Santa Sleuth (9 page)

“I can’t believe how nervous I am,” I said to Zak. “I realize Scooter is only an elf and he doesn’t even have any lines, but I still feel butterflies in my stomach.”

“Me too. I can’t help but have flashbacks to my own Christmas play when I was in the fourth grade.”

“Were you an elf too?”

“The Christmas tree. And, like Scooter. I didn’t have any lines. All I had to do was walk out onto the stage and stand there, but the costume only had a small opening for me to look out and I couldn’t see very well. I tripped over someone’s foot and fell flat on my face.”

“Oh, no.” I laughed. “Were you embarrassed?”

“Traumatized was more like it. Like this play, mine was held on the Friday evening before winter break and I spent the next two weeks trying to convince my mom that we should move to another school district.”

“I take it you were unsuccessful.”

“I was. But as it turned out, all my angst was for nothing. By the time we returned to school everyone had forgotten about the play and the subject of my pratfall never came up.”

The lights dimmed.

I took Zak’s hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. I really hoped Scooter didn’t trip. Maybe he would recover, but I wasn’t sure I ever would. I’d never really understood why my dad would get so nervous when I had athletic or academic competitions as a child until I became a surrogate mother. The desire for your child to be successful really is an all-encompassing yearning that I would be willing to bet is built into our adult DNA.

Chapter 7

Saturday, December 19

Today hadn’t gone at all as planned. I’d meant to spend the day with the family at Hometown Christmas, enjoying the festivities with a little sleuthing on the side; instead, a huge storm blew in, knocking out power to the entire area and effectively closing down the town. The community center was powered by backup generators, so everyone gathered together whatever food and drink they felt they could donate and headed to the large building for an impromptu community feast.

Zak, Levi, and a few other men were out in their four-wheel-drive trucks rescuing people who had gotten stuck in the snow and checking on elderly and disabled community members.

Tawny Upton, along with a few other moms, were entertaining the younger children, and Ellie and a few other culinarily gifted individuals took charge of combining the ingredients that had been donated into delicious-looking soups, casseroles, and side dishes.

I, not possessing any special talent, was helping out and filling in where I could.

“Zoe, why don’t you go ahead and start taking out the salads we have ready?” Ellie instructed. “I think we’ll serve in courses. Soups and salads first, followed by casseroles and sides, and finally the desserts.”

“Are the soups going to be ready in time?” I asked.

“Yeah, they’ll be ready. We made stovetop soups that didn’t require a lot of cooking time. We can heat the casseroles in the ovens while everyone is enjoying the soup and salad portion of the meal, so we should be able to segue smoothly between courses.”

“And the bread?” Phyllis King asked.

“Let’s heat it and serve it with the soups and salads,” Ellie decided. “Hazel, why don’t you check the refrigerator for any chilled salads? I know several people brought some they’d already prepared. And why don’t a couple of you find large bowls to serve the green salads in? I think there are extra serving pieces in the basement.”

“I’ll go,” I offered. It was getting hot and crowded in the kitchen, and as much as I was enjoying this time with some of my favorite people, the idea of a few minutes to myself seemed wonderful about now.

“I’ll go with you,” Jeremy said. He had been making spaghetti sauce, which was now simmering on the stove.

“It’s really coming down,” I said as I looked out the window Jeremy and I passed on our way to the stairs. All that was visible was a sheet of white. The snow had been coming down like that for most of the day. The town had plows out trying to keep up with the snowfall, but I imagined, unless the storm let up, we were going to be spending the night with the friends and neighbors with whom we had gathered to share a meal.

Of course I had a huge truck that I’d had the foresight to drive into town, so chances were the Donovan-Zimmerman clan would be able to make it home. I’d gone back to the house earlier to check on the animals and had had little trouble navigating the deep drifts of snow that covered the roads.

“Yeah, it really is,” Jeremy agreed. “I feel like I should head over to the Zoo to check on things. The generators had kicked in when I left to pick up Morgan, Phyllis, and the girls, but Tank hadn’t shown up yet and he’s still not answering his cell.”

Tank River was one of two brothers who worked the graveyard shift at Zoe’s Zoo.

“I’ll go with you after we get the dishes Ellie wants. I could use some fresh air.”

“Have you heard from Zak and the rescue crew?” Jeremy asked as we started down the stairs.

“Not for a couple of hours. The last I heard they were trying to talk Mrs. Broomsfield into coming into town with them.”

Mrs. Broomsfield was an elderly woman who lived alone with only her cat, Madeline, for company.

“I imagine she didn’t want to leave Madeline alone.”

“Exactly. And I can’t say that I really blame her. I’m not thrilled about leaving my menagerie alone, but I’ve snuck back home a few times to check on them and they’re fine.”

Jeremy clicked on the overhead light when we’d made it to the bottom of the stairs. “Does Mrs. Broomsfield have a generator?”

“No, and her heat is electric, which was why Zak wanted her to come into town. He’s worried about leaving her alone without a source of heat.”

Jeremy picked up several large bowls and began to sort them into a pile. “Maybe you can talk her into taking Madeline over to your place to hang out with your animals and then coming into town for some food.”

“That’s a good idea. We can close Madeline into one of the bedrooms if we need to. I’m not sure how well she’ll like all our dogs. Not only are my three at the house but Ellie brought Shep over and Levi dropped Karloff off on his way into town as well. I’ll text Zak to suggest it, although he hasn’t answered the last two texts I’ve sent him,” I continued. “I imagine cell reception could be sketchy in some of the more isolated areas.”

I grabbed as many bowls as I could carry and Jeremy picked up his stack and we headed back up the stairs.

“Maybe we can stop by to pick her up after we check on the animals at the Zoo,” Jeremy suggested.

“Good idea. I won’t even bother Zak with it. I’m sure he has his hands full rescuing stranded motorists.”

We told Ellie what we were doing and promised Phyllis we would stop off to check on the two cats who lived in her house, then Jeremy and I set off into the storm. Living in the mountains, I was used to winter storms, and even somewhat used to blizzards, but the snow had to be falling at the rate of several inches an hour. The main roads were passable, but it was going to be hard to navigate the side roads even with my big truck.

We arrived at the Zoo to find the generators pumping and Tank and his brother Gunnar warm and toasty, sharing a night cap and playing a game of cards. They assured us they’d checked the fuel for the generators and had plenty, and both planned to sleep on the cots we provided for just that purpose.

When we were satisfied that things were under control at the Zoo, Jeremy and I went by to check on the cats at Phyllis’s and then headed toward Mrs. Broomsfield’s house. It was slow going with all the snow, so we passed the time catching each other up on the events of the past few days. I began by filling him in on the investigation into Jason Overland’s death and the progress, or perhaps I should say lack of progress, that I’d made.

“Who have you definitely eliminated by confirming an alibi?” Jeremy asked as I struggled to find the road markers.

“Bram Willard said he was working. I didn’t actually speak to the clerks he assured me would vouch for him, but it doesn’t make sense he would provide me with an alibi if he was lying. I’m pretty sure I can cross him off the list, though he was pretty open about his desire to do away with the man. I suppose he could have hired someone to do it.”

“True, but by that logic anyone could have hired someone. For now, let’s just assume that a firm alibi will eliminate a suspect. Watch out for that tree.”

I swerved to avoid a tree that was down in the middle of the road. Luckily, I was going slowly because I hadn’t seen it until I was almost upon it.

“The bartender at Lucky’s confirmed that Riley was there until midnight, so we can eliminate her,” I continued. “I didn’t think to ask Tina about an alibi, but I’ll work it into the conversation when I see her next. Kelly was passed out on the floor when I blacked out, but Salinger pointed out that she could have woken up and stabbed Jason, then passed out again. Still, someone set the fire and I really doubt it was her, so I’m inclined to believe she didn’t do it. Besides, she was pretty beaten up; it’s unlikely she would have been able to overpower Jason to stab him.”

“I don’t know. Rage has a way of making you stronger than you normally would be,” Jeremy pointed out. “I wouldn’t totally discount the idea that Kelly could have regained consciousness, stabbed Jason, and then passed out again, but you’re correct in thinking she most likely wouldn’t have started the fire.”

“I guess I can move Kelly to the maybe list. She seems an unlikely suspect, but the more we discuss this the more I can see that it isn’t impossible that she could have killed Jason.”

“Okay, so you have Tina on the list without a confirmed alibi. Who else?” Jeremy asked as I slowly turned onto the street where Mrs. Broomsfield lived.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to speak to Andrew Dover. His was one of the names Riley gave me.”

“I know Andrew. He’s at the community center. I saw him there earlier. It’s doubtful he’ll leave before we get back. You can talk to him then. Anyone else?”

I told Jeremy about Blugo, who seemed exactly the type to kill someone, though no one had seen him around as of late. I’d driven by the apartment Tizzy had given me, but it had been dark every time.

“Did you see that?” I asked Jeremy as we pulled up in front of Mrs. Broomsfield’s house.

“See what?”

“Something black just ran under the truck parked in the driveway across the street. I only saw it because it ran under a house light. It must be battery operated. You go in and check on Mrs. Broomsfield; I’m going to check over there.”

“Probably just a cat,” Jeremy said. “I’m sure it’ll be fine under the car.”

“I still haven’t found Cupcake. I have to be sure.”

Jeremy got out of the truck and slowly made his way up the unshoveled walk while I headed across the street. I knelt down and tried to peer under the body of the vehicle, but it was too dark.

“Cupcake?” I called.

An animal whimpered.

“Come on out, sweetie. If you do I’ll take you home.”

It took a few minutes, but by the time Jeremy returned to the truck with Mrs. Broomsfield and her cat, I had a scrawny black dog, who I hoped was Cupcake, in my arms.

“I see you managed to catch the pie thief,” Mrs. Broomsfield commented as I passed the dog to Jeremy, who had slid into the backseat so the elderly woman could sit in the front.

“Pie thief?”

“Little scamp stole the pie I had cooling on the outdoor table a couple of weeks ago.”

“I think he’s the dog a little girl who lives a few blocks over is looking for. Do you mind if we stop by to check with her before we head over to my house with Madeline?”

“Fine by me.”

Luckily, I had driven this neighborhood many times over the past week and knew exactly where Tabitha lived. I crossed my fingers and headed up to the front porch. The house was dark, but I could see smoke coming out of the chimney, and it looked as if there were candles burning in a room at the front.

I knocked and waited.

“Can I help you?” a man, who I assumed was Tabitha’s father, answered.

“My name is Zoe Donovan. I own the animal shelter in town. I know your daughter has been looking for her dog. Is this her?”

The man gave me a funny look. “You own the animal shelter?”

“I do.”

“And you can’t tell the difference between a girl dog and a boy dog?”

I turned the dog over. Talk about being embarrassed. I’d been so excited to find the dog I was sure was Cupcake that I hadn’t even checked.

“I guess not,” I admitted. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

Jeremy laughed for a good ten minutes when I returned to the truck and told him what had happened. I threatened him with all sorts of horrible consequences if he told anyone about my blunder. He said he wouldn’t, but knowing him, he probably would.

By the time Jeremy recovered from laughing we’d arrived at my house. I’d planned to simply drop Madeline off and then continue on to the community center, but Mrs. Broomsfield insisted on staying at the house with the animals. Thanks to the generator, the house was warm and toasty and we had plenty of food on hand, so I didn’t really have an argument. Zak must have come by with the plow crew because even our drive had been cleared. I fed the dog I’d found and introduced him to the pack of dogs at the house. They seemed to get along fine, so I gave Mrs. Broomsfield instructions on how to use Zak’s fancy video player and what to do should the generator go out, and then headed back to the community center with Jeremy.

“I can’t believe that dog wasn’t Cupcake,” I mused as we made our way out onto the recently plowed highway. “Same size, same color, same part of town.”

“Hopefully the dog didn’t live at the house you took it from,” Jeremy said.

“Yeah, me too. He was pretty thin. I’m betting he’s a stray, but we can work it all out once the storm passes. I hope we can find a place to park that isn’t under two feet of snow.”

“Let’s just park in the no parking zone in the front. I’m betting it’s been cleared, and if there’s an emergency your truck is probably the best equipped to handle the road conditions.”