Killer Christmas Cozies Read online

“Thanks,” Ophelia said and gave him a winning smile. “That little bit of information helps me with my timeline.”

  “How?” he asked.

  “Um…” Ophelia faltered.

  “I love white elephant gift exchanges,” I gushed to Clive. “Whose idea was it to do one?”

  Clive beamed at me. “Mine. Of course, I’d deny it until my last days, but I love them, too.”

  We made more small talk with Clive, steering him further and further away from anything related to the murder. A few minutes later we excused ourselves and headed for the condo.

  “Let’s walk back,” I said. “I love going the back way and looking at all the ornaments and snow.”

  “What about my car?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s fine where it is.”

  The air was crisp and clean as we strolled leisurely along the path that ran behind the condos and next to the skiers coming off the mountain. We greeted other guests as we passed.

  I took in a deep breath, letting the clean air fill my lungs. “Why did you ask Clive those questions?”

  Ophelia winked at me. “I was just looking to shake the tree a little…see what falls out.”

  “I’m thinking after what we found out today, that Helen is looking pretty guilty. Does it really matter if Clive was with Margot and Chloe all afternoon?”

  Ophelia didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “I say we just confront Helen and ask. It may not even be her.”

  We came to the end of the walkway and turned left to go down the side of our condo. I ran my hand over the American Holly bushes, knocking off snow as I moved. The silence was periodically broken by the sound of skiers coming down off the slopes behind us.

  A cold voice stopped us both in our tracks.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t do a background check?”

  I immediately recognized Sheriff Morgan’s hard voice. I put my hand on Ophelia’s arm to halt her movements. We leaned back into the bushes to hide the best we could, but still be able to hear what was going on. I had to wonder if he wasn’t speaking to Helen. Maybe Sheriff Morgan already knew Helen had lived in Winterdale years ago.

  “I didn’t know a good way to tell you without making me look guilty.”

  “It’s Bitsie!” I mouthed to Ophelia.

  “My finding out this way,” the sheriff said, “makes it even worse for you.”

  “Can I at least explain?”

  “Explain what? I have one Elizabeth Carpenter, alias Bitsie Carpenter, age twenty-two at the time of the offense, arrested for drunk and disorderly plus assault and battery in Laramie, Wyoming. Victim’s name was Vivian Struthers.”

  “But I was defending my friend at the time,” Bitsie said. “And it happened over fifteen years ago. The charges were dropped and I ended up doing three years of probation.”

  “What I see is a woman who lied about her violent past during a murder investigation.”

  “It’s not like that!” Bitsie cried. “Plus, I didn’t even know the guy!”

  “I’ve also been informed by witnesses that you actually do know how to ski.”

  “Who told you that?” Bitsie demanded.

  “Which also leads me to believe that you’d know what ice axes are and what they are used for.”

  “I mean, I know how to ski, kind of. But that’s not why Helen and I came here. We came for the activities and to socialize and to shop. We didn’t really care all that much about skiing.”

  “Again, Ms. Carpenter, withholding evidence in a murder investigation…not good. You and Helen will be required to remain here at the resort until this murder is solved.”

  “But we have to be back at work on Thursday!” I could hear the tears in Bitsie’s voice.

  “You’ll be back to work when I say you can leave.”

  Ophelia and I sucked in a breath as Sheriff Morgan turned on his heel and retreated to his sheriff’s vehicle. I pressed my back further into the hedges, not wanting to be seen. A few seconds later, I heard the slamming of the front door.

  “Did you hear that?” I demanded. “Bitsie was arrested at twenty-two for a bunch of violent crimes!”

  Ophelia scoffed. “First off, she was basically a kid. She was only twenty-two, still in college. Second, it was probably like a bar fight or something. And let me just make a full confession here…‘there but for the grace of God go I.’ You know that about me. I was a fighter all through high school and college until I got my life under control. And third, she was obviously sticking up for her friend.”

  I looked hard at Ophelia. Truth was, Bitsie and Ophelia were a lot alike. Both were the more dominant friend, both were fighters, and both were intent on overcoming their past.

  I sighed. “I understand. Just because she may have gotten into a few altercations with the law doesn’t mean she’s bad.”

  Ophelia laughed. “That’s right. It also means she didn’t have an uncle who was a cop.”

  I laughed along with Ophelia. I knew Ophelia had been a bit of a wildcat in her younger years. She’s never told me everything, just bits and pieces.

  “It’s not to say we aren’t going to take what we just heard into account when we update your notebook tonight,” Ophelia went on. “I just think if we weigh what’s more relevant…the fact Helen may have actually lived here and knew the victim at one point is pretty damaging.”

  “Agreed.”

  We stood on the front doorstep and knocked the snow off our boots before going inside the condo. I could hear Christmas music coming from the great room and I hummed along softly. Bitsie, Helen, Margot, and Chloe were all staring at each other wearily as they huddled around the counter in the kitchen.

  “Where have you been?” Margot demanded. “Sheriff Morgan was just here.”

  “Was he looking for us?” Ophelia asked mildly.

  “No, he was looking for me,” Bitsie said.

  “And me,” Helen’s eyes filled with tears.

  I hadn’t heard the sheriff confront Helen. She must have already went back inside. “He confronted you about your past here in Winterdale?”

  Helen’s mouth fell open and tears spilled from her eyes. “You know? How?”

  “Know what?” Chloe asked.

  Bitsie placed her hand over Helen’s and nodded encouragingly at her.

  Helen turned to Margot and Chloe. “I never told you two my last name. It’s Beckett. My name is Helen Beckett.”

  Chapter 12

  “Is that supposed to mean something?” Margot asked. “What are you, a celebrity of some sort?”

  Chloe squealed. “Are you on a reality show? Could you get us on?”

  I rolled my eyes at Ophelia.

  “My name is Helen Beckett, and I attended Winterdale University.” Helen eyes were blazing as she looked at Margot and Chloe. The girls’ faces were still blank. “You know, the Helen you made fun of the first night. The Helen you said was such a loser.”

  Margot’s and Chloe’s mouths fell open and their eyes widened.

  “No way!”

  “Impossible!”

  “This just can’t be!”

  The girls went on for a few more seconds with their incredulity. My heart ached for the humiliation Helen must have felt.

  “It’s true,” Helen murmured. “And Sheriff Morgan found out and came to confront me.” Helen suddenly turned to me. “How did you know?”

  “It was actually just an accident,” I said, hoping I could do a quick cover up. I didn’t want the others to know we were looking into their background and motives. “Ophelia and I went to Katie’s Café this morning, and we got to talking about the resort and how much fun we are having—outside of the murder, of course. Ophelia showed her the picture the four of us took our first night, and the lady working thought she recognized you both the day you and Bitsie came in and again when I showed her the picture. But she said you’d changed drastically.”

  Helen’s laugh was hollow. “If by drastically you mean I’ve lost about one hundred pounds,
changed my hair color and style, and pretty much changed everything about my old life, then yes. I’ve changed drastically.”

  Margot sucked in a breath. “If you were that pathetic girl who used to stalk us on campus, then that means you knew Andrew! You knew who he was the whole time!”

  “Did you kill him?” Chloe asked, clutching her throat with her hand.

  “Of course not!” Helen emphatically denied.

  What’s the truth…what’s a lie?

  “Why did the sheriff talk with you?” Margot demanded as she glared at Bitsie. “Are you from here, too?”

  Bitsie shook her head. “No. But fifteen years ago when I was in college in Wyoming, I got into a little trouble. A bar fight actually. The girl I beat up was making fun of my friend. I was arrested, but the charges were later dropped to probation.”

  Margot backed up, dragging Chloe with her. “I don’t feel safe with any of you in the house. You all could be cold-blooded killers for all I know.”

  Chloe let out a little squeak.

  Margot turned to Chloe. “I’m meeting your brother for drinks at the chateau around four-thirty. I’m going to demand he put us in another condo.”

  “You might want to think twice before you start casting stones and pointing fingers,” Ophelia said menacingly. “I know for a fact you two were not on the mountain skiing the whole time Saturday afternoon. You two were in the chateau and had access to not only the murder weapon, but you knew Andrew personally.”

  It happened so fast, I hardly had time to react. I saw Margot raise her hand in the air, so I jumped between her and Ophelia. Dumb move. The slap reverberated in my head and heat flared in my cheek. All I could think was I was glad Margot fought like a sissy and only slapped me instead of hitting me with a closed fist.

  I heard the collective gasp around me. Afraid Ophelia was going to lose her mind over this sudden attack, I told myself to suck it up. The pain would eventually dissipate.

  “Don’t do anything rash.” I placed my arms around Ophelia and held her back. “If anything, this shows which person here has violent tendencies. Which one of us might strike out at someone if things don’t go their way.”

  Margot paled. “This isn’t over.”

  I snorted. “Actually, it is. Go run and tattle to Clive.”

  The two girls practically sprinted down the stairs, leaving the four of us alone.

  “Are you all right?” Helen asked.

  I moved my jaw back and forth. “Yeah. She actually has a pretty solid hit.”

  Ophelia chuckled. “Only an elementary teacher would use the word tattle in a fight.”

  I laughed at her joke.

  “Helen,” I said, “are you okay?

  Helen nodded. “I want you to know why I’m here. Bitsie thought it would be good for me to come and confront my past. I used to talk nonstop to Bitsie about how difficult my life used to be. How hard it is to overcome painful memories. Going to elementary school and high school overweight was hard. I was teased a lot. I never went to dances. But I thought when I got in college, things would change. I’d be judged differently. I mean, I’m a smart girl. I thought my brains and personality would make it so people overlooked my outside. Isn’t that what people always say? That as they get older they learn to judge people on what’s inside instead of what’s outside?”

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  Helen laughed bitterly. “Well, it’s a lie. No matter how old you get and others get, they still judge you on what’s outside. I learned that the hard way in college. Margot is right. I wanted so badly to finally be accepted by people my own age, that I’m sure I came across as pathetic, along with what I looked like on the outside.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

  Helen waved her hand in the air. “I did my time in Winterdale, graduated with a degree in library science, and moved back to Colorado Springs to work for the city library. Over time, I was able to shed the pounds but not the image and memories of who I was and who I still think I am.” Helen wiped a tear from her eye and smiled adoringly at Bitsie. “It was at the library that I met Bitsie. And she has helped me overcome and confront my past.”

  “When I got hired on at the library last October,” Bitsie added, “I knew Helen as she is now. I had no idea of her past. She was painfully shy, but I didn’t attribute it to anything. We became friends and eventually Helen opened up to me about her past. I thought if she just came here and saw these people no longer had a hold on her, she could move forward with her life.”

  “That’s why I lied,” Helen said. “There was nothing nefarious about my secret.”

  I reached over and gave Helen a hug. “I’m glad you were able to confront your past. Now when you go back to Colorado Springs, you can do it with your head held high.”

  “Do you guys want some lunch?” Bitsie asked.

  “Actually,” Ophelia said, “I think if Holly feels up to it, we’re gonna hit the slopes for a while. We should be back around five.”

  I nodded. “I feel fine.”

  Ophelia turned to Bitsie and Helen. “Will you two be okay here with Margot and Chloe until we get back?”

  “Yes,” Bitsie said. “We’ll probably grab a bite to eat and then take a nap. It’s been quite a harrowing afternoon.”

  “The white elephant gift exchange is tonight,” I said. “Do you guys want to walk over around five-thirty and participate?”

  “Sure,” Helen said excitedly. “We’ll see you at five-thirty.”

  ***

  “Are you okay?” Ophelia laughed as she reached down and helped me up.

  “Yes.” I tried to straighten out my skis and still stay upright. It didn’t happen. I landed with a splat and twinge in my hip. “I swear, I’ll never get the hang of this!”

  Ophelia helped me up again. “You’re actually doing fine.” She took off one of her gloves, unzipped a pocket in her parka, and took out her phone to check the time. “It’s about four-thirty. I say we do one more run down the bunny slope here. We can be back in our room by five and ready to go by five-thirty. Sound good?”

  “Sounds painful,” I joked.

  I carefully shuffled back to the lift that would take us up the small hill again. I didn’t say anything until I was firmly planted in the seat.

  “Are you closing in on a suspect?” I asked.

  Ophelia frowned but didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “I hate to say it, but I can’t get Helen’s deception out of my mind. Even after she explained it, I still feel there’s something more there.”

  “At least Sheriff Morgan knows. I bet he’ll make an arrest soon.” I looked down at the skiers weaving back and forth across the hill. “I’m really scared. Like terrified. The thought of walking to the chateau tonight with Helen and Bitsie scares me. The thought of staying in the condo with them—especially if Margot and Chloe really do leave—terrifies me.”

  “Do you want to see if Clive can get us a different room, too?”

  I was saved from answering as I focused on getting out of the ski lift without falling on my face. Once that feat was accomplished, I focused on turning and heading back down the mountain. This was so not my idea of a good time.

  “Well?” Ophelia prompted when I finally had my body lined up and ready to head down the slope again.

  “Let’s see how tonight goes,” I said. “If I still feel creeped out at the mixer, then I say we find Clive and talk with him.”

  Chapter 13

  “I love that dress,” I said enviously as I finished putting on my earrings. “The color is amazing.”

  “This old thing?” Ophelia laughed as she smoothed down the body-hugging, midnight blue sweater dress that stopped an inch above her knee. “It’s the first time I’ve gotten to wear it since I bought it.” She buckled the thick, brown belt around her waist then bent down to zip up brown boots. Standing, she spread out her arms. “Well, what do you think?”

  I looked down at my long-sleeved burgundy maxi dress. “I think
I feel drab next to you.”

  Ophelia laughed. “Stop it. You look beautiful.”

  I turned back to the full-length mirror to examine myself. While the maxi dress with kitsch Christmas jewelry was way more my style, a part of me couldn’t help but be envious of Ophelia’s confident, sexy style.

  I looked at her and grinned. “It does warm my heart to know that for about five minutes each way, you’ll probably freeze your tush off.”

  Ophelia threw her dark head back and laughed. “Get your shoes on and let’s go. It’s almost five-thirty.”

  I slipped on a pair of black flats and grabbed the paper-towel wrapped present I was offering tonight. Twisting the lock on the door, I followed Ophelia out of our bedroom. At the same time, Bitsie and Helen’s door opened.

  “Psst,” Bitsie whispered, her head poking out the door.

  We walked over to her and she opened the bedroom door a little further to reveal Helen sleeping in bed. “After you guys left to go skiing, Helen and I talked more about what had happened and her feelings on coming back here to Winterdale.” Bitsie glanced over her shoulder at Helen’s sleeping form. “Let’s just say Helen did a lot of crying and a little bit of drinking, and fell asleep around four. I promised her I’d wake her around five-forty so she could change her clothes before walking over to the party. We might be a little late, but we’ll be there.”

  “No problem,” Ophelia whispered. “See you there.”

  Helen suddenly stirred, groaned, and pressed her hand to her head. “Is it time to get up?”

  Bitsie smiled. “Yes. Do you want coffee or water?”

  “Water,” Helen croaked before closing her eyes again.

  Bitsie, Ophelia, and I chuckled as we walked upstairs. I stopped short when I saw Chloe in the kitchen drinking champagne. She gave us a weak smile.

  “I didn’t know if you guys were still here or had left for the party already.” She took another long drink then poured more champagne in her glass. “I was in the shower when Margot left around four-thirty to have drinks with Clive. I thought I’d have a couple of my own before heading over.”