Mistletoe Murder Page 16

  "I saved you from handing your life's work over to a man who would have run it to ruin."

  "Fine talk from a man who just filed for bankruptcy," he said. His voice was barely contained fury.

  "Put the gun down," Simon said, advancing on him.

  "You first," William said. "I don't want to shoot you. Well, actually, I do. But I'd really rather the law took care of things."

  "I'll make it easy for both of us, then," Simon said, and shot William in the shoulder.

  William staggered back, and Simon advanced.

  I couldn't just let him finish it off. I leaped out of the tub and plunged the knife into Simon’s gun arm.

  "You stabbed me!" he said, as if he hadn't just shot an old man in the shoulder.

  I put the knife to his throat. I had no idea what I was doing, but I wasn't about to stop now. "Put that gun down or I’ll finish the job," I said in the coldest voice I could muster.

  He started to move, and I pressed harder. A bead of blood showed at the edge of the knife.

  "Fine," he said, and the gun clattered to the floor. William, in the meantime, had recovered, and was training the gun on his son-in-law.

  "Get the Glock," he told me. I grabbed it from the floor and scrambled out of the bathroom to stand behind Simon.

  "It was all for the best," Simon said, clutching his bloody arm.

  "Not for us it wasn't," William said. "You stole my son. He wasn't always the brightest, and his business sense was a little underdeveloped, but he was ours. And now, thanks to you, he's gone forever." His voice shook; I could feel the grief pouring off him, and my heart ached for him.

  A siren sounded outside. The cavalry, or at least the Buttercup Police Department, had arrived.

  A moment later, Deputy Shames appeared at the door, with Tobias at her side.

  "What's going on here?" she asked.

  "It's a long story," William said, "but this man killed my son."

  "We need an ambulance," Tobias said as he hurried over to inspect the older man’s wound. Deputy Shames pulled out her radio and called for EMS.

  I remembered my phone; I pulled it out of my jacket pocket and put it to my ear. "You still there?" I asked.

  "I am," the dispatcher answered, "and I recorded the whole thing. And if I may say so, I'm awful glad that ended the way it did. It was touch-and-go there for a few minutes. You had me scared!"

  "You're not the only one," I said. "Thanks so much for your help. I'm Lucy Resnick, by the way."

  "Verna Robinson," the woman said. "Maybe now we'll get to meet in person sometime!"

  "Let's plan on it," I said, my whole body suddenly feeling as limp as a noodle.

  21

  Jenna and her mother showed up right after Deputy Shames cuffed a bleeding Simon.

  "What’s going on?" Jenna asked. "Why is my husband in handcuffs?"

  "He shot me," her father said. "And he killed your brother."

  "And Julie," I added. "And his former wife."

  Jenna blanched. "What?" She looked at her husband, who appeared totally unabashed. "Is that true?"

  "It was for the good of the family, Jenna," he said. "Randy would have taken everything that was yours. I was protecting you."

  "Protecting me?" Jenna blinked. "Randy and I didn't always get along, but I loved him. He was my brother!"

  "He was going to steal your inheritance," he said. "How could you love him?"

  Jenna took a step back and took her mother's arm. Linda was pale; she looked to be in shock.

  "Is there a blanket around?" I asked. "I think your mother needs to sit down and warm up."

  "Oh, Mother... of course," Jenna said. "What was I thinking?"

  Together, Jenna and I took Linda and sat her down on the couch in the living room. I grabbed a throw from the floor and draped it over her. "Is Billy going to be okay?" she asked in a faraway voice. `

  "It was only a shoulder wound," I said. "Dr. Brandt is taking care of it until the paramedics arrive. He should be just fine."

  "There was a lot of blood," she said. "So much blood. My two sons..." The tears came then, and Jenna hugged her. She, too, started crying.

  "I'm so sorry, Momma," she said. "I didn't know he was bad. Honest, I didn't." She sounded like a little girl.

  "He had us all snowed, honey," her mother said. "At least I still have you. And the baby," she said, eyeing her stomach.

  "Oh, Momma. It's not me who's pregnant." Tears streamed down Jenna’s face. “It's Rhonda. She's having Randy's baby."

  Linda sat up straight. "What?"

  "I hated to lie, but Simon said it was the only way…. I hope you're not too mad at me."

  "Oh, sweetheart. I'm glad you and Simon weren't able to have kids; I don't want any of us to have any part of him around. But Rhonda... we'll have some of Randy with us, after all. And as for you, sweet pea... I think there will be children in your future. Just with a better husband. This may have been God's way of keeping you safe."

  "It didn't keep Randy safe," Jenna sobbed.

  "No," she said sadly. "It didn't." And she began to weep, too, the two women clinging to each other.

  I'd barely gotten back to the farm before the phone started ringing. I pulled off my shoes and ran to the phone; it was Mandy. "You solved it!" she crowed. "Isabella's free! You have to come to our family Christmas celebration. My mother and father insist; without you, our family might have been fractured forever."

  I turned to look out at the driveway, where Tobias was parking his truck. "Can I bring a friend?"

  "Of course," she said. "Come Christmas Eve. We always go to Midnight Mass, but you can skip that if you want to."

  "Thanks so much for the invitation," I said. "Can I get back to you in a few?"

  "Of course. And thank you, thank you, thank you!"

  I hung up and looked at my ancient answering machine; it was blinking. I played the messages; the first was from Deputy Shames, telling me she had a lead on Sparky, and the second was from Fannie down at the antique shop. "Did you still want that vet kit? I've had a few inquiries, but I'll hold it for you if you're still interested." I quickly called her back and told her I'd be in for it tomorrow, managing to hang up just before Tobias arrived at the door.

  Chuck and I went to greet him. I didn't throw myself at him, but Chuck was less reticent, and Tobias practically had to peel him off his pant leg.

  "I'm so glad you're okay," Tobias said, pulling me into a crushing, warm hug. "When I got there, and saw the blood... I was afraid you were hurt. Or worse."

  "I'm fine," I said. "I should probably change shirts, though." My sleeve was still damp with Simon’s blood.

  "I'll wait here," he said, sitting down and inviting Chuck up into his lap as I hurried to wash off my arm and change out of my ruined shirt.

  "We never did talk about Christmas," he said when I returned in a soft, oversize sweatshirt.

  "We didn't, did we? I just got an invitation for both of us to go to a Christmas Eve celebration at the Vargases', if you're interested."

  "I heard they throw one heck of a party," he said. "If you're game, I'd love to go."

  "I’d love to, also," I said, snuggling in next to him. "It’s been such a terrible day; I saw Julie’s sister Caitlyn, and she’s absolutely devastated. I’m going to see if I can get her some counseling; her parents are coming into town tonight, but they’re strapped for cash."

  "I’ll see what I can do, too," Tobias said. "We’ll have to keep an eye on her."

  "I told her to call me anytime, but I’m going to check up on her tomorrow." I sighed. "So many families have lost so much. I’m glad at least the Vargases got somebody back."

  "Death makes you realize how precious the people close to you really are… and how fragile life is. I've been thinking," he said, putting an arm around me and stroking my hair. "I think I'm a bit afraid."

  "Afraid?" I asked, feeling the warmth in my heart suddenly chill.

  "Yeah. As you know, my last relationship di
dn't end very well," he said. "I just... I have such strong feelings for you. I think I'm afraid to let my heart open up too much."

  "Really?" I asked.

  "Really. I think I packed away a bunch of stuff after my ex and I broke up, and I never really took it out and looked at it. I think it may be time for me to change that." He touched my chin and turned my head to face him. "I love you, Lucy Resnick."

  Despite all the tragedy of the day, my whole body seemed to lift from the couch with joy. "I love you, too, Tobias Brandt."

  "I hope it’s not too forward… but can I spend the night?" he asked. "Assuming Chuck approves, that is," he added, ruffling the fur on the apricot poodle's head.

  "I can’t think of anything I’d like better," I said, and he leaned down and kissed me. "Except maybe for that," I added a few minutes later when I came up for air.

  It was the last night of the Christmas Market, so I put out all my remaining inventory, which wasn't too much. The Market was buzzing with the news of recent events... including Deputy Shames's discovery regarding Sparky.

  "The Stone boy took up with an art thief," Mayor Niederberger said as she came by the stall. "Killed the boy off and put him under the courthouse... and then got himself killed in a shootout before he could come back to retrieve the loot."

  "What?" I asked. "Where?"

  "About six months later, in Chicago," she said. "A heist went wrong, and he got shot. If we hadn't done that renovation, no one ever would have found out what happened to the paintings... or to Chad Stone."

  "Is the museum going to offer a finder's fee?" I asked.

  "Fifty thousand is what they're sayin'," she said.

  "That's a lot."

  "Well, the paintings were worth five hundred thousand dollars," she replied, "so it makes sense."

  "That'll help with the renovation."

  "It will," she said. "Although I feel just awful for the Stone family. And for the family of that poor young woman from Rosita's."

  "I talked with her sister; the family is devastated," I said. "Maybe some of the funds could go toward helping Caitlyn get some counseling, and to pay her rent."

  "That’s a good idea," the mayor said. "We’ll see what we can do to help. At least they know what happened now, thanks to you," she said. "And Isabella will be with her family on Christmas, not sittin' in that cell rereading back issues of Texas Monthly."

  "There's that," I agreed.

  She bought two candles and drifted away a moment later.

  A few minutes later, Rooster stumped by on crutches, looking grouchy, with a very tense-looking Lacey at his side. He wasn’t at the deer lease, and I noticed they were both still wearing wedding bands, but it probably wasn’t going to be the merriest of Christmases at the Kocureks’ house, I thought as he scowled at me. I gave him a bright smile and said "Merry Christmas! I hope your foot gets better soon."

  "Serves him right," Lacey said.

  To my delight, the next family to arrive was the Stones. William was wearing a sling, but he seemed to be recovering nicely. Linda clung to his arm, and Rhonda and Jenna were talking in earnest a few feet behind them.

  "So glad to see you up and around!" I said, smiling. "How are you all doing? I know it was a pretty traumatic day."

  "We're trying to heal," William said. "We've decided we're going to have Rhonda stay with us until she has the baby. Jenna would like to adopt him… or her... but let Rhonda be involved as the baby grows up."

  "That sounds like a great solution," I said.

  "I'm going back to my job tomorrow," Rhonda said. "I won't do the coloring, but I can still do cuts. I think Keith’s going to file for divorce; I'm going to need to support myself."

  "Take it easy, though, Rhonda," Jenna said. "It's been a rough couple of weeks."

  "It has been for all of us," I agreed. "But it sounds like a wonderful arrangement."

  "We're tickled pink," the Stones said. "Jenna’s going to ease out of her job in Houston and come back and take over operations here. This little munchkin is going to have a big family taking care of her."

  "She is." Rhonda smiled, her hand on her stomach. "Mmm. Those candied nuts smell delicious. I think I'm going to get myself some."

  Jenna smiled, albeit a little bit sadly. "Of course. After all, you're eating for two!"

  "First, though, I want to pick up a few things," William said. "Y'all hurry along; I'll catch up."

  "Since when are you interested in soap and candles?" Linda teased him.

  "Half the people on my shopping list are ladies," he reminded her. "Now, shoo!"

  They headed toward the candied almonds, and he selected a half dozen soaps and four candles. "How much?" he asked.

  I added it up and quoted a number. I used a candle to hold the check down so he could write it out, because he was short a functioning arm. When he was done, he handed it to me.

  "Thank you so much," I said. "I hope you have a good Christmas after all; I know it's been a difficult month. Did you ever find out anything more about Chad?"

  "It looks like that's who it is," he said with a grimace. "They're doing DNA testing, but he broke his leg as a kid, and there's a healed fracture right where Chad’s was." He let out a sad sigh. "After all those years of searching, I probably drove by my boy every day." Tears welled up in his eyes.

  "I'm so, so sorry," I said softly. "I can't imagine. There's nothing worse."

  "No," he agreed. "There isn't." He took a deep breath. "But we've got a new one on the way," he said. "I miss my sons every day—every minute, to be honest—but I'm grateful I have a daughter. And a grandbaby soon, too."

  "I'm so glad," I said, smiling.

  "I hear you're going to be renovating that old house you moved over to your place."

  "Eventually," I said. "The bids are a bit higher than I'd hoped, to be honest, but I'll get there."

  "You will," he said, picking up his pen and shoving another check under the candle.

  "You've already paid," I said.

  "I settled my bill, yes," he said. "But this is a gift."

  A moment later, he handed me a check for ten thousand dollars.

  "What? I can't accept this," I said.

  "I insist you do," he said. "If it weren't for you, my daughter would have stayed married to her brother's murderer, and that young woman, Rhonda, might not have made it to next year. You saved our family... or what's left of it." His eyes teared up. "This is the least I could do, and I'm still in your debt."

  "It's too much, though," I protested.

  "Not if you're renovating an old house it isn't," he said. "And get that truck looked at. It's rattlin' something fierce."

  "Are you sure?"

  "I'm sure," he said, locking eyes with me until I accepted the check.

  "Thank you," I said, my voice hoarse.

  "And if you need anything—anything at all—don't hesitate to call."

  "Thank you, Mr. Stone."

  "Anytime, Ms. Resnick," he said, reaching out to squeeze my hand with his good one. "Now, then, I'd better make sure they don't buy out the whole nut booth. We've had enough nuts around the house already."

  I laughed. "Thank you again," I told him before he left. "I can't wait to meet your grandbaby."

  "Me neither," he said, grinning, and turned to rejoin his family.

  Christmas Eve dawned, not with a dusting of snow, but with a cold breeze out of the north. The sky was a gorgeous, bright blue bowl above the farm, and after finishing my chores, I spent the day delivering gifts to friends and finishing up a batch of cookies to take to the festivities at the Vargases' house. I'd also given all the animals extra treats: carrots, apples, and even a few oats. Blossom nudged me with her nose, looking for more, and I gave her a kiss on her soft cheek. I looked down at the little house by the creek; thanks to the Stones, I would start renovations right after Christmas. And I hadn't fretted about the money I'd spent for Tobias's vintage vet kit.

  Tobias showed up at five, looking handsome in khakis
and a sports coat. The tree was decorated and twinkling in the corner of my living room, and Tobias's gift was wrapped and tucked beneath the branches, along with the gifts my friends had given me. I'd put on a red dress I hadn't worn since I left Houston, with a bit of red lipstick to match. With my new hair, I didn't look at all like Farmer Lucy. Except for my hands, which, as always, were callused, with short nails from lots of work.

  "You look stunning," he said when I answered the door, Chuck leaping around his feet as usual. I'd given him some extra cheese and a cookie as a Christmas treat, and I had gotten a bone for him from the butcher at the Red and White Grocery.

  "Thanks," I said. "You look pretty dapper yourself."

  "Ready?"

  "Let me get the cookies, and we'll go."

  It was a short ride to the Vargases' ranch house, and Tobias held my hand the whole way. Several trucks and cars were already parked out front when we got there, and luminarias—paper bags filled with glowing candles—lined the walkway to the front porch. Christmas carols floated on the air, along with an absolutely delicious smell.

  "What smells so good?" he asked as we walked up the candlelit path to the house.

  "I don't know, but I suspect I'm going to want seconds."

  Mandy answered the door, and before I could say anything, pulled me into an enormous hug. "You saved my sister," she said. "I can't thank you enough."

  Isabella was right behind her. "Thank you so much," she said. "Because of you, I get to spend Christmas—and all the other days—with my family." She still looked bereft, but there was a spark of hope there I hadn't seen when I'd visited her in the jail.

  "I'm so sorry about everything that happened," I said. "I know you and Randy weren't getting along, but it's still a real blow."

  "It is," she said, and her eyes teared up. "I shouldn't miss him, but I do."

  "Love's like that," I said, and gave her arm a squeeze.

  Before she could say anything else, their mother, Valeria, came up and gave me a huge hug. "Here's the lady who saved my daughter! You are wonderful," she said, kissing me on the cheek soundly and squeezing me, then noticing Tobias standing beside me. "And this is your boyfriend?"