Deadly Christmas Pretense

by Dana Mentink

“Extend it, maybe?”

  “Liam,” she said, rounding on him, “I don’t want to stay here. There are just too many...uncomfortable memories.”

  And many of them revolved around him. He realized his mouth was open, so he shut it. He’d not offered her a single slim reason to stay, so why should she? He tried for composure before he answered. “Okay, I get it. Let me know if I can help, at all, with anything.”

  She’d gotten out of the truck before he could get the door for her and limped away toward the Lodge. Each step she took opened up miles between them. He felt powerless to stop her. What could he say? What had he to offer? The best he could do was use his skills and leverage those of his clan to get Tammy back safe and sound. As far as Maggie went, he could not shake the notion that he’d blown the best chance he’d ever had at happiness.

  Jingles crammed his wedge of a head between the seats and licked Liam’s ear, whining.

  “I know, buddy,” Liam said, heart in his boots. “I know.”

  The Chuckwagon van was parked at the side entrance where Nan hefted boxes of pies. Maggie hurried over to assist, and he followed her and grabbed an armful. Stacks of apple, pumpkin and pecan pies scented the air. They were still warm, which made his mouth water. Maggie’s cheeks were flushed, not from the effort of loading the van but because of his presence, he suspected, and the terrible strain she was under.

  “I got this, Liam. You don’t have to stay with me.”

  “You need some help.”

  “I don’t.” She pulled more boxes from the cargo area. “And I know you have other things to do.”

  “Mitch and Chad will be here in an hour. We’ll work out the fine points. I’ll fill you in when I know more, okay? In the meantime, I can help.”

  She slammed the back doors. “I just need to get these pies into the courtyard.”

  “I’ll follow you.”

  “Like I said, you don’t need to babysit me.” Her lip quivered.

  He raised his palms and offered her what he hoped was a comforting smile. “Helen always tells me to make myself useful. I do what I’m told.”

  She huffed out a breath and he backed off, finding an unobtrusive spot from which to watch her and memorize the tram schedule. He noted the guests had already started to filter out to enjoy the singing and warm cider.

  A few vendors, including Yoriko, offered some last-minute gift items. As Maggie carried stacks of plates from the kitchen to the food tables, he passed knitted blankets, bead necklaces, ornaments and candles of every Christmas hue. On his last trip, he saw Maggie’s attention caught by a slim beaded bracelet with a small gold heart. After a second glance, she walked by, to all appearances composed.

  He wasn’t sure how she was even still functioning. If anything happened to Helen, he would be losing his mind. But Maggie was like that, calm, strong, that steady presence in the middle of the storm, like the lighthouse beacon that shone no matter how vicious the hurricane. He looked again at the bracelet she’d noticed, feeling an intense desire to see it on her delicate wrist, wondering if it would make her smile.

  A parting gift, a friendship token, he told himself as he peeled off a few bills and bought the bracelet while Maggie wasn’t looking.

  * * *

  Time passed in slow motion. Maggie waited while Helen finished explaining the trolley schedule to a guest. Mitch and Chad might have arrived but she saw no sign of them. Could a former US marshal, an ex–Green Beret and a shy cowboy actually rescue her sister? Another wave of terror passed through her.

  “It’s a three-ring circus here,” Helen said, walking around the desk to greet Maggie. “Every year we think we’ve considered everything, but there are always a million details to finish up.” Helen gazed through the lobby doors into the courtyard where Maggie had delivered her pies. Strings of lights latticed the space that was crowded with a small stage where a costumed caroling group was warming up. The vendors had decorated their spots with tinsel, pine boughs and ribbons.

  Maggie sighed. It should be a festive celebration but joy felt so very far away.

  “The first trolley leaves at six,” Helen called to a guest. “Enjoy the festivities.” Helen beamed another smile, then moved away from the bustle. She touched a hand to Maggie’s arm, the skin freezing cold. Helen might look as though she was calm and collected, but she could not completely hide her distress, perhaps her fear over what would unfold over the next few hours. “Tell me exactly what happened at the beach and Tammy’s trailer.”

  Maggie did, watching terror and disappointment wash over Helen. “So Virgil thinks you found the jewelry, which is why he took Tammy. I feel terrible. I woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and I didn’t bother to turn on the lights. I might have noticed that she was gone. In the morning, I just assumed she was out with Joe.”

  “You couldn’t have known.”

  A great ripple of grief distorted Helen’s features. “That’s what everyone told me when my friend Fiona was murdered. It happened almost three years ago, but it feels like yesterday.”

  They gripped hands for a moment. “I’m sorry,” Helen breathed. “Liam assures me that everything is going to be fine, but I know you’re terrified.”

  She was too unsettled to reply.

  Helen forced out a shaky breath. “Liam is the only person I’d want in my corner. He’s a man you can count on and I know he cares about you deeply.”

  Cares? Maybe, but not in the way she desperately wanted. Maggie nodded and turned to leave. “I’ll go make myself useful serving pie.”

  Helen stopped her. “Maggie, thank you for taking care of my brother the other night.” Her lip trembled just for an instant before she regained her composure. “He’s so afraid to give up control, and going deaf is his worst nightmare.”

  Maggie gripped Helen’s fingers. “I hope someday he can find a soul mate to share his burdens with.”

  Helen cocked her head. “I thought maybe he had, with you.”

  Maggie tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “We’re...friends. That’s all he wants.”

  “No, it’s not,” Helen said.

  Maggie did leave then, trudging by the stairs, her heart twinging at the thought of what her sister might be enduring. Or maybe Virgil had already killed Tammy. She went cold inside. The thought that she could not help her sister, rescue her, even talk to her, stabbed like a knife. Powerless. It made her think how Liam must feel. Tammy was drowning in her own ocean and Maggie could not find a way to reach her.

  The crowds kept coming, a sea of faces talking, laughing, their joy mingling with the Christmas carols and the cries of the children.

  Hang on, Tammy. Just stay alive.

  TWENTY-TWO

  The trolley started off at sundown, ferrying groups to the station where they would board the Train of Lights. Mitch was already scouring the woods around the station. Chad would linger in the crowd, with eyes peeled for Virgil, and Liam would be a few steps away from Maggie, as close as he could get. He’d exchanged his cowboy hat for a baseball cap and his barn jacket for a long-sleeved plaid shirt. He wasn’t going to carry a concealed weapon into a crowded place—too much potential for accidental injury to bystanders—but his rifle was with the truck and he knew his brothers had their weapons close by, as well. They would be ultracautious before using them.

  Maggie had worked diligently all day, serving pie and cleaning up. He knew she took comfort in the activity. The strain showed on her face, her rigid posture, the way she clenched her hands and shoved them into the pockets of the red sweater she wore. A couple of hours and it would all be over.

  Helen caught him in a quiet corner as he watched Maggie.

  “You’re going to be careful, right?”

  He grinned. “’Course. Aren’t I always?”

  “No, would you like me to recite a list of the times you’ve been reck
less? There was the moment when you decided you could evict the raccoon family from the attic with a broom all by your lonesome.”

  He poked her shoulder. “All right. Point taken. No need to run down all my bone-head moves.”

  She went quiet. “Liam, I mean it. It was bad enough worrying about you every single day when you were deployed. I can’t do this life thing without my big brother.”

  He smothered her in a mighty hug. “You won’t have to. I promise,” he said into her hair.

  “But, Liam...” He saw her gaze drift to Maggie.

  “Gotta go,” he said to forestall a comment he saw brewing in her eyes.

  After a sigh, she kissed his cheek, raised her chin and sailed away into the crowd, to all appearances unruffled and serene while he went back to his silent watch. He allowed himself a moment to offer God a sincere thanks that he’d wound up with an exceptional sister like Helen.

  I love you, sis.

  A memory flashed through him of the three of them—his father, Helen and him—standing in front of his mother’s empty chair the day after her funeral. His father had looked as though he’d wanted to say something, to offer some comfort to his grieving children. Liam remembered hearing him gulp and then bring Liam’s hand to Helen’s to join them together. Perhaps he’d been telling them, without words, that he could not be the one to kept the family intact; his grief was too much, his guilt overwhelming. Yes, his father had failed them, but he’d also reminded them in that one gesture that they had each other, a gift from God, solace and strength. Tears blurred Liam’s eyes and he blinked them away as a weight he hadn’t noticed before lifted.

  Solace and strength. Better together.

  The hours ticked on until Maggie headed to her place in line for the trolley. He stopped her and pretended to give her a hug and a Christmas greeting as he handed her a hefty pouch. “Decoy,” he said. “Some grade-A gravel from out back of the Lodge, but I’m hopeful Virgil will think it’s jewelry.”

  She flicked him a brief smile and stuffed the pouch into her pocket. “What if he doesn’t bring her to the meet, like last time?”

  “He’s keeping her someplace close, has to be, and I got his license plate when he grabbed the backpack. Rental car, but they have GPS trackers. I enlisted some help to check that out, in addition to Mitch and Chad.”

  “Help?”

  He smiled. “Force multiplier, remember? I know people. He won’t get away this time.”

  Her breath hitched. “Thank you. Your family means everything to you. It’s kind of you to enlist them.”

  You mean everything to me. The thought skimmed through his mind easily like a horse racing through the green grass of the ranch. Flickers of memory shot through him.

  The waves.

  The fear.

  Her palms on his cheeks.

  The steady comfort in her eyes that was not pity.

  The knowledge that his father had taught him something important, standing there in front of his mother’s chair, spoken with his touch, just like Maggie had when he’d gone deaf after the explosion.

  You’ll learn to hear in other ways, with people to help you.

  Feelings simmered in him that he’d never experienced before, begging to be let out, shared. He clamped down on his rampaging thoughts. He had a job to do and her future hung in the balance.

  “I’ll be right there with you the whole time,” he said into her ear, his lips touching the silken skin of her temple. And then she was boarding the trolley. He waited until a couple dozen people got on before he followed.

  It was time for Virgil to learn a long overdue lesson.

  * * *

  Maggie disembarked with the throng at the train station. The railings were twined with Christmas lights and the old steam train itself was shimmering with tinsel and more lights. All around her people were strolling around taking pictures, queuing up behind the gate to be let on the train, exchanging hugs and handshakes. Music trilled and squealing children tugged at their parents’ hands. Maggie scanned every person that came close, straining toward each young woman she saw, praying to catch a glimpse of her sister. She noted Liam standing in the shadows and she felt a bit braver.

  Joe had given her his phone to use after being ordered to stay away by Liam. She did not think Joe was going to follow directions, since he’d looked as overwrought as she’d felt when they’d last talked.

  The phone buzzed and she answered it.

  “Mags...”

  Maggie stopped breathing. “Tammy? Where are you?”

  “In the back of the train,” she whimpered. “He snuck on before anyone else. Please—”

  She was running as the phone disconnected, past the throngs of Christmas celebrants, through the great plume of steam that erupted from the engine, hopping over the short railing. Gravel crunched under her shoes as she sprinted parallel to the tracks. Gasping for breath, she searched, nerves flooded with adrenaline.

  The rear of the train was dark, until she caught a gleam from the last car, the flash of a light-colored shirt. Maggie scrambled up the nearest stairs and into the rear car. She pushed through the empty aisle and heaved open the door, emerging onto a small ledge caged by iron railings that overlooked the tracks. Her sister was wedged in the darkest corner.

  “Tammy,” she cried. Tears started in her eyes as she reached for her sister. “It’s okay, honey. It’s okay.” She frantically felt for the ropes that tied Tammy to the railing.

  “Sister comes to the rescue,” came a voice from below.

  Virgil stepped from the shadows, his gun trained on Tammy. He stood on the train track, a smile on his face. There was nothing Maggie could do except try to shield her sister from the line of fire.

  “Throw me the jewelry,” he said. “Quickly.”

  Maggie thought she saw a flicker of movement from the gloom. Liam? She pulled the pouch of gravel from her pocket. “Here, take it and leave her alone. You got what you wanted.” She tossed the pouch to Virgil, intending to make him lunge for it, but he was too quick, snatching it from the air.

  “This isn’t another one of your tricks?”

  She swallowed. “It’s there. You’d better get away quick before someone sees you.”

  “I’d love to let it go, but there are too many witnesses now,” he said, hefting the pouch in his palm.

  Her blood froze. He was going to kill them anyway. She tried to edge farther in front of Tammy, but her sister pushed back, realizing what was about to happen, squirming and thrashing.

  “Shouldn’t you check it?” Maggie called in desperation, trying a different tact. “Maybe I’m trying to pull a fast one again. If you kill us first, you’ll never know where the jewelry is hidden.”

  “Oh, I’m going to check it, all right.” He pulled at the strings with his teeth.

  The movement again from the shadows.

  Virgil started to look over.

  “How did you convince Bill to take out the life insurance policy?” Maggie blurted.

  “He’s not thinking too clearly since the old lady died,” Virgil said after he opened the sack. He bent his head to peek inside.

  In that one moment while his attention wavered a fraction, Liam leaped out from his hiding place and delivered a fist to Virgil’s chin. It spun him back a step but didn’t knock him down.

  The sack went flying, gravel spewing in all directions. Virgil let out a cry of rage.

  “What’s wrong, Virg?” Liam said. “Didn’t get your way?”

  “I figured Maggie wouldn’t come without her cowboy,” Virgil said. “But I have backup, too.” A shot from a distance pinged off the iron railing with a scatter of golden sparks.

  Liam rolled, shouting, “Get down, Maggie.”

  As another shot cracked through the night, she tried to shelter her sister with her body, crouching as low as they could
. There was more shouting and the beams of flashlights bounced over the ground. When Maggie looked up, she could see only dark silhouettes locked in a wrestling match below.

  “Liam?” Her question was swallowed up by the hiss of steam.

  * * *

  Liam registered the fact that the secondary shooter was a mighty poor marksman. Virgil’s backup hadn’t done the job. Liam got off one quick punch that sent Virgil stumbling back. Then they went at it in earnest. He was surprised at Virgil’s strength, but he persisted, throwing a forearm across Virgil’s throat. Gasping and choking, Virgil finally surrendered and Liam rolled him over onto his stomach, a knee between his shoulder blades. Chad came running past the confused crowd and handed him a rope with which he tied Virgil’s wrists behind his back and secured him to a lamppost for good measure.

  “Text Mitch to look for the second shooter,” Liam panted.

  Chad complied.

  Liam scrambled up the train steps to the women, cutting through Tammy’s bonds with his pocketknife. He handed Tammy down the steps to Chad and took Maggie’s arm to lead her. She did not take her eyes off her sister.

  Chad stayed with Tammy and Maggie and kept watch over Virgil while Liam checked the area thoroughly, calling Danny Patron, as well. There was no sign of the second shooter, only the trail of headlights as a car sped away from the station.

  Liam ground his teeth, praying his older brother had been able to intercept Virgil’s cohort. He jogged back to the train station to find Danny Patron pulling up, red lights flashing.

  After a quick briefing, Danny dispatched an officer to check the train and surrounding area thoroughly before he finally allowed the celebrants to board. Liam returned to the women and Chad, settling in for a tongue-lashing from the police chief. Tammy was no longer crying, but Maggie still crooned words of comfort to her.

  “And furthermore,” Danny said, chin set in aggravation, “if you’re gonna go all cowboy in the future, at least give me the courtesy of joining in the fun.”

  “Yes, Chief,” Liam said. “I will.”