2 Yule Be the Death of Me (9 page)

“You think I
don’t know what you did?” A man’s voice growled at her. “Do you think me that
naïve?”

Vivienne
instinctively put her hands up toward her face to ward off another blow. “Stop
it.”

Her hands were
pulled away and she was twisted sharply so her back was to her captor. “You
stupid woman, I’ve risked everything for us. He’s not even my son.”

Vivienne tried
to look at her captor, but she was unable to move. She could see now that she
was in a rather large kitchen in an older-style home.

She felt
something like a belt twist around her wrists. “What are you doing?” She asked.

“I’m taking
care of this myself.” The voice replied and pulled the straps tight. “Stupid
woman.”

Vivienne
dropped to her knees with a thud and then was kicked in the rear so that she
pitched forward to the floor, banging her nose against the wooden boards. She
heard his heavy footfalls trail off as she lay there in a daze.

She could
taste the salty tinge of blood in her mouth, as she rolled over to her side and
saw what looked like the scattered remains of a breakfast all around her.
Shattered plates smeared with egg yolk, silverware, and a red-hot skillet that
was scorching the wooden floor. As she craned her neck, she could see Natalie’s
reflection in a large serving spoon that was upended. Her eyes were blackened
from bruising, her lips caked with blood and swollen.

The heavy
footfalls returned and she tried to free her arms. She could hear the cry of an
infant in the distance as she tried to pick herself from the floor without
success. “Please don’t hurt me.” She pleaded.

She was struck
on the back of the head and everything went black. “Vivienne?” A kinder
sounding male voice sounded out. “Can you hear me?”

She grunted in
response.

“I think she’s
coming around now.” The kind male voice returned.

“She’s getting
her color back.” A female voice joined in.

Vivienne
opened her eyes and everything was so bright she forced them shut with a groan.

“That’s it.”
Kathy’s voice appeared. “Come on, girl, climb out of it.”

“Is she
diabetic?” The friendly male voice asked.

Vivienne
groaned once more and opened her eyes. “I’m not diabetic.”

Kathy smiled
at her from above. “There you are. You gave us quite a scare.”

The visage of
James Fritz suddenly swooped into view next to Kathy. “I called the paramedics
just to be safe.” His brown eyes were kind, his receding black hair groomed
into a pleasant style that displayed the slight graying around his temples.

“I don’t need
them.” Vivienne was surprised to find herself reclined on one of the fancy
sofas in the funeral parlor. “I just pushed myself too hard at the bakery today
and skipped lunch.”

Kathy and
James reached out and pulled her upright. “You should probably have them check
you out.” Kathy added with a touch of concern in her voice.

“I’m fine,
honest.” Vivienne shook off the fuzzy feeling from her experience and gave a
weak smile. “I just need a few minutes and maybe a glass of water.”

“I’ll get
that.” James patted her gently on the hand and rushed off.

“So much for
not drawing attention.” Kathy spoke softly.

“Where is
everyone?” Vivienne asked as she looked around the empty room. With the crowd
dispersed, she could hear the rhythmic ticking of all the antique clocks.

“They’re at
the memorial service at Bistro Parisian. James thought it best to move everyone
over there in case the medics needed room to work on you.”

“How long was
I out?”

Kathy looked
over at one of the clocks. “For about a ten minutes at least. You were so still
we thought you had dropped dead. But then you started mumbling gibberish and
James had you moved into here and called the paramedics.”

They could
hear the front door open with a bang. “Kathy? Vivienne?” Joshua’s voice called
out.

“In here.”
Kathy shouted back.

Joshua flew
into the room, his eyes wild with a mixture of adrenaline and fear. “Are you
okay? Selma heard the call go out over the radio and told me you were in
trouble.” He rushed over to her side and plopped next to her on the sofa.

“I’m fine,
Joshua. I don’t need the paramedics.” She motioned him closer and whispered in
his ear. “I saw Natalie getting beat up. She was hurt pretty bad.”

Joshua raised
an eyebrow. “So Eddie really was a bad guy?” He whispered back.

“I think so.
It was hard to see what was really going on.”

Kathy folded
her arms across her chest. “They’ll be here any minute. Just let them check you
out to be sure.”

The sound of
the siren could be heard echoing off the buildings on the street outside.
Joshua nodded to her. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Vivienne
sighed and shook her head. “Fine, they can check me out but I’m telling you
both it’s nothing.”

“Let the
medicals guys decide that.” Kathy added as James stepped back into the room
with a glass of water.

She took the
glass into her grip and sipped generously. The water soothed her throat, which
was a tad sore. “Thank you, James.”

Red and blue
lights lit up the windows around them as the ambulance arrived. “I’ll bring
them in.” He said and rushed off.

“You certainly
know how to pep up a deadly slow evening.” Kathy joked.

“Really?”
Vivienne groaned at the pun.

“I’m sorry I
wasn’t here.” Joshua added. “But I’ve got some rather distressing news.”

“What now?”
Vivienne asked.

Joshua reached
into his pants pocket and pulled out a green paper. “Looks like the bad Santa
notes are back. I found this stuck to my car windshield when I rushed over to
see you. Looks like they’re appearing all over town again.”

“Oh, great.”
Kathy spoke up. “Just what we need after this.”

“Who is the
note about this time?” Vivienne asked.

Before he
could answer, James rushed into the room. “The paramedics just got called away
on an emergency call. Eunice Kilpatrick was just struck down by a car in front
of the Bistro Parisian.”

Joshua handed
the note to Vivienne where Eunice Kilpatrick’s name was written with a
flourish.

CHAPTER
10

 

Saturday, December 7th

 

You better
not cry!  Eunice Kilpatrick, you are a mean-spirited old woman who
delights in the misfortunes of your fellow friends and neighbors. You pretend
to care, you give a shoulder to cry on, yet you are counting the minutes until
you can spread gossip and add your spin.  Santa is watching you. He sees you
when you raise your nose in the air, as if you are so far above the other folks
in town. The
trouble with keeping your head held so high is that you
fail to see what’s coming right before you. You’ve been warned.  Santa
Claus.

Vivienne read
the note for a third time, as she sipped her morning coffee at the kitchen
table. Tommy curled around her ankles, wrapping his tail around her legs as he
bumped his head against her for more treats. “Not right now. You’ve just had
breakfast.” She warned him.

He meowed back
at her, one of his lower tones that informed her that he was a little annoyed
that she wasn’t catering to his needs.

“Go play with
that paper bag I gave you last night.” She reached down and stroked the top of
his furry head.

“Yes, ma’am.”
Joshua spoke as he stepped into the kitchen wearing only his blue plaid boxers
and a plain white tee shirt.

Vivienne
looked up and smiled at him. “Not you.” She teased.

He sat down in
the chair facing her and pointed to the green note in her hand. “Please tell me
you found out something that is going to help.”

“I’m at a
loss.” Vivienne conceded.

“In your
vision, you’re positive it was Natalie being attacked?” Joshua asked.

“Yes.”
Vivienne shuddered as she recalled the terrible feeling of being attacked. “I
saw her reflection.” She paused for a moment as she replayed the terrible
vision in her mind. “There was the sound of a baby crying in the background, so
it had to be a few years ago when Connor was an infant.”

“Was she with
Eddie back then?” Joshua wondered.

“I don’t think
so.” Vivienne scratched her chin in deep thought. “The voice of the attacker
was male, but it deeper and more nasty.” She recalled the feeling of his hands
as he grabbed her and began to bind her arms. “The hands were rough, very worn.
Like someone who’d done lots of manual labor during his lifetime.  That
definitely wasn’t Eddie.”

“That’s for
sure.” Joshua agreed. “So perhaps it was an ex-husband or boyfriend?”

“We need to
find out some information about Eddie’s background.” Vivienne agreed. “Can you
run a check at the station?”

“I think
Sheriff
Rigsbee
already did during the early part of
the investigation. I’ll go take a look at it and see what I can find out.”

Vivienne
stared at the letter on the table again and scowled. “We still have the mystery
of these bad Santa letters to solve too.” 

“I think we
can rule out Natalie because she didn’t even know Eunice.” Joshua added as he
began to thumb through the morning paper. “So there’s a start.”

“Eunice
certainly has made more than her fair share of enemies over the years in Cayuga
Cove.” Vivienne agreed. “But I don’t think any of them would want to run her
down.”

“She’s a tough
old bird.” Joshua replied as he pulled out the sports section. “Run down by a
car on Main Street and she ends up with two broken legs and a sprained wrist.
It could have been much worse.”

“I still can’t
believe no one saw the car that hit her.” Vivienne set the note down on the
table and stared at it some more. “Whoever is doing this knows exactly when to
strike. They must keep close tabs on their subject.”

“The
preliminary autopsy report is due to come in this morning from Rochester.”
Joshua reached out and gently held her hand across the table. “Maybe we’ll have
some answers from that.”

“I hope so.
These notes are really starting to terrorize the town.”

“Don’t worry.”
Joshua reassured her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“It’s not me
I’m worried about.” Vivienne added.

Joshua pulled
her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. “I love you.”

“I love you
too.” She smiled back and then looked at the wall clock. “I better get a shower
and go in early. Stephanie and I have a wedding cake to start today.”

The telephone
rang, piercing the quiet of the house with a shrill tone. Vivienne jumped up
from the table and wandered over to the base where the caller information was
displayed. It was Kathy. She picked up the receiver. “You’re up awful early.”

“What can I
say? Having a psychopath wandering the streets of Cayuga Cove has got me a
little nervous these days.”

“I slept
pretty well last night.” Vivienne smiled at Joshua and made a little kissy
face.

“That’s
because you had a big strong man with you, Vivienne Finch.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Some of us
aren’t that lucky. On behalf of the sleep-deprived, I say this.” Kathy replied
with coarse sound of blowing a raspberry into the phone.

Vivienne
laughed. “Was there another reason you called?”

“Actually,
yes. Do you want to swing by the hospital today and visit Eunice?” Kathy
wondered.

“Well, this is
a change. I thought you couldn’t stand her?”

“Don’t get me
wrong, she’s a miserable old wretch who has cheated me at the bank more times
than I can count.” Kathy countered. “But, given the season, I still feel the
need to see how she is doing.”

“Did you get
visited be three ghosts last night?”

“If I did I
would have paid them to stand guard so I could get some descent shut eye.”

Vivienne
laughed. “I have some extra
whoopie
pies. Stephanie
mentioned she stopped in the bakery the other day and bought one. Why don’t we
bring her a few in a little basket?”

“That sounds
good.” Kathy replied. “I’ll tuck in one of my floral print scarves too.”

“I really need
to shower and get to the bakery. Want to meet at the hospital snack bar for a
quick lunch and then visit?” Vivienne asked.

“Sounds good.
See you around noon.” Kathy finished and hung up.

“What was that
all about?” Joshua asked.

Vivienne set
the phone back on the receiver and shook her head. “She’d never admit it, but I
think Kathy feels sorry for Eunice.”

“Are you
serious?” Joshua wandered over to the counter and poured himself a mug of
coffee. “She can’t stand the woman.”

“I know it
sounds crazy, but I think sometimes Kathy sees Eunice as a cautionary tale of
what her life could become in a worst-case scenario.”

Joshua opened
the fridge, pulled out a carton of milk, and poured in a generous amount that
threatened to spill over the rim of the mug. “They’re nothing alike.”

“Kathy is
pretty forward and she sometimes gets away with outrageous things because of
her uncanny knack for flirting her way out of some tricky situations. But she
knows, eventually, that defensive measure isn’t going to always work. Then
she’ll just be another bitter old woman mad who is mad at the world. That’s
where the whole psychology of how her possible future fits in.” Vivienne
reasoned. “Why didn’t I go to school to become a psychologist?”

“Because you
hate all the red tape and paperwork that goes along with the medical field.”
Joshua surmised. “I mean, you were just complaining about changing insurance
and having to fill out a new medical form at the dentist last month.”

Vivienne
thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

“I wish this
case were as easy to crack.” Joshua grumbled as he stirred his coffee with a
spoon.

 

*      
   
*
  
       *

 

“We’re here to
see Eunice Kilpatrick.” Kathy smiled at the volunteer who was working the front
desk at Cayuga Memorial Hospital, a pleasant looking woman with a bun of grey
hair and a nametag that identified her as ‘Helen’.

“Are you
friends or family?” Helen asked back.

Vivienne was
happy to see that the lobby of the hospital was decorated with seasonal cheer.
Garland, white lights, and silver and gold ornaments were strung up around the
many windows facing Peddler Parkway, where traffic raced by at the higher speed
limit of forty miles per hour. “We’re friends.” Vivienne replied.

Helen glanced
at computer screen and then back up at them. “I’m sorry, Ms. Kilpatrick’s
family has requested no visitors outside of family. Would you like me to have
that basket delivered?”

“Family?”
Kathy was shocked. “She has family?”

Helen
grimaced. “I’m not allowed to say anything without authorization. Privacy rules
and such.”

Vivienne
glanced at Kathy, the basket heavy in her grip. “Well, we had a good lunch at
least.”

“Can you call
up to her room and tell her that Kathy Saunders and Vivienne Finch are here to
see her? I’m sure she’ll want to see us in person.”

Helen shook
her head. “I’m sorry ladies. I really can’t help you any further.”

“Well, bah humbug
to you too.” Kathy grumbled and stomped over to the exit.

Vivienne
rushed to catch up with her. “She’s just following the rules here.  She
could lose her job if she tells us something that’s not authorized.”

“This is just
another example of how screwed up the world is today. I mean, lawyers have got
everyone so paranoid about every little detail of their lives, you can’t even
visit a sick friend without getting the third degree.” She fumed.

“Wow. I didn’t
realize not seeing Eunice would be such a tragedy.” Vivienne set the basket
down on one of the hard plastic chairs that lined the lobby. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”
Kathy snapped quickly. “I’m just on edge with all this nonsense.”

“Why don’t we
tuck a note in the basket and leave it reception? If Eunice wants to see us,
she can call down and put us on the visitor list.”

“I guess so.”
Kathy seemed to calm down. “Just when you think…” Her voice trailed off.

“What did you
say?” Vivienne asked.

“Stay right
here.” Kathy raised a finger and then dashed off toward the elevators and
tapped a young blonde girl who was dressed in a soft-pink volunteer uniform on
the shoulder. As she turned to talk to Kathy, Vivienne recognized that it was
Alexis, the new waitress at Clara’s. 

Kathy engaged
the young girl in conversation, used a few hand gestures toward the volunteer
desk, and then reached into her purse and pulled out something she kept hidden
in her palm. Alexis quickly stuffed whatever it was into the pocket of her
uniform and then strolled briskly toward the reception desk.

Kathy
sauntered back over to Vivienne with a grin on her face. “So the old saying was
right. A window just opened.” She practically cooed.

“What did you
do?”

Kathy leaned
close and whispered. “It turns out that she volunteers here a few hours a week
to earn her community involvement program credits from the college. “

Vivienne knew
about the credits. Lakeshore Community College had put into place a program to
offer a tuition discount to any student that volunteered at least four hours a
week at various agencies throughout the community. Stephanie assisted at the
local animal shelter as part of her credits. She often brought pet adoption
posters in to the bakery to try to help place pets in family homes. “So why is
she helping us?”

“I asked nicely
and she remembered all the big tips I have left for her lately.” Kathy smiled.

“What if she
gets caught?” Vivienne worried.

“She’s a smart
girl.” Kathy smiled. “I wouldn’t worry about that.”

“Did you pay
her off?” Vivienne began to worry about her friend’s ethics.

“Of course
not.” Kathy seemed genuinely insulted at the question.

“I saw you
give her something.” Vivienne folded her arms. “What was it then?”

“My business
card.” Kathy replied flatly.

“What else?”

“I promised
her fifty percent off an outfit or accessory at my store of her choosing.”
Kathy finished.

Vivienne
picked up the basket and stared at the
whoopie
pies
inside. “I sure hope this doesn’t create a scandal. If the college found out,
they could expel her.”

“No money
changed hands so it’s not a bribe.” Kathy explained. “We’re not breaking the
law.”

“I think we
are bending it a little.” Vivienne watched nervously as Alexis talked with
Helen at the front desk and then accessed the computer database. She then wrote
something on a piece of paper and walked away toward the gift shop.

“Looks like
she didn’t have any luck.” Vivienne sighed. “Let’s go.”

Kathy put her
hand on Vivienne’s arm and held her in place. “Just a second.”

Alexis walked over
to a trash can and carelessly missed throwing the paper into the bin. It
tumbled off to the side as she disappeared into the double doors that led to
the pediatric ward.

“Come on.”
Kathy pulled Vivienne along as they hustled past the reception desk where Helen
eyed them suspiciously.

They reached
the trash can where Kathy opened her purse and began to toss a few scraps of
paper into the bin, missing two or three pieces which tumbled onto the floor.
“Oh, drat.” She knelt down and grabbed the paper Alexis had left for them.
After a quick glance she slipped it into her purse and whispered to Vivienne.
“She’s in room 508.”

“So how do we
get there?” Vivienne looked over at Helen who kept them in her field of vision.
“She’s suspicious of us already.”

“Just play it
cool.” Kathy added. “When she gets swamped, we just slip by.”

Vivienne
looked at her wrist watch. “It’s almost quarter to one. I told Stephanie I
wouldn’t be late today.”

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