by Linnea West
A tear ran down her cheek as she whispered her confession to Cordelia. But she hadn’t mentioned anything about the actual list. Cordelia waited for a moment, hoping that Robin would speak up and say that she had accidentally bumped the list or something. When she didn’t, Cordelia tried to prompt her.
“Did you happen to glance at the List when you were in there?” Cordelia asked.
“No, I hate that thing,” Robin said, her nose wrinkled in disgust.
Cordelia’s face betrayed her true feelings and Robin’s eyes flew open. The List was an important part of the Christmas tradition. Robin started to wave her hands in front of her as she shook her head, trying to take back what she had just said.
“That’s not what I meant,” Robin said as more tears flowed. “I meant that I think all of the mortal children should be on the nice list. I think the idea of a naughty list is like bribery, especially since all of the children get at least a few toys anyway.”
Cordelia looked at Robin’s face. The elf was sincere. She truly seemed to believe that the List was flawed. In a way, Cordelia agreed with her. Back in the old days, being on the naughty list meant getting nothing but a piece of coal. But in the modern-day, it meant a few small stocking stuffers. Most of the naughty kids probably didn't even realize that they were on the naughty list. As Mrs. Claus, Cordelia agreed that she wanted all of the children of the world to receive a special gift from Santa. She had to agree with Robin.
“I understand,” Cordelia said. “But here’s the trouble: at some point this morning, the List was tampered with and now every single child on Earth is listed on the Nice List.”
“That’s wonderful,” Robin said.
Her face brightened and for a moment, Cordelia couldn't tell if she was simply happy that the List she hated essentially didn’t exist anymore or if she really was the one who had messed with the List and now she was pleased that her plan had worked. Cordelia didn’t want to be cynical, but at this point she wasn’t really sure what to believe.
“Unfortunately, the rest of us don’t think so,” said Cordelia. “Having the List shift in such a major way means that the gift quotas we’ve been working with all year are now wrong and we are woefully short of toys if everyone were to stay on the Nice List. It also means that we have to spend time putting the List back together, which Leon is already working on.”
“Leon,” Robin whispered.
Her chubby cheeks drained of color as her shoulders slumped. Throughout this conversation, she hadn’t thought of the impact the List would have on Leon, who now had to spend his time getting it back up to snuff. Fresh tears poured down her cheeks and Robin let out a sniffle. Digging into her apron pocket, Cordelia offered her a tissue.
“The issue here is that someone messed with the List,” Cordelia said. “And we need to find out who because at this point, we aren’t sure if it was an accident or if someone tampered with it on purpose.”
Robin looked absolutely aghast as Cordelia’s words hit her.
“You think someone would mess with the List on purpose?” Robin said. “What an abhorrent thing to do.”
“I agree, but this is crunch time and if there is someone out there who did this on purpose, we need to find who it is and make sure they can’t continue to try ruining Christmas,” Cordelia said.
She folded her hands in front of her, trying to keep herself from nervously smoothing her skirts. Her hands were sweating as she confronted Robin. The poor elf still didn’t quite get why Mrs. Claus was telling her all of this, but Cordelia could see Robin mulling it over. The wheels in her head were spinning as the pieces started to fall into place.
“Wait a minute, why are you telling me all of this?” Robin asked.
“Well, you were in the List Room this morning,” Cordelia said. She was hoping that she didn’t have to spell it all out for Robin. “And we were looking to talk to everyone who was there in case anyone saw something while they were in there.”
“But that’s not it,” Robin said.
Her brown eyes narrowed, glistening with tears as she started to splutter her words.
“You think I did it,” Robin said. “You think it was me. That’s why you ushered me over here.”
Cordelia started to shake her head to deny it, but she couldn’t because what Robin was saying was true. She couldn't lie to the poor girl.
“I would never do that to Leon,” Robin said. “No matter what I think about the List or some of the other antiquated traditions of the North Pole. I would never do anything that could hurt Leon. I love him.”
“I understand that,” Cordelia said. “And I can see the love that Leon has for you. But I didn’t want to talk to you to blame it on you. If anything, I thought that perhaps some sort of mistake happened, maybe even one that you were unaware of until now. I never meant to blame it on something that you did on purpose.”
Robin’s lip quivered as she stared at Cordelia. Tears were streaming down her face and it took every ounce of willpower that Cordelia had not to step forward and wrap the poor girl in a hug. Mrs. Claus shouldn’t be making people cry, especially not this close to Christmas.
“Some of what you said was true,” Robin said. “I was in the List Room this morning and I did bring cookies in there with me. I snuck in to surprise Leon. And I was close to the List. Heck, I might have even looked at it a little bit. How could I be that close to such a wonderful artifact without flipping through it? But I swear I…”
“Ah-ha!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Clarence stepped out from around the corner. He pointed his long, skinny finger at Robin, marching toward her with a satisfied smile on his face. As he got closer to her, he towered over her. Clarence seemed so intimidating that Cordelia stepped between him and Robin, but Clarence seemed to not even notice that Mrs. Claus was there.
“So you admit it,” Clarence said. “You were the one who tampered with the List! I’m glad I came around that corner at the right time.”
He glanced down at Cordelia, who was so close to him that she was almost squished up against his chest. His eyes glittered as he pointed his finger at her next.
“And you,” he said. “You were going to try to cover it all up. You are too soft, Cordelia. Now off to the List Room, both of you, on the double. We’re going to solve this once and for all.”
Clarence waited, puffing out his chest. Cordelia quickly grabbed Robin’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze before she dropped it and started off toward the List Room. She didn’t want to make a big fuss out here in the hallway. But she would have to figure out a way to clear Robin’s name. She would have to convince Leon to show them the security tape.
Chapter Fifteen
The three elves walked together to the List Room. Cordelia tried to put on a happy face so that no one would think anything was wrong, but poor Robin was beside herself. She seemed to be using every ounce of willpower not to cry. Cordelia wanted to give the poor elf a hug, but that would raise suspicion.
Clarence, meanwhile, was strutting behind them with his chest puffed out. He truly thought he had solved this case and that he was about to get everything back on track. Cordelia wasn’t so sure. Even if Robin had done it, she was sure that it was truly by accident. But she wasn’t so sure Robin had done anything wrong. Only seeing the security tape would tell them the truth.
Once they were close to the List Room, Clarence passed the women and knocked on the door, three loud, heavy knocks. Leon’s voice came through the door, so quietly that Cordelia could hardly hear him.
“Who is it?” he asked,
“It’s Clarence,” the Head Elf said. “And I’ve brought Mrs. Claus and Robin with me. Open up.”
The bolt of the door slammed before the heavy door flew open. Leon dashed out with his arms open wide, his hug almost catching Cordelia as she happened to be standing in the way. Ducking to the side, Cordelia managed to dodge the unbridled affection that Leon was aiming toward Robin.
Leon and Robin st
ood in a close embrace, each seeming to be depending on the other for support. Cordelia looked past them to where Clarence was standing. She sent him a nasty look, trying to tell him that he was wrong about everything. But Clarence was too busy being proud of himself, his nose stuck up in the air in haughty delight.
“Come on everyone, let’s go in the List Room and figure this out,” Cordelia said.
Clarence pushed the door open to usher everyone inside. Cordelia led the way followed by the unhappy couple with Clarence bringing up the rear. Once they were inside, the Head Elf flung the door shut and strode around the desk, plopping himself in the big leather chair on the other side. He folded his hands on the desk in front of him and leveled his gaze at the three elves on the other side of the desk.
“Now, let me tell you what I just overheard,” Clarence said. He threw a glare at Cordelia. Obviously, he thought Mrs. Claus had found the culprit and was going to cover it all up somehow. “Robin admitted she was here in the List Room by herself, she admitted that she brought food in here, and she even admitted that she touched the List. She said that she hated the List. We’ve found the saboteur.”
With that, Clarence leaned back and put his hands behind his head, kicking his feet up as if he were going to put them on the desk. At the last minute, he remembered that the all-important List was still on the desk, so instead of the smooth gesture he was going for, his feet fell heavily to the ground with a thud. Clarence managed to maintain his composure, a sly smile on his face.
Robin let out a small sob before Leon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. The bakery elf nestled in and cried as the Keeper of the List smoothed her brown curls with his hand. No matter how secretive they had been hoping to keep their relationship, they were in it together now. Cordelia knew she was the only one who could stand up to the Head Elf and help them.
“Oh Clarence, you’ve got it all wrong,” Cordelia sighed. “Just because Robin admitted to all of that, it doesn't mean she sabotaged the List. In fact, it doesn’t mean she was the one who messed it up at all.”
Clarence sat up straight and snorted, his nose wrinkling in disgust. Robin turned her face to look at him, wet trails of tears flowing down her cheeks. Leon was alternating between whispering comforting words to Robin and looking daggers at Clarence.
“Oh this is all ridiculous,” Cordelia said. “We are in the middle of crunch time. Not only do we have all of the regular things to prepare, but we also have to put the List back together. We don’t have time for all of these theatrics. Clarence, I am not with you on this. I believe Robin when she said that she didn’t do it.”
“Then prove it,” Clarence said.
“Oh Clarence, can’t you just for once take someone at face value?” Cordelia asked. “At this point, I’m beginning to think we don’t have a saboteur on our hands at all. I think someone has unwittingly made a huge mistake and it’s more important that we fix it than spend all of this time figuring out who to blame it on.”
“You can think that,” Clarence said. “In fact as Mrs. Claus, you should be seeing the best in everyone. That is part of your job. But I am the Head Elf. Part of my job is keeping all of the other elves in line. I think you forget that I’m not just your personal secretary.”
Clarence had a sneer on his face for just a fraction of a second before he realized that it was Cordelia, his best friend that he was talking to. Cordelia gasped. She knew that it was mostly the crushing weight of crunch time that was making him say that, but it would certainly take her a bit of time to forgive him for this. Clarence looked alarmed for a minute before pulling his face back into a neutral expression.
“No matter,” he said. “I need to do my job and figure out if there are any punishments that must be used to keep this from happening again.”
“Punishment?” Cordelia said. “You would punish someone for making a mistake?”
“This mistake has set us back months,” Clarence said, pounding the desk with his fist. He stood up, towering over the other three elves. “We will be lucky to fix this mistake and get Christmas back on track. If anything, some personnel rearranging might be in order. The Keeper of the List must stick to the very strict rules and guidelines of the position. When the Keeper lets things slide, look at what happens.”
Clarence swept his arm over the desk, drawing attention to the messed-up List and scattered cookie crumbs. Cordelia snuck a glance at Leon, who was bravely keeping a straight face, although he was biting his lip and there were a few tears in his eyes. His arms were still wrapped around Robin, who was sobbing quietly into his chest.
“But making everyone feel bad isn’t going to fix the problem,” Cordelia said. “At this point, what does it matter who did it as long as it was an accident? What matters is that we need to fix the List.”
“But how do we know it was a mistake?” Clarence said. He jabbed the cover of the List with his finger. “Until you can prove to me that it was for sure a mistake and not someone trying to ruin Christmas on purpose, I will continue searching for the culprit.”
Everyone was quiet, the sounds of Christmas music floating through the air like it was trying to calm everyone down. All four elves looked around at each other, everyone waiting for someone else to say something. They were stuck. At this point, everyone wanted something different and no one was willing to move. Cordelia knew she had to do something.
As Mrs. Claus, Cordelia felt like she had to calm everyone and get them all on the same page. This debacle had taken up the good portion of a day already and they hadn’t even started to get the List back together. They couldn’t spend much longer on figuring out the culprit. They needed to fix the List.
She would need to convince Leon to let them see the security tape. Maybe now that both Cordelia and Clarence knew about Robin, he would let them actually watch it. Before he had been protecting her, but now they could watch and see for themselves if she had actually messed up the List, even if it was an accident. But before she could open her mouth to speak, Clarence spoke up again.
“Leon, I demand that you step down from your position as Keeper of the List, effective immediately,” Clarence said.
He stared hard at Leon, his dark eyes unblinking. Cordelia was fed up with these theatrics. Clarence was trying to make a point, but all that he was doing was ruining the Christmas atmosphere at the North Pole.
“Stop it this instant,” Cordelia demanded. “You are being ridiculous, Clarence.”
“Really? I think I’m being quite refined,” Clarence said. “It is taking all of my willpower not to strangle this man whose sole job was to protect the List, but he was too busy gallivanting around with a bakery elf to do that.”
Robin’s mouth dropped open as Clarence charged full-force into insult territory. Leon’s hands balled into fists, his arms still wrapped around Robin’s back. Cordelia needed to do something before a physical fight broke out in the List Room. Apparently, Clarence wasn’t thinking far enough ahead to see the ramifications of that on crunch time at the North Pole.
“Everyone stop,” Cordelia said.
She stepped between the two men so that both she and the desk were between them. No matter how tall Clarence was, he wouldn’t be able to get over both the furniture and Mrs. Claus to reach Leon. Holding up her hands, Cordelia took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. Robin followed her lead and did the same. Cordelia did it again. She didn't really care if everyone else took a calming breath with her or not, but she thought that even just seeing her do it would help.
A wave of calm seemed to wash over the room. Just having everyone stop for a moment and really think about what was happening instead of letting the overwhelming crunch time feeling sweep them away was enough to pull them all back down to earth.
“Now, all four of us have the same goal,” Cordelia said. “We need to get Christmas back on track. That is the goal. Not finding the culprit, not blaming and demoting, but getting Christmas back on track.”
The three other e
lves all nodded their heads at her. As North Pole elves, Christmas was the most important thing they did all year. No one, not even the most lazy or meanest elf would do anything to derail Christmas. And Cordelia was going to prove that.
“I do think we need one thing before we move on to planning how to get back on track,” Cordelia said.
She turned to face Leon. His hands had relaxed out of the fists that had previously been protecting Robin and her sadness. He was still breathing a bit heavily, as though he were trying to calm the adrenaline that must be coursing through his body right now.
“Leon, I need you to show us the security tape,” Cordelia said.
Leon opened his mouth to answer, a fire seeming to ignite in his eyes, but before he could, the creak of the door made everyone turn to see who was coming into the List Room.
“Ho ho ho.”
Chapter Sixteen
Santa stepped through the door, his signature laugh signaling his entrance with something different than a feeling of merriment. His face was serious, although being Santa meant there was always a jolly aspect to it. He looked sternly around the room, leveling his gaze at each elf individually.
“Would someone please tell me exactly what happened to the List?” Nick asked.
Cordelia’s breath caught in her throat. Nick must have been listening at the door for some time. Leon’s arms dropped to his sides as if Santa might not have noticed that he and Robin had been locked in a loving embrace. Robin didn’t seem to notice that Leon’s hug was done. She was frozen in time, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes unblinking.
Glancing at Clarence, Cordelia could see that it was up to her to be the one to speak up. Clarence had met his match in Santa. Nick was the one elf who Clarence had to answer to. Although Cordelia was technically his boss, she and Clarence had more of a friendship than a boss and employee relationship. Santa was the who could knock some sense into Clarence, metaphorically of course.
