3 Christmas Crazy (8 page)

“What if Tanner wasn’t the victim?” Ellie hypothesized.

“Come again?”

“What if the killer was a Santa hater who would have killed anyone in the outfit?”

“Or,” I suggested excitedly, “what if the intended victim was Earl Fielder and not Tanner Brown? Earl was supposed to play Santa last night and everyone in town knew it. Only a few of us were aware of the switch. The killer must have been waiting in the room we used for Santa to change. It could have been dark when Tanner first walked in there.”

“Okay,” Ellie said, “then who would want to kill Earl?”

The next morning, Levi, Charlie, Lambda, and I went deep into the forest in search of the perfect tree. I was sorry Zak couldn’t have been there. He would have enjoyed the trek on snowshoes into a part of the forest tourists from off the mountain didn’t know about. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the sky was about as blue as I’d ever seen it. I know Ellie was disappointed that she wasn’t able to go with us, but I was glad to have some time alone with Levi. It had been quite a while since we’d really talked.

“This has to be the most perfect day we’ve had in a long time,” I commented as we trudged through the snow-covered evergreens, pulling a sled behind us. The dogs had taken to walking behind the sled in order to take advantage of the trail Levi and I had forged.

“It really is.” Levi turned his head slightly so I could hear him from his position slightly in front of me. “I tried to get Barbie to go cross-country skiing with me, but she was having none of it.”

“She more of a downhill girl?”

“She’s more of a nothing-that-requires-trudging-through-snow girl.”

“Do the two of you have plans for Christmas?” I wondered.

“I don’t know. Maybe. She wants to go to New York for a couple of weeks while I’m on winter break. I’m considering it, but I still haven’t made up my mind.”

“Winter break starts in three days,” I pointed out. “I would think you’d have needed to purchase airline tickets before now.”

“Barbie has tickets. She’s leaving on the twentieth with or without me and staying through New Year’s. The thought of being away from everyone for both Christmas and New Year’s doesn’t quite sit right, but she is my girlfriend, and she does have a point that it’s not like I have family in the area.”

“That’s true.” What I really wanted to do was remind him that Ellie and I were his family, but I was sure he knew that in spite of what he’d just said.

“My sister lives a few hours away from where Barbie’s parents live, and it would be nice to visit with her for a few days. I know we haven’t always gotten along, and her husband is a putz I can barely stand to be in the same room with, but I guess family is family.”

I paused to adjust the strap on my snowshoe. “It would be nice to visit your sister,” I agreed. “Still, Ellie and I will miss you if you aren’t around for our annual Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange.”

“Yeah, I thought of that.”

I felt bad for Levi. I had my dad and Pappy, and Ellie had her mom, but Levi had no one in the area. The three of us have traditionally gotten together every Christmas Eve, but most years I have dinner with Dad and Pappy, and Ellie spends time with her mom on Christmas Day. Levi claims he’s happy for the solitude, but I was willing to bet that solitude on Christmas wasn’t really all it was cracked up to be.

Levi paused to look around, and I made my way forward until I stood next to him. I put my arm around him and leaned my head against his shoulder. “I think you should go.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. You should spend time with your sister and her family. You have a brand-new nephew you’ve barely even met. You and Ellie and me can have our dinner and gift exchange after you get back.”

“I suppose I could just go for part of the time. The tickets Barbie bought have us leaving on the twentieth and returning on January third. Two weeks seems long.”

“It’ll be hard to change the tickets during the holiday rush,” I pointed out. “Two weeks will fly by. You can spend some of your time with Barbie and some of your time with your sister. You could even pop down and see your mom.” Levi’s mom had moved to Florida a while back, and he had yet to visit her there.

Levi put his arms around me and hugged me, resting his chin on the top of my head as he considered the idea. I leaned into the man I considered one of my best friends and realized that with everything that had happened of late, we really hadn’t had time to share the easy silences that we’d always had between us. I listened to his heart beat as the minutes ticked away. I would miss Levi if he decided to go, but deep down I knew it was time for him to make peace with his family.

“So are things serious with Barbie?” I found myself asking.

Levi took a step back. “Not really. I don’t know. Maybe.”

“That sounds definitive.” I laughed.

“Barbie seems to want to move things to the next level. She’s mentioned our moving in together. But I don’t know.” Levi frowned. “I like Barbie and we have fun together, but moving in . . . that’s a step I’m not sure I’m ready to take with anyone.”

“So don’t move in. You’re twenty-four years old. You have plenty of time to figure out who you want to spend your life with,” I advised.

“That’s what I told her, but Barbie can be very persuasive.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” I teased. If there’s one thing you can say for Barbie, she is drop-dead gorgeous, and she knows how to use her long blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and hourglass figure to capture and hold the attention of anyone with a Y chromosome. “Just remember that Barbie can be persuasive with men in general. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I know.” Levi started walking down the hill we were standing on. “I don’t want to see me get hurt either. The thing is, I don’t think I’d be hurt if Barbie decided to
be persuasive
with another man. I guess that bothers me more than I like.”

“You figure you must not love her if you’re not jealous of her attentions to other men?”

“Something like that.”

“And you think you might be sending the wrong message if you went to New York with her for Christmas.”

“Exactly.”

“So don’t go.”

“I thought you said I should.”

I had to admit Levi’s Christmas dilemma was a bit more complicated than I’d originally realized.

“How about you? Any special plans for Christmas?” Levi asked when I didn’t respond.

I shrugged. “I guess I’ll spend the day with my dad and Pappy, like always. I’m sure Ellie and I will hang out at some point as well.”

“And Zak?”

I thought about my gorgeous neighbor and his equally gorgeous houseguest. “I don’t know. He asked me to the ball, so I’ll see him then. We really haven’t discussed anything beyond that. His business partner has been staying with him, so he might have plans.”

“I’ve seen his business partner.” Levi grinned. “Now there’s a woman who can distract a man.”

Terrific.

“I think I see the perfect tree,” Levi said, thankfully changing the subject. “That tall one at the bottom of the hill.”

“That tree is like thirty feet tall. We’ll never get it back to the truck,” I pointed out.

“Not that one; the one to the right of it.”

I looked to where Levi was pointing. There was a tree about twelve feet tall, with a nice shape and thick branches. “It’s perfect.”

“Good thing we brought the sled. It’d be heavy to carry all the way back to the truck.”

“Yeah, good thing.”

I waited as Levi continued down the hill in front of me with the sled behind him and the dogs behind me. I was glad I’d thought to wear my long johns under my ski pants. In spite of the sunny sky, the temperature was lingering around twenty degrees. The trek through the snow was keeping me warm, but I knew that once I stopped walking the cold would set in.

“The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the trip.” Levi set down his backpack next to the tree we’d identified and took out his saw. “But I feel a little weird about leaving you and Ellie when there’s a killer on the loose.”

“You aren’t leaving until the twentieth, and we’ll have the murder investigation all wrapped up by the eighteenth at the latest.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because it has to be. The lives of more than fifty animals depend on it. Trust me when I tell you that we’re going to solve this puppy in the next few days.”

“You know, I bet you’ll do just that. I’ve got all day. How can I help after we deliver the tree?”

“I’ve been thinking about the idea that Earl could have been the intended victim. He’s been acting oddly lately. It might be worth our while to have a chat with his wife, and Betty always has had an appreciation for the male gender.”

“You want me to flirt with her?”

“Just a little.”

“She’s like sixty.”

“It’s for a good cause.”

“Oh, very well.”

After we dropped off the tree at the gym, I left Lambda at the boathouse before Charlie and I headed to the hospital. Levi had agreed to stop by to talk to Betty while Charlie and I found out what we could from Earl.

The Ashton Falls Community Hospital is a small facility with basic ser
vices and a local clientele. Patients with serious injuries or life-threatening diseases are transported to the larger hospital in Bryton Lake.

I stopped into the gift shop next to the hospital and purchased a cheerful floral arrangement with a Christmas theme before heading to Earl’s room.

“Zoe,” Earl said as I entered his room and set the red and white flowers arranged with evergreen branches on his bedside table. “What a beautiful bouquet. It’s so Christmassy.”

“I thought you might need some cheering up.” I took the chair next to the bed while Charlie sat patiently on the floor next to me. “How are you feeling today?”

“Like I smashed my car into a tree.”

I smiled at Earl’s honesty. “Hazel said you’re going to be laid up for a while. I know you must be disappointed to miss the Christmas season.”

He shrugged.

Since Earl was normally Mr. Christmas 365 days a year, I found it odd that he seemed so apathetic about the necessity of sitting out what has historically been his favorite time of the year.

“So what happened?” I asked.

“Someone—probably a tourist without snow tires—swerved in front of me. I managed to avoid a head-on collision by running my car into a ditch.”

“And the other driver?” I asked.

“Didn’t even stop. If you ask me, I think she was drunk.”

“Has the sheriff arrested her?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t get a good look. All I remember is that the car that almost hit me was a late-model Ford sedan. Dark blue or black,” he added.

“But you’re sure it was a woman driving?”

“Actually, I’m not. I didn’t see the driver’s face, but I did notice that the driver had on one of those knitted hats. A red one. Didn’t figure a man would wear something like that.”

“Do you think the accident was intentional?”

Earl looked shocked at the question. “Why would someone intentionally run me off the road?”

“I’m not saying anyone did. It was snowing and the roads were icy, and it most likely was nothing more than an accident.”

“But?” Earl asked. “I can sense a
but
there.”

I suppose I should have figured out how I was going to broach the situation with Tanner before I opened the door to this particular conversation. I wasn’t even certain anyone had told Earl that Tanner was dead. But it was
the
topic of conversation in town, so I assumed someone had filled Earl in.

“I guess you heard about Tanner.”

“I did. It’s a damn shame. The guy was an ornery cuss, but I never really had a problem with him. Far as I know, he was a well-liked member of the community. Has the sheriff found out who’s responsible?”

“Not yet.”

“One of the nurses mentioned that he had a beef with some new charter company. It seems most of the folks around the hospital think he proved to be a threat to his new competition.”

“Yeah, I heard that as well.”

I sat quietly when a nurse came in to check the monitors. I needed to figure out a way to ease into the mistaken-identity theory without giving poor Earl a heart attack. His leg was in a cast and he had cuts on his hands and face, but he looked better than I imagined he might, considering the ordeal he’d been through. If our theory was correct, and someone was in fact trying to kill him, keeping the information from him didn’t seem like the best course of action.

“I guess you heard that Tanner was filling in for you when he was killed.” I had decided to jump in feet first after the nurse left the room.

Earl paled. A look of awareness crossed his face before he quickly turned away. If I hadn’t been looking right at him, I might not have noticed his look of shock as he suddenly put two and two together. “No, I hadn’t heard that,” he eventually answered.

“What exactly have you heard?”

I could tell Earl was struggling to get his emotions under control before he spoke. “One of the nurses told me that Tanner had been found dead. Hit over the head. She really didn’t elaborate, other than to speculate that it could have been business related.”

I sat quietly and tried to figure out how to move the conversation forward.

“You think the killer meant the blow to the head for me.”

“The thought has crossed my mind,” I admitted. “Tanner was a last-minute substitution, and he was killed after he returned to the room where he’d left his clothing. It was probably dark in the room, and he was wearing the Santa suit.”

“Who would want to kill me?”

Poor Earl looked like he was going to be sick. Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea. I certainly didn’t want to make things worse for the guy.

“I was hoping
you
could tell
me
,” I responded.

Earl’s eyes grew big as, I imagine, he realized exactly who might want to kill him.
“You’re investigating?”

“I’m looking into it,” I verified.

I waited while Earl struggled with an answer to the question I’d posed. I could tell he had a
someone
in mind, but for some reason he seemed reluctant to tell me who.

“And the sheriff?” Earl asked.

“He’s probably looking into it as well.”

“He hasn’t been by,” Earl said.

“I imagine he will be.” Salinger was an idiot, but I was certain that even he would eventually put two and two together.

“I suppose you might want to talk to Gage Wheeler,” Earl provided.

“Gage?”

“We had a bit of a falling out.”

I frowned. Earl and Gage had been friends for years. There was no way Gage would hit Earl over the head as the result of a falling out.

“Can you tell me about it?”

“Betty and I are thinking about adding on a room,” Earl started. “I went to talk to Gage about some lumber, and he quoted me a price that was akin to highway robbery.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And I told him as much. He got mad and slammed the door in my face. I haven’t spoken to him since.”

“I don’t know,” I responded. “Gage has been known to have a temper, but he’s not a killer. Are you sure h
is is the
only
name that comes to mind?”

Earl frowned.

“If my theory is correct, you could be in danger,” I prompted. “We really should fill the sheriff in on this line of reasoning.”

“No!” Earl shouted. “Don’t involve the sheriff. At least not yet. Not until we’re certain.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m sure. Promise me.”

I hesitated.

“I’ll tell you what I know, but you have to promise that we’ll keep this between ourselves.”

“Levi is helping me. Ellie, too.”

“Okay, you can share what I’m about to tell you with them, but no one else. You have to promise me.”

I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with making such a promise, but I realized Earl wasn’t going to tell me anything unless I agreed to his terms.

“Okay, I promise. But only until we know for sure. If we find the killer, I have to tell Salinger everything.”

I noticed that Earl was sweating, although the temperature in the room was pleasant. He wiped his forehead as he began his incredible story.

“Are you sure he wasn’t pulling your leg?” Levi asked two hours later, as we headed toward Bryton Lake.

“Why would he do that?”

“I have no idea, but the story seems a bit far-fetched.”

Levi was right. It
was
far-fetched, but it was the only lead we had, and I couldn’t imagine why Earl would lie to me.

Apparently, his Secret Santa gift this year involved the gas station at the edge of Ashton Falls. The owner, Garver Arnold, had decided to retire after more than forty years manning the pumps and was putting the facility up for sale. His longtime employee, Brian Kitterman, had expressed the desire to buy the gas station but was unable to put together enough cash for a down payment.

While Brian was working to procure the needed funds, Roy Burgis, a gas station owner from Bryton Lake, had put in an offer on the business. When Earl found out, he appealed to Garver’s sense of community and asked him to give Brian a bit more time to work things out. According to Earl, Garver was reluctant but agreed after Earl promised to help Brian come up with the down payment. According to Earl, Roy was furious that he’d gotten involved and messed up what he considered to be a sweet deal. Earl claimed he’d received threatening letters from Roy, telling him to butt out of matters that were none of his concern.

“I can see why this Roy Burgis might be ticked off,” Levi commented as we slowly made our way down the narrow mountain road connecting Ashton Falls to the valley below, “but I don’t see how messing up a business deal would be a motive for murder.”

“Yeah.” I glanced out of the window as the snow turned to sleet. “The whole thing seems odd to me, too, but Earl seemed adamant that Roy was our guy. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check him out.”

“What time is Ellie coming over with dinner?” Levi asked.

“Around six.” When I’d called Ellie and told her that I’d have to cancel the plans I’d made with her for the afternoon, she’d volunteered to bring dinner to the boathouse.

“It’s going to be tight if this snow doesn’t let up.”

“I’ll give her a call and tell her to plan on us being there closer to seven.”

I took my cell phone out of my pocket and turned it on. “Damn.”

“Do you always swear at your phone?” Levi wondered.

“Two missed calls, both from the same number.”

I felt the color leave my face as I listened to the first message. There are times when I’m convinced that I’m cursed, and that the powers that be might be taking great delight in messing with my sanity.

“Problem?” Levi asked.

“Dusty’s Delights is going out of business.”

“And this Dusty is a friend of yours?” Levi was clearly confused by my distress.

“Dusty is the main food vendor for Hometown Christmas. He left a message saying he’s packing up his spatula and moving to Maui, effective immediately.”

“You have more than one food vendor,” Levi pointed out.

“Yeah, folks selling cider, fudge, and candy apples. Dusty was scheduled to operate the main kitchen. He planned to set up booths in the gym, offering a variety of menu options, including several different types of soup served in bread bowls, pulled pork and shredded beef sandwiches, bratwurst, and corn dogs. You know, standard festival food. If I can’t find a replacement in the next three days, our food court will be more of a snack line guaranteed to provide a sugar high but little else.”

“Doesn’t this Dusty have a contract?”

“He does, although I don’t suppose I have a lot of recourse against a business that has gone under. What am I going to do?”

Levi wove the fingers of his right hand through my left hand and squeezed my hand in support.
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. We’re just about to the intersection Earl mentioned. Keep your eye out for the address he gave you.”

I looked down at the paper in my hand and studied the directions. “It must be that place on the corner.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, wow,” I agreed. The gas station Roy Burgis owned was the Cadillac of gas stations. Not only did it have twelve rows of pumps—six with unleaded and six with diesel—but the attached restaurant and mini-mart was larger than the market in Ashton Falls. As we pulled in and found a parking spot, I had to wonder why someone who owned a gas station as nice as the one we were sitting in front of would even want the two-pump station on the mountain.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Levi asked.

“It’s the address Earl gave me.”

“Why would someone who owns this even want Garver’s old station?”

“My thought exactly.”

“Do you think we’ve been had?”

“I think maybe we have.”

A brief discussion with Mr. Burgis confirmed what Levi and I already suspected. Earl, for reasons I still hadn’t figured out, had vastly exaggerated Roy’s interest in Garver’s gas station. Yes, he’d put in an offer, but he claimed his interest was mostly just a whim, and when Garver refused to sell the station to him, he’d moved on to other things. He adamantly denied sending threatening letters to Earl or anyone else.

“That was a huge waste of time,” Levi commented as we started our drive back up the mountain.

“Why would Earl lie?”

“You said he was nervous about whatever he was hiding,” Levi pointed out. “When I spoke to Betty, she appeared nervous as well. She didn’t even invite me in. Maybe Earl sent us on a wild-goose chase to get us out of the way.”