Jolly Dead St. Nicholas (28 page)

Adelaide felt tears sting her eyes. Vernon could be quite eloquent when he put his mind to it. She didn’t know what to do or say. She loved Vernon dearly, always would. But she could never have the same feelings for him that she’d had for Albert. Then it dawned on her that she didn’t need to. Vernon wasn’t Albert. He was a kind, generous man who would go out of his way to help a fellow human being. Was it fair to always compare him to Albert? She’d never allowed herself to entertain the possibility of a romantic relationship with Vernon. She always assumed nothing like that could happen because Albert had been her one, true love. By embracing such a narrow perspective was she cheating herself out of something wonderfully unique?

Vernon was still staring at her. He looked nervous. “You’re not saying anything.”

“I’ve been very unfair to you, haven’t I?” She sipped some water, her throat suddenly dry as sandpaper. The tears still pooled in her eyes.

“Unfair? No. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I just wanted to tell you how I feel. You don’t have to respond.”

“Oh, but I do. You’ve put it out there, that elephant in the room we’ve never discussed.”

Vernon looked stricken. “I’ve ruined things haven’t I?” His voice quivered.

“Not at all. You’ve given me something to think about, that’s all. A wake up call, if you will.” She reached across the table for his hand. It was warm to the point of being almost hot. She could feel a slight tremor there. “You are the dearest man I know. I’ve been in a certain mindset about your place in my life. Maybe I need to take another look. Mind you, I make no promises.”

He encased her hand in both of his. “I’m a patient man, Addy, but I’m warning you that I intend to court you from this moment on!”

Adelaide gasped. Then she felt warm inside. She smiled. “Well, if you’re going to do that, you’d better start with dessert. You did make dessert, didn’t you?”

The twinkle was back in his eyes. “Cherry cheesecake, your favorite.”

“Yours too, if I recall.” Adelaide watched him get up from the table and begin clearing away their dinner dishes. As he carried them through the archway into the kitchen she thought idly that it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to be courted again. It had been a long time.

Daniel shared a cozy dinner of Chinese carryout with Brenda in front of the fireplace at his condo. Since the dish was chicken low mien, he chose a bottle of Pinot Grigio to go along with it. They sat on big pillows scattered on the floor, their plates on the coffee table. It was very romantic, he thought as he watched her sip the wine.

The flames from the fireplace reflected in her amazing eyes, making them glow like sapphires. Her golden hair hung loose around her face, falling onto the top of her shoulders. The red sweater she wore fit just right, as did the soft looking winter-white slacks. Having kicked off her shoes, she now had her legs tucked up under her, a pose that was casual yet a little sultry too. Her expression was pensive. He wondered why.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” he finally said.

She smiled at him. “I’m just savoring the moment, Daniel. When we have evenings like this, I don’t want to leave…ever.”

There it was again, that not-too-subtle hint that maybe they should talk about a more permanent arrangement. He felt suddenly uncomfortable, edgy. He wasn’t ready to make that leap yet. So far he’d managed to skirt around the issue by changing the subject. Giving her a key to his place had been his way of making her feel secure about their relationship, yet not taking the drastic step of asking her to move in with him. It had kept her happy for a while, but now their conversations seemed to always include this subject.

“You’re staying tonight, right?” He poured more wine into her glass then his own.

She stared into the fire for a moment before answering. “If you want me to.”

“Of course I want you to.”

“You want me tonight, but not all the time, is that it?”

He shifted his position on the pillows. “I just think we need to take it slow, that’s all. We’ve both been hurt before, Brenda. I don’t want to go through that again.”

“I’m not going to steal your money and run off, Daniel,’ she snapped.

“I know that. But moving in together is a big step, for both of us.” She’d told him early in their relationship that she’d been burned by a boyfriend who cheated constantly.

She sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just love you, Daniel.”

She stared at him, those big eyes full of questions he wasn’t sure he could answer. They’d never used the “L” word before. She’d put it out there now, though. He knew he needed to respond. He put down his wine glass. Standing up, he held out his hand to her and pulled her to her feet. They were standing so close to each other he could feel her breath on his cheek. “I didn’t want to fall in love again. I fought against it. I was afraid of being hurt. But you’ve managed to steal my heart.”

Brenda molded her slender body to his. When they kissed, he felt the warmth of his feelings for her break through his defenses once again.

Moments later, in the bedroom, he held her close, savoring the nearness. She smelled of lilacs with just a hint of lemon. Her hair was soft as spun silk. When she broke away, he felt a sudden sense of loss.

“I’m going to go get the wine. Dessert is in the refrigerator. We’ll eat in bed, like rich, decadent people with all the time in the world.”

“You’re all the dessert I need,” he said, reaching for her.

She sidestepped him, tugging hard on his earlobe as she headed for the door. “Hey, I brought chocolate éclairs from Daisy’s Bakery.”

“You know I can’t resist those.” He smiled at her. She had a pink flush to her cheeks that he found enticing.

“Then prepare yourself. White wine and éclairs are the perfect foreplay combination.” She winked flirtatiously as she left the room.

Oh boy, am I ever in trouble now.

* * * *

The sound of sirens wailing in the night brought Daniel out of a sound sleep. Also, his cell phone on the bedside table was ringing and someone was banging on his front door.

“What the…” He sat up rubbing a hand over his face. He got out of bed, looking at the alarm clock. It read 2:36 AM.

Brenda stirred sleepily beside him. She sat up, looking around as though disoriented. “It’s the phone.” She fumbled for it but missed, causing it to drop to the floor.

“Someone’s at the door.” He pulled on his jeans then grabbed a T-shirt from a dresser drawer. Stubbing his big toe on his way through the dark living room, he swore under his breath. The siren’s eerie cry was fading in the distance.

He flung open the door to find Officer Ken Lafferty standing on the porch. “You need to come, Chief. It’s Susan Hatfield. Her house just burned down. She’s on the way to the medical center in critical condition.”

On Friday morning, Adelaide stood on the sidewalk in front of what was left of Susan Hatfield’s home. Last night, she’d watched as volunteer firemen tried valiantly to save the beautiful structure to no avail. She’d walked next to the gurney as the EMTs rushed Susan into a waiting ambulance, her face black as coal, an oxygen mask strapped over her nose and mouth. Both of her hands had been wrapped in white gauze. The stench of smoke rose off of her in waves. Blessedly, she’d been unconscious. Her family members had returned to their homes the day before, including her son, Eric, so she’d been alone in the house.

Now, the intermittent sun did little to warm the snowy scene, since the temperatures hovered around the twenty-degree mark. Adelaide shivered in spite of the eider down coat she wore over a woolen pant suit.

Ethel joined her. “Any word on how she is doing?” She had her hands stuffed down into the pockets of a gray wool coat.

“I called a little bit ago. She’s still critical.” Adelaide meandered up the front walk. Large beams lay in the charred remains. Blackened, water-soaked furniture gave the only clue as to where the various rooms had been. The roof had collapsed, bringing everything from the upstairs down below. The remains of a bed lay on top of what was left of the dining room table. Adelaide felt tears form in her eyes.

Ethel followed her into what had once been the foyer. Over to the side lay the front door, or what was left of it. “What are you doing, Adelaide? It probably isn’t safe to be wandering around in here.”

Adelaide wended her way through the debris. “I’m looking for clues,” Adelaide said.

“Clues of what?”

Fire Chief Tim Hunter had spoken to them briefly as he was helping his men rewind their hoses onto the only fire truck owned by the town. She’d asked him if he had any clue what might have started the fire. He refused to speculate, telling her that someone would be coming out to look around for the cause.

“I hope they send an arson investigator,” Adelaide said thoughtfully.

“Arson! Whatever gives you that idea?” Ethel stared at Adelaide.

“Don’t you find it a little strange that two of the people Jerry confided in about his suspicions are now in the hospital?” Adelaide carefully made her way back onto the sidewalk. Ethel was probably right about it not being safe to wander around in the debris. Besides, she shouldn’t disturb anything until the authorities took a good look at things. The shock on Ethel’s face indicated that her friend hadn’t considered the possibility that Carl’s attack might have been something quite different than a mugging. She didn’t elaborate any further. She couldn’t because she wasn’t quite sure where that idea had come from—she supposed it might have been sniggling around in her brain since Carl’s attack. Now, it was moving to the forefront, in view of what happened to Susan.

Way too many coincidences to suit me. Jerry is murdered, Douglas is framed, Carl is attacked, and Susan’s house burns down with her in it. For a town that looks upon the vandalism of some lion statues as a major crime wave, I’d say this is way out of proportion.

“Isn’t it awful?” Tina Engler said as she approached them.” She shook her head, viewing the devastation. “Is Susan going to be all right?”

“She’s critical,” Ethel said.

Tina turned to Ethel. “It must have been pretty scary for you, being right next door,”

“The firemen sprayed our house to keep it from catching fire,” Ethel replied.

“Well, I’m headed for the pharmacy to pick up Rudy’s prescription. I hope Susan makes it. I don’t believe for a minute she conspired with Reverend Underwood to kill Jerry. The whole idea is ridiculous.” Tina turned to leave.

Ethel nodded her agreement. “I need to run along also. I have to go by the city building before I go to the hospital. That light in the alley behind our house is out. Phone calls to the powers that be about problems such as that just don’t seem to get any results so I decided to show up in person. They can’t put me on indefinite hold if I’m standing right there.”

Adelaide lingered after the two women were gone. Once they were out of sight, she cut through the Hatfield’s yard into the short alley connecting Buckeye and Mulberry Streets. The only streetlight was at the midway point between the Hatfield’s and Henshaw’s homes. She trudged through the snow, stopping below the tall vapor light. Looking up she saw the problem—the bulb was broken. Embedded in the snow near where she stood were several shards of glass. She dug her cell phone from her purse, calling Ethel, who answered right away. “I was just wondering how long that light in your alley has been out.”

“I’m at the city building now, reporting it. I noticed it was out last night during the fire. I know it was okay the night before because when I took out some trash it was on. Why do you ask?”

Adelaide didn’t have the time or the inclination to go into an explanation. “I have to go, Ethel. Give Carl my best when you visit him. I’ll be by to see him later today.” She disconnected the call before her friend could ask any further questions.

Trudging with determination, she hurried north toward the alley that ran between Acorn and Hawthorne Avenues. The alley where Carl was attacked. Sure enough, one of the vapor lights was broken there—the one near where he’d been found.

This is no coincidence. Someone purposely broke out this light so they could more easily attack Carl. And, if the fire at Susan’s was purposely set, whoever did it could have used the alley as access, after breaking out the streetlight there.

Adelaide now had a plan in mind. She returned home, fed Oscar, then set out on her quest.

Her first stop was the Hunter’s Auto Repair on Dogwood Avenue. She found the owner, Tim Hunter, in his small office at the back of the shop. He got up from behind a battered metal desk at the sight of her. He was just under six feet tall, with a shaved head and large brown eyes. His smooth skin was the color of rich caramel. A neatly trimmed goatee and mustache framed nicely shaped lips.

A native of Crescent Falls, Tim had shown an interest in auto mechanics when he was in high school. Adelaide recalled how, as a teenager, he was always tinkering around with the family car in the driveway of their home on Buckeye Street. He began working for an auto shop in Marietta right after graduation. Five years ago, he purchased this abandoned cinder block building and opened his own business. Albert always said he’d never trust their car to anyone but Tim.

“Mrs. McBride, don’t tell me that Camry is giving you problems.”

“Not at all. It runs like a top, thanks to you.”

He smiled widely at her. “How about a cup of coffee?”

“No coffee for me, Tim, thanks anyway. Actually, I’m here to speak with you about the fire at Susan Hatfield’s.”

Tim’s expression sobered. “I just called about Susan. She’s still critical.”

“Yes, I know. I was wondering if you or your men noticed anything suspicious about that fire.” She watched the volunteer fire chief closely for a reaction. His brow furrowed. She could tell he didn’t want to discuss the matter.

After a moment, he said, “I’m waiting for an arson investigator to arrive. He, or she, should be here this afternoon. In the meantime, I’ve asked the police to put up some yellow tape around the property to keep out trespassers.”