Chapter 22
While Jayne set up her outing for tomorrow, I went in to check on my little man. He was awake in his crib, but from the sleepiness in his eyes, he’d only just opened them.
“Hey, baby boy. It’s Daddy. Did you miss me? I missed you.” I picked him up and kissed his forehead, catching enough of a whiff to know he needed a new diaper ASAP. Chuckling, I took him over to the changing table and made short work of that.
Not my favorite thing to do, but Jayne shouldn’t have to be the only one dealing with diapers.
Once he was cleaned up and smelling better, I carried him out to the living room to find Jayne. She was in the kitchen, drinking her milkshake, eating one of her mini cakes, and on the phone. She held a finger up to say she’d just be a minute.
When she hung up, she ate another bite of cake, then looked at me. “Everything’s set for tomorrow. Your aunt, your mom, my aunt, and my mom are all going with me to LeRoy’s. I called and let him know, too. It’s going to be a much bigger outing than I’d anticipated, but they’re all very happy.”
“Thanks for doing that.”
“You’re welcome. You sure you and your dad will be all right watching JJ by yourselves?”
I tilted my head. “Jayne.”
“I know, you’ll be fine. I just can’t help but ask.”
I rocked JJ back and forth. “Do you want to go through that list of names? I can help you search them in the registry.”
She had a sip of her milkshake, finishing it with a hollow sputter that announced the cup was empty. “That definitely needs to be done, but you know what might be better?”
“What?”
“Going to see Elmira Tinselwick.”
“Now?”
She shrugged. “Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day for me. Do you see any reason not to? I know she’s probably deep in grief, but if someone murdered you, I’d jump at the chance to help whoever was trying to find the killer.”
I nodded. “I’m sure Constable Larsen has talked to her. Maybe we could just get a copy of that report?”
“Yeah, I guess. Not the same as talking to her.” Jayne got her phone out. “I’m going to call Larsen right now. See what she’s uncovered. And make sure she knows about what happened to your crawler.”
There was no stopping Jayne when she wanted something accomplished. I just nodded and let her do her thing, happy to spend time with JJ. His tininess never failed to amaze me. I knew it wouldn’t last. He’d be in kindergarten before we blinked, which made these moments all the more precious.
“Constable Larsen, please. This is Princess Jayne. Yes, it’s really me. Thank you.” She rolled her eyes at me. “They’re putting me through.”
I grinned.
She returned her attention to the phone.
“Constable Larsen, good afternoon. I was hoping to get an update from you on the Tinselwick murder and also to make sure you’d heard about the incident this afternoon with the Prince Consort’s crawler?
” Her brows rose while she listened, then relaxed.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Any updates? ”
She frowned. “Nothing?” A few moments passed.
“I see. Have you spoken to Elmira Tinselwick?” She picked up her fork and went after the cake.
“The Prince Consort and I will go out and see her ourselves then. As you may not have heard, my father has directed the Prince Consort and me to do what we’re able to assist you in this case.
I’ll be sure to fill you in after we’ve had a chat with her.
We’ll also be dropping off a list of names for you to look into.
Everyone who requested resources about Naming Day from the royal archives in the last week. ”
Interesting. I hadn’t expected Jayne to turn the names of the archive visitors over to the police, but she undoubtedly had a reason.
She ate the cake perched on the end of her fork, then swallowed. “I look forward to it. Goodbye.”
She hung up, her mouth pursed in an expression I knew well. My wife was not happy. I pointed at her. “See that look, JJ? When Mama makes that look, you’d better be on your best behavior.”
Her expression softened into a laugh, then she sighed. “They haven’t found anything of value, but she knew about the crawler incident and promised me she has a team going over it thoroughly.”
“That’s something. What made you decide to give her the list of names?”
“To see if what she comes up with matches what we come up with. We’re still going to pursue them, but the police might get through them quicker.” She shrugged and closed the cake box. “You want to get him bundled up?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to drop him off with my parents?”
“Your mom is taking a nap, and they’re going to be getting ready to go to the show this evening. Besides, JJ is our secret weapon.”
I gave her a skeptical expression. “How do you figure?”
She walked over to me, but her smile was all for JJ. She tapped her finger against JJ’s little chest and used the special voice that she only used for him. And sometimes Spider. “Because there’s not much women like more than babies, especially babies as irresistible as this one.”
She shot me a sly look. “As sad as Elmira certainly is, JJ will be a welcome distraction. And he might even get her to let her guard down a bit. Make sure you put him in something really cute. Maybe that sweater with the dancing polar bears on it.”
“Jayne Lilibeth Frost. You’re going to use our son to help solve this murder?”
She smiled sweetly and fluttered her lashes. “You bet Santa’s beard I’m going to. Now let’s get cracking. We’re wasting daylight.”
“Shouldn’t you call her first?”
“And give her the chance to say no?” She laughed and headed for the bedroom.
I looked at JJ. “Your mother is something else, you know that? Come on, let’s get you in something warmer.”
While I was getting JJ dressed, Jayne called for a crawler and driver to be waiting for us at the valet stand at the south entrance, which was how we always left the palace.
She carried JJ in his convertible crawler seat carrier. My crutches made me a little useless in that area, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
The driver was waiting for us under the portico, standing by the back door of the crawler. He smiled at Jayne and bowed his head at us. “Princess Jayne, so nice to see you again. Afternoon, Prince Consort.”
Jayne waved. “Hello, Joshua. I’m glad you were available.”
“For you, your highness, anytime. The fudge you requested was just delivered. I put it in the back.”
I looked at her. “You requested fudge?”
“For Elmira, not me.”
Joshua helped her and JJ in, then I got in after them and he took my crutches. Having a driver did make things easier. The crawler was warm, and the faint scent of nutmeg tinged the air, evidence of the fudge.
Joshua got into the crawler and looked at us through the rearview mirror. “Where to, your highnesses?”
Jayne had the slip of paper in her hand. “Seventeen Reindeer Run.”
“Nice part of town.”
“Been a while since I’ve been out that way,” Jayne said. “It’s an older section, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but well kept up. Smaller homes but lots of pride of place in them. I have an aunt who lives there. Third husband, but if she’s happy, what else matters?”
“Exactly,” Jayne said. “We’re going to see Elmira Tinselwick.”
“Oh, bless her heart. The one whose husband …”
I nodded. “Yes, that’s her. Do you know her?”
“Sure, I know Mrs. Tinselwick. I mean, not well, mind you, but she was my science teacher in eighth grade. One of my favorites. Very understanding, happy to give you help when you needed it, I’ll tell you that.”
“She was nice, then?” Jayne asked.
“The best,” Joshua said. “One of my favorite teachers. If you needed to bring a grade up, she’d let you do extra credit every time.” He let out a sad sigh. “So sorry to hear about her husband. I hope she’s doing all right. Terrible thing to lose a spouse like that.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” I reached across JJ’s carrier and squeezed Jayne’s hand.
Joshua went on as he drove through town. “I think they’ve got a few kids, though. Hopefully, they’re rallying around her, you know.”
“I’m sure they are,” Jayne said.
We left the businesses behind and entered a more residential area. It was exactly as Joshua had described it. Small, neat houses, with beautifully tended landscaping of the evergreens and holly that made up most of the greenery in the North Pole.
He pulled alongside the curb and parked. The house beyond was a heathered gray with dark green shutters and a plum door. The driveway and sidewalk were clear of snow. That gave me hope. Someone was looking after her. Joshua hopped out to assist us.
Once we were all together on the sidewalk, he brought Jayne the box of fudge. “Don’t mean to be presumptuous, but would you like me to carry this, since you’ve got the little prince and the Prince Consort is on crutches?”
“Sure, that would be fine,” Jayne said.
And so, all four of us approached the front porch. I had a feeling Elmira Tinselwick might think she was being ganged up on. That might not bode well for us.
I hoped Jayne was right about JJ being irresistible.