“How long will Norman go to prison?” I asked.
“Hard to say what will happen to him. But Norman is in deep trouble. There isn’t a way around it. He killed Jenna and Eric Wilcox, strangled them with Jenna’s scarf, and misappropriated some of the town’s money. Jenna wasn’t a nice woman. Doesn’t mean she deserved her fate. She was going to tell the town about his wrongdoings even after blackmailing him for some of the money. She turned her back on him, laughing, and he lost it. Grabbed her scarf and twisted it until she crumbled to the ground. Said he didn’t mean to. He left her and thought Eric would be blamed for it since the couple had a volatile relationship. The police had been called there a few times. Jenna hadn’t put Eric’s name on any of the bank accounts. He had no access to any of money, and since blackmailing worked for Jenna, Eric tried his hand at it.”
“And once Rachel was arrested, Eric was going to give up Norman to save her.”
We sat there quiet for a few minutes, lost in our thoughts. Everything about this was so sad.
“How’s Angela?” I asked.
“She’ll pull through this time, but long term it’s not looking good for her. Her daughters are on the way and she’ll be going home with one of them when it’s safe for her to travel. Neither wants to see their father.”
“Those poor girls.” Actually, women as they were a few years younger than me. What a lot of heartache for them to bear.
“I’m glad the chief offered to talk to them. I’m about done giving bad news to people.” Orville arched his head back, resting it on the top of the square leather cushion.
The tone of his voice told me there was one more piece he had to give. I took a swallow of coffee, prolonging the inevitable for just a bit longer. “What kind of trouble is Rachel in?”
He stared up at the ceiling rather than looking at me. “Now that we’re getting the full story, it’s likely they’ll go easy on her. But you never know. Sad thing is if she had just convinced Eric to let the police do their job the night he found Jenna dead, we would’ve known Eric hadn’t killed her.”
I felt tiny pinpricks of pain in my heart. Oh, Rachel, why? Tears flooded my eyes. “She wouldn’t be in jail. Eric would still be alive.”
Orville stood and stretched then placed his hands behind his back. “Yep. But she had been more concerned about everyone finding out about the affair than what they believed, which was Eric having accidentally killed his wife.”
The court might go easy on Rachel, but how hard would she be on herself? How would the community treat her? Things wouldn’t be the same for her in Season’s Greetings. Or between us.
“We found out who shot up your lawn decorations. A couple of teenage girls. The ring leader’s boyfriend stopped at your house the other day and picked up a girl.”
Garrett. Poor Cassie. She liked the guy. “Cassie stayed with me, and her co-worker gave her a ride to work since her car was still at the bookstore.”
“The parents have offered to replace any of your items that were ruined.”
“Do you know if Garrett was still seeing this other girl?”
Orville raised his hands in mock surrender. “I stay out of teenage romance drama. You can take that up with the other moms.”
“You might want to if these girls are stalking Garrett.”
“That’s not the story I’m seeing.”
“Look what happened with the other story that we all thought we knew how it was written.”
Orville heaved out a sigh. “You have a point there. I’ll dig a little more.”
“Thanks.” Like Orville, I was leaning more toward Garrett was trying to two-time his girlfriend, but it could be more serious than that. Sometimes the obvious wasn’t what was truly going on.
“Merry!” Cassie busted into the waiting room, tears glittering in her eyes.
“I’ll let you deal with this.” Orville patted my shoulder and headed out.
How did Cassie find out I was here? I stood up and drew the girl into my arms. Oh my God! Had something happened to Helen? Before I asked, Bonnie stepped into the room and mouthed the problem was Garrett.
Helen was okay. This was about a boy. I waited for Cassie to speak.
Cassie dropped down into a seat beside. “He has a girlfriend,” she whispered, the words barely louder than the ticking coming from the clock.
“I’m sorry, honey. He could’ve broken up with her. Orville told me that she and some friends took out my inflatables because they spotted you two together.”
“No, they’re still dating. He admitted it to me. I thought he liked me.” There was hurt and confusion in her voice. “Said I was just his type of girl and I should give him a chance. He started working there to get to know me better. He lied.”
I didn’t doubt he wanted to get to know her better. It was his motives I was unsure about. The timing of the boy’s interest in Cassie bothered me. I’d been so wrapped up in Jenna’s murder, I hadn’t thought much of Cassie’s romance. I might’ve saved her some heartache. It was possible the young man had started to fall for Cassie and wanted out of his other relationship and it had nothing to do with the rumor that Cassie was likely to come into some money.
“Maybe he does like you and that is why he wanted to work there,” I said. “It could be he fell for you also and is conflicted. It does happen.”
“I wanted that to be the truth. But it’s not.” Cassie buried her head in her hands. “I heard him talking to her. It’s the money. My mom wanted me because of it. And now Garret. Why can’t people just like me for me?”
I wrapped the grieving girl in my arms. People were horrible. “I do. I love you for you, you know that. Raleigh does. Scotland does.”
She lifted her tear-stained face. “But will anyone else once they find out about the money?”
Bonnie remained silent. The shame on her face told me everything I needed to about the woman. Bonnie regretted not having reached out to her stepdaughter sooner. She couldn’t also say she cared about her. Cassie wouldn’t buy it, and Bonnie would become one more person claiming to like her because of money. Was there a way I could help bridge the gap between them? Help Bonnie break down the wall she built around herself?
“Someone will,” I said. “I believe that with all my heart, Cassie, and you have to also. Someone will love you for you. You’re lovable. Not everyone places more importance on money than people.”
“It doesn’t seem that’s true of this town,” Cassie said.
The bitterness in Cassie’s voice left me breathless and a tightness grew in my chest. Because she was right. Season’s Greetings was showing a side of itself I hadn’t known existed. My believe-in-the-magic-of-Christmas town had a dark side. It was like the Grinches and Scrooges were coming to life. I hated seeing her lost and without hope.
“Every town has those people that have wrong priorities. It doesn’t make it true of everyone,” I said.
“You have to look for the good, Cassie,” Bonnie said. “Don’t be like me. It makes for a small world.”
Cassie looked up, meeting Bonnie’s gaze. “My dad loved you. Your patients do too.”
Bonnie smiled sadly. I was a little shocked. This was the first time Cassie ever admitted that her dad loved Bonnie, said anything for that matter to make Bonnie feel included. I was proud of the teenager. Even in her grief, she was reaching out. She’d be okay.
“It’s a lonely world when I’m not working,” Bonnie said.
So was mine. I did have my children, but they had flown the coop as most children do. “I’m available to hang out with the exception around the Christmas holidays. Though, I could use some help catching up on orders.”
Bonnie smiled. “I can do that.”
“I’ll help too.” Cassie hopped up and wrapped an arm around me and Bonnie. “We can work on stuff tonight. Create some happy Christmas memories.”
Not to mention have the truth out there. The three of us, and Helen, deserved it. She’d be at peace knowing the money her son died for did some good.
“The divorce was final,” I said.
Bonnie and Cassie stared at me. Cassie’s lips trembled. She had hoped it wasn’t. She wanted me to be her mother—have a mother.
I hugged her. “You’ll always be one of my kids. My girl. So, don’t think that gets you off the hook from being scolded or receiving my advice. I’ll be butting into your life forever.”
Cassie hugged me back. “I can deal with that.”
“Are you sure it’s final?” Bonnie asked.
“Brett brought me the decree earlier today,” I said. “It was approved. I’m divorced.”
“Did he know if my marriage license is valid?”
“I didn’t think to ask,” I said. “It was kind of a tense situation at the time. Happened right after those girls took out my blow-up hamster and a few other pieces.”
“What does that mean for…” Cassie trailed off, her cheeks reddening. She dipped her head.
“The lottery ticket? It depends on us.” I tucked a strand of hair behind Cassie’s ear. “I know what your grandmother wants me to do. But I want it to be our decision.”
“Dad left it to Grandma?”
“It was your grandmother’s ticket. She was going to give it to your father. After his death—”
“Grandma gave it to you.” Cassie battled the hurt I watched rise into her eyes. She didn’t want the fact her grandmother sent me the ticket to affect their relationship or ours.
“She was scared you’d be hurt because of it. She wanted me to protect you.”
“I understand why Grandma didn’t want me to have it. I don’t even know if I want it. Daddy died because of it and it won’t help Grandma.” Cassie aged before my eyes. She knew her grandmother was dying. “Maybe we can move her to Season’s Living. It’ll be more comfortable for her. She won’t be alone.”
I squeezed her hand. “I think that’s a good idea, sweetheart. I bet she’ll agree if you ask her.”
Bonnie studied me. “You think the lottery commission will fight the disbursement.”
“Brett thinks that will happen unless it can be proven who owns it, or we come to an agreement. If all the parties who could claim ownership agree, there’s no fight to worry about,” I said.
“The ticket belonged to Helen. I believe you. It was hers to give and she gave it to you, Merry. I don’t have a claim to it.” Bonnie clasped Cassie’s hands. “And you, Cassie, deserve to find someone to love who you won’t second-guess. I won’t fight it. You both have my word.”
“Helen wanted you taken care of also, Bonnie,” I said. “It’s important to her that Samuel treated everyone right. She needs to see that he did right by us. That’s what this is about, doing right. For Helen’s sake.”
“For Helen’s sake.” Bonnie stuck out her arm, palm down and smiled at me.
I placed my hand on hers and squeezed it.
Cassie cupped her hand over ours. “For Grandma’s sake. We’ll do it together.”
“And for our own.” I said. “From here on out, we’re family. You’re not alone, Bonnie. Neither are you Cassie. You both got me.”
Tears glittered in Bonnie’s eyes. “Brought together by Samuel.”
“The best thing my dad ever did.”
About the Author
Christina Freeburn has always loved books. There was nothing better than picking up a story and being transported to another place. The love of reading evolved into the love of writing and she’s been writing since her teenage years. Her first novel was a 2003 Library of Virginia Literary Award nominee. Her two mystery series, Faith Hunter Scrap This and Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mysteries, are a mix of crafty and crime and feature heroines whose crafting time is interrupted by crime solving. Christina served in the US Army and has also worked as a paralegal, librarian, and church secretary. She lives in West Virginia with her husband, dog, and a rarely seen cat except by those who are afraid of or allergic to felines.
Mysteries by Christina Freeburn
The Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mystery Series
NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING (#1)
BETTER WATCH OUT (#2)
The Faith Hunter Scrap This Series
CROPPED TO DEATH (#1)
DESIGNED TO DEATH (#2)
EMBELLISHED TO DEATH (#3)
FRAMED TO DEATH (#4)
MASKED TO DEATH (#5)
ALTERED TO DEATH (#6)
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BETTER WATCH OUT Page 24