. I’m going to swing by your house. Maybe we can follow the tracks in the snow.”
“Okay. I’ll call the local radio station and ask them to run a public service announcement warning people that reindeer can be dangerous and shouldn’t be approached.”
By the time I got off the phone Jeremy had pulled up. The problem with following the tracks in the snow was that there were so many going in every direction that there was no way to make heads or tails of them. Jeremy got a call about another sighting while we were looking around. After making me promise to leave the roundup to him, he headed toward town, where the sightings had occurred. I decided waiting at home when I really wanted to be helping Jeremy was going to make me nuts, so I drove into town as well to take care of at least a few of my errands. I meant to go to the craft store first, but the bakery seemed to be calling my name, so I made a sharp turn and headed in that direction instead.
“Can I help you?” a woman I didn’t recognize asked.
“I’ll have two sugar cookies and a bottled water. Where’s Vivian today?”
“Her niece passed away. She’s taking some personal time to be with her family.”
Niece? Suddenly my heart sank to my feet. “Do you mean Stella?”
“Yes. She was found dead in her home yesterday morning. It’s such a tragedy when we lose the young ones. That’ll be four dollars and twelve cents.”
“You’re talking about Stella Green?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I am.”
I handed the woman a five, told her to keep the change, grabbed my order, and headed toward the sheriff’s office. The woman who manned the reception desk was on the phone when I entered the building, so I just waved at her and went down the hallway. Salinger, who was sitting at his computer when I walked in, looked up and frowned. “I was hoping because you weren’t in here banging down my door first thing this morning that I was going to catch a break and you were going to stay out of things until after the baby was born.”
“I was dealing with a reindeer emergency this morning, so I didn’t hear about Stella until just a few minutes ago. What happened?”
“I assumed the reindeer escaped from the pen at your house.”
“They did, but that’s not why I’m here. Jeremy is out rounding up the reindeer. I’m here to talk about Stella. How did she die?”
“She was found by a neighbor in her apartment. It appears she died from blunt force trauma to the head.”
“Stella left several messages on my phone on Friday regarding strange emails she’d received. I had my own head trauma to worry about, so I never did get back to her. We went to high school together, though we hadn’t stayed in contact. It sounds like the emails could be a clue to who killed her. We need to get her computer to see what we can find.”
“I agree, but I promised your long-suffering husband I’d do my best to keep you well away from anything dangerous during your pregnancy. Considering it appears you’ve lost his reindeer, I figure keeping you out of danger is the least I can do.”
“I didn’t lose Zak’s reindeer. We know where they are. Sort of. Jeremy has been receiving calls about sightings; we just need to follow the tips, track them down, and return them to the pen. Jeremy said he’d handle it and I have faith he will. As for finding Stella’s killer, I know Zak made you promise you’d do your best to keep me out of danger, and trust me, danger isn’t what I’m looking for. I can’t see my feet when I walk and I keep bumping into things in my own home. I’d be pretty helpless if I had to outrun a bad guy. But Stella reached out to me and I forgot to call her back. Now she’s dead. I can’t help but feel responsible. I need to be involved with this one. From the sidelines, of course.”
“If Stella called you about strange emails it does seem that would be a good place to start, but I’m not sure how much success we’ll have tracing the emails with Zak out of town.”
I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my belly. “We don’t have Zak, but we do have Alex. When it comes to hacking into places one ought not to be she’s almost as good as her honorary father. She’ll be home at three. Meet me at the house and bring the computer.” I stood up, arching my back as I did. “In the meantime, I’m going to talk to a few people to see if I can get a better feel for what’s been going on with Stella.”
“You do know the meaning of the word sideline?”
“I do, but we need to find Stella’s killer, and those closest to her are going to be more willing to speak to me than you.”
“Maybe, but I still don’t like it.”
I shrugged. “Okay. Come with me. In fact, you can drive. People who are as pregnant as me shouldn’t be allowed to drive anyway. By the time I push the seat far enough back so my stomach doesn’t hit the steering wheel, my feet can barely touch the pedals.”
“I assume you drove here?”
“I did.”
Salinger held out his hand. “Keys.”
“How will I get home?”
“I’ll drop you off after we do our interviews.”
“Very well.” I handed Salinger the keys. “But we take my car to the interviews and you wait in the car. Some of Stella’s friends have interesting pasts and aren’t likely to tell me what they know if there’s a cop lurking around.”
“Okay. We’ll do it your way for now. But you aren’t to go anywhere out of eyesight at any time during these interviews.”
We got into my car and I slipped a Santa hat that was on the backseat onto Salinger’s head. “You’ll look less conspicuous.”
“Driving around with Santa is less conspicuous?”
“Stella has lived a colorful life and many of her friends hate cops. I think they’re probably fine with Santa. Now remember, you drive and do the guard dog thing and I’ll do the talking.”
I decided our first stop should be Lucky’s, a dive bar on the outskirts of town where I knew Stella liked to hang out from time to time. Salinger wanted to go in with me, but I knew that even wearing the Santa hat he’d be recognized. I persuaded him to wait in the car by agreeing to an open cell phone line so he could listen in.
It was early in the day. Other than the bartender and two men at the bar watching television the place was quiet.
“Whiskey?” the bartender asked.
“No, thanks. I just need some information.”
“Don’t talk to folks who aren’t drinking.”
“Okay, I’ll have water. In a clean glass,” I specified.
He p
oured me a glass of tap water and set it in front of me. “That’ll be twenty bucks.”
“Twenty bucks for water?”
“The water is free. The conversation is gonna cost you a twenty-dollar buy in.”
I wanted to argue, but I also wanted out of the smoky room, so I gave him the twenty bucks. “You know Stella Green?”
“Yup.”
“I guess you heard she’s dead.”
“Nope.”
“Well, she is. I’m a friend of hers.” He raised a brow. “Sort of,” I clarified. “Anyway, I wondered if you could tell me the last time you saw her and who she might have been hanging out with then.”
“Need a refill on that water?”
“No. I haven’t even drunk what you gave me yet.”
“It’s twenty bucks either way.”
I rolled my eyes. What a racket. I handed him another bill and he leaned in close, as if to disclose a secret.
“Stella got laid off from her job a while back and she fell in with a bad crowd. She was in a pretty low place, drinking every day and not stumbling home until I closed. Then a friend of hers hooked her up with a new job and she seemed to be getting her life back on track. I thought she was going to make a go of it, but then she started coming in again during the late hours. I asked her about it and she said she couldn’t sleep and wanted some company. She lost a lot of weight and looked like hell.”
“When was the last time you saw her?” I asked.
The bartender paused before answering. “I guess it must have been Friday night. She was sitting here at the bar and we were chatting. Her phone dinged and she stopped to look at it. She must have received a text. She finished her drink, got up, and left.”
“You said she recently got a new job. Do you know where she worked?”
“The holiday store down by the park. She started when the store geared up for Halloween and then continued as Santa’s elf. It was temp work, but she mentioned the owner really liked her and planned to keep her on after this season ended.”
It seemed elves were becoming something of a theme with me; first I ended up in the hospital after tripping over one, then the woman I would have been helping if I hadn’t been laid up had worked as an elf during the last days of her life. I chatted with the bartender for a few more minutes, but he didn’t seem to know anything specific, so I decided to leave before the smoke got to me.