Candy Canes and Cadavers Read online

  Then Connie set aside twenty-five pairs for a special order that Damian had placed and put the rest of what she had made so far in a small basket by the checkout register, along with another framed description of the project. She hoped people would not only buy them for themselves, but also as Christmas gifts for friends and family.

  The rest of the day flew by, and, before Connie new it, Abby had arrived for her evening shift. Abby Burns, Connie’s other employee, had agreed to cover the store that evening so both Connie and Grace could attend Damian’s Christmas party. Connie’s jewelry-making class was scheduled to meet at 7:00, but since the plan was to make candy cane earrings, Abby could handle leading it. Abby, a senior English major at nearby Florida Sands University, had been part of Connie’s first jewelry-making class back in June and now worked evenings and weekends at Just Jewelry. Although she was young, Abby was responsible and mature, probably as a result of some serious health challenges she faced during her teenage years.

  True to her industrious spirit, Abby came through with a dozen pairs candy cane earrings that she had made at home the previous night. Since the Christmas party didn’t start until 7:00, they spent the next hour making earrings and chatting. Connie had come to love reliving her college years through Abby.

  “Promise me you’ll take plenty of pictures at the party,” Abby said.

  “It will be like you were there with us,” Connie said.

  When it was time to leave, Connie took the earrings she had set aside, hopped in her silver Jetta, and drove home to get ready for the party. She had texted Elyse and Stephanie last night, and they were thrilled about coming to both the party and to the opening performance of “A Christmas Carol” the following night.

  As Connie turned into Palm Paradise, the sun was setting over the Gulf of Mexico, leaving in its wake a soft orange sky hovering above the sapphire waters. The tall coconut palms that flanked the expansive driveway, leading to the white condominium building that Connie called home, were wrapped in white holiday lights.

  Connie punched in the security code and pulled into the underground garage. Upon climbing the staircase that lead to the lobby, she was greeted by a substantial tree decorated with blue and silver ornaments. The anticipation of a festive evening ahead with her mother, sister, and dear friends suddenly filled Connie with excitement.

  She accessorized a black dress with a red multi-strand coral necklace and matching bracelet and earrings. Between adding the candy cane earrings to her display window, all the holiday decorations, and dressing for the party, Connie was officially in the Christmas spirit.

  Connie, Jo, and Gianna went downstairs to wait for the others in the lobby.

  “I cannot wait for you both to meet Elyse and Stephanie,” Connie said. Although Stephanie was Grace’s daughter, she had only recently moved to town, so she hadn’t yet met Connie’s family. And Connie had only met Elyse when she put Concetta’s condo on the market last January. Elyse’s persistence and friendship played a large role in Connie’s decision to relocate to Sapphire Beach from the Boston area.

  “I feel like we know them already,” Jo said.

  Grace exited the elevator, looking elegant in a cranberry silk dress that complimented her medium-length gray hair.

  “You look amazing, Grace,” Gianna said.

  “Do I?” she said, nervously checking herself in a nearby mirror. “Thank you, honey. I used to go to so many fancy parties with Concetta, but it’s been a while.”

  When Elyse and Stephanie arrived, Jo and Gianna hugged them as if they were old friends. Elyse and her husband, Detective Joshua Miller, were in the process of adopting a three-year-old child named Victoria, who currently lived with them as a foster child, so it didn’t take long for Gianna and Elyse to make plans for a play date as soon as Elyse had a free afternoon.

  Since there were six of them, they took two cars, and within ten minutes, they were parked in front of one of the most exquisite mansions that Connie had ever seen.

  “Wow,” Jo said, taking in the majestic structure before them. “I almost forgot how wealthy some of my sister’s friends are.”

  The home’s rich, cream-colored stucco-and-flower-pot roof gave it a warm, Mediterranean vibe, and the brick pavers beckoned guests to front door. Palm trees of various sizes and varieties punctuated the front yard.

  “This home is easily worth three million dollars,” Elyse said.

  “I’ll bet you could live for a year on what this house would bring in commission,” Stephanie said.

  “Well, let’s stop gawking. We have a party to attend,” Jo said.

  Connie retrieved the small box of candy cane earrings from the trunk of her car.

  “What’s in there?” Elyse asked.

  Connie opened the box revealing the earrings to the women.

  “Those are so cute,” Elyse said. “Did you make them as a gift?”

  “Not exactly.” Connie explained about the fundraiser and Operation Chicken Coop. “When Damian stopped by Just Jewelry to invite us to tonight’s Christmas party, I was in the process of working out the details with Dura, so I happened to tell him about the project. He thought it was such a good idea that he ordered twenty-five pairs of earrings for the cast and asked me to bring them tonight so he could hand them out at the party.”

  As the women made their way down the long driveway, Connie asked Grace, “How exactly did Concetta know Damian?”

  Grace smiled as if reliving a happy memory. “Damian and Concetta went way back. He was a successful actor who, like your aunt, retired to Sapphire Beach, although for different reasons. While Concetta was looking to live a quiet life away from the Hollywood scene, Damian relocated to accept a position as executive director of the Sapphire Beach Playhouse.”

  “Weren’t he and Auntie Concetta in a movie together when they were young?” Gianna asked.

  “Yes, that’s how they originally met,” Grace said. “When Damian heard that Concetta was living here, he convinced her to be on the Board of Directors. She loved the connection to the arts and eventually was elected as Chair of the Board. Since Damian knew how much Concetta loved ‘A Christmas Carol,’ he proposed that the company perform it this year and dedicate it to her memory.”

  Just as Connie was about to ring the doorbell, she noticed a tear glistening in Gianna’s eyes.

  “Are you okay?” Connie asked.

  “It’s just so strange to be in Sapphire Beach without Auntie Concetta.”

  Judging by the look on her mother’s face, she shared her youngest daughter’s sentiment.

  Connie looped her arm through her mother’s and sister’s arms. “I know. It was hard for me to be here at first, too. And it still is sometimes, because memories of her are everywhere I turn. But it brings me comfort at the same time.”

  Jo nodded and forced a smile. “We’ll get there, too. One thing I know for sure is that Concetta would be thrilled that we are here tonight.”

  Grace rang the doorbell, and they were greeted by a woman with short blond hair and blue eyes, who appeared to be in her early sixties and to have come straight from a spa.

  “It’s lovely to see you again, Grace,” the woman said, giving her an air kiss. “This must be Concetta’s family and friends.”

  Grace introduced the others.

  “I’m Sophie Michel-Pritchard, Damian’s wife. It’s so lovely of you to come,” she said, ushering them into the house and toward a distinguished-looking man with dark eyes and gray hair. “Damian, darling, Concetta’s group is here.”

  Damian excused himself from a couple he was talking with and joined the women. “How lovely to see you all,” he said, shaking each one’s hand and giving Grace a gentle hug. When he got to Connie, he said, “And lovely to see you again, Connie.”

  Connie handed Damian the box she was carrying. “Thank you again for supporting our nutrition center project. Here are the candy cane earrings you ordered for the cast.” He had already given Connie a check when he placed his ord
er.

  Damian took the box and handed it to a servant. “Anything for Concetta’s niece. Ernest, put these on a nice tray for when we give them out later.”

  Ernest took the box and disappeared into what Connie assumed was the kitchen, since two servers in black tuxedos, each with a tray of hors d’oeuvres, had just emerged from its doorway.

  Connie scanned the marble-tiled room. There were about a hundred party-goers exuding elegance and milling about between the spacious living room and the lanai. The temperature was in the low seventies and the bi-folding living room doors were wide open, allowing a fresh, salty breeze to fill the house. Guests spilled from the living room to the expansive lanai, and although it was dark, softly crashing waves revealed that the Gulf of Mexico was only a short distance beyond it. Christmas music streamed through a sound system as laughter and friendly banter came from various corners of the room.

  It had all the makings of a spectacular party.

  Chapter 3

  “We are thrilled that you could share this night with us,” Damian said to Connie and her group.

  “And it means so much to all of us that you will be present at opening night tomorrow,” Sophie added.

  The servers carrying trays with various appetizers made their way around the room. When the tray of chicken wings arrived at Connie’s group, a little boy in a light gray suit and red shirt left the group he was standing with, which consisted of two other children and several adults, and stood between Connie and Damian. The fact that he only had eyes for the tray of food told Connie he had come over to get seconds on the chicken wings.

  Damian laughed and tousled the boy’s messy bleach blond hair. “We ordered the chicken wings for the children in the play. This is Stevie Lambert. He’s playing the role of Tiny Tim in tomorrow’s production.”

  “Nice to meet you, Stevie,” Connie said. “How old are you?”

  “Seven.”

  A woman in a hunter green dress with thick wavy brown hair and friendly green eyes came and stood behind Stevie, placing her hands on his shoulders.

  As the woman approached their group, Sophie took a protective step closer to her husband.

  “Stevie, save some wings for everyone one else,” the woman said, looking slightly uncomfortable.

  “Nonsense,” Damian said, bending until he was eye level with the child. “Stevie, you take as many as you want.”

  “What do you say to Mr. Pritchard?” the woman asked.

  “Thank you,” Stevie said with a wide grin.

  “I’m Eloise Lambert, or better known around here as Stevie’s mom,” she said.

  Damian chuckled. “Eloise is being modest. She is a wonderful actress, and her son has inherited her ability.”

  Stevie beamed as he smiled at his mother.

  Eloise winked at her son.

  Pulling a roll of antacid from his pant pocket, Damian popped a couple tablets into his mouth.

  “Are you still taking those things?” Grace asked.

  He waved her off. “Yes, pay no attention to me. It’s just a recurring little problem that comes and goes. I’ve grown accustomed to dealing with it.”

  Eloise shook her head. “He’s been popping those antacid pills for as long as we’ve known each other, and we go way back. But it seems to be getting worse lately.”

  Sophie’s shoulders stiffened.

  “Nonsense,” Damian said. “About my taking more antacid tablets, that is. It is true that Eloise and I have known each other for years. She was one of our best actresses at the Sapphire Beach Playhouse until she got pregnant with Stevie.”

  “Yes, then my husband Stephen and I decided I’d stay home to raise Stevie until he went to school. But I’ve gotten so involved in volunteer activities and such that I decided to put off going back to work.” Stephen is out of town for business for the week, or he’d be here tonight,” Eloise said, glancing at Sophie.

  When they finished chatting, Damian and Sophie excused themselves, and Connie and her group decided to get some fresh air on the lanai, where many of the guests had congregated.

  “I’ll meet you out there,” Connie said. “I want to find a restroom first.”

  Connie looked around for Damian or Sophie to ask for where it was located, but she didn’t see Sophie, and Damian was in the middle of a conversation. So, after noticing a couple of people coming down the hallway, Connie guessed that the restroom must be in that direction.

  She went to open the first door she came to, but when she started to open it, the abrupt sound of Sophie’s voice startled her. “What are you looking for?”

  Connie jumped and turned her head at the sound of Sophie’s voice.

  Sophie pulled Connie’s hand away from the doorknob, which appeared to be locked, anyway. “The restroom is over there,” she said, pointing to a door on the opposite side of the hallway. Then, regaining her composure, she said, “Sorry to startle you. It’s just that this is a guest room, and it’s a complete mess right now. I’d be mortified if anyone saw it.”

  “Sorry about that,” Connie said. “I understand.” At least she partly understood. It seemed like an inappropriately strong reaction to an innocent mistake.

  A few minutes later, on her way to join the others on the lanai, Connie stopped to admire the largest Christmas tree she had ever seen in a private residence. It had to be fifteen feet high and was decorated in white lights and designer ornaments. Connie preferred more of a mix of store-bought and homemade Christmas ornaments, but she couldn’t argue that this tree was something to behold. She finally peeled her eyes off the tree and made her way to the lanai.

  When she rejoined her group, the women were talking to a man named William Deveaux, who looked slightly bored. William turned out to be Damian’s understudy.

  “Damian hasn’t taken on any roles lately, since he has had his hands full with the administrative aspects of the operation. But he wanted to come out of retirement, so-to-speak, for this play. I guess it has sentimental value because of Concetta.”

  “That was very kind of him,” Grace said. “We appreciate that you are putting on this play in her memory.”

  “Everyone loved Concetta. In addition to being an amazing actress, she also had quite the gift for fundraising.”

  Connie smiled knowingly. “I know what you mean. I used to work for a humanitarian organization, and Concetta had a knack for getting people to donate to a worthy cause.”

  “She sure did,” William said. “Since she passed away, donations to the playhouse have been significantly lower.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Gianna said. “I hope that this play helps to get things back on track.”

  “We all do,” William said. “None of us wants the playhouse to close. We even used to bring in talent from New York for some of our bigger productions, but those days are gone.” William motioned to a woman across the room. “Please excuse me,” he said. “I think my wife needs me to bail her out of a boring conversation.”

  “My goodness,” Jo said after William left. “I had no idea the playhouse was in danger of closing. I know Concetta did a lot of fundraising, but I didn’t realize things were this bad.”

  “I wonder if that’s why Damian’s been taking more antacid lately,” Stephanie said.

  “It would be a terrible shame if the playhouse closed,” Grace said. “Concetta was passionate about this theatre. She not only loved the productions, but there is also an educational arm to the organization, and some of the actors even direct plays at the local high school or offer free classes to children in the area as part of the mission.”

  “Excuse me,” came a male voice from behind Connie. “Did I hear you talking about Concetta Belmonte?”

  Connie turned around to discover a distinguished-looking man with light eyes and dark hair, graying around the temples, accompanied by woman in a sleeveless A-line navy dress with blond hair that went halfway down her back.

  “Yes, she was my sister. I’m Josephine Petretta and these are
my daughters, Connie and Gianna. This is Concetta’s best friend, Grace, and two close friends, Elyse and Stephanie.”

  “Of course. How are you Grace?” the man asked.

  “Aside from missing my friend, I’m doing well, Rick.”

  “Yes, we miss Concetta dearly. She was an institution around the Sapphire Beach Playhouse,” the woman said.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Rick said to the others, flashing a charming smile. “I’m Rick Bennett, the director of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and this is my wife, Priscilla.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you,” Jo said. “We are looking forward to tomorrow evening’s production.”

  “I hope this is not inappropriate,” Rick said to Jo, “But while I have you here, if you ever come across a key to the playhouse, we would love to have it back. They are special keys and rather expensive to duplicate.”

  “You can ask my daughter about that,” Jo said, gesturing to Connie. “She lives is Concetta’s condo now.”

  “I did find a few keys I didn’t recognize when I was cleaning it out, so I put them in the junk drawer,” Connie said. “I’ll check for you.”

  Rick pulled a key from his pocket and held it up. “It would look like this.”

  Connie examined the key. “I’ll check the drawer and see if it’s in there.”

  Rick thanked her and gave his phone number so she could contact him if she found it. “It would be much appreciated.”

  Just then, Damian’s commanding voice drifted onto the lanai from the living room. “May I have everyone’s attention?”

  The guests migrated to the living room to hear him better.

  As Damian spoke, the crowd grew quiet. “Sophie and I wanted to welcome you to our home for our tenth annual Sapphire Beach Playhouse Christmas party. It is wonderful to be able to gather outside of work to enjoy one another’s company. I also wanted to thank everyone for all the hard work you have put into this year’s Christmas production, which, as you know, is being dedicated to the memory of Concetta Belmonte, whom we all knew and loved.” The guests erupted in applause. “In case you haven’t yet had a chance to meet them, some of Concetta’s loved ones are here tonight.” He raised his hand toward Connie’s group. “In fact, I’d like to invite Concetta’s niece, Connie, to come forward.”