The Merchant of Menace

Addie had made friends with a woman who was a regional book rep and they were having a good jaw about the horrors of getting out-of-town authors around to the bookstores. “She would never take a flight after seven in the evening or before ten in the morning, had to have a bottle of chilled champagne in the car at all times, and carried more luggage than Hannibal crossing the Alps,“ Jane overheard Addie telling the other woman.
    Jane’s neighbor nodded sagely. “When we sent her out on tour, she insisted on dragging along her hairdresser, too.”
    Shelley and Jane crossed paths as Jane headed upstairs for potty break and Shelley came down the steps from the same errand. “It’s turned into a decent party after all, hasn’t it?“ Shelley said.
    “It has,“ Jane said. “A credit to my hostessing skills.“
    “You are a good party-giver, Jane. Better than I am,“ Shelley said.
    Jane laughed. “That’s because I let people do what they want. You tell them where to sit and what they should talk about.“
    “I do not! I merely make helpful suggestions. And try to put people together who have common interests.“
    “Uh-huh. Like that voter registration meeting you had at your house and you made that rabid pro-choice woman and the Operation Rescue guy sit together?“
    “I’ve already admitted that was a mistake, Jane,“ Shelley said haughtily. “You don’t need to keep harping on it. Still, I think they could have had an enlightening exchange of views if they’d only stopped screaming at each other.“
    “Maybe, but when they got to the drink-flinging stage, it was too late.”
    Jane went on upstairs and when she came back down, Julie was in the front hall in her hat and coat. “My baby-sitter has to leave at nine-thirty. I’m afraid I’ve got to go.”
    Jane didn’t believe the baby-sitter story for a second. Julie was just trying to escape being on the scene when Lance came back and discovered he was locked out. But that was okay. Jane couldn’t bear another round of hysterical apologizing.
    “Bundle up, then. It’s nasty outside,“ Jane said. “May I keep your little snack dishes for the cookie party tomorrow afternoon?“
    “Oh, please do,“ Julie said as Jane opened the front door for her. “I have more of the snack mix, too. I’ll come early and refill the dishes.”
    Julie stepped out the door and started down the steps. As she reached the bottom she turned, presumably for one last repentant remark, but in doing so, her glance went over the Johnsons’ front yard.
    She stopped. Stared.
    Her eyes opened very wide and then she screamed.
    Jane lurched out onto the porch. Julie was pointing at the Johnson’ house. At first Jane couldn’t imagine what was so frightening. It wasn’t as if Julie hadn’t seen the hideous decorations before. Then Jane’s attention, like Julie’s, focused on the sleigh and reindeer in the front, just outside the Johnsons’ living room windows.
    One of the lead reindeers had collapsed. And there was something red lying across its plaster head.
    A body. In a Santa suit.
    Jane stepped back inside the door where others were already gathering to see what Julie was screaming about and shouted, “MEL!”

Ten

    “I can only stay a minute, but I wanted to let you know what little we know so far. King slid off the Johnsons’ roof,“ Mel said several hours later. “The skid marks are still there, but they’re melting fast. The plaster reindeer had some sort of metal spike that came out of its head to hold the antlers in place. One of them got him in the heart.”
    There was a collective shudder. Most of the guests were long gone, after having stood around in Jane’s front yard for a long time watching the police, ambulance, and plainclothes people work. Jane and Shelley sat on the sofa next to each other. Mike sat on the arm on Jane’s side in a vaguely protective manner. Addie VanDyne had gone to bed, as had Todd and Katie. Ginger had stayed and had arranged her long, gangly self on the floor by the fire like a folding carpenter’s ruler. She said, “I’m sorry if this sounds ugly, but I’m sure glad I didn’t call the station manager to quit earlier this evening. I’ll probably end up back in the secretarial pool, but it’s better than working for Lance.“
    “What was he doing on the roof?“ Jane asked Mel.
    “I have no idea. Do you know, Ginger?“ Mel replied.
    “Snooping. Probably.“
    “Snooping on whom?“ Mel asked.
    Ginger