Murder by Christmas (Edna Davies mysteries) (16 page)

Chapter 18

The snow was coming down steadily and persistently. Fortunately, the wind wasn’t strong, so driving was slow, but not particularly hazardous. With only half her concentration on the road, Edna was able to plan what she had to do when she reached the house. Since she’d not spoken to Albert last night, that item was first on her mental list. She’d also have to call Charlie and let him know about the mistletoe she’d seen in the Perrys’ Volvo. As she approached her neighborhood, her attention switched to the side roads and driveways as she passed each one. She must tell Charlie about the strange vehicle that had twice nearly run her off the road.

She was so absorbed in trying to remember all that she had to report to the detective, at first she thought she was hallucinating when she spotted Charlie’s car parked behind her own and the man himself standing by the wire-framed sleigh in the middle of the circular driveway. He was staring up at the chimney, but he lowered his gaze and waved as she stopped behind his unmarked police sedan and slid out of the Kia.

“I thought you were home and refusing to let me in,” he joked, tugging his collar up around his neck against the snow as he approached. “Isn’t this Carol’s car?”

She nodded, hunching into her own coat. “I’m chauffeuring Gran around. She doesn’t feel safe driving in snow, now that she’s used to Florida winters. I’ve been glad of the use of it since Kevin plowed my car in.” As she spoke, Edna realized that the driving she’d done had all been for her neighbor, otherwise she’d have been able to stay home and prepare for her family’s arrival.

“Well, you’re unstuck now. I see the Benton boys got my message and did some shoveling around here.”

“Yes, thank you for arranging it. I’ll get hold of them soon to pay them, but tell me, what are you doing here? Have you heard from Mary?” Her heart lifted in anticipation.

He scowled. “No. No word yet. One of the reasons I stopped by was to ask you the same question.”

She shook her head. “What about Bethany? Any word from Boston?”

It was Charlie’s turn to shake his head. “Afraid not. My friend on the force will be going over there this morning. I hope to hear from him by lunchtime.”

Feeling helpless and more than a little concerned about Mary, Edna said, “Let’s get out of this weather. I’ve learned some things lately that you should know about.”

As they rounded the car, Charlie motioned with his chin toward the roof. “Did you notice that Santa has deflated?” He grimaced. “I was afraid this snow might be too heavy for the old guy. I can’t tell you how many years I’ve had that balloon man.” He checked his watch. “I can’t spare the time right now, but I’ll come back this evening with my ladder to get him down. Maybe I can repair him.” He offered his arm and helped her through the snow

As they trudged along the brick path to the back door, she said, “Have you any more news on Laurel Taylor?”

“I managed to track her back to her last job. Seems she was working for some old guy in Indiana.”

Edna smiled to herself, pleased to be able to fill in some blanks for Charlie’s investigation. “Well, I have more information than that for you. I know who that ‘old guy’ is. I’ve just left his sister.”

Charlie snorted a laugh. “How do you do it, Edna?”

She grinned up at him. “It was pure coincidence. Since this has to do with your investigation, surely you can stay a while. I’ll make a pot of coffee and tell you what I’ve learned. Also, I think I have something pertinent to your borrowed-bicycle mystery.”

Benjamin was waiting at the door as soon as Edna stepped into the mudroom. Before Charlie could slip inside, the ginger cat poked his head out. The two humans watched with some amusement as he inspected the falling flakes and the mounds of icy, cold snow building up on the ground. Rather than venture out, he gave a clear sneeze of disgust and returned to his bed.

At the kitchen table, over a fresh pot of coffee and a plate of warmed-up biscuits with homemade strawberry jam, Edna told Charlie about Faye and her brother Bob. She finished by admitting, “We were interrupted before Faye gave me the husband’s name or his family’s.”

“I’ll stop by the diner and speak to Faye myself. We’ll locate the relatives,” Charlie said. “This is a good lead, Edna, but you need to be careful. You know what happened last time you got mixed up in a murder.” He didn’t need to elaborate, but he did add with a lighter tone, “If anything happened to you, Starling would never forgive me.”

His warning stirred memories that made Edna shiver. “I don’t ever want to be in that sort of danger again, believe me, but I don’t think talking to Faye falls into that category. I don’t think trying to locate Mary does either. Do you?”

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t seem so, but you’d still better leave the detecting to me.” Before she could take umbrage at this comment, he looked at his watch and pushed his chair back from the table. “I need to be off, but you said you had something relevant to the missing bicycles.”

She nodded. “Have you seen a big, dark car in this neighborhood lately? It looks like one of those square military things.”

“You mean a Humvee?” He looked thoughtfully at her for several seconds before answering. “No. Can’t say as I have. Why? What has this to do with the bicycles?”

“I’m just guessing, but ...” Edna told him what she could remember about the car and explained what had happened twice now when she’d been heading to Gran’s house. She ended by saying, “And the strangest thing is, the driver turns on the windshield wipers and sprays washer fluid each time he gets near enough for me to get a good look at him.” She crumbled the edge of an untouched biscuit on her plate, concentrating on her fingers while she put her thoughts together. Looking up at Charlie, she concluded, “I’m probably making something out of nothing, but it made me think of your mystery and the tracks you saw the other morning. Now that the snow makes it impossible to ride a bike on the road, I wonder if the driver of that car might be the same person cruising our neighborhood and maybe looking for Carol.”

“Did you get a plate number?”

She shook her head. “I was so busy trying to avoid an accident, I didn’t even think to look at the plates.”

“That’s okay,” Charlie said. “I’ll alert the patrol and have them keep an eye out.” He took a notebook out of his pocket. “You say it was a dark-colored Humvee.”

“Yes, if that’s what those military-looking things are called. I’m pretty certain it’s black, but it might be dark blue. With that fluid all over the windshield, I couldn’t make out who was driving. Just a silhouette. I’m not even certain it was a man. I’m sorry but that’s all I can tell you.”

“I’ll call it in. If you see it again, call me right away.”

As soon as he left, Edna picked up the phone and dialed Albert’s cell. To her surprise, Diane answered.

“Where’s your father?”

“He’s still sleeping.”

Edna looked at the clock. “He doesn’t usually sleep past eight in the morning.”

“His body needs more rest while it’s healing,” came the reply from her nurse-trained daughter.

“Why are you answering his phone?”

“I took it last night, after he fell asleep. I didn’t think he should be disturbed.”

“Isn’t that his call … if you’ll pardon the expression?” Edna figured her daughter probably wouldn’t understand the humor, but Edna was trying hard not to scold. She paused to take a deep breath, remembering this was the child who meant well.
It’s just that she goes a bit too far, sometimes
, Edna thought. Instead of speaking her mind, she said, “How is he feeling? What did the doctors say about his heart?”

“His tests show that his heart is fine. His blood pressure is lower than the doctor would like, but Father took it easy yesterday. He’s to rest and not get upset.”

You don’t think he’ll be upset when he finds out you’ve taken his phone?
Edna swallowed the retort. Aloud, she asked after Diane and the rest of the family, simply to make small talk.

“We’re doing well, thank you, Mother. We’re looking forward to Mary’s open house tomorrow evening. It’s been wonderful having Father here, but I know he’ll be happy to get home. He doesn’t want to be a burden on you. That’s why he’s overdoing his exercises, trying to build up his strength too quickly.”

If Edna was supposed to comment on this remark or feel guilty as the cause of Albert’s setback, she couldn’t think of a soothing thing to say. “Please tell him I phoned and give him my love. I’d like to chat more with you, dear, but I’ve still got lots to do. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” As she hung up, she thought,
There may not be a party tomorrow, if Mary doesn’t show up soon.

Glancing at the desk clock and trying to ignore the pile of Christmas cards she had yet to address, Edna noted it wasn’t quite nine o’clock, which meant it would be not quite seven in Colorado. Early, she thought, but someone is bound to be up with the baby. Dean slept well, but went to bed early and was usually awake by six. It was with this thought she dialed Grant’s home number, expecting Karissa to answer, so was both pleased and surprised when Grant picked up.

“Hello, Mother.”

“Hello, dear. How was your skiing trip?”

“Incredible, but we cut it short. We’ve been catching the Rhode Island weather reports. It sounds like you’re having quite a storm.”

Edna turned to look out the window of her small office and saw large snowflakes drifting past the glass. “It’s snowing at the moment, but it’s been doing this for a couple of days, now. Just when I think we’ll get a foot or more, it stops for a while,” she said, hoping that would be the case with the latest flurries.

“We’ll be following the airport news today. We’re all looking forward to a New England Christmas, and a white one will be awesome. Rhode Island snow is much better for making snowmen than Colorado powder. Can’t wait to show the kids.”

“And I can’t wait to see all of you, dear.” Edna’s heart lifted again at the thought of her family together for the holiday. Remembering the main reason for her call to Colorado, she said, “I haven’t gotten a crib for Dean yet and am wondering ...”

She didn’t have time to finish the sentence before Grant cut in. “Didn’t Karissa tell you? We’re bringing his portable with us. It’s much more compact and easier than setting up an entire crib. He’ll be fine.”

Mentally chiding herself for not thinking to mention a crib before, Edna chatted with her son for a few more minutes before they hung up with words of “love to everyone” and “see you tomorrow.”

She spent the rest of the morning preparing the rooms for Grant’s family. She thought nine-year-old Jillian would bunk in with Starling. Dean could share the room with his parents. Shaking her head in amusement at Albert’s suggestion that the bottom drawer of the chest would suffice for a fourteen-month-old, she sighed with relief that a big item had been removed from her to-do list.

The pleasure she felt over the arrival of her children and grandchildren was shattered when her thoughts abruptly turned to Mary. Where was she? Would she be home in time for her party tomorrow night? Was she even able to get home?

“Where could she be and why doesn’t she call?” Edna asked Benjamin as he watched her put clean towels on the racks in the guest bathroom. He sat on the edge of the tub and only stared at her with unblinking green eyes. As if her thoughts had conjured up the action, the phone rang. Ready to believe it had to be Mary, Edna raced to the bedroom and picked up the extension.

“Hello? Mary?”

“No, Edna. It’s Gran.” After a second’s pause, she said with evident excitement, “Have you heard from Mary? Were you expecting a call from her?”

“Oh, hi, Gran.” Edna tried to keep the disappointment from her voice. “She was on my mind when the phone rang, so it was only wishful thinking.” With a sinking heart both because the caller wasn’t Mary and because Edna hadn’t expected to go back out into the snow that afternoon, she said, “Do you need me to come get you?”

“No, dear. Vinnie brought me home an hour ago. I was phoning to give you some bad news, I’m afraid.”

Edna felt like hanging up right then, but she couldn’t be that rude to Gran. Determined to be a good sport, whatever the news, she said, “Not too bad, I hope.”

“Carol just phoned to say her flight from Chicago has been cancelled. She won’t get home today. Apparently, they haven’t been able to clear the runways or de-ice the planes fast enough to keep up with the scheduled flights.”

Edna thought she heard a catch in Gran’s voice and knew how disappointed she felt. Edna herself was feeling as if all the air had been sucked out of her. What if her children’s flight was cancelled tomorrow? She felt sick, but managed to perk up enough to say, “Don’t worry, Gran. I’m sure Carol will be home tomorrow.” But Edna wasn’t at all certain of that. Aiming for a cheerful note, she asked, “How’s little Callie adjusting to her new home?” With Gran’s delighted reply, the two women spoke for a minute more before hanging up. Edna went back to her chores, trying very hard not to think about cancelled flights and closed airports. She would hope for the best. Of course her children would make it home for Christmas. She would not jinx the holiday by thinking otherwise.