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“That’s odd,” the man said.
I didn’t disagree. New York City was only a hop, skip, and a jump across the river. The weather pattern should be roughly the same.
A familiar voice reached my ears. I turned to see Chief Elena Garcia seated at a table with a man I didn’t recognize. He was tall and well-built, with an envious head of salt and pepper hair and a fabulous tan. Looking at him conjured up images of palm trees and little umbrellas in cocktails.
Once I got my coffee, I made my way over to say hello. It never hurt to stay on the good side of law enforcement.
“Lorelei Clay, nice to see you. Crazy weather, isn’t it?” Chief Garcia motioned to her companion. “Have you met Lance Needham?”
“I haven’t.” I was still wearing my gloves, so I shook his hand without bothering to fortify my mind. “Good to meet you, Lance.”
He gave me an appraising look. “You’re the one who bought Bluebeard’s Castle, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m the lunatic.” I figured I might as well say it before he did.
He smiled. “I used to spend time up there as a kid. Good memories.”
“Lance grew up here, but he lives in Palm Beach now.”
“I’m only here for the holidays,” he tacked on. “Elena’s been really good with keeping an eye on my folks. They’re as old as the hills, but they refuse to move to an assisted living facility.”
“To be fair, they’re in decent shape,” the chief said. “As long as they can take care of themselves, I see no reason why they should move.”
“Because you’ve got to think ahead at their age,” he argued. “One fall down the stairs and your life changes forever.” He sneezed. “Can we take the decorations down now? All this mistletoe is aggravating my sinuses.”
“I didn’t know you could be allergic to mistletoe,” I said.
Chief Garcia laughed. “Are you kidding? These daysthere’s an allergy to basically everything. I know a guy allergic to sunshine. Can you imagine?”
That guy was likely a vampire, but I kept that nugget to myself. “What’s the world coming to?” I said, for lack of a better comment.
Lance sneezed again. “See? I’ll be happier when the other wreaths are back on the doors, too. All this change is unsettling and for what? One day of excess? Not worth it, if you ask me.”
And I thought I was bad. Lance was the ultimate Scrooge. I was relieved when he excused himself to use the restroom.
Chief Garcia gestured to his empty chair. “Sit, Lorelei. Drink your coffee.”
I sat. If nothing else, it would be a good opportunity to ask about sightings of a lost dog. “How’s the snow impacting you?” I asked.
“Oddly enough, crime is way up. I don’t know what’s gotten into everybody.”
“It’s the holidays. It makes people feel desperate,” I said, recalling how I felt when I saw the price tag on the gingerbread loaf. A crime wave at the holidays sounded normal enough. “How way up are we talking compared with this time last year?”
“I spoke to a handful of colleagues, and Fairhaven seems to be an isolated case. In fact, crime rates are down everywhere else.”
An isolated case. I had a feeling there was a reason for that and it started with ‘C’ and ended with ‘rossroads.’
“Are they violent crimes?” I asked, thinking of the incident at the Devil’s Playground.
“Some, but the number of robberies this month seems outrageous given our small population. There was also a murder-suicide that I wish I didn’t have to deal with. The crime scene will haunt me for months—if I’m lucky.”
“A domestic dispute?” I asked.
“An affair gone wrong. It seems John Landisville couldn’t live without Connie Greenburg.”
Lance returned to the table with another chair and sat. “You talking about Landisville?”
The chief nodded.
