Murder Fir Christmas (22 page)

The forested side of the creek was still dark with snow-covered evergreens. Rhododendrons held the bank in place and crowded the view. The dead, brown grass and remains of tall weeds made for easier passage. The air was cold and heavy with moisture, but there was no wind.

Bonnie and the pup walked alongside the creek, through the grass. The stream curved to the right, taking them beyond Matthew’s sight. Her feet were already cold, despite wearing the best boots she had for this kind of hike. She found the deer trail several yards later.

The constant trampling of hooves had created a narrow, well-worn path that crossed the stream. She turned onto the trail, the water just steps away. The creek was crusted with ice, almost completely frozen. It was wide enough to require a small leap to a steep bank leading to the heavier forest.

“Do you need help, Oginali?” she asked the wolf pup. He responded by jumping to the other side and scrambling up the bank. He looked back at her expectantly.

“I guess not,” she whispered but wasn’t sure if she was speaking to him or herself. She easily made her way across.

“So you like that name—Oginali?” She felt a little silly talking to the wolf as if he would reply. “And you want to be my companion?”

The wolf stopped in front of her. She nearly tripped. Oginali released a tiny, short howl that ended on a high note. He looked at her again.

The pair continued on the deer trail, as it hugged the stream. As the path moved away from the banks, the creek took a sharp turn, and the forested side dropped down to a sand bar that extended into the water. The wolf pup grumbled and ran down towards the ice, disappearing.

“Oginali!” Bonnie followed as quickly as she could.

The wolf stopped on the icy sand bar, near the water’s edge. He sniffed the air, yipped a little, and turned to Bonnie as she walked up.

“Do you smell your mother?” she asked. He yipped again, with a prance and a little howl.

“Good. Good boy!” Bonnie still felt conflicted. The little wolf had saved her life. The shaman had encouraged her to accept him and maybe had brought Oginali back to the farm. Matthew had made his thoughts perfectly clear on the matter.

“Now you need to find her,” she told him. “Stay with her and have your own life.”

The wolf looked down from her gaze, all the joy seeming to drain from him.

“Stay here,” she repeated. She turned around to start back to the truck. A gust of wind blew down the creek, causing the water to tinkle and chime against its icy rime. Oginali let out a whine, almost like a puppy. There was another, lighter gust of wind.

She turned around again, to chide him and make sure he wasn’t following her.

Oginali, the wolf pup, was gone.

Matthew smiled broadly as she reappeared from the woods. “I was worried you got lost,” he yelled as she approached. “The spot wasn’t that far away.”

She shook her head, her curly hair damp with mist and sweat. “No. It wasn’t too far. Your directions were good. And the pup caught his mother’s scent as we got near the sandy area in the creek bend.”

“I see he listened to you. But what took you so long?”

“I was only out for twenty minutes. Twenty-five at most.”

“Closer to an hour.” Matthew smirked. “I was about to call in backup to search for you.”

Bonnie looked at her watch, astonished to see how long she had been gone. “Being out in an unfamiliar area can do that. But the pup stayed when I told him. He had already run off when I checked back to see if he was following me.”

She didn’t mention the odd feeling she’d had. How had she not noticed the time?

“That’s good.” He shook his head slightly and sighed. “Let’s get back to the valley. I need to get ready for the parade and meet up with Thomas and Peter.”

“Peter must be excited about the festivities today,” Bonnie said as she climbed into the old truck. “I remember how much I loved parades when I was his age.”

“You have no idea.” Matthew smiled again, taking his place behind the steering wheel. “I don’t know if he slept last night.”

They drove out of the woods, retracing their way down the muddy, old, logging road. They talked a bit more about the parade and their plans for Christmas day.

 Bonnie shivered and rubbed her arms. The truck was warming up, but she was still chilly from her hike.

 "I brought some peanut butter and banana sandwiches and hot tea for lunch." Matthew handed her a big travel mug. "My grandmother mixes the tea herself from roots and herbs."

She sipped it gingerly, enjoying the extra warmth, and grabbed a sandwich. Matthew pulled off the logging road onto a paved road, heading back to the farms.

“Gerald was arrested on multiple charges—reckless endangerment, threatening a federal agent, to name a few.” Bonnie said after a big bite of her sandwich. “He confessed to killing his father, and by way of that, hitting the wolf too. But Harvey had figured out something was up and swallowed the ruby at the last minute."

He nodded. “I heard the FBI is going to take him on federal charges too.”

“They are preparing charges, but they're going to wait until the local and state charges are prosecuted. There’s going to be conspiracy charges too.” She took a second bite.

“My brother told me the police talked to the tribal council,” he started. “Gerald had accumulated some serious debts and then recently paid them off. It looks like he’d borrowed that money from a loan shark, with the promise of the ruby as collateral. They’re trying to find out exactly who that was.”

They finished their lunch quickly. The hot tea removed the last of the chill from her hike. Grandma Brown Elk’s blend was delicious.

“Did Gerald implicate his mother or sister?” Matthew asked after a couple of quiet moments.

“No, quite the opposite. He kept them both in the dark. They didn't even know about his debts. And that was genuine shock when I told them about the ruby.”

Bonnie sipped her tea and gazed out the window at the melting snow on the trees. Gerald had hurt so many people. How would the Shelton family manage to move forward now, with two members of their family taken from them? The holidays would never be the same for them.

She shook off the thoughts. “Gerald confessed he paid Vince and Ray to set the fire on the island as a way to lure Harvey out, confront him about the ruby, and then cover up his murder. Ray was having second thoughts after starting the fire. And guess what size shoe Gerald wears.”

“Twelve.” He finished his tea, and she nodded. “Did they ever find the rifle that was used to kill Ray?”

“It was in Vince’s house. They don't know if he shot Ray to stop him from coming clean or just for a larger cut of the money from the stone. But Gerald said Vince tried to get even more money after the police interrogated him.” She turned to Matthew and shook her head. “So there’s another murder charge there and arson too.”

“What will happen to the ruby?”

“It will be kept as evidence through the trial. Then it will go to Jean Shelton as part of Harvey’s estate.” But trials could take a long time. Her thoughts went back to the Sheltons and the problems Harvey’s widow would have to manage now.

They turned into her driveway, and she marveled at the beauty of her home. She felt Matthew watching her for a long moment, but he didn’t anything.

“So,” she finally said, “see you at the parade?”

He grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

                                                           * * * * *

Bonnie stood near the end of the parade route, about a block from her mom’s church. The church had a big picnic shelter where the live nativity would take place. Rose Tuttle was already in the shelter helping set up. Nate Oswald was there too, dropping off his chickens and a big wooly sheep. Her mom had lamented that no one in the area had a camel. Old Man Roberts had offered one of his ostriches, but the church had politely declined.

Main Street in Christmas Tree Valley was a lazy S shape, with a big church at both ends. The general store was near the middle of the mile-long stretch. There were a couple of big houses, and a number of quaint cottage homes. Everywhere you looked, pine boughs and holly branches decorated windows, doors, and mailboxes. The trees along the road were strewn with decorations and garland.

People bundled up in warm jackets and festive hats lined both sides of the street. Children jumped up and down and yelled for Santa. Families shared hot chocolate and spiced cider. Anyone who didn’t have a cup was offered one, again and again.

Bonnie sipped slowly at her own mulled apple cider with a hint of cranberry juice. She had a big Thermos full, homemade by her mom before she’d left for church. As much as she enjoyed it, she hoped Matthew would show up with more of his grandmother’s special tea.

The parade started with the far church ringing its bell, and the familiar
whoop-whoop
of a police car’s siren. She knew John Trump and Chief Rogers were in that first car. It would take a little while before they passed her. Two kids ran from the churchyard, each sucking on enormous candy canes, as their parents and grandfather found a place on the parade route.

Everyone in the valley must be here, she thought. Except Matthew Brown Elk. Where was he?

The flag line from the high school followed the squad car, bright green and gold Christmas flags fluttering. Of course the marching band was next, belting out mostly recognizable carols. People were still trickling in. The road was closed off, but you could still get to the church parking lots.

As the parade crawled by, the business floats and trucks were lined up next. Some of them tossed candy out to the crowd. Cell phones and cameras were lifted high by many of the revelers.

A little boy ran up next to her, pointing. It was Peter Brown Elk. “Here she is, Dad.”

She turned around and came face-to-face with Matthew.

“Merry Christmas Eve, Bonnie!” he greeted her cheerfully.

Thomas was there too, choosing his spot along the road. “Over here, Peter. You have to get ready to get some candy.”

Bonnie blushed slightly, but her cheeks were already rosy from the crisp, chilly air. “Merry Christmas Eve,” she repeated uncertainly. “I’m glad you made it.”

Matthew was still grinning. “We would’ve been here earlier, but had a last-minute customer come up for a tree, so, you know...we had to make the sale.”

“Of course.” She nodded knowingly. “You can’t let someone go without a Christmas tree.”

“Did we miss the firetrucks, Edoda?” Peter asked his father.

He took a few steps to stand next to his son. “No, Atsutsa. They are near the end, just before Santa.”

The boy jumped off the curb, smiling and laughing, to grab some of the candy being tossed out.

“Is your brother here?” Matthew asked.

“He is,” Bonnie replied. “He’s wandering around, catching up with his friends. He got in last night.”

“How long is Eric staying?”

“He’s going to be here for a couple days, through Christmas.” Their mother was thrilled they would all be together.

A group of cloggers danced down the street, warmly dressed and smiling. Kids from the gymnastics school spun cartwheels. Bonnie had never understood how those little children could do that for a whole mile without tiring out. She didn’t envy their parents when they got them home tonight. The local Rotary Club had a big banner on a pickup and handed out pamphlets. The regional hospital also had a float and gave out magnets with emergency numbers instead of candy. She was sure the kids loved that.

Matthew chatted about the people in the parade while Peter ran around, on and off the curb. Thomas excused himself to walk around the crowd.

The midpoint of the parade was the grandest float, sponsored by the Carson family and the pepper packing plant. It featured a gorgeous winter landscape with animated penguins and a decorated tree. On a throne in the center of the float was this year’s Pepper Queen with a big, sparkly tiara and a warm, fluffy jacket. She smiled and waved to everyone with grace.

Bonnie finished her cup of cider and contemplated another. She was still adjusting to the cold after her time in Alabama.

 “Tea?” Matthew hefted his own Thermos, noticing her empty cup.

She smiled. “Is it your grandmother’s blend?”

“Of course it is. He never brings anything else.” Eric Tuttle walked up as Matthew started to pour some tea. “It’s good to see you, Brown Elk.”

They talked for a few minutes as the classic car club rolled past then some local politicians. Finally, the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade came into view. Peter perked up, clapping his hands. The trucks seemed larger in the growing sunset, with their red lights blazing. Every couple of minutes, one of them would blare a siren. Kids along the route screamed and covered their ears.

Everyone waved at the firefighters as they went by. Bonnie caught eyes with Stella. She had turned down an offer to ride on the truck with the fire chief. With everything that had happened since she’d moved back to town, Bonnie just wanted to have a fun, relaxing evening with her family and her new friends. Instead, she and Stella had made plans to meet at the Nativity after the parade. She was starting to feel comfortable with her decision to be here.

The parade ended with Santa Claus on his sleigh. Elf assistants tossed out little chocolate bars. The truck that pulled the float had a red nose on the grill and antlers sticking out the windows. Parents and kids who wanted to meet Santa would have a chance after the float parked near the Nativity.

There, next to Santa, was Rose, in a bonnet and red dress with a green plaid blanket over her lap. She looked happier than Bonnie could remember, waving and smiling to children and adults alike. Her mom blew her a kiss, and she caught it. Bonnie knew these were the moments to cherish, before her family would have to face hard days of their own. She wiped away a tear with her mittened hand and laughed as Rose leaned over to give Santa a kiss, much to the crowd’s delight.

Bonnie and Eric, along with Matthew and his family, walked toward the picnic shelter. Other people were working their way there too. Just as they reached the shelter, the church choir started singing. The moment became solemn as the actors played out the Nativity story. Rose Tuttle joined her children as they approached, still in her Mrs. Santa costume.