Murder Under the Tree (7 page)

“It already smells fantastic.”

I started peeling a mango for the fruit salad. Phil hugged me from behind. I didn't know if I would be able to finish making breakfast. But everyone would be down soon. I looked down at what I was doing. I had peeled the mango down to the pit. I reached for another.

“Ham and asparagus strata.”

He twirled me around and kissed me again. Maybe this was my Christmas surprise. An attentive, adoring husband. I'd take it!

“Morning, Mom and Dad,” Will said, yawning as he came into the kitchen. What's for breakfast?”

“Merry Christmas, Will!”

“Oh...Merry Christmas! When's everyone coming?”

I glanced at the clock. “Soon enough. We'll be ready to eat breakfast in about a half an hour.”

Andy and Rose came into the kitchen in their pajamas. “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

“Merry Christmas, you two,” I said. “Everyone's up early.”

“Then let's open our Christmas stockings,” Will said.

We headed into the living room and sat down. Will took the handmade stockings down and handed them out. I had given everyone a paperback that I thought they'd enjoy. Will gave me a pair of gold hoop earrings, and Andy and Rose, a lovely candle. Phil usually gave each person a CD. My gift from him wasn't in that shape. I tore off the gift wrap and threw it down. It was a book on Italy.

I looked up at Phil. “What's this?”

“Kay, we're going to Italy. You and I.”

Andy and Will looked at me. “Aren't you going to say anything, Mom?”

“I'm in shock. I can't believe it! I love you, Phil!” I went over and hugged him, then waved the book around triumphantly as the others clapped.

The timer went off. “Italy!” I said as I waltzed into the kitchen and took the strata out of the oven. Phil had certainly exceeded expectations this time! Soon we all gathered at the kitchen table for our Christmas breakfast. The dining room table was already set for dinner.

After a shower, I spent the rest of morning in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Occasionally Andrew or Phil would pop in to help a little. I could hear the 1938 version of “A Christmas Carol” on in the family room. It was one of those movies that you can watch over and over again. My thoughts drifted to Sarah Moeller. I hoped she and her friends were having a reprive from thinking about Les' death today. Soon, I was thinking about sunny Sicily again.

Around noon, the door bell rang. “They're
already
here?” I said in disbelief under my breath. I took off my apron and went to answer the door just as Phil came down the steps, all showered and looking handsome in a suit.

“Surprise! Merry Christmas! We're early,” Phil's brother Tommy said, standing on the porch.

I smiled at Phil. “Yes, you are.” Great surprise. Phil's brother Tom and my obsessive sister-in-law Margo. Their arms were loaded full of plastic Tupperware containers, plus a fruit cake. “Merry Christmas!” Phil and I said.

“Kay, Margo's looking forward to helping you out with Christmas dinner.” Phil looked over at me raising his eyebrows. Andrew and Will, who were now at the front door, stood grinning.

I clenched my jaw. More like take over Christmas dinner. “How thoughtful,
Margo, it's so sweet of you to want to help. But, I'd appreciate if you'd just enjoy your Christmas. Guests should be guests. Please, just enjoy yourself.” I forced a smile. Would she buy it? My sister-in-law thought she was queen-of-
every
-kitchen. Everything had to be done her way. It wouldn't be so terrible, if she knew how to cook.
Kay, remember it's Christmas.

Tommy looked towards Margo and she at him. “Something smells good in here,” he said as he handed me the fruit cake and walked into the house. “Nonsense. Margo wants to help you.”

“I insist!” Margo said without a smile.

“Let me help you with all of those containers. You shouldn't have brought all of this food. We have plenty.” An extra hour with Margo. My menu, ruined. Of that, I was sure.

Phil patted his little brother on the shoulder. “Tommy, how's it going?”

“Busy. You know, work.” Tommy's eyes shifted in Will's direction. “Will, I heard you're starting your new job soon,” he said, as they went into the living room.

Margo went straight into the kitchen. I followed with the containers and the fruitcake and put them on the counter. She took off her coat, handed it to me, and took a Christmas apron out of her large purse. I wondered if she had a chef's hat in there as well. She put on her apron and proceeded to lift up each lid of the pots on the stove, systemically tasting everything. “Well, we can rescue that,” I heard her say under her breath as I left to hang up her coat.

Going into the living room, I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door to find Deirdre and Mike, Elizabeth and John standing on the doorstep, with packages in their arms, singing.

Here we come a-wassailing

Among the leaves so green;

Here we come a-wand'ring

So fair to be seen.

Love and joy come to you....

Everyone came to the door to listen, other than Margo. “Lovely voices!” I said, and clapped when they finished. “Come in. I am
so glad
you’re here.” I had never been so glad to see anyone.

“Kay, what's wrong?” Deirdre asked in a low voice. I must have looked desperate.

Deirdre could always sense when something was wrong. “Margo's in the kitchen.”

“Oh.” Deirdre’s eyebrows drew together.

“You poor thing,” Elizabeth added. She handed me another fruitcake.

I was about to close the door when I spotted Phil's aunt and uncle coming out of the car at the end of the driveway. I waved and waited for them outside on the porch, Elizabeth's fruitcake in hand, as they walked up to the house. I looked over at Ted's house. I saw the curtain in the living room twitch. Hmm...Did we have a new neighbor?

“Merry Christmas, Kay!” We hugged.

“So happy you could make it,” I said.

“Lovely home,” Uncle Ben said. “Sudbury Falls looks like a nice little town.”

They handed me a wrapped round package. “Better put this in the refrigerator. It's Uncle Ben's favorite,” Aunt Mary said. She looked down at Elizabeth's fruitcake. “Looks like you'll have plenty.”

I glanced once more at Ted's house before closing the door. The curtain was still.

Everyone sat in the living room visiting, other than Chef Margo. Phil took drink orders. I had plates of appetizers on various tables and passed those around. Aunt Mary commented on our beautiful Christmas tree and the other decorations. Elizabeth stood up and walked over to get another nibble. She wore a short, low-cut, forest green dress that looked like it was spray painted on, except that it got even lower when she bent over the tray of appetizers. I had remembered to keep the heat turned up.

Across the room I saw Uncle Ben look over at Aunt Mary and wink at her. How sweet, I thought. They've been married for what, almost sixty years? Then as Elizabeth passed him, I saw Ben wink at her as well, after he gave her the once-over, three times, and ran his hand over his thinning hair.

I went back in the kitchen and watched Margo work like a whirling dervish, adding salt and other spices, ruining my meal.

I took the salt shaker out of Margo's hands and put it down on the counter. “Margo, I think that is enough salt. Phil is trying to watch his salt intake. Why don't you go into the living room and sit down and visit with Aunt Mary and Uncle Ben for a while.”

Elizabeth came into the kitchen. Her face flushed. Her eyes wide and glowing. “Kay, I think John is going to ask me to marry him!”

“Really? Great!” I gave her a hug. “But you haven't been seeing each other that long.” I thought back to when just a couple of months ago, Elizabeth was dating three other men, all at the same time.

She gave me her pained stare. Then said, “What should I say, Kay?” She grabbed my arm. “
What
...should I do?”

Just then Andy came into the kitchen. He looked between Elizabeth and myself. Elizabeth took her hand off my arm. “Dad sent me in. We need more appetizers.”

I took out the spinach-artichoke dip I was keeping warm in the oven, spooned it into a small bread bowl, and handed it to Andy. “Thanks, Andy.” I smiled.

“What makes you think he's going to?”

After Andy left the room, Elizabeth looked over at Margo. Margo was adding more cream to the chestnut soup. Much more. Probably thinking Margo was too far gone into re-seasoning, she continued. “I was getting dressed in his bedroom. I saw a receipt from a jewelers... for a diamond ring. A
big
diamond ring.”

Deirdre walked into the kitchen. “Kay, what can I do to help?”

“You want to help?” I whispered to Deirdre, looking at the salt shaker back in Margo's hands. The situation with Margo was beyond any damage control. “Make me a drink!”

Soon we all sat down to Christmas dinner. I said grace. Phil made a toast, reprising last night's “God bless us everyone.” We started with the chestnut cream soup. Margo had allowed the soup to boil, resulting in it curdling. For the main course, rosemary-garlic roast beef and potatoes with horseradish sauce, an abundance of salt overpowered all of the other ingredients. Luckily, I had prepared the asparagus with romano cheese at the last minute and without attracting Margo's notice. The table was also ladened with the other foods Margo had brought.

“Everything's delicious,” Tommy said.

Deirdre smiled at me. I watched Phil gulping down water. But as the food was eaten, and the conversations made lively, I smiled and thought,
success,
even with a whirling dervish in the kitchen. 

“We have a friend, Jim Barnowski, from the Cities who moved to Sudbury Falls recently,” Uncle Ben said. “He's living in a retirement home nearby.”

“His wife died a few years back,” Aunt Mary said. “Ben, perhaps we should go visit him later, this afternoon. He might appreciate a Christmas visit.”

“Which retirement home?” I asked.

“Hawthorne Hills,” Aunt Mary said.

“The old codger won't be letting the women alone there. He was quite the ladies' man, way back when.”

Phil looked over at me with pleading eyes, which I could only read as saying, please don't mention the death there.

“Kay and I have a friend who lives there also,” Deirdre said.

“Kay told me that a caretaker died there a few days ago. It might even be murder.” Leave it to Elizabeth. I looked over at Phil who was toying with the stem of his wine glass, probably wanting to place his hands around Elizabeth's neck instead. A throbbing blood vessel appearing on his forehead.

Uncle Ben wiped his mouth with his napkin. “That's awful. Were there witnesses to it?”

“It wasn't a murder,” Phil said. “Tommy, did I ever tell you—”

“What did the police say?” Aunt Mary asked.

“It was an accident,” Phil said. He loosened his tie. “The police investigation called it an accidental death. Case closed!” He glared at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth opened her mouth. Phil cleared his throat. She looked over at Phil, smiled, and closed it.

Early in the evening, Phil's aunt and uncle left along with Phil's brother and sister-in-law. Elizabeth and John had to go to his family's for a late Christmas dinner. After closing the door, I went back into the living room, sat down on the sofa, put my feet up on the ottoman, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Deirdre, Mike, and us. And Deirdre and Mike were like family.

“Now, that they're gone. Let's party!” I laughed.

“Does anyone want to go ice skating?” Will asked.

“I thought you were going to Frances' house to exchange gifts.”

“That's not happening until later. I wouldn't mind doing something outside.”

“Skating sounds like fun to me,” Rose said.

“Deirdre, Mike?” I asked.

After we changed our clothes, Rose and Andy, Will, Deirdre, and I left to go ice skating. Phil and Mike stayed behind.

We drove over to the park. The clean, crisp air gave a feeling of rejuvenation as I sat on a bench and laced up my skates. Something I needed after the day's events. I was surprised at the number of people at the rink on Christmas.

We all skated around the rink several times, then while playing crack the whip on the ice, I thought about my meeting with Sarah Moeller tomorrow morning and about the friend of Phil's aunt and uncle who lived in Hawthorne Hills. He could prove useful.

Friday, December 26

I knocked on the door at ten o'clock in the morning and waited. I had called ahead telling Sarah I would take her, Anne, and Martin to the patisserie for coffee. I thought it would be good to talk away from the retirement home after having added Dr. Lee to my list of suspects that I was forming. I wanted to talk to Marissa anyway. Sarah opened the door and greeted me. Anne and Martin were sitting in the same places they were the last time I saw them.

“All set to go. I have the car waiting out front.”

“If you don't mind, I'd like to drive,” Martin said, standing up. “I haven't started my car in a week.”

We took the elevator down. After parking my car in the lot, I headed over to the garage. Martin beeped the car horn to get my attention. I slipped into the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car next to Sarah. Anne sat up front. I ran my hand across the soft, cream colored leather seat.