Deadly Christmas Pretense

by Dana Mentink

  “Are you Mr. Salvador’s heir, Virgil? Or his legal guardian?” Danny’s expression was still pleasant, but the question caught Virgil by surprise.

  Liam smiled inwardly. Go get ’em, Head Bottle Washer.

  Virgil straightened in his chair. “No. His granddaughter, Vivian Salvador, is heir to the property. She’s living in France, managing three children by herself, since her husband left her. I moved in about six months ago at Bill’s request, since she’s too busy with her own life to help him.” A tiny flicker of disappointment with just a smear of compassion colored his tone. Liam smothered a snort. The guy changed emotions to suit his purpose like a chameleon. “That’s why we hired Tammy. Bill needed a live-in aide.” Virgil sighed. “I just never thought it would come to this.”

  Tammy knelt next to Bill’s chair, her eyes pleading.

  Bill seemed to recognize her and he put a wrinkled hand atop hers. “There you are, Tammy. Don’t look so sad.” A smile wreathed his face in creases. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.” Tammy struggled to hold her tears back. “Your hands are cold.”

  Liam took off his jacket and laid it over Bill’s shoulders, earning a hostile glare from Virgil. Didn’t matter a whit to Liam. You didn’t let an elderly man sit there feeling cold.

  He flashed back to his own grandfather, who’d been ailing long before his mother’s accident. At his daughter’s funeral, as Liam’s mother was laid into the ground, Grandpa Lou had sprinkled rose petals atop the grave. Liam remembered how his hand had shaken like Bill’s, the shoulders stooped with grief and age. Was there any pain worse than burying your child? Or your wife? Liam stepped back and away from the unexpected memory. He hadn’t spent much time putting himself in his father’s shoes, emotionally anyway.

  “Will you go home with us?” Bill gripped Tammy’s fingers. “I want to go back to the house. I...I don’t like it here.”

  He saw rather than heard Tammy gulp back a sob. “I’m sorry, Bill. I can’t right now.”

  Virgil stood, clasping Bill’s shoulder and staring Tammy down. “We don’t want this to get ugly. Tell the truth and stop trying to cover yourself by insinuating I was arranging to have the jewelry stolen. I have never even touched those jewels.”

  “You were on the phone, giving someone the all clear to steal them,” Tammy snapped.

  Danny raised a palm. “First things first. Where is the jewelry now, Tammy?”

  Maggie held Tammy’s arm for support. “I don’t remember where I left it. I had a head injury in the accident Virgil caused.”

  “It was a hit-and-run, as the Sand Dune Police will tell you,” Virgil said to Danny before he cocked his chin at Tammy, his expression ripe with what looked to be compassion. “You can come up with a better story than that. I understand people make mistakes. I do. I’ve made my share of them, believe me. If you’ve already fenced the jewelry, there’s no need to go any further with this. Tell me, and stop accusing me, and this all goes away.”

  “That would be grand for you, wouldn’t it?” Liam interjected. “Tammy admits she stole the jewelry and takes the punishment so you can finish up your little insurance fraud game?” Liam’s fierce glare was aimed directly at Virgil. “Take the settlement for yourself?”

  Virgil’s smile tightened into something less pleasant. “She’s a convincing liar. I see she’s persuaded you, too.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re her ex-boyfriend, right? Maybe she’s looking to get back together with you. She’s a pretty girl, free-spirited, so you’d probably like nothing better, huh?” His eyes shifted to Maggie. “Or have you moved on to the sister?”

  Liam closed the gap between them. If it wasn’t for the frightened elderly man between them, he’d have closed it further.

  Danny held up a warning palm. “Easy, gentlemen. Let’s keep it civil.”

  Heat coursed through Liam’s veins. “You’re not going to make it look like either one of these women is the bad guy here, Virgil.”

  “I don’t have to.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “This will tell you everything you need to know.” With a tap of his finger, a video played. There was no sound. The picture showed Tammy running from the house with a black box under her arm. “If you’d like,” Virgil said, “I can show you the rest. It’s clearly Tammy hopping into her green Corvette and speeding away down the street.”

  He waggled the phone. “You see? You can’t really argue with video proof, can you? Tammy stole the jewelry. I had nothing to do with it.”

  Tammy began to shiver. Maggie clasped her shoulders, saying, “We already told you why she did that. Surely that counts for something. She was on her way to see you, Chief. She would have explained it then, but you weren’t in and she panicked. Please.”

  Liam hated the pleading tone in Maggie’s words. “Danny, can’t you help us out here?” he said through gritted teeth.

  Danny considered the group, the room so still it seemed as though they were all frozen in some sort of bizarre tableau. Then he shook his head and turned to Tammy. “I’m sorry, Miss Lofton, but if Mr. Salvador wishes to press charges, I’m afraid I’ll have to arrest you.”

  ELEVEN

  Maggie’s stomach fisted into a tight knot as her greatest fear began to unfold before her. This could not be happening.

  “No,” she said, struggling to keep her tone steady. “My sister was trying to protect Bill, not hurt him.”

  Virgil shrugged. “As I said, video doesn’t lie. She’s a thief.”

  A voice exploded from the doorway. “No way. Tammy is not guilty of any wrongdoing and you know it full well.” Joe stood, hands on hips, glowering at Virgil.

  Maggie saw Liam startle. He had not heard Joe approach.

  Tammy cried out and hobbled over to him. He wrapped her in a tight embrace. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here now.”

  “Who are you, sir?” Danny asked.

  “Joe Albertson. I’m Tammy’s boyfriend. I did some computer programming work for Bill Salvador and that’s how I met Tammy.” He shot a look at Virgil. “You and I both know Tammy would never steal from Bill. It doesn’t matter what your video says.”

  Virgil’s expression clouded and he was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was cold. “I am not as inclined to fall for her story as her boyfriend—” he shot a look at Liam “—or her ex-boyfriend.”

  Joe was whispering into Tammy’s ear, kissing her temples and smoothing her hair.

  Maggie could not help glancing at Liam. He appeared more contemplative than upset at Joe’s attention to Tammy. For some reason, it comforted her. She found Liam had reached for her hand and she clutched it for all she was worth. This could not be happening. Her sister could not be going to jail.

  Virgil stared at Joe and Tammy, a wash of some emotion she could not identify twisting his features. “Uncle Bill is tired right now. We’ll have to go home and talk it over about pressing charges. Then we’ll decide whether or not Tammy is going to jail.”

  Danny picked up his buzzing cell phone and stepped out as he launched into a conversation.

  Virgil took his uncle’s forearm, letting Liam’s jacket fall to the floor before he led him to the door, stopping next to Maggie. “All she has to do is admit she was lying about me, and we’ll ask the judge for lenience,” he said, low and hard. “Otherwise I’ve got a pawnbroker who will swear she has stolen other things from Bill and pawned them. It’ll be a much longer sentence.” He was level with Maggie when he added in a voice no louder than a whisper, “No more excuses. Give me what I want or I’ll hurt you both.”

  Liam took an angry step forward. “What did you say?”

  Virgil smiled. “Ask your new girlfriend.”

  Virgil and Bill passed through and out of the conference room.

  Maggie exhaled and bent over, trying to stem the sudden dizziness she felt. I’ll hurt you both. />
  Danny darted a look at Maggie as he entered the room. “What did I miss?”

  She strove for calm. “He said he’d hurt us if I don’t cooperate—not loudly enough for anyone else to hear, of course.”

  Liam’s arm was strong and steady around her. “Coward. We’ll check him out. Get something we can use. He won’t touch either one of you.”

  The radio on Danny’s hip buzzed with static. “Like Liam says, it gives us time to investigate, talk to this pawnbroker, look at Virgil’s history.”

  “Then you believe me?” Tammy said through tears.

  He grinned. “I didn’t get to be the Head Bottle Washer by not sniffing out the truth.” He held up a hand. “That said, I have to act on the evidence and, right now, that all points to you, Miss Lofton.”

  She bit her lip and Joe kissed her hair. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”

  Danny clicked off his radio. “I have to go help with the parade details, but I’m just saying that the pressure’s on Virgil now, too. An insurance investigator called earlier, asking to meet with me. Virgil knows he’s being looked at through a microscope. They aren’t going to pay out until they’re thoroughly satisfied they’re not being defrauded.”

  Maggie’s mind began to churn through possible angles.

  Danny continued. “I’m going to handle this like a regular investigation until charges are brought. I have to be impartial, no matter who’s involved or what my personal feelings are.”

  “Fair enough,” Liam said. “You do what you need to and we’ll do the same.”

  “All aboveboard and nice and legal?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Maggie went to Tammy and handed her some tissues while Joe patted her back.

  “Gonna be okay, Tammy. You’ll see,” he said.

  Maggie turned in time to hear Danny speak in lowered tones to Liam.

  “You got this, cowboy?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “One ex-girlfriend and one sister equals a whole lot of trouble on my adding machine tape.”

  Liam lifted a shoulder. “Exes’ sisters are strictly off-limits.”

  Exes’ sisters. That’s what she was to Liam, nothing more.

  Maggie’s breath hitched and she busied herself fetching more tissues that her sister did not need. Why should it bother her? She wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend anyway, especially not Liam.

  You blew into town pretending to be Tammy, remember? He’d stuck his neck out because of his history with her sister and because he was a good man, a man of honor.

  How could she know that after only a few days in his company? But she did know it from the tiniest clues: his tenderness with Charlie, the sharing of his jacket with a confused old man.

  Then why did she feel something deeper than gratitude and admiration? As if they’d shared something more in those moments in the kitchen over pancakes.

  Strictly off-limits, her memory repeated.

  It was best for her to remember that.

  * * *

  Helen joined them outside. Jingles set up a racket as soon as he saw Liam, so Liam let him loose from the truck. They introduced Joe to Helen and Jingles.

  “I want to stay close to Tammy at the Lodge,” Joe announced.

  Helen shook her head, stalling Liam’s disapproving comment. “I’m sorry, but the Lodge is full and she’s staying in my bedroom.”

  “I’ll sleep in a storage room or on the floor, anything.”

  “If you think you’re sleeping in my sister’s room,” Liam snapped, louder than he’d meant, “you’ve got another thing coming.”

  Apparently his tone penetrated Joe’s bubbling emotions. He breathed out and shoved the glasses up farther on his nose, a flush creeping across his pale cheeks. “No, no, of course not. I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little wired after those threats. I’ll find a place in town and help all I can. We’ve gotta find the jewelry.”

  Tammy winced. “He might just decide to kill us anyway.”

  Liam considered that. “Virgil wants to get his hands on the jewelry bad, because if it’s recovered, his insurance scam goes up in flames. Or maybe he wants to double-dip to both fence the necklace and collect the insurance. He’s desperate.”

  “How desperate?” Helen asked.

  Joe pursed his lips. “When I was working in Bill’s house, I saw Virgil reading a couple of letters that looked like past due notices. He might be in some deep financial trouble.”

  Did that make him desperate enough to harm Tammy or Maggie even after the police were involved? Brazen enough to lie flat-out to a cop and manipulate an old man? Yeah. Liam figured there weren’t too many more lines Virgil wouldn’t cross. He’d demonstrated as much. He wasn’t afraid to threaten, hurt and probably kill.

  Helen straightened her hat against the winter breeze. “So the only way to derail Virgil’s plans is to find the jewelry before the insurance pays out and somehow prove Virgil’s a crook.”

  A smile wreathed Liam’s face. “Well, there’s nothing I like better than a challenge.”

  “Do you really think we can do this?” Maggie asked.

  He laughed, laying on his thickest country twang. “Does a raccoon wear a mask?”

  “I guess the answer’s yes, then?” Maggie said with a giggle.

  “I reckon so,” Liam said.

  Helen shook her head. “My brother the hayseed who got a perfect score on his SATs the first time he took them. Don’t let him fool you. He loves it when people underestimate him.” She turned to Tammy. “Let’s get you back to bed. You look all-in.”

  Joe kissed her goodbye. “I’m going to get you a new phone. I’ll drop it by the Lodge later, okay?” He walked with them, his arm around her protectively.

  “He seems to really love her,” Maggie said wistfully.

  “Maybe,” Liam said. “Jury’s still out. But he’s growing on me.”

  “Me, too. I like the way he stood up to Virgil.”

  “Not bad for a computer programmer.” Liam frowned and went quiet.

  She crinkled her nose at him. “Why do you look so thoughtful all of a sudden?”

  “I’m thinking about the mission.”

  “The mission?”

  “Uh-huh. On a mission you got to know a few things—what you need to accomplish, how to get there and what success will look like.” He exhaled. “We know all that now.”

  “We do?”

  He ticked it off on his fingers. “Going to get the jewelry back to mess up Virgil’s plans, send him to jail, and keep him from getting near you and Tammy. Simple.”

  “It doesn’t seem simple to me.”

  “Stick with me, Miss Lofton. I’m locked, loaded and ready.”

  She pointed to a Santa hat sticking out of his back pocket. “Does that include your horse or your sleigh?”

  He took off his cowboy hat and clapped on the red one, complete with white fur trim. Jingles perked up. “I’m ready to get this parade started and deliver up some holiday cheer so we can get back to stalking our prey.” He slid a candy cane from his pocket.

  She laughed. “Did they teach you that in the Green Berets, too?”

  “Believe it or not, we did a lot of candy diplomacy when I was in Kunar Province, like Mitch said. Sometimes it was literally handing sweets to the kids, or maybe mediating disputes between elders, or training indigenous troops. Whatever it took to be a force multiplier.” He held out a crooked arm. “So what do you say, Maggie? Ready to join up for parade duty?” He paused. “I want you close in case Virgil is sticking around town, waiting for another chance.”

  Maggie shivered and looked down the street toward the Chuckwagon.

  He followed her gaze. “Hungry?” Liam said. “We can grab something at the Lodge after the parade.”

  “No, not hungry. I was thinkin
g I owe Nan and Tiny an apology for deceiving them. I didn’t flat-out tell them I was Tammy, but I let them think it.”

  “You had good reasons.”

  She shrugged. “It was still a deceit. I need to apologize now that we’ve told the police everything. I’m going to pop in since I know they’re prepping for the dinner hour, and then I’ll meet you at parade central.”

  “Not wild about that idea.”

  “I’ve got my phone and plenty of company.”

  “All right, but I’d like you to watch the parade with Mitch and Charlie. Safety in numbers.”

  “Okay. Ten minutes at the Chuckwagon, then you can point me to Mitch and Charlie.”

  He angled a look at her. “Okay. I’ll text Mitch and find out where he is exactly. Crowds are only going to get worse from here, so we need to get plans in place.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “No need for official titles. Call me Cowboy Santa.”

  She laughed, tipping her face to the sky, and the sunlight coaxed sparkles in her hair. His pulse stirred.

  Strictly off-limits, he reminded himself as she headed to the Chuckwagon.

  TWELVE

  A half hour later, feeling relieved to have offered her humble apology, Maggie joined in the melee behind the post office, the starting point for the parade. The lot was jammed with participants, floats, classic cars and uniformed Scout troops. She found Liam and Chad next to a trailer.

  Liam stroked the sleek sides of his black horse, whose harness sparkled with tinsel. She spied a saddlebag filled with candy canes.

  Chad quietly brushed down his brown mare, similarly decorated. He gave her a silent head bob.

  “How’d it go with Nan?” Liam asked her.

  “She graciously forgave me and she wants me to stay on when this whole mess is resolved.”

  “Who wouldn’t? I mean...” He patted Streak. “Tiny says you cook like a master and I know for a fact your pancakes are top-shelf.”