2 Yule Be the Death of Me (8 page)

“I hope Nana
isn’t confused today. She can get into moods when I start to organize.” Nora
broke the silence between them.

“I’m sure
she’ll be happy to see us.” Vivienne slowed the car down as they passed over a
speed bump and turned into the parking lot of the assisted living facility.
“She loves the holidays.”

“Let’s hope
so.” Nora replied as they pulled into a spot between two mini vans that had
stick figure families plastered to the back windows. “Those are so cute. I
can’t wait until you get to put some on your car.”

Vivienne took
a deep breath and smiled. “I can put the woman and the cat on right away.”

Nora frowned.
“I wouldn’t do that, dear. It’ll make everyone think you’re just some crazy cat
lady.”

A few minutes
later as they stepped into Nana Mary’s apartment, Vivienne was pleased to see
that her grandmother had gone out of way to keep Nora busy while they chatted
about magic. There were piles of clutter scattered everywhere except for the
living room which was surprisingly quite neat. Her Amish-made wooden rocking
chair that faced the picture window anchored a tranquil island of order around
a sea of chaos.

“I’m so glad
that you both came to see me today, I decided I wanted to get organized before
the holiday craziness hits.” Nana Mary hugged Vivienne and Nora as she gestured
to the clutter. “What do you think?”

Nora did her
best to smile. “I think we have a lot of work to do.” She set her canvas bag
down by a vintage wooden umbrella holder that was filled to the top with empty
water bottles.

Nana Mary
scratched her short white hair, which looked to be styled and curled quite
recently at the beauty salon downstairs. “I thought we could divide and
conquer, that way the work will go faster.”

Vivienne
smiled. “Sounds like a good plan, Nana. Where do you want us to start?”

“Why don’t I
start by finding a better place to store your recyclables?” Nora offered. “It’s
a sin to use this lovely umbrella holder like that.”

Nana Mary
waved her hands. “What fool needs that many umbrellas in the world? I think
it’s better off holding empty bottles, at least then it has a useful purpose.”

Vivienne
caught Nora’s eyes widen in shock at the remark. Her mother had given the
expensive holder as a Christmas present last year along with a stylish Vera
Bradley umbrella. “Didn’t someone give you a beautiful umbrella to display in
that?”

Nana Mary
scratched her chin. “Oh, maybe they did. Haven’t seen that umbrella around her
lately. Flora Rogers, down the hall likes to borrow things and keep them. She’s
even been known to pull name labels right off whatever she’s using. Can you
believe that?”

“I’m sure
she’ll return it soon.” Nora was quick to add. “Then we can display it in the
holder.”

Nana Mary
winked at Vivienne. “You’re right, Nora. Why don’t you go down and talk to her
today and while you’re there see if she has a red
KitchenAid
coffee grinder in her apartment? Agnes
McCarren
loaned that out almost six months ago and she’d really like it back.”

Nora walked
over to the small coat closet to hang up her jacket. As she opened the door, a
pile of magazines spilled onto the cream carpet. “Good heavens.”

“I was saving
those to put down in the lobby.” Nana Mary smiled. “I’ll leave that job for you
too.”

“Thanks,
Mother.” Nora winced and bent down to sort the magazines into piles according
to date and subject.

“Vivienne, you
come and help me sort through these boxes from the hall closet. I put them all
in the living room to make it easier.” Nana Mary wandered off toward the
kitchen. “Would anyone like something to drink?”

Nora and
Vivienne declined as they assumed their work stations in the apartment. Nana
Mary poured herself a cup of hot ginger-spiced tea and sat down in the rocker
that was surrounded with cardboard boxes.

Vivienne
opened the first box only to discover it was quite empty, save for a few glass
ornaments. “This one doesn’t look too bad.” She peered further into the box and
found everything wrapped carefully in bubble wrap and tucked into empty
Styrofoam egg containers. “Actually, it looks perfectly packed.”

“They’re all
organized and ready to be labeled.” Nana Mary whispered with a twinkle in her
blue eyes. “I thought we could focus on the important things instead.”

Vivienne
nodded. “So, where do I begin?”

“Right at the
beginning, of course.” Nana Mary smiled and took a sip of her tea. “Don’t leave
anything out.”

“Okay.”
Vivienne spent the next half hour telling Nana Mary everything that had
happened with Natalie, Eddie, Connor, and lastly Miss Octavia. She was careful
to keep her voice low and look busy as Nora wandered into the living room from
time to time to give them tips on how to separate trash from treasure, how to
group items to make labeling easier, and an occasional health tip from the
Doctor Oz Show that was airing on the small television mounted above the
kitchen counter where she was re-arranging the cabinets to make things easier
to find.

“I’ll die of
thirst before I ever find a drinking glass again.” Nana Mary joked to Vivienne
as Nora disappeared back into the kitchen.

Vivienne
laughed. “At least she only spends an afternoon organizing your place. I get
two days at the very least now that Joshua is spending most of his time there.”

Nana Mary
chuckled and rocked back and forth in her chair. “Things are going well with
you both?”

Vivienne
nodded. “I’d like to think so.”

“That doesn’t
sound too terribly affirmative.” Nana Mary watched a red cardinal perch upon
the bird feeder outside her window and peck at the seeds stored inside. “It’s
not easy trying to live with someone.”

“We’re
figuring all that out. We still have our own places, but we’ve been testing out
having him stay more at my place.” Vivienne pulled out a simple glass ball of
silver and held it in her hands. It reminded her of a miniature version of the
crystal ball Miss Octavia used in her store. “I’ve been so used to doing things
on my own that I sometimes forget to compromise.  We’ve had a few
arguments here and there.”

Nana Mary
smiled. “You’ll both work it out. I’m sure of it.” She let out a little sigh.
“Back when I was your age, it just wasn’t acceptable in polite society for a
woman to test the waters. We had to put a ring on the finger and keep them
crossed that we didn’t want to kill each other the next morning.”

Vivienne felt
lucky to have that chance. “I do love him and I know he loves me.”

“Then you’re
very lucky.” Nana Mary smiled back. “Not everyone in this world gets that
chance.”

“I know I am.”
Vivienne agreed. “That’s why I love coming to talk with you Nana. You always
make me see what I’m taking for granted and that gives me a chance to set
things right.”

“I’m glad I
can help, my darling granddaughter.”

Vivienne
pulled herself up from the floor and wrapped her arms around Nana Mary. “I love
you so much.”

“We witches
need to stick together.” Nana Mary chuckled as Vivienne pulled away.

“We sure do.”
Vivienne stared at the silver ornament in her hand. “Especially whenever
someone is murdered in town.”

“So, you’ve
got quite the mystery on your hands again.” Nana Mary rocked slowly back and
forth in her chair. “Do you suspect there was magic involved?”

Vivienne
carefully set the ornament back in the egg container and shrugged her
shoulders. “There doesn’t seem to be any evidence of that nature, but then
again I didn’t get a chance to go to the crime scene.”

“Ah.” Nana
Mary answered. “But, you don’t need to go to the crime scene to get a chance to
see what happened now, do you?”

Vivienne’s jaw
went slack. “Goddess, I feel so stupid. The viewing will be probably be at
Fritz and Candor Funeral Home. “It’ll be the perfect time to touch Natalie’s
hand and maybe see what really happened that day.”

“Well, except
for the passing out part.” Nana Mary laughed. “But given you’ll be inside a
funeral home, I suspect that happens from time to time. It shouldn’t raise too
many red flags. Just don’t let them stick you in a casket.”

“I can warn
Joshua ahead of time so he’ll keep me from tumbling to the floor or ending up
in the casket.” Vivienne reasoned.

Nana Mary
nodded. “See, you’re a smart girl. You didn’t need me to find the next step.”

Nora’s voice
echoed from the kitchen. “I hear lots of chatter but not much cleaning.” A
clattering of pots and pans followed for emphasis.

Nana Mary
rolled her eyes. “We’re almost done in here, Nora. We’re busy little bees.”

Vivienne
reached into a nearby box and pulled out a mess of tangled extension cords. She
knelt down on the carpet and sorted them by length on the floor. “Wait until
you see what progress we made.” Vivienne shouted back with a wicked little
grin.

“Doing things
legally to make them stick, that’s the biggest challenge you’re going to face.”
Nana Mary spoke softly. “It always is with magic.”

“What about
Miss Octavia? Is she a witch?”

Nana Mary
shook her head. “It sounds like she’s quite skilled working with energy and
reading people, but she’s still limited by her non-magical human genes.
Besides, the Elder Council would have informed me if another witch moved into
town. They’ve got this place on their radar.”

“Then how does
she know that Joshua is a werewolf?” Vivienne wondered.

“She’s gifted
with some sixth sense, that’s for certain. But, she can’t harness it like one
of us. She has to fumble around with the power and occasionally it works out in
her favor.”

Vivienne shook
her head. “Something magical took over her body.” She began to loop the cords
around her wrist, tie them off with large garbage bag twists, and place them in
a storage bin Nora provided. “It wanted me to know that whatever killed Eddie
was still out there and going to strike again.”

Nana Mary
  nodded
. “When Missy Collins began casting her rituals
and spells here in town a few months ago, she inadvertently opened some portals
to other planes of existence. Those portals don’t just close up afterwards.
They’re like sign posts to other beings that lead into this world.”

“Can’t the
Elder Council close them up?”

“Missy worked
with some very dark magic, communed with beings who feed upon the innocent.”
Nana Mary warned. “Those portals can never be fully closed off.” She folded her
arms across her chest as if she were suddenly cold. “You already know that
Cayuga Cove is a magnet for the supernatural. But, with these portals opened
it’s practically a lighthouse drawing all sorts of strange beings from the
darkness. They’re curious and craving the chance to get a foothold in our
world.”

“That sounds
dangerous.”

“It is.” Nana
Mary agreed. ”But if anyone can fix this, it’s you.”

Vivienne
finished with the last power cord and snapped the lid on the storage bin. ”I
hope you’re right, Nana.”

“I’d bet every
last dollar in my savings on you, my darling granddaughter.” Nana Mary spoke
just as Nora wandered into the living room and surveyed the scene like a
general on the battlefield.

“I thought you
said you made progress?” Nora asked.

“We did.”
Vivienne gestured to the boxes around them. “Everything is wrapped, labeled,
and ready for storage.”

Nora eyed them
both suspiciously. “Is that so?”

Nana Mary
smiled at her daughter. “Did I ever tell you how much you remind me of Martha
Stewart?”

“It doesn’t
look like you’ve made much progress at all.” Nora started to open one of the
boxes and then paused when the flattery kicked in. “You think so, Mother?”

Nana Mary
smiled. “I was just telling all my friends at Bingo how much you remind me of
her. Ida Purnell was asking if you’d consider coming in next week and having a
workshop for the residents here.”

Nora closed
the box. “Why, I’d love to.”

Nana Mary
winked at Vivienne. “Now that’s real magic.” 

CHAPTER
9

 

Friday, December 6th

 

 

Kathy gripped
Vivienne’s right arm as they steeled themselves from the bitterly cold wind
that was coming off the nearby shore of Cayuga Lake. “I really hate funeral
homes.”

“Joshua is
stuck at work and might not be able to make it.” Vivienne reminded her.
“Besides, I’m not a fan of these places either.”

“So why
exactly are we here, other than morbid curiosity?” She asked as a strong gust
of wind nearly blew her maroon knit beret off her blond hair.

“To pay our
respects.” Vivienne spoke as she guided her into the front entrance of the
Fritz and Candor Funeral Home. “Plus a chance to speak with Natalie.” It was
pleasant, at least as pleasant as one could hope for when it came to funeral
homes in general. The owner, James Fritz was, in fact, one of the
most happy
men in Cayuga Cove, according to most residents.
He always had a smile, a joke, or just a pat on the back whenever anyone ran
into him outside of his work. But more importantly, he genuinely cared about
his work and made sure that the family and friends of the dearly departed
always felt as if they had his complete and unwavering attention.

“I could have
been home right now, curled up on the sofa with a blanket and the remote.”
Kathy moaned.

“Trust me,
it’ll be worth it.” Vivienne whispered back as one of the attendants, a bearded
man in a nice suit, took their coats for them and hung them on a wall rack
nearby. “When I stopped into Hummingbird Floral, Brian
Amberry
told me that Bistro Parisian is donating the food after the memorial service.
How can you resist that?”

“Oh.” Kathy’s
tone brightened. “Do you think they’ll have their famous French Onion soup?”

“It sure would
be a nice way to counter this blasted cold spell.” Vivienne whispered back and
felt her stomach rumble slightly. She had skipped lunch earlier because she had
completely forgotten about the four dozen brownies for the library bake sale
she had promised earlier in the week to Harriet Nettles, the town librarian.

She managed to
get it done without magic, which made her proud. According to Nana Mary, using
magic too much made one lazy. Lazy often brought along careless, which usually
invited chaos for the ride. Vivienne was all about order, these days. She had
never liked surprises and she liked them even less when they were of the magical
variety.

As they waited
in line with Cayuga Cove’s fellow residents to comfort Natalie and Connor,
Vivienne admired the collection of antique clocks that were displayed on tables
and shelves throughout the many rooms leading to the viewing atrium where the
family greeted guests. There were Black Forest German Cuckoo clocks, complete
with little diorama dancers that circled at the top of each hour in the room
nearest the entry hall, Versailles-style mantle clocks with over-the-top gilt
décor in the following room that had several fancy stuffed sofas for holding
hushed conversations, and in the narrow hallway right before the atrium a duo
of early-American Grandfather and Grandmother clocks. She wondered if perhaps
James, being a funeral director, was slightly obsessed with
time?
Surely, he had seen many who an accident or cruel twist of fate seemed to
cheat.

Kathy signed
her name on the guest book resting just outside the atrium. “James must keep
Nathaniel and Tristan in business. Those clocks are worth a small
fortune.” 

Vivienne
signed her name under Kathy’s and quickly scanned those who were listed above.
She recognized a few downtown business owners, such as Tony
DiSanto
,
but most were unfamiliar to her. She guessed quite a few were from the trailer
park where Natalie, Eddie, and Connor had resided for the past few months.

“Vera?” A
familiar voice called out as she stepped into the atrium with Kathy.

Kathy scowled
at the woman who approached them with open arms. “Is she talking to us?”

“Vera French.”
Sally Rollins pushed past Kathy and wrapped her arms around Vivienne. “I had a
feeling you’d be here. What a sad day.”

Kathy’s eyes
narrowed as she remembered Vivienne explaining to her how she impersonated a
journalist on the day of Eddie’s attack. “Here we go again.”

Vivienne
cringed slightly in response to the hug. She hadn’t seen Sally since that day
in the trailer park and she felt incredibly guilty for not going back to
explain her little white lie. “It’s good to see you again.”

Sally was
dressed up in a simple black sweater and skirt combo that looked right off the
racks of the bargain section at one of the outlet stores due to ill-fitting
proportions. The shoulders still had little points from the plastic hangar that
poked out like horns, and the skirt stuck together in strange spots thanks to
static cling.  From her neck, dangled a simple gold chain with the figure
of an angel knelt in prayer. “Isn’t this just tragic?” She asked. “Are you
doing a follow up story?”

Vivienne
wanted to come clean but this wasn’t the place to do it. If Sally raised a
stink, it could ruin her plan to speak quietly with Natalie and perhaps get a
glimpse into what happened that dreadful day. “Well, I’m just here to give my
condolences to Natalie and little Connor.”

“Of course.” Sally
nodded. “But, if you need any more reactions from neighbors, I’d be happy to
oblige.”

“Thank you,
but I won’t be needing that as I’m not writing a story.” Vivienne politely
turned to face Kathy. “Have I introduced you to Sally Rollins?”

Sally ignored
Vivienne’s attempt to change the conversation. “I’ve had offers from other news
stations and papers to give my story, you know. But I wanted to save it for you
because you were first on the scene. I think that’s only fair.”

“That’s very
generous of you, but I can assure you I’m not here on assignment. I’m just here
to offer comfort to Natalie and her son.” Vivienne tried once more to explain,
but she could see the stars in Sally’s eyes and she wasn’t going to be pushed
aside so easily.

“I
understand.” Sally winked at Vivienne. “You’ll get a better story if you don’t
have the notepad and cameras around. I’ve been interviewed for stories before,
you know. I have the tapes at home if you want to review them. One was at the
gas station last year talking about high prices around the holidays and the
other was about natural gas drilling around the lakes.”

Vivienne
noticed that some of the other people in line were starting to look at them and
that was last thing she wanted. “I appreciate the offer, Sally, but I don’t
think this moment is about us. This is to mourn the loss of a husband and
father.”

Sally nodded
back eagerly. “So you want me to talk about Eddie in a nice way for the story?
I can do that. He wasn’t an upstanding citizen in any way, but I can put a spin
on it. Is that the right term you people use?”

Kathy shook
her head and stepped in to stop the momentum of the conversation. “Excuse me,
we haven’t been properly introduced.”

Vivienne cast
a look of desperation at Kathy. “I can’t believe how rude I’ve been.”

Kathy extended
her hand to Sally and shook it vigorously. “Karen Monroe, I’m so pleased to
meet you.”

Sally smiled.
“Do you work at one of the television stations? You look sort of familiar. Are
you an anchor for the Syracuse news?”

“Oh, people
say that all the time but I’m not in the media.” Kathy smiled back. “I’m Vera’s
lesbian partner.”

Sally pulled
her hand back quickly. “Oh, my.”

Vivienne felt
her face flush red with embarrassment. “Karen,” she spoke through a forced
smile, “you really needn’t be so forward.”

“Why not?”
Kathy played back with glee. “Isn’t this one of your ex-girlfriends? There are
so many I just can’t keep track. I thought you dated a Sally in the past?”

Sally stepped
back, clutching her necklace. “Heavens no. Why would you think that? I’m a good
Christian woman
.“

Kathy
shrugged. “I know her type and you fit it perfectly, sister.”

“I’m not a
lesbian.” Sally could barely get the words out of her mouth. “I’m normal.”

“Oh, then I
beg your pardon.” Kathy grinned and batted her eyes at Vivienne. “I’m ashamed
to admit that I’m kind of the jealous type.”

Vivienne
looked down at the floor, playing along with the ruse. “Yes, you really need to
work on that when we’re out in public.”

Sally glanced
down at her watch and let out a little gasp. “I’ve got to hit the road.” She
reached into her purse and pulled out an obnoxiously long keychain that had a
pink-haired good luck troll dangling off the end. “The kids will be hollering
like little banshees if I’m late getting dinner on the table.”

“It was great
meeting you.” Kathy waved with a huge smile. “Maybe we can all meet sometime
soon for drinks?”

Sally hurried
toward the exit as fast as her scuffed flats could carry here. “I don’t think
so. The holidays are so hectic and all.” She opened her mouth to say something
else, but changed her mind and disappeared into the cold wind outside.

“That was
brilliant.” Vivienne marveled. “I really should have taken you with me to the
trailer park that day.”

“She wasn’t
going to let you out of her sight in here.” Kathy reasoned. “I had to come up
with something that would make her uncomfortable enough to leave.”

“Well, that
worked like a charm.” Vivienne replied. “I wish I could lie so casually.”

“That’s why
I’m here.” Kathy grinned and wrapped her arm around Vivienne’s waist. “Stick
with me, babe. I’ll have you up to speed in no time.” She winked.

The line
slowly wound around the edge of the room where an open casket holding the body
of Eddie Robertson was flanked with two rather lackluster displays of black and
white carnations that said ‘bereaved on a budget’ quite noticeably.

Natalie was
standing off to the side, wearing a simple black dress and a pair of sensible
heels that she had kicked off to side to be more comfortable on the carpet. She
looked pale and gaunt, her fine black hair pulled back into a simple pony tail.
Seated on the floor near her, Connor, dressed in a little navy blue suit, was
engrossed in a game of chase with a pair of toy cars that he pushed around the
legs of the folding chairs nearby.

Kathy reached
out and offered her hand to Natalie. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Natalie barely
seemed to notice her. “Thank you.” She spoke back, her voice barely a whisper.

Kathy stepped
aside and allowed Vivienne a moment to share with Natalie. “Your son is just
precious.”

“Thank you.”
Natalie repeated.

 “I’m
sorry for your loss.” Vivienne felt awkward using the standard opening line as
she faced Natalie.

Natalie
squinted as she tried to place Vivienne. “Thank you.” She spoke softly.

“How are you
holding up?”

“One day at a
time.” Natalie answered. “I wish we had the innocence bliss of children,
though.” She gestured to Connor.

Vivienne
paused for a moment before the casket. The conservative suit that had been a
burial staple for years was missing. Eddie was dressed in a light blue bowling
shirt and a pair of dark denim pants. In the front pocket of his shirt, a photo
of Natalie and Connor embracing was sticking out. “He was so young.”

Natalie’s eyes
widened as recognition set it. “I remember you now. You were at the gingerbread
house competition.”

“Yes. We met
outside the bathroom.” Vivienne confirmed. She reached into her purse and
pulled out the envelope with the prize money in it. “You won a prize that
night.”

Natalie
accepted the envelope and looked inside of it. “I did?”

“I’m sure you
could use it now.” Vivienne added.

“You are so
kind.” Natalie’s eyes filled with tears that began to run down her cheeks. “I’m
sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner but all this has been such a shock.”

Vivienne
opened her arms for a hug. “That’s perfectly okay.”

“It’s all been
such a blur since we left the hospital.” Natalie dabbed at her eyes with a
crumpled tissue that was nearly soaked through. “I keep thinking it’s just a
bad dream I’m going to wake up from.”

“I can’t say
that I know what you’re going
though
because I
haven’t.” Vivienne tried to comfort her. “But, you have my deepest sympathies
for your loss and if you ever need someone to talk things over with, my bakery
is right on Main Street. It feels like I spend more time there than at my
actual home.”

“You’re the
Deputy’s girlfriend, aren’t you?”

“That’s
right.” Vivienne smiled. “He wanted to be here too, but he’s been held over at
work tonight.”

Natalie
glanced at Eddie’s body in the casket. “He was very kind to both of us during
the police questioning.”

“He’s very
good at his job.” Vivienne added. “The town is lucky to have him.”

Natalie nodded
and sniffed back some tears. “Eddie was never a great man or even a good
boyfriend.” She placed her hand on the simple polished wood edge of the casket.
“He did provide for us when he had to, though.”

“I’m sorry to
hear that.” Vivienne felt a bit uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking.
“I’m sure he cared for both of you deeply but was one of those guys who just
couldn’t show it.”

“No.” Natalie
countered. “He was just Eddie. What you saw was what you got. He wasn’t
particularly deep.”

“I’ve taken up
enough of your time.” Vivienne gestured to the line of people waiting behind
her and Kathy.

Natalie leaned
in with her embrace and Vivienne felt an ice-cold chill seize her chest. The
room began to swirl and then everything faded to black.

She next felt
a hard slap belt her across the face. The room was dark, but could make out a
simple wooden table and some chairs as her eyes began to adjust.

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