Murder by Christmas (Edna Davies mysteries) Read Free Page B

you still unable to move about, I see we have two choices.”
    His eyebrows rose in silent question.
     She went on. “I can sit here and keep you entertained, or I can get the house ready for us to celebrate Christmas with our children and grandchildren.” This time, she waited for him to reply as she gently stroked Benjamin’s back.
    “What do you have to do?” he asked. The tone of his question along with the scowl on his face told her that he didn’t understand all that was required to prepare for a major family holiday.
    “For one thing, there’s the house to clean,” she began.
    He interrupted. “Housekeeper Helpers come every week. The house is clean enough.”
    “Beds to make …”
    He interjected again, “Beverly and Junie can do that when they come to clean.”
    “I’ve got to locate a crib for the baby.” She ignored Albert, as she made a mental note to herself. On her to-do list, she’d forgotten to write down a bed for their youngest grandchild, fourteen-month-old Dean.
    “Phooey. I remember when we used a dresser drawer for Matt, the time we visited my sister.” Typically, Albert thought he had all the answers. As usual, Edna would have to do what needed to be done without explaining the details to him.
    “We need a Christmas tree, but I can’t put one up with you planted here in the middle of the room.”
    When he glared without saying a word, she knew his mind was working furiously on that problem.
    “I’ve baking to do,” she continued, hiding a smile of triumph and glancing up toward the ceiling. At once, she spotted a cobweb in the corner. She’d have to ask Beverly to run the broom around the edges of the ceiling and make certain to dust the chandeliers in the front hall and above the dining room table. Another mental note to add the request to her to-do list. Crib, cobwebs.
    “I thought you and Mary were baking this afternoon. Isn’t that why you went to the store this morning?”
    Plainly, he had no notion of the time it took to bake the variety of breads, cookies and puddings required by Christmas tradition. He’d miss his plum pudding with hard sauce if that weren’t on the menu.
    “I’ve presents still to wrap and a few dozen cards to address.”
    “I can help with the cards.”
    This time, Edna couldn’t help but laugh aloud. “The post office would never be able to decipher your physician’s handwriting. The cards would either be marked as undeliverable or end up in some foreign country.”
    “Okay, okay. Enough already,” Albert held up his hands in mock dismay, and his old familiar grin was back in place. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ve been selfish. I’ll sit quietly and read from now on.”
    Obviously, he’d already forgotten about the tree. Edna shook her head, not daring to speak for a minute. “It’s not just that. I drive you to Providence once a week to have your knee x-rayed and see your doctor. Your next appointment is tomorrow morning and that means another day out of my schedule. If the storm hits and we get even half the snowfall they’re predicting, we could get stuck in the city.”
    “What do you want me to do?” He knew her well enough by now to realize she had a plan.
    “I’d like you to spend a few days with Diane.”
    Thirty-nine-year-old Diane was Edna and Albert’s second child. She and her husband Roger lived with their fifteen-year-old son in Pawtucket, not far from the Blackstone Park Conservation District. Roger Junior, or “Buddy” as he was called, was an avid chess player and loved nothing better than to challenge his grandfather to a match. Whenever he visited his grandparents, Buddy carried his favorite chessboard with him and often persuaded Albert to play two games simultaneously.
    Albert looked skeptical and opened his mouth to speak, but Edna hurried on. “If you stay with Diane, Roger and Buddy in Pawtucket, you’ll be much closer to the clinic, and she can take you to your appointments. Besides the fact that