Murder on Sugar Hill

by Claire Sweeney

  Chapter Seven

  "Matilda!" Trixie burst into the office. "The AAA inspector is at the Franconia Inn."

  "He would show his weasel face after one of our busiest weekends of the ski season! That scoundrel always shows up at the worst of times. All we need is to lose our five-star rating. Business has been bad enough without getting demoted by AAA."

  "Don't worry. All the rooms are in good shape," Trixie said.

  "If that were the case, you wouldn't have barged into the office like the seat of your pants were on fire, would you? Now tell me just how bad it is?"

  "Uh, I hired two new chambermaids this morning and fired them this afternoon after checking their rooms," Trixie admitted.

  "Ah...just how bad was it?"

  Trixie sighed but remained silent.

  "For God sake tell me!"

  "They didn't change the sheets on the beds, they just made the beds as they do at home," Trixie admitted.

  "God help us, Trixie, if that weasel turns back the covers and sees hair on the sheets! If that happens, we will be lucky to get three-stars!" Matilda declares. "Okay, go up and redo as many rooms as you can before he arrives. I'm sure we’re his next stop. That little worm loves Trudy's sugar cookies with a glass of milk in the afternoon. Guess he still misses his mommy."

  "I'll call Ann Bixby. I think today is her day off from the cleaning service. She’s probably over at the Horse and Hound."

  "I guess it’s an emergency. Yeah, go ahead and call her but ask her to leave her lipstick at home. I swear she puts so much on it looks like it’s going to drip down her chin like wet paint."

  She rose and followed Trixie out the door and stopped in the lobby. "Smiley, the AAA man is probably coming soon. Put on your Mr. Rodger's smile.

  "It's a great day in the neighborhood," Smiley started singing.

  "And try to act as though you didn't just step out of Woodstock!"

  "Yes, Miss Matilda."

  "Tara weasel face is coming. Get in your cage," Matilda ordered.

  The macaw glanced at Matilda from her perch. "Get in your cage, get in your cage," Tara squeaked in protest as she waddled toward the cage.

  "At least someone is doing what they're told," Matilda said as she hurried to the dining room. "Trudy! Trudy!"

  "Yes, Miss Matilda,” the cook said as she waddled out of the kitchen. "What the matter?"

  "That weasel-faced AAA man is coming. Bake a fresh batch of sugar cookies."

  "Oh, I have plenty. I baked up a big batch yesterday, Miss Matilda."

  "No, no, that won't do. I want fresh sugar cookies, fresh sugar cookies, you hear me!" Matilda said before she turned and headed back to the lobby. "Fresh ones!" she called over her shoulder.

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Uh, Miss Matilda, what am I to tell the AAA inspector if he asks about Buggy's murder?" Smiley asked.

  Matilda covered her heart with her hand as she gasped for breath. "Heavens what can we say! I’m sure the fiends from The Franconia Inn told him all about the murder. They want nothing more than to knock us off as the highest rated inn in Franconia Notch. God, I hate Richard and his brother Alex. Those grubby brothers are always trying to claw their way to the top."

  "So, what do I do if he asks about the murder?"

  "I don't know. Use what little brain those blond locks are hiding from the world for once, Smiley," Matilda snapped as she headed back to her office.

  "It's a good day in the neighborhood..."

  "Welcome to The Franklin Funhouse," Matilda said as she headed to the solarium. I don't want him to see the rose that Trixie placed on the floor where Buggy died, Matilda thought as she tapped her walking stick on the floor as though it were a blind man's cane.

  "Poor Buggy," Matilda said when she spotted the rose on the floor. "Sorry, Buggy, that I haven't found who murdered you. But don't give up on me, I'm working on it."

  "Talking to yourself in front of the AAA inspector might not be such a good idea, Miss Matilda," Trixie said as she entered the solarium. "He might get the wrong impression."

  "Nope, if he decided that this was a home for the peculiar instead of an inn, he would be nearer to the truth than he realized," Matilda said. "We have let poor Buggy down. We are no closer to finding out who murdered him than the night it happened."

  "Your stint in the hospital sidetracked you, but I'm sure you'll get back to being a snoop as soon as the AAA man leaves," Trixie said.

  "Child, I prefer being called an amateur sleuth if you must put a tag on me. Is there a special reason that you sought me out to annoy me?"

  "Yes, Ann Bixby just arrived, and she said the AAA inspector is sitting in his car in our parking lot."

  "Okay, it's show time, Trixie. Let's go and charm his socks off.” She took a step and stopped. “Where is Bozo?”

  “Taking his afternoon nap.”

  “Good, please see that he doesn’t run up and down the hall tonight playing Captain Marvel,” Matilda took a deep breath. “Okay, time to put on your happy face, Trixie.”

  "I will, but you need to take off your grumpy face, Miss Matilda."

  Matilda smiled.

  "That will have to do, I guess."

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence," Matilda said as they hurried out of the solarium. "I'll let you show him upstairs. When he's finished inspecting the rooms, I’ll take him to the dining room."

  "Stuff him with sugar cookies until he pukes," Trixie said as Matilda opened the door to the lobby.

  "Smile, Smiley, you look like you are being lead to the gallows," Matilda said.

  "That would be better. At least a person sees the hangman only once. This boogieman comes every year," Smiley said as the door to the inn opened.

  The man did look like a weasel. His nose was too long for his small mouth and beady eyes. However, it was his pointed chin that topped off his weasel-like appearance.

  "Miss Matilda," the man called out in greeting. "I see you’re expecting me."

  "On the contrary, my niece and I try to personally greet all our guests. We like them to think they are part of our extended family," Matilda said as she took the hand the man extended. "It’s good to see you, Mr. Taylor."

  "And I do enjoy visiting the Franklin Inn," Mr. Taylor said. "And I see you still have the same desk clerk and parrot? Both give the place a certain touch of color. As does the hunchback. Is he still pretending to be Captain Marvel?”

  “Whenever he can bag a towel from the laundry maid,” Matilda said with a sigh.

  “I’m never bored when I visit the Franklin Inn,"

  "Weasel face! Weasel face" Tara squeaked.

  "Miss Matilda, I'm sorry. Tara has been saying that all day the moment someone enters," Smiley said. "She’s been watching a new cartoon with a character named Weasel Face."

  "Really, I haven't seen that one," the AAA man said shaking his head.

  "Oh, you watch cartoons?" Matilda asked with raised eyebrows.

  "My two little girls do, so I'm forced to watch them," the man answered.

  Oh my God, he's already contaminated the gene pool! Matilda thought behind the smile she flashed.

  "I do hope your cook has some of her special sugar cookies," Mr. Taylor continued.

  "I told her to whip up a fresh batch when I heard you were in town," Matilda said.

  "Oh, how kind of you."

  "Trixie will take you upstairs and open any room you wish to inspect," Matilda said with a wave of her hand. "And when you come back down you can join me in the dining room."

  "Right this way, Mr. Taylor," Trixie said sweetly.

  "Miss Trixie, is my memory wrong? Wasn't your hair orange last year?"

  "Yes," Matilda answered before Trixie had a chance. "Last year she was our sunshine girl; this year she’s our gothic girl."

  "Well, I think not being afraid to be different is a wonderful trait, Miss Matilda. Being like everyone else is plain boring," the man said as he turned to follow Trixie. He paused on the first step. "I heard you h
ad a murder here at the inn," he looked back and said.

  "Unfortunately, we did, Mr. Taylor," Matilda replied. "When you finish your inspection, I'll tell you all about it."

  "Makes me feel like I'm on the set of a murder mystery. Are you playing detective and looking for the killer?"

  "Heavens no. I try not to think about who killed the poor boy. The thought that someone died in the inn is quite upsetting. Luckily, most of our skiers are from Boston and New York. I don't think they read our local paper."

  "Oh, but it made channel 8 News in Boston. It seems the young murder victim was once a prominent downhill racer destined for the Olympics," the little man said before he followed Trixie upstairs.

  "God, what a despicable little man," Matilda said under her breath once he was out of sight.

  "He's just doing his job, Miss Matilda," Smiley said as he eyed the stairs.

  "Yeah, that's what they said about the Gestapo. And I do believe he would have made an excellent one, Smiley."

  "Hmm, remind me not to get on your bad side, Miss Matilda," Smiley said.

  "Smiley, you are always on my bad side," Matilda said tapping the counter with her walking stick. "Always," she added as she headed for the dining room.

  "Trudy, are the Sugar Cookies out of the oven?" Matilda called out as she walked back to the kitchen.

  Trudy had flour on her chin when Matilda entered the kitchen.

  "Yes, ma'am. I took them out five minutes ago."

  "Good they’ll still be warm for the little weasel. Make a gift basket of cookies for him to take to his room."

  "Yes, ma'am," Trudy said as Matilda turned to leave.

  "Who's waiting table?" Matilda paused to ask.

  "Mable."

  "Good, she knows how to wait table properly. Some of the younger girls have no grace." Matilda paused. "By the way are there any new developments in Buggy's murder case?"

  The cook shook her head. "Seems Sheriff Dudley has hit a brick wall."

  "Hope he didn't hurt his face," Matilda said as she hurried away as Trudy shook her head.

  "Mable," Matilda said seeing the gray-haired waitress coming out of the bathroom. "Please bring me a cup of coffee and watch for the weasel when he finishes inspecting rooms upstairs."

  "Oh, the AAA man is here?"

  "Yeah, the boogeyman is here. And I'm sure he'll spend the night. Be sure you serve him during dinner. If he asks you for a recommendation, suggest the seared salmon with a dill sauce and not the chicken fricassee."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Oh, serve him a bottle of the good Cote'de Rhone wine…although I hate to waste a bottle on him."

  "A bottle of what?" Trixie asked.

  "Have you finished already?"

  "Yes, he just wanted to check one room. Smiley is checking him in. I nudged him toward one of the rooms that Ann cleaned. It was perfect, and he seemed very pleased. I do think he likes us."

  "God, what a horrible thought. It's like having a leper like you," Matilda said with a shudder.

  "And to think that once upon a time you were a Sunday School teacher," Trixie said.

  Chapter Eight

  "Why are you sitting in the Solarium? Are your old bones cold?" Trixie asked.

  "I was thinking of Buggy and feeling disappointed that I'm not any closer to finding out who murdered him."

  "Yeah, I've had his murder on my mind all night. We only have two suspects on our list, Jack, and Sheriff Dudley.

  "They were both here at the time of Buggy's death. The coroner’s report said he died between six and eight p.m.," Matilda said.

  "You mean Sheriff Dudley shared the autopsy report with you?"

  "No, I enlisted Trudy to help me pry information out of our top law official with sugar cookies and coffee. He loves talking about his work."

  "Good old dependable Trudy," Trixie said. "Hey, maybe we should change the name of the Inn to The Sugar Cookie Inn?"

  "That's a name I would expect to pop out of a purple dye-soaked brain," Matilda said dismissively.

  "Oh, how about the Witch's Den? I think that would be a much better name," Trixie said with a snicker.

  "Do you remember what Sherlock did when Watson got sassy?"

  "Clift Notes didn't cover that part of the story," Trixie said.

  "At least your memory is working," Matilda said. "Now to get back to the important issue. What do we do next in our investigation?"

  "I guess you or we should interview Jack and Sheriff Dudley."

  "Yeah, right. I’ll call them this morning and order them to come to the inn, so I can question them! And if they refuse, I’ll send Tara to drag them here in handcuffs."

  "I think I would be subtler," Trixie said shaking her head. "Why not go to Jack and ask him about discount tickets for ski lessons for our guests? Then while you’re at it, question him about Buggy?"

  "Hmm, I guess there is still a spark of life in that dyed brain of yours. That's an excellent idea. And so are the discounted ski lessons for our guests. But how do we tackle Sheriff Dudley?"

  "Let’s start with Jack. If that leads to a dead end, then we can figure out a reason to question Sheriff Dudley," Trixie replied.

  "Miss Matilda!" Smiley screamed as he rushed into the solarium.

  "What in the blazes is wrong, Smiley!" Matilda asked when she saw the grim look on the man's face.

  "It’s Tara! She swallowed the lid of a pen. She’s choking!"

  Matilda sprung out of her wicker chair like a jack-in-the-box.

  "Careful, Miss Matilda," Trixie called out in alarm. "Don't fall," she added as she ran after her aunt.

  "Tara! Tara!" Matilda wailed when she saw the big macaw struggling to breathe. "Poor Tara. Mommy is here," Matilda said, and rubbed the top of the parrot's head with her finger. "Trixie get her travel cage!"

  "She's already gone after it, Miss Matilda," Smiley said softly.

  "Tara, hang on, Baby. Mommy is going take you to the nice veterinarian in Concord. You liked him. He's the one that fed you peanuts."

  The parrot appeared to be trying to talk.

  "The lid is stuck in her throat," Smiley said. "Miss Matilda, I took a new pen out of the box and laid it on the counter. She grabbed it when I bent down to put the pen box back under the counter. God, I'm so sorry," Smiley said.

  "Don't blame yourself, Smiley," Trixie said as she placed a smaller parrot cage on the counter. She reached for Tara.

  "No, I’ll put her inside," Matilda said as she gently lifted Tara from the counter. She paused a second to kiss the top of Tara's head. "It's going to be alright, Baby."

  "I'll carry her," Trixie said after Matilda placed Tara in the travel cage.

  "Smiley, man the fort," Matilda called over her shoulder as she hurried after Trixie.

  "I'll hold the cage in my lap," Matilda said as she climbed into the Blazer and then held her hands out for the cage.

  "She can’t breathe. We’ve got to get to the vet as soon as possible, Trixie," Matilda said in alarm as she watched Tara gasp for breath.

  The blazer fishtailed out of the parking lot as Trixie stepped on the gas.

  "Don't worry, I put it in four-wheel drive," Trixie said when Matilda gave her a sharp look.

  Suddenly, the blaring of a siren came from behind them. Trixie glanced in her rearview mirror. "It's Sheriff Dudley!"

  "Ignore him!" Miss Matilda said.

  "His police lights are flashing," Trixie said.

  "Of all the time for him not to be at the Village House swapping lies with Snowman," Matilda said.

  "Matilda, I've got to stop," Trixie said as she slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road.

  "Hurry up," Matilda said as she turned and watched Sheriff Dudley get out of his cruiser. "God, he's taking the time to straighten his Smokey the bear hat!" Matilda said. She shook her head.

  Trixie rolled down her window.

  "Do you know how fast you were going, Trixie?"

  Matilda leaned toward to window. "Sheriff we
don't have time for you to play traffic cop. Tara swallow the top of a pen and is choking! Let's go, Trixie!"

  "Wait a minute. You can't talk to me like that?"

  "Trixie!"

  Trixie shoved the SUV into gear.

  "Don't you dare!" Sheriff Dudley shouted as Trixie pulled away.

  "I'm not sure that was a wise move Miss Matilda.”

  "You think I’m going to let Tara choke to death while he plays traffic cop? Not on your life!" Matilda said as she glanced back to see Sheriff Dudley standing beside the road looking like a groom whose bride just ran out of the chapel at the sight of the preacher.

  "How is Tara doing?" Trixie asked as they reached Interstate 93.

  "The same," Matilda said in a subdued tone. "I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't make it. You and Tara are all the family I have."

  "Don't worry; she'll make it. Tara is a tough bird just like you, Miss Matilda."

  Matilda didn't respond. She just stared down at Tara.

  Suddenly, a state trooper cruiser came racing up behind them.

  "Don't tell me that butt Dudley called the state police on us," Matilda said as she glanced over her shoulder. "If he did he’s a walking dead man."

  The trooper matched their speed and motioned for Trixie to follow him.

  "No, he called in an escort for us," Trixie said happily.

  "Hmm, he was afraid I would cut off his supply of sugar cookies," Matilda said. "I would have, and he knew it."

  "It’s nice to legally be able to speed," Trixie said as she noted that she was doing ninety miles an hour behind the state trooper who had his lights flashing.

  "We’re here!" Trixie said as she spotted the veterinarian's office.

  As Matilda got out of the car, the state trooper hurried over.

  "How is the patient?"

  "Still breathing," Matilda said as he held the SUV's door open for her.

  "This is the first time I've escorted a bird to the vet," he said. "She must be something special?"

  "She’s family!" Matilda snapped.

  The trooper glanced at Trixie.

  "Can't you see the family resemblance?" Trixie said.