Cozy Christmas Murder Read online

  She stared at him, trying to gather her emotions and thoughts before she spoke. She did not want to cry. Not in front of him.

  “Okay,” she managed at last. “I think you should go now. I need some time by myself.”

  “Are you going to be okay? I don’t want to leave you here alone if you’re upset.”

  “Please, just go.”

  He got up slowly, looking at her with concern in his eyes. When she ignored him, he pushed his chair in and walked into the kitchen. She heard the closet door open and shut, then stomping as he put on his boots. A moment later, the front door shut behind him, and she was alone at last. She closed her eyes. She had never been more shocked in her life. Just when she had thought things were going so well, he had broken up with her. How could she have been so wrong?

  The scent of something burning made her open her eyes again. The dinner rolls. She had forgotten all about them. She rushed into the kitchen and took the pan out of the oven. The rolls were blackened and smoking. Just like her relationship, they were trash.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  Autumn spent the rest of the evening feeling sorry for herself. Her emotions were still too raw for her to take comfort in telling anyone. Brandon had been a part of her life for a year. Now, he was just… gone. Even the coming Christmas festivities seemed dampened now that she knew that she would be spending the holiday alone.

  Well, maybe not alone, but without the man who she thought would be the love of her life. She knew her aunt and uncle would be glad to have her over for Christmas dinner, and although spending the evening in an assisted living home might not be what she had planned on, at least she would be spending it with people who cared about her.

  She didn’t feel any better the next morning, but she didn’t feel any worse either. As she got ready for work, she wondered if maybe she hadn’t been as invested in her relationship with Brandon as she had thought. Her heart was still heavy, but most of her thoughts seemed centered around the knowledge that her dream of marriage and raising a family would be put on hold for even longer, rather than focused on the new Brandon-shaped hole in her life.

  “What if he was right?” she asked Frankie as she brushed her teeth. “Maybe we really weren’t right for each other, and he’s the only one that could see it. I was so blinded by everything that I wanted that I didn’t stop to think that he might not be the one that I wanted it with.”

  Despite her words, she didn’t feel much better as she left the house for Green River Grocery, the store that she managed. Located along the river for which it had been named – which was usually more of a muddy brown than green – the tiny store had been there for longer than she had been alive. If she had been willing to move, maybe she’d have been doing something more meaningful with her life but she loved Asheville. She had lived there for almost ten years, and even though almost nothing had gone as she had planned, the town had become her home.

  “Good morning, Jeb,” she said as she pushed through the familiar doors, glad to be out of the cold. It was snowing lightly outside, and if the forecast was right, the snowfall would only get heavier toward evening. It was a good thing that she didn’t live too far away. Her little two-door car couldn’t handle the slick, icy roads very well.

  “Is it just me, or are you looking down?” the store’s owner asked.

  “It’s just the holiday blues,” she said, offering him a small smile. Jeb was in his fifties, and had taken over the ownership of Green River Grocery when his father had retired. He was in the store daily, but left most of the management of the employees and helping the customers to her. He was a friendly, but shy man, and preferred stocking goods and taking inventory to interacting with other people.

  He sighed, straightening up from the box of flavored water that he was unpacking. “Well, what I’m about to tell you won’t cheer you up any.”

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Green River Grocery is going out of business,” he said. “We’ve been in the red ever since that One-Stop Supermarket opened up just outside of town.”

  “I’m sure people will start shopping here again,” she said. “This store’s been here since before I was born. It can’t close down.”

  Where would I work? she thought, but didn’t say. If Green River Grocery closed permanently, she wasn’t the only one that would be out of a job.

  “I don’t have a choice,” he said, his eyes sad. “I just can’t afford to keep it open anymore. One-Stop has lower prices, more variety, it’s open longer hours, and it’s only twenty minutes away. I don’t blame people for doing most of their shopping there. I’ve been trying to think of solutions for months, but the simple fact is, if I keep the store open, I’m going to go broke, and I have a family to consider.”

  “When?” she asked, feeling just as stunned and lost as she had the night before.

  “The end of January,” he said. “I was planning on telling everyone after the holidays.”

  “Why are you telling me now?”

  “Most of the other employees other than you are either high schoolers, or retired, and doing this is a part-time job to make some extra cash. You’re the only one that’s paid a salary, and I know this is your main source of income. I wanted to give you extra time to find somewhere else to work before I shut the doors for good.”

  “You want me to keep this from the others?”

  He sighed. “Do what you think is best. You’re better with people than I am. I thought it would be nice for them to enjoy Christmas without worrying, but if you think they should know now, go ahead.”

  She stared at him, feeling anger – true anger – for the first time in a long while. How could he put this on her? This was his store. If he was making the decision to close it, it was his job to tell the people who worked for him. Why did she have to be the one to decide whether to wreck everyone else’s holidays, or let them spend money that they didn’t have?

  “Anyway, I’m just going to finish restocking the flavored water, then I’m going to get out of here. Let me know if you need references for any jobs. You’ve been a great manager, and I’m sure you’ll be great at whatever you do next too.”

  To keep herself from saying something she might regret later, Autumn spent the next half hour on the other side of the store until she saw Jeb leave. In less than twenty-four hours, her life had been completely turned on its head. She was single, and in less than two months, she would be out of a job and her only source of income. Her mother had always told her that bad things came in threes, and she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * * *

  After her shift, Autumn went to visit the two people who always seemed to make her feel better. Her aunt and uncle lived together at the local assisted living home. After her aunt’s stroke, her uncle, who had lost a leg during his time in the military, had been unable to care for her. Since he wouldn’t have been capable of taking care of her in their home alone, he had decided to move with her into the assisted living home.

  They were both originally from downstate, but had chosen this facility specifically to be near Autumn. She enjoyed their company, and visited them a couple of times every week. Her mother lived across the country, so she was really the only family they had in the area. Neither of them had ever had kids.

  “Autumn, I wasn’t expecting to see you. Come over here, let me give you a hug.”

  “Hi, Uncle Albert,” she said, embracing the older man. “I know I was just here yesterday, but I could use the company. How is Aunt Lucy doing?”

  “She’s with the doctor now. They are reviewing her medicines. She should be out in a little bit. Are you going to stay for dinner? I’ll go tell the cook.”

  “Oh, I didn’t call ahead. I don’t want to be a burden.”

  “Nonsense, he always makes extra anyway. You sit down, I’ll be right back.”

  Feeling guilty, Autumn took a seat in the armchair in the common area while h
er uncle made his way toward the dining room and attached kitchen. She always felt bad when he did something that she could do herself, but at the same time, she knew that he valued what independence he had. Making him sit while she went to talk to the cook would do nothing but insult him.

  “Hi,” she said to the older woman who was sitting a few chairs away. “Mrs. Zimmer, isn’t it?”

  The other woman nodded and offered her a smile. Autumn grinned back at her. She was getting good at remembering names.

  Asheville Meadows was a small facility, but comfortable. From everything Autumn had seen, the staff cared about their jobs, and everyone was treated well. She always enjoyed visiting, but at the same time, it often saddened her. She was one of the few people who visited regularly. Some of the people who lived there had families that only visited on the holidays, and others didn’t even have that.

  Over the past couple of years, she had grown familiar with both the staff and the residents. Sometimes it is a difficult community to be a part of. Whenever she saw a new face, she knew that it meant that one of the old residents was no longer there. Occasionally they left to move in with family, but most of the time their absence meant that they had passed away. She admired the staff for having the emotional stamina to continue working there, after losing people repeatedly.

  She saw her uncle was on his way back, and rose from her seat in case he needed help. He didn’t; he had had decades to get used to moving around on crutches. He settled into a chair next to the one that she had sat in and let out a sigh as he leaned his crutches against the arm.

  “You’re in luck. We have creamy chicken casserole tonight. One of my favorite meals. Cook Benson said that there’s plenty for visitors. You are welcome to stay if you would like. You know your aunt and I are always happy to have you here.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Albert,” she said. “It will be nice to have some company for dinner tonight.”

  “You know I am thrilled to have you visit, but I have a feeling that there is more behind this than just wanting to see us again. Did something happen?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I’m losing my job. The grocery store is closing, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She leaned her head back against the chair and sighed. “And Brandon ended things.”

  “I’m sorry,” her uncle said. “I liked him. But it’s better to be alone than to be with someone who’s not right for you.”

  “I know that in my mind,” she said. “But it’s a lot more difficult to make my heart understand.”

  “Your heart will catch up,” he said, patting her arm. “And don’t worry about your job. I’m sure there’s plenty of other things out there for a bright young woman like you.”

  She smiled. “Thirty-five – almost thirty-six – isn’t exactly what I would call being a young woman.”

  “You’re forty years younger than me. I’m going to keep on calling you a young woman. Have you looked into working anywhere else yet?”

  “Not yet,” she said. “I just found out at the beginning of my shift. It’s closing at the end of January, so I have some time. I don’t even know where to begin looking if I’m being honest. This is a small town. Most of the jobs that will be hiring in the middle of winter are part-time, for little pay. I would have to take two or three just to support myself.”

  “What about that big store that opened a few months ago? They must be hiring.”

  She made a face. “I’m not going to work for the One-Stop Supermarket. They are the reason Green River Grocery is closing down. I’ll find something else, or I’ll just work multiple jobs.”

  “If you need to move for work, you do that. Don’t worry about me and your aunt. We’re fine here.”

  “I don’t want to leave,” she said. “Asheville is my home. I have friends here, and you guys, and I don’t want to start over.”

  “I’m just saying, if you do, don’t worry about us.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Albert,” she said. “It looks like Aunt Lucy’s done with the doctor. I’ll help her over.”

  She rose and walked over to her aunt, who is being pushed along in her wheelchair by one of the staff. She took over, wheeling her towards where her uncle was sitting. They had almost made it when she heard a loud clattering come from the kitchen. There was shouting; it sounded like someone was in trouble. Quickly putting the wheelchair’s brakes on, she turned and ran towards the sound.

  She stumbled to a halt at the door to the kitchen. Pots and pans were everywhere; steaming food was splattered across the floor. Lying in the middle of the kitchen was a man who was wearing an apron and a white cook’s hat. Cook Benson. She had first met him six months before.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” wailed one of the staff members who was kneeling beside him. “He clutched his throat and then just collapsed. He isn’t breathing. Oh, my goodness.”

  The other woman was giving the man CPR, but he didn’t seem to be responding. Autumn could hear someone behind her on the phone, talking frantically to the emergency dispatcher. She stared down at the cook, feeling helpless. His face, she noticed, was red and blotchy, and there were hives on his neck. Had he come into contact with something he was allergic to?

  “EpiPen?” she suggested, too quietly. Clearing her throat, she repeated the word, more loudly. The woman who wasn’t giving him CPR looked up at her. Something seemed to connect in her mind, and she got up and began patting his pockets. Autumn saw a jacket hanging on the other side of the room and hurried toward it. A quick search of the pockets, and she found the box that the epinephrine injection should have been in. She opened it. It was empty.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  * * *

  Autumn stood in the corner of the dining room, watching in equal parts horror and fascination as the police and paramedics swarmed in the kitchen. The paramedics were hurrying to try to stabilize the poor man, but she thought it was already too late. He hadn’t been breathing for the entire time that it took the ambulance to get there. He hadn’t responded to CPR, at least not as far as she could see. The entire assisted living home was in chaos. One of the nurses was crying. The doctor on staff was arguing angrily with a police officer, who was trying to calm her down.

  Autumn was in shock. She had never witnessed anything like this before. It was an emergency – a true emergency – and she had frozen up uselessly. But what could I have done? she wondered. Certainly no more than the staff that was trained in first aid.

  She heard someone bark an order, and officers cleared a path to the dining room. The paramedics rolled out a stretcher with a shrouded form on it. She looked away. She couldn’t believe that she had just witnessed someone’s death.

  “Ma’am?” someone said. “Pardon me, but I need to take your statement.”

  She turned to find a young officer standing at her shoulder. He had a pen and a pad of paper out. He was a good fifteen years younger than her, probably just out of the academy. He was nervous, and she felt bad for him.

  “What you need to know?” she asked.

  “Just tell me what happened. Anything you can remember. And, um, I’ll also need your phone number and to see your ID, in case we need to contact you again.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts. When she opened them, she started from the beginning.

  She stayed at the assisted living home for another hour, making sure that her aunt and uncle were settled in their room before she left. The police and paramedics had gone already, and the mood in the building was subdued. She put on her coat and grabbed her purse, feeling tired and saddened, and in need of a warm bath. With dinner wrecked and the kitchen a crime scene, the home was ordering pizza for the residents, but she wasn’t staying for that. The last few days had been too much for her. She wanted to go hide in her house, and not come out until things were better.

  “The keys weren’t there, I swear,” she heard a woman say. She paused, feet away from the open door that
led to the administrative office. It had the sound of a private conversation, but she couldn’t seem to help herself from eavesdropping.

  “Justine, the keys are right there, where they always are,” a male voice said. “I’m sorry. I know that it was an emergency, and you probably just overlooked them, but it cost a man his life. I’m going to have to let you go.”

  “Please, Nick, I moved to this town for this job. I love what I do. I take great care of everyone here.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, and to Autumn’s ears, he sounded like he really was. “But I have to think of our residents. What if this was one of them? What happened to Benson was horrible, but we have emergencies almost every week. People go into cardiac arrest, they have strokes, they take falls, and for that we need someone who can keep their mind in an emergency. I know you must feel horrible about this, but I just can’t let you keep working here. I’m going to put you on administrative leave with pay until after Christmas. We’ll see what the police investigation turns up. But unless they find something that overturns the evidence in front of my eyes, I just can’t have you here anymore.”