Better Off Thread, page 3
Angus went over and climbed into the sleigh beside Jackson. As he sat down, the photographer snapped a photograph.
“I’d like a copy of that one for tomorrow’s paper,” Paul said to the photographer. “I’ll give you credit, of course.”
I smiled and waved at Paul and Vera. I hadn’t noticed them come in. They made a striking couple, though. They were about the same height, since Vera was wearing three-inch wedge heels. Paul was a slender man with dark brown hair—not a speck of gray, due, I suspected, to a professional colorist—and a wardrobe that Tim Gunn would’ve been proud of. This evening, he wore navy slacks, a light blue dress shirt, and a pin-striped blazer. Vera was dressed to coordinate in a sky blue wrap dress.
She hurried over to me. “You look adorable.”
“Thanks.”
“By the way, I wanted to warn you that the gang’s all here.”
“The gang?” I asked.
She nodded. “Todd, Audrey, Blake, and Sadie.”
“Oh, well, the more, the merrier. Maybe the photographer can gather us all around the sleigh and snap a picture before we leave.”
“Wouldn’t that be fantastic? I’ll offer to pay him, of course.” She hurried off to discuss the matter with Paul and the photographer.
By this time, Jackson was finished with Santa and was calling for Mommy to come and get him.
Tiffany joined us and lifted Jackson out of the sleigh. “Cute costume.”
“Thank you.” I had no idea what to think about Ted’s sister. I’d been intimidated when I’d first met his mother, Veronica, but the situation with his sister was entirely different. Tiffany was polite but distant, as if she were watching me and sizing me up.
Ted had been married briefly to a woman named Jennifer. She’d decided she couldn’t handle being a police officer’s wife and had run out on him, so I understood Ted’s family withholding judgment until getting to know me better. I felt like I’d won over his mom, but Tiffany was proving to be tougher.
“Marcy!” Jackson said.
Apparently, I’d won him over, too.
“Did you have fun with Santa?” I asked.
He nodded. “Twain. He bwing twain.”
“He’s bringing you a train for Christmas?” I asked.
Jackson nodded again.
I asked Tiffany if Jackson could have a coloring book. She said yes, and I got him one. She thanked me and went back to stand near the wall with Ted and Angus.
“Look, puppy! Book!”
I smiled as Jackson showed Angus the coloring book.
Finally, all the visits were done. Blake, Sadie, Todd, and Audrey—Todd’s girlfriend, who was also a deputy—came into the conference room. Sadie was snapping photos using her phone’s camera as she came through the door.
“Oh, my gosh! Look at you!” Sadie laughed. “Strike a pose.”
I held out my arms, put one leg out to the side, and lifted the curly toe of my shoe.
“Ted, you and Angus get over there with her. Then I want one of you with Captain Moe.”
Ted led Angus over beside me. He wrapped one arm around me and pulled me against his side. I put both arms around his waist. We smiled as Sadie took her photo.
“Me, Marcy! Me!”
“Let’s get Jackson in here,” Ted said.
Tiffany sat Jackson down, and he toddled over to us.
“Jackson, meet Sadie,” I said, as I swept him up into my arms.
“Say?” he asked.
“Sadie,” I repeated. “Sadie, Jackson is Ted’s nephew.”
“Hey, Jackson,” Sadie said.
“Hi, Say.”
I introduced Sadie, Blake, Todd, and Audrey to Tiffany, but she was reserved with them, too. I imagine she saw them as my friends rather than Ted’s, and she wanted to see if they measured up before getting friendly.
Paul interviewed both Captain Moe and me for the article he was writing. And, at Vera’s urging—and payment, I was sure—the photographer managed to squeeze everyone around the sleigh for a group shot. Tiffany was reluctant to join us, but Ted coaxed her into it.
Not long after that, everyone left and Captain Moe, Angus, and I were in the conference room alone. Captain Moe dropped the Santa facade for the first time in hours and smiled at me.
“Thank you for doing this, Tink.”
“Thank you. I thought I was doing you a favor when I agreed to this, but you were the one doing the favor for me. All those children are precious.”
“Aren’t they, though? And, you know, your Mr. Nash looked very comfortable with little Jackson.”
I laughed. “Don’t go there. Not yet, anyway.”
He held up his hands. “I’m not going anywhere. Not speculating; merely observing.”
Being an elf had made me feel maternal, and Captain Moe was right: Ted was sweet and attentive toward Jackson. But Ted and I weren’t even engaged. How could I possibly consider a future and children at this point? So, I changed the subject.
“You know, I was surprised to find you arguing with Ms. Vincent when I arrived.”
His smiling face morphed into a grimace. “I’m sorry you had to be a witness to that. As I told you, she’d asked me to give preferential treatment to one of the children. I wouldn’t do that to the others—not in this setting, in front of the children. I might visit his room again tomorrow, but I won’t single him out and pretend he’s Santa’s favorite or some nonsense. I don’t give a fig who his father is.”
“I understand that. Who is his father?”
“Dr. Bellamy Carstairs. He’s on the board of directors of the hospital—semi-retired, I think, in order to handle his administrative duties.” Captain Moe shook his head. “I’m sorry that his son is sick. I’m sorry that all these children are sick. But they should all be treated the same, especially when they’re all gathered in this room together.”
“I agree wholeheartedly. You’re the most wonderful Santa I’ve ever seen.”
He leaned back and placed a hand on his chest. “I’m not the only one?”
* * *
On Sunday I was looking forward to my last stint as elf. In fact, I was considering buying a costume of my own in case Captain Moe needed me again in the future. I mean, surely he’d be doing some Santa work closer to Christmas and would need an elf, wouldn’t he? I knew he’d said the hospital wanted him to come back the weekend before Christmas and on Christmas Eve. He’d certainly need my help then.
I hummed “Jingle Bells” as Angus and I strode down the corridor toward the conference room. As I approached, I noticed there was a brawny security guard standing outside the room. Before I could wonder why a security guard was needed, I saw the yellow crime-scene tape across the door.
Gasping, I ran forward. “What’s happened?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” The guard was bald and nearly as broad as he was tall, but all muscle. In his uniform, he resembled a brown and tan brick wall. Dark, thick eyebrows and a goatee rounded out his intimidating appearance. “You can’t go in there.”
“Captain Moe—Santa—is he all right?”
“I’m not at liberty to comment on this situation.”
I took the man’s forearm. “Please. I’m his friend. Tell me whether or not he’s okay.”
He glanced from side to side. “He’s fine. But someone else isn’t.” He nodded at my costume. “There’s no need for that today. The event has been canceled.”
“But—”
“You need to go.”
Angus uttered a low growl.
“Come on, baby,” I told him, and led him back down the hall. I took out my cell phone and called Riley Kendall, Captain Moe’s niece, who also happens to be an attorney.
“Hey, Marce,” she answered. “I can’t talk right now. I’m on my way to the jail.”
“To the jail? What’s going on?”
“Uncle Moe is being questioned about the death of Sandra Vincent. When he got to the hospital today, he found her in the sleigh with a knife in her chest.”
Chapter Four
I left the hospital, drove home, and changed out of the elf costume. I hadn’t called Ted yet. I wanted to talk with him in person, and I knew he’d gone to his mother’s condo to have lunch with her and Tiffany and her family today. They should be finished by now, so I wouldn’t be interrupting.
Leaving Angus at home with the promise that I’d be back soon, I went over to Veronica’s place. The building actually looked more like a resort hotel than a group of condominiums, and there was even a sweet doorman there named Bill. It was designed to be self-sufficient for residents who were reluctant or unable to go out much. Manicurists, hairstylists, chefs, and even nurses were all on staff.
I parked the Jeep and approached the door.
Bill opened it for me. “Good day, Ms. Singer. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too, Bill. Did you and your family have a nice Thanksgiving?”
“We did, and I hope you did, as well.”
“Yeah. It was great.”
My expression must’ve betrayed me, because Bill asked me if everything was all right.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just a little on edge, I suppose.” I didn’t want to go into the specifics.
He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Don’t overly concern yourself about meeting the future family members. We’ve all been through it. And if we don’t like one of them, we don’t have to see them except for holidays, now, do we?”
I forced a smile. “Right. Thanks again, Bill.”
I went on inside. I supposed it was nice for people to care about Ted and me, but I’d rather they didn’t speculate about our lives so much. We’d been dating for only a few months. Did everyone in Tallulah Falls already have us married with two children and another on the way?
There was a phone in the lobby. I called Veronica to let her know I was downstairs.
“I don’t want to interrupt lunch,” I said. “I just have something to talk with Ted about, and it can’t wait. It’s about Captain Moe.”
“By all means, come on up.”
Ted met me outside his Mom’s door. “What’s up, babe?”
I explained how I’d gone to the hospital and had been informed by the security guard that the event had been canceled. “Then I called Riley to see what was going on, and she told me that Captain Moe is being questioned in the murder of the hospital administrator, Sandra Vincent.”
He drew his brows together. “The hospital is in Tallulah County’s jurisdiction, but I’ll make a few calls and see what I can find out.”
“Thank you.”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “Everything will be all right.”
“I know. I just hate for Captain Moe to be in hot water. Plus all those kids are going to be so disappointed.”
“Let’s go inside and get you something to drink,” said Ted. “Are you hungry?”
I shook my head.
He opened the door. “Hey, guys, look who’s here.”
Jackson sat in the middle of the living-room floor on a play mat spread out over the thick taupe carpet. He looked up from the blocks he was playing with and gave me a wide grin. “Marcy!”
I smiled at Ted. “He knows my name.”
He nodded. “Said it all the way home last night.”
“That’s so precious.” I spoke with everyone else, and then went to sit on the floor with Jackson.
“I’m going into the den to make those calls, and I’ll be right back,” Ted said.
“What’s going on with Captain Moe?” Veronica asked quietly as she came over and sat on the blue floral ottoman near me. Her silvery bob brushed against her chin as she leaned forward to talk with me.
“He’s being questioned about the death of the hospital administrator,” I whispered. “He found her body.”
“Oh, that’s terrible. It must’ve been such a shock.”
“I didn’t even realize what was going on until I arrived at the hospital and was turned away by the security guard. I called Riley Kendall, and she told me what had happened.”
Jackson handed me a block, and I placed it on top of the other two he’d stacked together. He slapped the tower down and chortled.
Veronica and I both laughed.
“Scamp,” said Veronica.
“Where’s Clover?” I asked. Clover was Veronica’s large brown and white rabbit.
“Clover isn’t terribly comfortable with Jackson yet, so she’s keeping pretty much to the bedroom during his visit.”
Tiffany, in a pink angora sweater, walked over and placed her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “What are you two being so hush-hush about, and what’s got Ted making what appears to be business calls on his day off?”
“He’s trying to find out what’s going on with a friend of theirs who’s had a traumatic experience today.” Veronica looked up at her daughter. “Marcy needs our support right now, as well.”
Tiffany merely looked at me. I didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, I was saved by Jackson giving me another block to stack on the tower he’d decided to rebuild.
“Thank you, Jackson.” I smiled at Tiffany. “I think it’s sweet that he’s already learned how to say my name.”
“Marcy, would you like something to drink?” asked Tiffany’s husband, Mark, as he got off the sofa and headed toward the kitchen.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
“You sure? We’ve got raspberry iced tea that Veronica actually made herself, believe it or not.”
Veronica scoffed at Mark. “Just because I don’t often choose to show how handy I am in the kitchen doesn’t mean I’m not.”
“Whatever you say.” He rolled his eyes. “But seriously, it’s good. You should try it.”
“All right,” I said.
“He teases me mercilessly,” said Veronica. “He thinks I won’t beat him in front of my grandson.”
I laughed. “I once saw you put a federal marshal in time-out. Mark had better not push you too far.”
Veronica joined in my laughter. Tiffany did not.
“I need to put Jackson down for his nap,” Tiffany said, scooping up the child and inciting a screaming fit. She took him down the hall.
I neatly stacked the blocks and rolled up the play mat before moving from the floor to the armchair next to where Veronica sat. Mark returned with my tea.
“Thank you.” I took a sip. “This is really good.”
“Must you sound so surprised?” Veronica winked.
Elsewhere in the condo, Tiffany had managed to quiet Jackson. I was glad. I’d hoped I hadn’t been the reason for the abrupt naptime.
“How does Tiffany manage to keep Jackson on schedule so well?” I asked.
“She doesn’t always,” Mark said. He was a bear of a man, with an easy smile. “But right now it’s important that we don’t give in to his tantrums. He’s testing his limits . . . and our patience, more often than not.”
“The terrible twos, huh?”
“It’s not that bad. He’s a good kid. Takes after his dad.”
Veronica gave a snort of derision.
“You know it’s true, Mother Nash,” Mark teased. “And, Marcy, pay no attention to my wife. You’ll grow on her. When I first met Ted, I thought he was the spawn of Satan.”
“I just wish I could make her like me,” I said.
“She was good friends with Jennifer,” Veronica said. “And then Jennifer burned Ted so badly—burned us all, in fact. Tiff just needs to see that you’re nothing like that shrew.”
“Well, I hope I’m not.”
“You aren’t, darling.” Veronica smiled. “If you were, I’d have already done my best to have gotten rid of you.”
My eyes widened.
Mark hooted with laughter. “Gee, Veronica, don’t be so subtle.”
Ted returned from the den, sat down on the edge of my chair, and draped an arm around my shoulders. “Hey, are you two ganging up on my girl?”
“Hey, not me, man. It’s your mother.”
“They’re being wonderful,” I said to Ted. “What’d you find out?”
“Well, our old pals Bailey and Ray are in charge of the investigation.”
I remembered detectives Bailey and Ray from two previous investigations that had been outside of the Tallulah Falls Police Department’s jurisdiction. And I was fairly certain they’d remember me, too.
“They’ve released Captain Moe,” Ted continued. “He hasn’t been charged with Ms. Vincent’s murder, but he is a suspect. That’s only natural, given that he found the body. I’d imagine that when you arrived at the hospital earlier today, the crime-scene techs were still working the room.”
“Well, they’ve got to find something to exonerate him, Ted. I know Captain Moe didn’t do this.”
“So do I,” he said. “But witnesses saw him arguing with Ms. Vincent yesterday.”
“Heck, I saw them arguing,” I said. “Captain Moe refused to give one of the children preferential treatment over the others. But that’s no reason to kill her. We’ve got to find out who did this, Ted.”
“No, we don’t. That’s up to the Tallulah County PD. We just need to be supportive of Captain Moe.”
“But they’re not as good as you—not as thorough.” I placed both hands on Ted’s knee. “Plus, you know Captain Moe. They’ll look at him as an honest-to-goodness suspect.”
“Sweetheart, if he were under investigation in my department, I’d look at him as a valid suspect myself.”
“But you’d find the real killer,” I said. “I’m not so sure we can count on Bailey and Ray to do that.”
Veronica turned to Mark. “I adore her spunk. She once was willing to fight an armed assailant for Ted.”
“Do not encourage her, Mom.”
“It turned out he wasn’t really armed,” I said.
