Yuletide Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  These innocent babes have no idea what it means to suffer through an epic battle. They haven’t been exposed to the Machiavellian machinations of Skippy or his band of ninja squirrels yet. I could teach them so much, Raven.

  “Did you notice anyone hanging around the pen last night longer than usual? I mean, the gate didn’t open itself. You said last night that you are one hundred percent positive that you latched it properly.”

  “That’s the thing of it, miss,” Barry said, continuing to walk toward the pen. Sure enough, there were eight beautiful animals all lined up as they waited for Barry. One would assume they were waiting for food, but there was something in their dark eyes that told me otherwise. They were worried about their friend. “Randy knew how to open the latch. They all do. They’re very intelligent animals. They survive on their wits in the wild. Among their natural predators are wolves, and they are some of the most ingenious apex predators in the wild. The Norwegian reindeer are very adaptive and watch everything that happens around the herd. I get a lot of hate mail about how I was harming them and that they should be returned to the wild. Unfortunately, there are some rescues that would never survive. They need safe homes—sanctuaries—just like the one we’ve built. I give them that. I’m not sure why they chose me or my land, but they did. Showed up one day out of the blue, and they’ve become like my family.”

  Okay, okay, okay! I can’t take anymore, Raven. We’ll help. I’ll figure out what spell we can use to find that loveable brute, and we’ll bring him home where he belongs with his brothers.

  I lifted a gloved hand to my lips, not wanting Barry to mistake the meaning behind my smile. Leo did his best to come across as this tough and rough tomcat, but he was just a big old softy underneath. As a matter of fact, he made it appear as if he’d just come around the corner of an outlying snow bunker. His intention to come closer to the reindeer evident, but he was waylaid by a ten-year-old girl who all but screamed in delight at the sight of him.

  Uh, Raven?

  Leo had stopped dead in his tracks, getting himself into a staring contest with the girl whose older brother was too far away to stop her if she decided to chase after her newfound furry friend. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Leo’s tail puff up to that extent. Well, I’m not counting his reaction to seeing a ghost enjoying a cup of tea in the middle of my tea shop.

  Do something, Raven. Now isn’t the time to reminisce about our past escapades.

  “I’m only here to make sure the others have everything they need before resuming my search,” Barry said, drawing my attention his way when I realized that someone else was standing guard at the pen. “Do you know Monty? He was kind enough to stay with the rest of the herd while I went out looking for Randy this morning.”

  “Hi, Monty,” I said, my heart warming at the fact that our community always came together during times of need. “Have you been here all morning?”

  Are you seriously going to just stand there and let this little monster come after me? I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to teach them anything, Raven. They’re bloodthirsty creatures, and Skippy and I have an unspoken rule against bloodshed.

  I don’t want you to think that I would ever leave Leo in a precarious situation. I wouldn’t, which is why I kept an eye on the situation while carrying on my conversation with Barry and Monty. Leo was doing a fine job of playing tag. The speed at which he climbed the bunker was quite impressive. I did worry that his short-term memory might fritz out, causing him to disappear in the blink of an eye. It wouldn’t do to have the children start spreading rumors about magical kittycats running around town.

  “I’ve been switching on and off with Desmond,” Monty said, nodding all-knowingly when he saw my surprise. “I know. He must be in the Christmas spirit. Either that, or Heidi gave him excellent news about his year-end numbers.”

  Monty took a step back when Leo came darting through the area, followed by the ten-year-old girl with her brother not far behind. Leo’s darting was more like one of those headlong sprints of an overweight hedgehog. The attempted turns on the slippery ground were hilarious.

  Monsters, I tell you!

  “I take it there’s no sign of Randy?” Barry asked Monty, already knowing the answer judging by the slump in his shoulders. He let himself into the pen, only to find himself surrounded by the remaining eight reindeer. He leaned down so that he was closer to the head height of all of them. “Hey, fellows. It’s okay. I’m doing everything I can.”

  “Anything on your end?” Monty asked, coming to stand next to me so that Barry couldn’t overhear our conversation in case I had bad news. “I saw the mayor go into the police station with Liam a bit ago. They haven’t come back out.”

  “Mom and I were out knocking on doors, hoping that someone had seen or heard something that could help. We even made our way to the small patch of woods behind the Finley’s property line, but no such luck. There weren’t even any hoofprints in the snow.”

  Leo was scampering back this way, so I took the opportunity to snag him up into my arms. It probably wasn’t the best option for my back, but at least I’d loosened up my muscles by walking around all morning.

  “What happened to him?” the girl asked, coming to an abrupt stop in front of me. Her brother came up short, barely running into her. “He looks sort of funny.”

  Why that little—

  I tightened my grip so that Leo wasn’t known around town as being a wild, vicious housecat that traumatized small children.

  “Maddie, that’s not nice,” the older brother said, giving me an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. She loves animals. I’m Josh, by the way. I’m keeping an eye on my sister while my parents help Aunt Candy look for the missing reindeer.”

  Loves animals? What are those parents teaching these children, Raven? Did you see the ferocious look in that little monster’s eyes? And those fools call us feral. It’s clear that this she-demon would have wrapped me in holiday paper, slapped a bow on top of my head, and left me to starve to death under some dying Christmas tree!

  “This is Leo,” I replied, introducing the three of them. I picked up his paw and pretended to wave at them, which wasn’t easy considering Leo had gone stiff. “He was a rescue kitty, so he gets a bit scared around strangers when they try to pick him up.”

  Monty was nice enough not to contradict me. Everyone in town knew Leo, which meant that these siblings were most likely out-of-towners visiting family. I only knew one Candy who resided in Paramour Bay, and that was Candy Hamilton, the owner of our local salon. Leo’s left eye was now practically glued to my face. The fact that his one whisker was twitching a million miles per hour told me that he hadn’t liked my description of him in the least or the fact that I was indulging in Maddie’s wish.

  “You rescued him?” Maddie asked before taking off her mitten and stroking her hand down Leo’s back. “That was awfully nice of you. I’m going to ask my mom if we can do the same thing. Every pet should have a home.”

  I know what you’re doing, Raven, and it’s not going to work. The tiny soft spot in my heart was all taken up after hearing the antlered brute’s story. Now send this little monster on her way. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Skippy was recruiting co-conspirators. First the man in the red suit, and now this she-demon dressed as an innocent little girl.

  “You’re right,” I agreed with Maddie, nodding my head solemnly. “I hope you finally get your kitten, Maddie. I’m sure there’s one out there just for you.”

  “Are you helping Aunt Candy find the missing reindeer?” Maddie asked, still petting Leo. He was purposefully looking over my shoulder as if the girl’s touch was unbearable.

  I’d take a bear as my new nemesis if it meant this cretin would leave me alone.

  “I am,” I replied, thinking I’d better cut this short. I wasn’t sure how long the mayor and Liam would remain at the police station. Knowing that Otis was with them, I really wanted to find out where Karen had gotten off to this aftern
oon. “Well, you have fun in your snowball battle.”

  I need to clarify the bear statement. A black or brown bear would be doable, but not a grizzly. Have you seen the size of their paws? One step is all it would take to flatten me like a pancake. Then it’s bye-bye catnip. I can’t have that, Raven.

  “Maddie, let’s go,” Josh urged his sister, sending me an apologetic look. “Jade should be here soon. She said she was meeting us here after caroling, remember?”

  I do recall Jade being with the cheerleaders singing outside of Wilma’s house. Town square was about to get a whole lot busier, but there was still no sign of Santa Claus.

  “Here. You can use this.” Maddie frowned in concentration as she unzipped the pocket on her jacket. She reached in, only to pull out a carrot. “I found it last night when everyone was looking for Randy. I was going to feed it to him when he came back, but Mom and Dad made us go home with Aunt Candy.”

  Is that…is that a baby carrot?

  Leo weighed quite a lot, so Monty was kind enough to take the carrot from Maddie. She had no idea that she’d just given us our first real clue that the reindeer hadn’t wandered away on his own. Even Barry, who had been listening in on our conversation, began to disengage from the other caribou in order to get closer to confirm Maddie’s find.

  “Maddie, where did you find this?” I asked, keeping my tone light so that she didn’t think she’d done something wrong.

  She hadn’t done anything, but it would definitely have helped to know that someone had purposefully brought carrots to the petting zoo last night. That wasn’t to say an individual hadn’t simply wanted to give the reindeer a treat, but Barry had a sign up that warned against offering them such foods. Against popular belief, reindeer actually loved grass. Good old-fashioned green grass, along with various shrubberies, roots, and an occasional mushroom for dessert.

  I’d say something about those mushrooms they eat, but I’m not one to talk with my affinity for premium organic catnip. Contrary to reindeer belief, there’s nothing wrong with a hallucination a time or two. I wonder if that’s how the herd actually ended up on a farm in Connecticut.

  Little Bobby Hurst giving Randy a sugar cookie had definitely been a no-no, but that didn’t mean another child or even an adult hadn’t decided to bring their own treats for the reindeer.

  “I found one next to the pen, and the other one in front of Aunt Candy’s shop next to the road,” Maddie revealed with a simple shrug of her right shoulder. “I got hungry and ate one of them on the way home, but I made sure to save this one for Randy.”

  I could literally feel Leo’s stomach quiver as if his gag reflex had kicked in, and apparently Monty and Barry felt the same. Josh covered his mouth in disgust, all but pushing his sister back to where the epic snowball battle was to commence once the cheerleaders returned from their caroling.

  Who in their right mind eats a dirty carrot off the street? If that doesn’t prove that she’s a street urchin, I don’t know what does, Raven.

  “I know what you’re all thinking,” Monty said, switching his contemplative gaze between Barry and me. “Someone could have lured Randy out of the pen with a carrot, but he or she could have also brought the vegetables to give to the reindeer as treats.”

  “Either way, Liam should know what Maddie discovered,” I said, my biceps beginning to cramp from holding Leo for so long. I managed to put him on the ground, albeit ungracefully due to his claws stuck in my coat. “I’ll head over to the station. Monty, will you shoot me a text if Randy comes back on his own?”

  What are you doing? Don’t you dare put me down, Raven. That little monster is still eyeing me like one of those dirty, rotten carrots she consumed without blinking an eye!

  “Will do, Raven,” Monty replied, checking the time on his watch. “I’ll tell Desmond to do the same.”

  I reversed my course, which took us by the bunkers where more of the teenagers and younger children had gathered for the upcoming battle. One of the volunteer firemen was near the unlit bonfire, stacking brand new wood to the pile in order to have another warm blaze for the pedestrians.

  Paramour Bay didn’t have street cameras the way New York City did, but that didn’t mean one of the shops didn’t have their own security cameras. Maybe Candy had one at the salon, not that I’d ever seen one. Nan had never installed one at the tea shop, but she’d placed her own type of protection spell around the perimeter. I understood her reasoning, given that I’d conducted a spell inside a time or two myself. It wouldn’t do to have the supernatural caught on video for all the world to see.

  You know what this means, don’t you?

  Leo was still visible to the naked eye, too many people around for him to simply vanish from thin air. He would end up veering away from me at some point, appearing as if he were taking some other route. When he had the opportunity, he would rejoin me in his invisible state.

  I feigned adjusting my scarf as we waited at the crosswalk for Newt to drive by, though he was behind the steering wheel of Karen Finley’s vehicle. He was clearly taking it for a test drive. That would explain why she’d been using Otis’ car this morning, but not why she’d been in such a hurry that she couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge me or my mother. It just wasn’t Karen’s disposition. Had she been the one to lure Randy out of his pen? If so, why?

  You’re leaving me hanging, Raven. Witches don’t do that to their familiar. Let’s try again…you know what this means, don’t you?

  “What does it mean?” I asked, hiding my smile behind my scarf.

  I do believe that Paramour Bay has its very first reindeer-napping! The mayor could very well give the key to our small town to whoever returns the antlered brute, which will be me.

  “Paramour Bay has a golden key?” I asked, catching sight of Bob Abbott with an odd-looking wooden whistle hanging around his neck. He was decked out in his hunting gear, though I knew for a fact he’d given up hunting many years ago. It was sweet that he was out here using a caribou whistle to lure Randy back into town. “Who was the last to receive it?”

  I have no idea. You know my memory is spotty. Doesn’t matter, though. The city could be hiding plans on where Skippy and his band of ninja squirrels hibernate for the winter in the city archives, and that key could unlock the secrets I’ve been searching for. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner. Let’s get this show on the road, Raven. That reindeer won’t find himself!

  Chapter Nine

  “Barry Mina did express his concerns that the reindeer may have been taken out of his pen,” Liam said as he set a file on top of his desk. “At this point, it’s a tossup whether Randy opened the gate himself or followed a trail of carrots. I’m going to have to deputize you at this rate, Raven. Good work.”

  Ask the good ol’ sheriff about the golden key, Raven. I bet he knows something.

  “You can thank Candy’s niece,” I shared from my seat in one of the guest chairs. Leo had managed to make himself invisible, joining me in Liam’s office. Otis had no idea the supernatural existed, so I’d been doing my best to ignore Leo’s prompting at every turn. “Her name is Maddie. I’m sure she’d love one of those plastic sheriff badges that you give out to the kids.”

  Not as much as I’d like that golden key. Besides, that cretin ate a soiled carrot. She doesn’t have the common sense to avoid drowning in the rain. She doesn’t deserve the distinction that a badge would give her, fake or not.

  By the time I’d entered the police station, the mayor had already left to do a photo op with one of the search groups. It didn’t surprise me that he would take advantage of this somewhat tragic opportunity, but he really did have Paramour Bay’s best interest at heart when the chips were down.

  “Well, I better go and join Bob,” Otis said, though he didn’t make a move to stand from Liam’s chair behind the desk. I’m sure he missed the days when he was sheriff, but I’m certain he was proud that Liam had followed in his footsteps. “Bob found an old deer call he had packed
away in his garage. We’ll take a walk around the town and see if we can’t lure that big fellow out from hiding.”

  Hold down the fort, Raven. I’m going home to see if I can’t find something in the spell book to help us win that golden key. Whatever you do, don’t solve this case without me. I need that key!

  I was glad that Otis didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to join Bob. I still needed to find a way to bring Karen into the conversation, although why she would want to make off with a reindeer was beyond me.

  “It won’t help if someone took Randy,” Liam pointed out, joining me by sitting in the other guest chair. “We just need to figure out a motive. I asked Barry Mina if he had any enemies or maybe any plausible threats for giving those caribou a home.”

  “And?” Otis asked, his tone favoring that of an active law enforcement officer. He even rested his elbows on the leather armrests of the chair and made a steeple with his fingers in contemplation. “I can imagine that some don’t believe that those reindeer can’t be reintroduced to the wild. Honestly, Karen and I had this very discussion yesterday before we heard the full story.”

  I did my best to keep my excitement concealed. This could explain Karen’s odd behavior. Had she somehow lured Randy away from the pen using carrots, only to find that her decision to save the caribou had backfired upon hearing that he’d never survive in the wild? Was she trying to figure out how to bring him back without getting caught?

  “No threats, no enemies, and Barry Mina was even given a mysterious donation with specific instructions that he or she wanted the money to go toward the upkeep of the reindeer,” Liam replied to Otis’ inquiry. “As a matter of fact, Mina gets the same donation every year in December.”

  My right palm kind of tingled, but no heat surfaced from the energy around us. I didn’t know what to make of that, so I pushed my curiosity aside to focus on the here and now.