Candy Canes & Corpses Read online

  “Did he offer any assistance? I think there’s an emergency fund. He should make sure you receive some sort of compensation.”

  Eve knew she couldn’t expect the Tinsel-Toners or the young couple to pay for their stay. When her last guests had left a week ago, she had done a thorough check of the stock at hand in preparation for the new year and had decided to hold off making any new purchases until a week before they opened again. With so many more mouths to feed, she would have to be creative. Who knew how long they would be staying? “We’ll be on rations for a while.”

  Mira sat down. “I see.”

  “We’ll make it through the holidays, but then… Well, I suppose it will be a good time to do a body cleanse. After all, we’re always complaining how much weight we put on during the holidays.”

  Mira patted her hand. “Did Roger say anything about organizing a ferry?”

  Eve shook her head. “He didn’t get the chance. The Yule-Tiders accosted him and drowned out everything he said with demands that he expel the Tinsel-Toners from the island.”

  “Accosted? He can’t have responded well to that.”

  “No. They surrounded him and it took some effort, but he managed to scurry away.” Eve rubbed her arm. “One of them shoved me. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m all black and blue tomorrow.”

  “Oh, and how did you react?”

  “I was too shocked. The woman wore a thick woolen dress and cape and she had the quaintest little hat on her head. I imagined that’s how my great-great-grandmother would have dressed. It’s hard to be angry with someone who reminds you of a relative.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Mira asked.

  That’s when Eve realized she’d returned to Mira’s house to regroup. “I guess I’ll have to work on one. I should first feed the guests, and then sort out their rooms. Did I mention there’s a young couple and the woman is pregnant?”

  Mira patted her hand again. “It’s lovely of you to offer them a room at the inn. It has a nice sense of rightness to it.”

  ***

  As she drove back to the inn, Eve worked on a schedule and a crisis menu. The Tinsel-Toners might not be paying guests, but they were still guests. If the service lacked in any way, she suspected they would not hesitate to spread the word.

  She’d have to cut a few corners…

  Guests at the Seabreeze Inn were promised restaurant quality food, which Eve could easily deliver because she’d spent her life working in the food industry. She also promised fresh bread every day. That meant getting up well before the crack of dawn, rolling up her sleeves and baking up a storm. However, she’d already programmed herself to function on holiday mode. She knew the local bakery would remain open right up until Christmas. Somehow, it felt like cheating…

  “Needs must,” Eve said as she eyed the bread on the passenger seat. All things considered, she actually felt lucky to be in a position to help out.

  By the time she arrived at the inn, Eve felt much better. At least, this time she knew what to expect—a house full of uninvited guests.

  She went in the back way and straight through to the kitchen where she found Jill.

  Jill looked up from the tray of mugs she’d been organizing. “You’ve been gone long enough for me to start worrying. I thought you’d abandoned us.”

  Eve gave her a reassuring smile. “I hope you didn’t panic.”

  “I’ve been too busy making coffee. No one has come straight out and asked about dinner but I heard a few people murmuring about being hungry.”

  Eve nodded. “I have some leftover stock and plenty of vegetables, so tonight they’ll have to settle for a hearty soup.”

  “Okay, I’ll let them know and see what they think.”

  Eve’s eyebrows curved up.

  “Well, some people can be fickle. Not everyone likes soup.”

  Eve darted a glance toward the sitting room. She saw red reindeer sweaters taking up every available space. “Just how many Tinsel-Toners are there?”

  “Tinsel-toners? Umm… Twelve.”

  “Are they multiplying? I thought I counted five.” Eve removed her coat and unpacked one of the boxes. “I brought some extra throws for the sunroom so people can spread out.” She strode toward the end of the kitchen and through to the sunroom.

  Moments later, Eve reappeared and stood in the middle of the kitchen, her expression blank. Eve cleared her throat. “There are people sitting in the sunroom. To be specific, there are people dressed in period costumes sitting in the sunroom.”

  Jill ducked behind the kitchen counter.

  “Jill.”

  Peering up at her, Jill slowly surged to her feet.

  “Would you mind explaining?”

  “The Yule-Tiders are not comfortable sitting in the front parlor with the Tinsel-Toners so I suggested they make themselves at home in the sunroom.”

  Eve blinked. “When you said Rock-Maine Island was their territory I assumed that meant they lived locally.”

  “Oh, no. They don’t. They’re from the mainland.”

  “I see.” Eve shook her head. “Actually, I don’t see. How… When did they get here?”

  “A couple of them arrived the first time you fled. You didn’t see them because… Well, I’m sure you were only seeing red, as in, red reindeer sweaters. Anyhow, the rest of the Yule-Tiders came a short while ago.”

  Eve checked her watch. She had spent about an hour at Mira’s house recuperating from her trip into town where she’d seen the Yule-Tiders accosting Roger McLain, and in that time, they had all migrated from the town to the inn.

  “Did you make it clear to them I don’t want any trouble?”

  Jill nodded. “That goes without saying. I’m sure they’ll be on their best behavior. After all, they’re relying on you to provide them with a roof over their heads.”

  Eve used her warning tone, “They nearly came to blows in the main street and they attacked Roger McLain.”

  “Oh, really? I always miss all the juicy action.”

  Eve looked heavenward. Resigned to her fate, Eve rolled up her sleeves and set to work. She had feuding carolers to feed. “Jill?”

  “Yes?”

  “How far along is the pregnant couple?”

  ***

  The next morning, Eve hit the ground running. She had breakfast to prepare for twelve Tinsel-Toners, twelve Yule-Tiders and a young pregnant couple.

  She knew Mira would say she was only fooling herself but, in Eve’s mind, breaking them up into three lots made it more manageable. Okay, so she really did want to fool herself into believing all would be well. However, as Jill had said, maybe the bridge collapsing had been an omen. A prelude to worse things to come…

  She made the rounds of the rooms downstairs. Jill had arranged the place settings for breakfast in separate dining rooms. The two spaces were divided by a hallway and Eve could only hope that would be enough distance to maintain the peace.

  Looking out the kitchen window, she saw Jill had beat her to it. She stood on the beach throwing sticks for Mischief and Mr. Magoo to fetch.

  She prepared two mugs of coffee, threw on a coat and went outside.

  Sensing her, Jill turned.

  She didn’t look happy. As Eve approached, she said, “Good morning. Is that a wrong side of the bed scowl?”

  “You didn’t hear the cacophony?” Jill asked as she sipped her coffee.

  Oh, dear. “No.”

  “My dad snores on occasion,” Jill grumbled. “Usually, when he’s had a large meal. It all starts with a soft rumbling and gradually builds up to a crescendo. Then it dies down and everyone rolls over and goes back to sleep.”

  Eve asked, “Someone’s snoring woke you up?”

  Jill huffed out a breath. “Someone’s singing.”

  “You heard it all the way from the stables?” Before opening the inn, Eve had renovated the stables, setting up an open space apartment for Jill to live in.

  “The pregnant couple is sleeping in my apartmen
t. The husband worried that his wife’s constant trips to the bathroom would wake someone up, so Samantha suggested putting them there. Also, I wanted to be a buffer for the carolers. So, I slept in the house.”

  Eve put her arm around Jill’s shoulder. “Let’s walk this dark mood off. Remember, we’re still running a business so we must present a happy and united front.”

  Jill slurped her coffee. “It’s very hard to tell someone to pipe down when they’re singing Silent Night.”

  “And… did you?”

  “Are you seriously telling me you didn’t hear anything?”

  “Sorry, I slept like a log.” And thank goodness for that, Eve thought. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m struck down with a bout of narcolepsy as a way to deal with this stressful situation. Promise me you’ll nudge me awake if you see me dozing off. You have no idea how much I looked forward to a quiet Christmas.”

  “Is narcolepsy really a condition?”

  Eve nodded. “It must be. I saw something about it on a TV show. One of the characters had been going through a rough divorce. He couldn’t deal with the situation, so he kept falling asleep at the oddest moments. Oh, heavens. I just remembered one of the Yule-Tiders requested porridge for breakfast.” Eve scrunched up her nose. “It was a staple at my boarding school and, as you know, those were not my happiest years so I can’t help associating porridge with misery. I hope I don’t suffer a bout of narcolepsy while I’m stirring the porridge and fall face first into it.”

  Jill laughed. “Thanks. I needed that.”

  “So, how did you eventually get to sleep?” Eve asked.

  “Oh, he stopped singing. I guess he must have woken himself up and turned over.”

  As they both sighed, a scream shattered the quiet around them.

  Eve took a deep swallow. “What on earth could that be about?”

  They both swung around and looked up at the house.

  Jill pointed toward the first floor. “There. I see someone standing by the window and she’s pointing down here.”

  Eve groaned. “I know I’m wearing my morning face, but surely she can’t see it all the way from up there.”

  They both turned and looked around them. The house sat right on the beach with a rocky outcrop at the end.

  Jill gasped. “Oh. Oh. Oh, dear.” She grabbed hold of Eve’s arm and pointed toward the shore, right to the edge of the rocks.

  Eve’s eyes widened. “Is that a red sweater?”

  “Yes. No need to panic. The lights are still blinking.”

  Chapter Four

  “I told you I would do everything I could to get to the island in time for Christmas lunch,” Jack said.

  “This isn’t a ploy, Jack. Or a bad joke. There is a dead body on the beach. I have a houseful of guests and they’re all standing on the back porch.”

  “Guests?” Jack asked. “But you said you were closed for the holidays.”

  “It’s a long story. I’ll do my best to stop them from trampling all over the crime scene, but there are two lots of twelve and a couple, meaning there are more of them and only two of us to contain them.”

  “Would you like to run that by me again?” Jack asked. “Two lots of twelve? What does that even mean?”

  “Sorry, it’s a trick I’m using to downplay the situation. A sort of compartmentalizing.” Eve narrowed her gaze. “Actually, make that one lot of twelve and another lot of eleven. One of the Tinsel-Toners is dead.”

  “Tinsel-Toners?”

  “They’re a caroling group. Again, I’ll go into more detail later.”

  “So, how do you know it’s a Tinsel-Toner?”

  “The body… the person… the dead person is wearing a red reindeer sweater with blinking lights.”

  She heard Jack sigh. “Is Jill there?”

  “Jack, I take exception to that,” Eve yelped. “I am telling you the truth. And, I am calm. Any other person would be hysterical now.” Jill rushed up to Eve and handed her another cell phone. “Okay. I’m going to take a photo. I’ll send it to you and then you’ll see I haven’t made any of this up. I couldn’t possibly. I’m not that creative.” She took a photo and forwarded it to Jack.

  Moments later, Eve heard a muffled conversation then Jack said, “Okay. It’ll be a while before anyone can get there. Have you checked for vitals?”

  “Yes. Although, I didn’t want to disturb the crime scene.” Her first instinct had been to run straight toward the body, but she had stopped herself thinking she didn’t want to disturb any footprints. “I had to run back to the yard and make my way along the rock wall. The rocks were a bit slippery, but I managed to get to the edge of the water and clamber down from there. I checked for a pulse but didn’t find one. I’ll check again.” Eve looked around her. “I know what I can do. I’ll take photos of the ground in front of me as I go. I have to say, Mischief and Mr. Magoo should receive a commendation. They were very good and stayed with us. Any other dog might have rushed in to sniff around.” Eve took a deep swallow and stopped right by the body.

  “Are you all right?” Jack asked.

  Eve gave a stiff nod and then remembered Jack couldn’t see her. “Okay. I’m sending you more photos and I’m going to check for a pulse again but I can tell you right now, he doesn’t look alive. His skin looks pasty.” As she crouched down, she continued talking, “I’m guessing he’s been here a while. His clothes are wet. Oh, and he’s facing the water. As in, his head is near the water.” And, at one point, it had been in the water. She shouted at the man but he didn’t respond. Then she checked for a pulse on his neck, behind his ear, and on his wrist. Wincing, Eve pinched the man’s hand. Still no response. And definitely no breathing.

  Rising to her feet, Eve stepped back. “What now?”

  “We’re organizing transportation to the island,” Jack said. “Meanwhile…”

  Eve looked over her shoulder in time to see Jill running up to her.

  “I guess I meant, what do we do about the body, but Jill has already thought of it. She brought a couple of blankets, so unless you have a very good reason why we shouldn’t, I’m going to go ahead and cover the body. I’m guessing you don’t want us to move it.”

  “I’m sorry to have to ask,” Jack said. “Can you make sure no one leaves the inn?”

  Great. Now she had to hold her unwanted guests captive. “Yes, of course. I’ll… I’ll insist they must stay.”

  ***

  “Did Jack give you any indication of how long he’ll be?” Jill asked, her teeth chattering slightly.

  Eve nodded. “I heard someone in the background mention a search and rescue helicopter. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack ends up crossing in a rubber dingy.”

  Jill reasoned, “Surely the coast guard can provide safe passage.”

  “And I’m sure he’s thinking of all the options.” Meanwhile, she had a house full of guests to feed and a corpse to guard.

  “I hope they get here before the tide comes in.”

  “That’s hours away, Jill.” Eve turned toward the inn. “This is the worst time of the year to receive bad news. His family is going to be shattered.” Everyone stood on the back porch watching them. “We need to go back inside now.”

  “Wait.” Jill grabbed her arm. “I think we need to talk about what happened and… what might have happened.” She nudged her head toward the house. “One of them might be...”

  “What?”

  Jill pressed her lips together and puffed out her cheeks. “You’re going to make me say it.”

  Eve tugged her along. “Yes, one of them might be responsible. Then again, he might have wondered outside in the middle of the night and… and suffered some sort of attack. I’d rather not jump to conclusions so close to Christmas. It seems… unseasonal.”

  “We should at least try to find out who it is.” Jill looked over her shoulder. “And maybe we should have switched the lights off on his sweater. He looks odd lying there with those lights blinking.”

  “You cove
red the body. We can’t see the lights.”

  Jill shook her head. “Yes, but I still know they’re blinking. The lights must be waterproof.”

  Eve strode on ahead, her hands stretching out with the intention of herding everyone back inside the house. No one moved. The Tinsel-Toners were all lined up next to each other. While the Yule-Tiders stood to one side several steps behind.

  “There has been an unfortunate incident,” Eve said. “Who’s missing from your group?”

  “Todd Emerson,” a woman called out.

  Eve did a head count and came up with twenty-three. That meant the pregnant couple hadn’t come into the house yet. Two less people to worry about, Eve thought.

  She gave them all an update, saying the police would be along shortly. “Meanwhile, we need to stay away from the beach. The police have asked that we preserve the scene.” Strangely, Jack had made no such request, which made Eve wonder if he merely expected her to know the drill.

  One of the Tinsel-Toners cleared his throat.

  Surely, they weren’t going to break into a song.

  “We all have an appointment in town,” the Tinsel-Toner said. “As they say, the show must go on.”

  Really? One of their own had died and he wanted to get on with it?

  The Yule-Tiders shifted and murmured among themselves.

  Eve sensed their restlessness about to erupt and turn into an altercation.

  Raising her voice, she said, “The police have asked us all to remain in the house. They’ll wish to speak with everyone.”

  “Why?” a Tinsel-Toner asked.

  “They didn’t say. I’m sorry, I’m only the innkeeper here following instructions.” As she turned, she thought she heard someone murmur something about a mad innkeeper.

  ***

  Eve closed the door to the adjoining dining room and the sunroom and strode back to the kitchen. “Okay. They’ve been fed.”

  After serving breakfast, Jill had taken up her post by the window, presumably to keep watch over the body. “It’s been an hour. Where is Jack?”