2 Yule Be the Death of Me (3 page)

“We passed
them when we came inside.” Joshua offered.

“That’s
right.” Vivienne gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll throw these glasses away
while I’m at it.” She took the plastic-ware from him and dashed off to the
front reception area.

Along the way
she bumped into Suzette Powell who owned The Formal Affair Catering. “Vivienne,
it’s nice to see you.”

“Hello
Suzette.” Vivienne smiled. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing
well.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I’m really curious to see
what people think of my entry for the contest.” Suzette confessed.

“I’m doing the
same thing.” Vivienne whispered back.

“I’m glad you
entered the contest.” Suzette smiled. “Some years, it’s really no competition
at all.”

“Well, each
one is unique in its own charming way.” Vivienne tried her best to be
diplomatic.

“That’s true.”
Suzette smiled. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

Vivienne
paused for a moment. She liked Suzette and had even helped her out when the
police wrongly suspected her in Mona Clarke’s murder back in October, but she
did have a competitive streak in her when it came to business. “I think it’s
more fun to guess.”

Suzette took a
sip of her punch and nodded. “That’s true.” She gave a quick glance at her
wrist watch. “Besides, we’ll find out in less than an hour anyway.”

“I’m thinking
the vintage train is your entry.” Vivienne lied. She was quite sure that
Tristan and Nathaniel from Carriage House Antiques had designed the vintage
fifties era passenger train, as their shop was filled with memorabilia from the
famous Super Chief train that Hollywood royalty rode during the golden age of
cross-country travel. It was an elegant display and she was sure it would
stroke her ego to think it was created by her two hands.

“You think
so?” Suzette played along. “I think that little cathedral has your name all
over it.”

‘The little
gingerbread piece with the lopsided steeple and loose window?’ Vivienne thought
to herself and almost guffawed in response. “Well, you just never know.” She
gave a weak little laugh. “I really must pay a visit to the ladies room.”

“Oh, I didn’t
mean to hold you up. Good luck.” Suzette gave a little wave and drifted into
the crowd.

Vivienne
scooted past a new surge of people who were working their way toward the bar
area and arrived at the front reception desk. She was relieved to see the
restroom sign next to the little room that Todd had turned into a coat check.

She pushed
open the door, and as luck would have it, one of the two stalls was open. She
stopped by the sink and dropped the plastic cups into the trash can when she
suddenly heard a loud sob erupt from the closed stall.

Looking into
the mirror, she could see a pair of plain black flats under the door. Not
wanting to appear rude, she pretended not to hear it and stepped into the open
stall. Closing the door and latching it, she was just about to sit down when a
pair of thick heels clacked into the ladies room.

“Damn, they’re
both taken up.” A woman with a throaty-smoker’s voice said.

“I bet the
men’s room has a dozen stalls.” A softer voice added.

“Did you see
that God-awful gingerbread church?” The smoker asked.

“I’ve seen
abandoned ruins with more charm.” The softer voice laughed. “What a mess.”

“They ought to
have some kind of minimum standard for entering these things. It’s a disgrace
to have that eye sore next to some of those others.” The smoker agreed.

Another sob
erupted from the stall next to Vivienne.

“Honey, pee or
get off the pot will you?” The smoker rapped on the stall door where the
distraught woman was holed up. “Some of us have small bladders.”

Vivienne felt
angry at the callousness of the pair outside the stalls. After she finished,
she pulled the toilet paper roll off the holder and put it in her purse. She
then flushed and opened the door. “This one is open ladies.” She smiled.

“It’s about
time.” The smoker voice turned out to be a woman who looked like she was in her
late fifties. Tight black curls, a face drawn with wrinkles around the mouth
from years of smoking, she appeared as dour as her voice sounded. Dressed in a
pair of tan pants and a red sweater, she hurried past Vivienne and closed the
door without
so
much as a nod of thanks.

Her friend,
the softer voiced one, turned out to be a petite woman with a bun of white hair
and wore a pair of glasses that were a shade of hot pink with gaudy fake
diamonds embedded on the temples. She waited patiently by the sink, seeming
slightly embarrassed by her companion’s behavior, as Vivienne washed her hands
and left the restroom.

She held the
door open for just a moment and then heard the smoker curse a blue streak that
there was no more toilet paper. She let the door close and giggled to herself
at her own little version of swift justice. She was about to walk away when a
young woman with straight black hair that could desperately use a cut and style
slipped out and nearly ran into her.

“Are you
okay?” Vivienne asked.

The woman was
young, looking to be in her mid-twenties at best. She had soft brown eyes that
were red and puffy from crying in the stall. Dressed in a plain green tee shirt
and a pair of faded jeans that had ragged bottoms, she didn’t look like someone
who had much good fortune in this life. “Were you the one in the other stall?”

“Yes.”
Vivienne nodded. “I didn’t want to intrude.”

“Oh, that’s
okay.” The young woman replied. “I just wanted to thank you for what you did.”

“What did I
do?” Vivienne asked.

“Taking all
the toilet paper?” The young woman gave a little smile. “She’s still in there
swearing up a storm.”

Vivienne
smiled back. “She deserved it.”

The young
woman opened her purse, a rather beat-up fake leather piece that had seen
better days and produced a second roll. “Great minds think alike, I guess.” She
smiled a little more.

“If you don’t
mind me asking, why were you crying in there?”

The young
woman was about to answer when a portly man with greasy brown hair, thin lips,
and a scraggly goatee approached them. He looked exactly like what her mother
Nora would call a ‘mealy mouth.’ “Natalie, what the hell took you so long?”

The young
woman, now known as Natalie, shook her head at Vivienne. “Oh, it was nothing.”

“When are they
going to announce the winner of this thing? I’ve got to be at the bar ten
minutes before the fight starts to get a bet in.” The mealy mouth whined.

“We can leave
because I’m not going to win.” Natalie answered. “You were right. It was a
stupid idea to start with.”

“You wasted
your money making that, not mine.” Mealy mouth took hold of her arm. “So that’s
just less presents for Connor this year. After all, he’s not really my kid.”

“I’m sorry,
Eddie.” Natalie apologized and followed him toward the exit. “I thought maybe I
could win and we could put some money in the bank for once.”

“You’ll never
win because all your ideas are stupid.” Eddie replied.

Vivienne
stepped between them. “She has just as much chance as anyone else to win
tonight.”

Mealy mouth’s
beady brown eyes squinted, which Vivienne thought made him look like some sort
of nasty-tempered overgrown rat. “Who the hell are you?”

“Vivienne
Finch. I run the Sweet Dreams Bakery shop in town.”

“Well, la
dee
da.” Mealy mouth’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Why don’t
you go back to baking cookies and mind your own business?”

“Eddie, please
don’t be rude.” Natalie reached out and touched the elbow of his rather
expensive looking winter jacket. In fact, all of his clothes were designer
labels and in good shape. It was quite the opposite of Natalie who was in head
to toe in clothes that practically screamed thrift store.

“I don’t go
sticking my nose into other people’s business.” Eddie sniffed. “That’s what’s
rude.”

Vivienne
really wanted to punch him something good. Get a good solid hit right into his
smug face. But, as much as it pained her to think it, he was right. She didn’t
know them or their situation at all. She of all people knew that outward
appearances were frequently deceiving. “I didn’t mean to start any trouble.”

“Then leave us
alone and go back to your kitchen, sweetheart.” Eddie pushed his way roughly
through the crowd with Natalie in tow. “You better hope my bet pays off
tonight. Otherwise, we’re going to have to tell Connor that Santa got lost this
year.”

They
disappeared into the crowd leaving Vivienne by the door to the ladies room. She
wanted to pursue after Natalie and explain that there were services she could
sign up for to help out. There was even a toys for tots fund run by the
Sheriff’s office where families under the poverty line could have a few donated
gifts dropped off on Christmas morning. At the very least, the nuns at Our Lady
of the Lake offered hand-made mittens and hats for the children who needed
them. But it was too late.

“Thanks for using
up all the toilet paper.” The smoker complained as she exited the ladies room
with her friend in tow. “Not a very Christian thing to do.”

“Wasn’t there
another roll in there?” Vivienne replied with as sickening sweet tone as she
could muster. “I better inform the owner about it.”

The smoker
rolled her eyes in response. “Come on, Mavis.” She tugged on the arm of her
friend and pulled her into the crowd of people.

She waited a
few moments before she returned to the rest room to return the toilet paper. No
need for everyone else to suffer. Besides, her bladder was petite and she was
sure she’d need room for the delicious drinks Kathy was going to buy her at the
bar.

When she
finally caught up with Joshua and Kathy again, they were standing in front of
her and Stephanie’s entry. Kathy, as she had hoped, had a sparkling green
appletini
with some cherries garnished on the sugared edge
of the glass waiting for her. She handed the drink to Vivienne. “This is called
a ‘Holly Jolly’.”

Vivienne accepted
the drink and took a sip. It was sweet and had the unique danger of going down
far too easy to keep track of how many one imbibed.

“Just be
careful. Those creep up on you faster than anything.” Joshua nodded and sipped
from a bottle of beer from Ithaca Beer Company. It was one of the seasonal
winter brews aptly named ‘Cold Front.’

Vivienne
recalled one of her early dates with Joshua where they had polished off two
bottles of Glen Harvest wine. They had both fallen asleep, lulled by the sweet
white wine and the warmth of the crackling fireplace in his apartment. It
seemed ages ago now but the lesson had been learned. “I remember it quite
well.” She smiled at him.

Kathy glanced
at her watch. “They should be making the announcement anytime now.”

Vivienne took
hold of Joshua’s hand with hers. “I’m really nervous now.”

“You shouldn’t
be.” He tried to soothe her. “Your entry is great.”

“He’s right.”
Kathy agreed. “Even if I didn’t know you made it, I’d have cast my vote because
of the local landmark connection. You were the only one to go that route.”

Vivienne
thought of the sad little church and Natalie again. “You know, we’re so lucky
to have what we have, when you think about it. So many others aren’t so
fortunate.”

Joshua gave
her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, we are.”

“I can’t argue
there.” Kathy agreed. “Have you watched ‘Mister
Magoo’s
Christmas Carol’ on television again?”

“I saw
something tonight that just broke my heart a little.” Vivienne replied and then
took a small sip of her drink.

“What did you
see?” Joshua wondered aloud.

“When I went
to the ladies room there was a young woman crying in the other stall. She was
the one who made the little church with the crooked steeple.” Vivienne
explained. “Some other women came in and were bad mouthing the entry and she
really got upset.”

“So what
happened?” Kathy asked.

“I left and
she came out less than a minute later. I asked her if everything was okay and
she thanked me for getting even with them for their nasty remarks.”

“How did you
do that?” Kathy’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

“I took all
the toilet paper out of the stall.” Vivienne felt a little childish admitting
it out loud.

“Well, let me
be the first to say touché.” Kathy laughed and took another sip of her drink.

Joshua failed
to keep a little grin from emerging on his face. “You never fail to surprise
me.”

Vivienne waved
off their levity. “So right afterwards, this low life comes in and sort of
berates her for wasting money on the entry.”

“Is he still
here?” Joshua looked around the room quickly.

“No.” Vivienne
was quick to answer. “He took her by the arm and said that he had some sort of
bet to make on a fight and that if they didn’t win he was going to cancel
Christmas for her son.” Vivienne felt tears building up in the corners of her
eyes. “Isn’t that terrible?”

“What a
creep.” Kathy added. “Sounds like father of the year to me.”

“Did you catch
their names?” Joshua asked.

“Her name was
Natalie and her son’s name is Connor.” Vivienne recalled. “I think the guy’s
name was Eddie, but I never did catch a last name.” She took another sip of the
drink in her hand. “He said something about Connor not really being his son and
cancelling Christmas. What a creep.”

“I can check
at the station to see if their names are listed for the Toys
For
Tots program.” Joshua put his arm around her shoulder. “He might still have a
nice Christmas after all.”

“I hope so.”
Vivienne swirled the liquid around inside her glass. “I just hate to think of a
little child crying on Christmas morning because he thinks Santa doesn’t care.”

Kathy sniffed
a little. “Stop it Vivienne or you’re going to make me start crying.”

Vivienne
nodded. “Okay. No need to worry about it yet until we find out if their names
are on the list.”

“Can I have you
attention please?” The voice of local radio host, Bryce Starr, crackled over
the ceiling speakers. “We are about to announce the winner of the gingerbread
contest.”

The
conversations died down to a soft murmur as the gathered crowd awaited the
news.

“We have three
prizes this year and the judges would like everyone to know it was difficult
decision to make because there was so much talent on display. Please, let’s
give everyone a big round of applause.” The room erupted into a fair amount of
applause.

Vivienne
gripped Joshua’s hand tightly. “Here we go.” She whispered to him.

“Third place
and the winner of a twenty-five dollar cash prize is entry number four,
Gingerbread Paradise by Suzette Powell.”

Vivienne,
Joshua, and Kathy applauded with the rest of the room. The tropical beach scene
was a cute idea and they all agreed it deserved recognition.

“Second place
and the winner of a fifty dollar cash prize is entry number ten, Gingerbread
Express created by Nathaniel Schroeder and Tristan Carr.”

Once again,
the room erupted into applause and Vivienne scanned the room to see if
Nathaniel or Tristan were anywhere to be seen. Sadly, they were not.

“Finally, the
grand prize and one hundred dollars is awarded to entry number three, the Edgar
Rothwell
Mansion created by Vivienne Finch and
Stephanie Bridgeman. Congratulations to all our talented winners. Prizes can be
picked up at the front desk.” Bryce finished as the crowd erupted into
applause. “Thank you for making this year a smashing success and happy holidays.”

“You won!”
Kathy danced with excitement, nearly spilling her drink on the floor.

“Congratulations
honey.” Joshua kissed Vivienne and smiled. “I never doubted it.”

“Wow.”
Vivienne felt her face flush with pride. “We actually did it.”

“Now you’ve
got something to brag about when it comes to awards.” Kathy noted. “Trust me.
This will really bring in some business.”

Vivienne
nodded back. “Yes it will, but I have an even better idea.”

“What?” Joshua
asked her.

“I’m going to
ask Todd to give the hundred dollars to Natalie and tell her she won a special
prize for most creative entry or something. That way, she’ll have money to buy
Connor some presents.”

“That’s awful
nice of you.” Kathy agreed. “But what if her boyfriend just uses the money to
gamble with? Maybe we could buy some toys and then have Todd give them to her?”

“That’s so
obvious.” Vivienne countered. “She seemed like she might be a bit too proud to
take charity like that.”

“But it’s for
Christmas presents.” Kathy argued.

“What do you
think, Joshua?” Vivienne looked up at her handsome boyfriend.

“I think both
your ideas are good, but we need to check that list before we go too far with
this.” Joshua answered.

Todd York
pushed his way through the crowd and reached out to Vivienne. “Congratulations,
you’re so very talented.” He handed her a white envelope. “Here’s the prize
money.”

She shook her
head. “No, that’s not for me.”

“But you won
it fair and square.” Todd protested.

“I want to
give it to Natalie, the girl who made the cathedral.” Vivienne replied.

“That’s awful
nice of you. She could use it I’m sure.” Todd smiled.

“Do you know
her?” Joshua asked.

“Well, I got
to talking with her when she brought her entry in this morning.” Todd glanced
around the room quickly before continuing. “She didn’t seem like she had two
nickels to rub together.”

“Tell him what
you heard.” Kathy prodded Vivienne.

“What did you
hear?” Todd asked.

Vivienne
sighed. “Did her boyfriend come in with her?”

“You mean Eddie?”
Todd smirked. “Yeah, he carried the entry like it was sack of potatoes. I
thought he was going to just throw it down on the floor.”

“That wouldn’t
have surprised us to hear.” Kathy added.

“Actually, I
think it’s because he’s uncomfortable around me.” Todd confessed.

“What makes
you say that?” Vivienne asked him.

Todd shrugged.
“It’s just a feeling I got. He looked really uncomfortable, like I was going to
expose a dark secret about his past or something.”

“Oh, I love
dark secrets.” Kathy interjected. “Have you got dirt on him?”

“Kathy.”
Vivienne shook her head at her friend. “That’s none of our business.”

“It’s okay.”
Todd smiled at them both. “I don’t know anything about the guy. It was just
that sense of weirdness you get every now and then with someone.”

Joshua
finished his beer. “I can check to see if he has a criminal record. Do you know
his last name?”

Todd shook his
head. “Not that I recall.”

Vivienne
raised her hands in protest. “We’re getting off the topic. This is about Connor
getting a nice Christmas not investigating Eddie’s shady past.”

“You’re
right.” Kathy nodded.

“Was her
little boy with her?” Vivienne asked Todd.

Todd paused
for a moment in thought. “No, but everything was so busy it’s all kind of a
jumble right now. You know how it is during the holidays.”

“Do you have
her phone number from the entry list?” Joshua asked.

Todd nodded.
“It’s in my office with all the others.”

“Let me copy
it down and I’ll reverse search it back at the station.” Joshua explained.

“Just hang
onto the prize money and we’ll call you after we find out some more details
about what kind of home life little Connor has.” Vivienne explained.

“No problem.”
Todd nodded to Joshua. “You want to come into the office to get that phone
number?”

“Lead the
way.” Joshua fished his keys out of his front pocket and handed them to
Vivienne. “It’s pretty cold out there, would you mind warming up the Jeep?”

Vivienne
nodded back. “I’ll see you out there.”

As Joshua
followed Todd back to the office, she took one last look around the gallery. “I
wish I felt better about this.”

“What do you
mean?” Kathy asked as they followed some of the crowd toward the coat check.

“I think it’s
all too easy to get caught up in the commercial madness of gift purchasing
these days.” Vivienne summed up as the retrieved their winter jackets.

“I can’t think
of a better way to kick off the holiday season than helping little Connor keep
the magic of Santa Claus alive another year.” Kathy added as they left the
warmth of the Loft 223. She bundled up her black woolen pea coat and turned her
back to the cold wind that was blowing harder than ever. “I’d say winter has
arrived ahead of schedule.”

Vivienne’s
hairstyle threatened to fly apart as a gusty wind blasted her with some puffy snowflakes.
“I was thinking I might ask Sheriff
Rigsbee
if I can
add on something nice with the Toys
For
Tots presents
this year.”

Joshua pushed
hard to open the front door against the wind and stepped forward to shield
Vivienne with his broad chest. “Did you start the car yet?” He asked.

Vivienne
pressed the start button on the key fob and nodded. “Uh huh.”

Joshua
groaned. “Thanks.”

Vivienne blew
him a little kiss and turned back to face Kathy. “What about baking up some
nice gingerbread men and maybe some sugar cookies? I was thinking of filling
little stockings with some baked goodies for the kids to enjoy on Christmas
morning.”

“That’s a
great idea.” Kathy smiled. “I know the nuns are knitting mittens and hats for
the kids, but what if I donated some warm scarves for them to use to?”

“I’m sure
they’d appreciate anything with our harsh winters.” Vivienne agreed.

“Then I better
go back to the store and put in an order. I saw a special on fleece scarves
that I can order by the gross. I’ll see about ordering some little stockings
for you to use.” Kathy waved goodbye. “Call me later with the details.”

“Bye.”
Vivienne and Joshua said in unison and then walked the opposite way toward the
Jeep which was emitting a cloud of hot exhaust in the night air.

Vivienne took
hold of Joshua’s right arm. “This is what I love about the holiday. The spirit
of giving is so strong.”

“I just wish
the goodwill lasted longer than a month.” Joshua added. “After New Year’s, the
crime picks right back up to normal levels again.”

“Well, we
can’t have everything.” Vivienne replied as they crossed the street. “But I’ll
enjoy the holidays a little more knowing the children have something to look
forward to.”

“Well said.”
Joshua replied as he opened the passenger door and helped her inside.