A combination of evergreen, fresh-brewed coffee, and homemade biscuits about to come out of the oven filled the air. It was Christmas Eve. Over her leggings and long-sleeved sweater, Danielle wore her vintage Christmas apron, its appliqué Santa yellowed with age, as she lined several wicker baskets with clean linen napkins for the biscuits.
“Something smells good,” Simon said when he entered the kitchen.
“Breakfast is about ready,” Danielle told him. “Please go on into the dining room. Coffee’s on the table.”
Simon took Danielle’s advice and was surprised to find not just Chris sitting at the table with Loyd and Walt, but Lily and Ian from across the street.
“Merry Christmas Eve,” Lily said cheerfully. “Dani invited us over. I think she felt sorry for me because I’m going to be busy all day getting ready for tonight’s party.”
“I just want to make sure you’re properly fed,” Danielle said as she brought two baskets of biscuits to the table. “Because if you’re hungry, I’m afraid you might eat up all the appetizers you’re making before I have a chance to eat them.”
“Entirely possible.” Lily laughed and snatched a biscuit.
“Where’s Mr. Bishop?” Loyd asked, glancing around the table.
“He and his wife left last night,” Danielle said as she took a seat at the table.
“You mean they checked out?” Simon asked.
“Yes. They had some family emergency and had to check out early.” Danielle shook out her cloth napkin and placed it on her lap.
Simon chuckled. “I never did meet his wife.”
“I never even saw her,” Lily added.
“She was shy,” Danielle said as she plucked a biscuit from the basket.
“What does everyone have planned today?” Ian asked. “I think I know what Lily has planned for me.”
“Yes, I have a list of appetizers for you to make.” Lily giggled. “He’s a better cook than me anyway.”
“I have to go back to the office until three. And Heather’s not happy about working today,” Chris told them.
“What’s wrong with Heather? She doesn’t usually mind working,” Danielle asked.
Chris shook his head. “I don’t know what her problem is lately. She’s been acting strange. Kinda bitchy.”
“Well, it is Heather,” Lily said with a chuckle.
“No, I mean like she’s seriously annoyed with me,” Chris said.
“I suppose I can understand her feelings. It is Christmas Eve,” Lily said.
“I know, but I have to finish stuffing some envelopes for a fundraiser that we have to get mailed out this afternoon. She’s mad that I didn’t hire someone to stuff them. She keeps reminding me I can afford to pay someone to do those things. I pointed out I had hired someone to do it—her. She didn’t find that amusing.”
“She is your employee; doesn’t she expect to work?” Loyd asked.
“I’m not doing anything today. Why don’t I come over and help? That way she can leave early,” Danielle suggested.
Chris shook his head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“No, I want to. Anyway, I don’t have to do anything until Lily and Ian’s party tonight.” Danielle flashed Lily a grin.
“That would be great. Can you come over about two?”
“Sure. Why don’t you just let Heather go home when I get there?” Danielle asked.
“That would make her happy.” Chris smiled.
Danielle looked at Walt. “You want to come help?”
Walt shook his head. “Sorry, this afternoon I promised to take Evan and Eddie Christmas shopping for their dad.”
“Cutting it a little close to the wire, aren’t you?” Ian asked with a laugh.
“You have to do a little shopping on Christmas Eve if you want an old-fashioned Christmas,” Walt insisted.
“Walt, before you take the boys shopping, any chance you can stop by my house and take Hunny out?”
“You aren’t taking her to the office today?” Walt asked.
Chris shook his head. “No, I have too much to do, and I don’t want the hassle. As it is, I told Heather she could leave Bella at the office tonight.”
“Bella? Isn’t that her cat?” Simon asked.
“Yes. I guess Bella has been attacking her Christmas tree. She just figured she’d leave the cat at the office until she takes her tree down.”
“That girl certainly has nerve,” Loyd grumbled.
“So what are you both doing this afternoon?” Chris asked his uncles.
“We’re going to finish up some Christmas shopping,” Loyd told him.
“What are you smiling about?” Simon asked his brother after Loyd dragged him into his room later that morning.
“Today’s the day.” Loyd was practically giddy.
Simon shook his head. “It’s too soon.”
“Too soon? It’s perfect! Were you paying attention at breakfast? Danielle and Heather will be at Chris’s office at the same time. And we don’t have to deal with that blasted dog. It couldn’t be any more ideal if we had planned it ourselves.”
Simon sat down on the foot of Loyd’s bed and nodded. “You’re right. Providing there are no surprises, no one just dropping in, we could actually do this today.”
“We are going to do this today. And I don’t think anyone is going to be dropping in. It’s Christmas Eve, and everyone who might just drop in is tied up, and the rest of their friends expect to see them at the party tonight. There is no reason to drop by.”
“This will put a damper on the party.” Simon snickered.
“But it will brighten my Christmas.” Loyd laughed.
Loyd glanced at his watch. Danielle hadn’t left the house yet, and he was certain Walt was still upstairs in the attic. A soft knock came at the bedroom door. It was Simon. Loyd let his brother into his room and then locked the door.
“I did it. You were right, the stupid woman keeps a key to her front door under a rock,” Simon told him.
“No one saw you?” Loyd asked.
Simon shook his head. “No. I was careful. I was in and out of there in a matter of minutes.”
“Good thing she had already left for work,” Loyd said.
“We might as well get everything else ready.”
“You’d better do it; your hands are steadier than mine.”
“Where is everything?” Simon asked.
Loyd pointed to the dresser. “In the bottom drawer.”
With his cane, Loyd tottered over to one of the chairs and sat down as he watched his brother. Simon opened the bottom dresser drawer and removed a bottle of wine and a small plastic bag with a vial of liquid inside. He set them both on the dresser. From the drawer he pulled out a pair of latex gloves and slipped them on. He then removed a clean cloth from the drawer and wiped down the wine bottle.
“You’re certain there’s one of these in Chris’s wine rack?” Simon asked.
“There were three yesterday, and while one may be gone now, I don’t think they drank all three.”
From the drawer Simon pulled out a corkscrew and used it to open the bottle. He then removed the vial from the plastic bag and unscrewed its lid. Loyd watched as Simon poured the liquid into the wine and then recorked the bottle.
Loyd pointed to the closet. “The gift bag for the wine is in there.”
Danielle arrived at Chris’s office a few minutes before two in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. Heather left the office a short time after Danielle’s arrival. Ten minutes later, Loyd and Simon showed up, gift bag in hand.
“Uncle Loyd, Uncle Simon, what are you doing here?” Chris asked when he opened the door to let them in.
“We’ve come to help,” Simon announced.
“Help? That’s sweet of you, but Danielle and I have this covered.” Chris led his uncles into the office, where they found Danielle sitting at Heather’s desk, a stack of envelopes waiting to be stuffed on her left and a poinsettia plant on her right.
“What are you two doing here?” Danielle asked.
“We felt sorry for you both having to work on Christmas Eve,” Simon explained.
“What’s in the bag?” Danielle asked.
“We brought you a bottle of wine,” Simon said as he lifted the bag to show her, yet he did not remove the bottle.
“Wine? That sounds good,” Chris said.
“Then let’s have some,” Simon suggested.
“It does sound good,” Danielle agreed.
“You two relax; and I’ll take it in the kitchen and open it,” Simon offered.
“The wine corkscrew is in the top drawer to the right of the sink,” Chris called out as Simon headed for the door.
A few minutes later Simon returned with a tray carrying four glasses of wine, and handed one to each of them.
Danielle picked up her glass. “This will make stuffing envelopes more enjoyable.”
Loyd lifted his glass. “I would like to make a toast, to my nephew for sharing Christmas with us, and to Danielle for opening her home to us.”
Just as they were all about to take a drink, what sounded like glass breaking caught their attention. Both Loyd and Simon looked toward the doorway leading to the hallway. The next moment Heather’s cat, Bella, came racing into the room while making an unholy shrieking sound. Like an animal possessed, she ran around in circles numerous times, running under the uncles’ chairs, knocking Loyd’s cane on the floor, and then flew back out through the doorway and disappeared.
“What in tarnation?” Loyd shouted, still holding his full glass of wine.
Danielle laughed and set her now empty glass on the desktop. “That cat acts crazy sometimes!”
“It’s a good thing I left Hunny at home,” Chris said, setting his glass on the desk. Like Danielle’s, it was empty.
Loyd and Simon exchanged glances and then looked back to Chris and Danielle.
“Oh my, I drank that kind of fast.” Danielle giggled. “Bad me.”
“I didn’t do bad myself. Want another glass?” Chris asked.
Before Danielle could answer, Chris grabbed hold of his forehead and closed his eyes.
“I don’t feel right,” Chris said, doubling over.
Danielle reached toward Chris. In doing so she tipped her empty wineglass over. She tried to stand up, but her knees buckled under her and she fell to the floor.
Simon and Loyd did not move. They simply stared.
“Oh my heavens, that was too easy,” Loyd said before breaking into a laugh.
“It’s not done yet. Let’s do what we have to do.”
Simon removed two pairs of latex gloves from his coat pocket and handed his brother a pair. They both put them on. Loyd removed an envelope from his coat pocket and slipped out the document it held. He walked to Chris, who was slumped over his desk.
“It won’t be long now, boy,” Loyd told Chris. “It paralyzes you first. Even if the paramedics showed up now, there’s nothing they can do for you.” He shoved the document under Chris’s right hand. “I need your fingerprints. Then I need some from Danielle.” He laughed.
Meanwhile, Simon was busy pouring wine from one of Chris’s wine bottles down the sink and replacing it with what was left of the tainted wine. After he did that, he washed the four glasses that he had filled earlier. Taking two glasses out of the cupboard that he had seen Heather place there the day before, he added a few drops of tainted wine to each glass and swished it around before setting the glasses by Danielle and Chris.
“Don’t forget their fingerprints,” Loyd reminded him. “You need their fingerprints on those glasses.”
Ten minutes later the two men surveyed the scene one final time, making sure they had thought of everything, before hastily leaving out the front door without locking it.