Holly, Ivy, & Intrigue

by Celebrate Lit Publishing

  He shoved the wooden wedge between the flat part of the door and the rubber seal and made a tiny opening. The hook on the end of the stretched wire coat hanger slipped underneath the wedge into the garage. The windows along the top of the door were foggy, but he could still see the hook slip over the release latch.

  Despite the cold weather, sweat rolled down his forehead and into his eyes. He couldn’t remember how loud the release of the lock sounded or how much noise the doors made as they opened, but in order to slip into the house, it was the only way.

  The first attempt failed when the hook slipped off the latch, and he almost lost his grip on the coat hanger. Trying once more, he hooked the wire around the latch and pulled. The lever released with a soft pop, and the door tripped open. With both hands, he raised the door just high enough to slip under and roll inside.

  Once inside, he reached behind one of the Christmas boxes, pulled out the nine-millimeter pistol, and inserted the loaded magazine. He found the extra house key in an old potted plant and silently turned the key in the lock. As he heard the lock click, the garage door made a squeak, and before he could turn around, he felt a hard object poke him in the shoulder.

  “Inside,” a man’s voice growled, as he pushed Cooper’s shoulder with the barrel of the gun.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Cooper strained against the ropes binding his wrists as fury raged inside him. He glared at one of the intruders dressed in jeans, a red flannel shirt, and a black ski mask. The man stood over Rosie with a revolver aimed at her still body. A spot of blood was growing around a hole in her left leg.

  Paige sat in a wooden chair in the corner—her mouth covered with duct tape and tears streamed down her face. Determination ripped through Cooper’s arm muscles as Paige met his gaze, and he pulled even harder on the bindings.

  Paige’s eye was swollen, but what hurt more than the physical pain she was suffering was the defeated resignation he saw there. She had taken all she could handle and was giving up. The best way he knew how, he begged her with his eyes not to let this bully break her spirit.

  A tiny wrinkle pulled at her eyes, and he knew she got the message. She nodded slightly. These two thugs might have the upper hand now, but somehow, he would get them out of this. The ropes cut into his hands as he worked to loosen the knots.

  Cooper winced as the man in brown coveralls twisted the rope tight around his ankles. He looked at the man and asked, “Why are you doing this? What do you want?”

  The man didn’t speak, but the one standing over Rosie, turned to him. “We want the watch you gave your wife … for Christmas,” he added with a snarl.

  “Are you talking about the one I bought from the Pawn shop on Elm Street?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one. My friend saw you purchase it, and he wants to give it to his girlfriend.”

  Something about the man’s gruff voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place where he heard it before.

  “You can have the watch if you let us go and leave.”

  “Where’s the watch?”

  Cooper turned to Paige. “Honey, where is the gift I gave you before I left?”

  Paige’s eye got round. She tried to talk through the tape, but none of it made sense.

  The man in the flannel shirt reached over to her mouth and pulled off the tape. Her expression of pain felt like a blow to his stomach.

  She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again. “In the barbecue grill … outside in the backyard.”

  “What?” Cooper asked with furrowed brows.

  The man in the coveralls pointed to his partner. “Go get it,” he growled.

  His partner went flying through the kitchen and out the back door. Two minutes later he came tearing back into the house. “This is it,” he shouted.

  The man in overalls grabbed the box and held the watch up close to his face. “Yep, this is it.” In his excitement, he forgot to disguise his voice, and Cooper’s jaw dropped. The man sounded like Dave. He analyzed the man’s movements and build. It could be Dave, but surely his friend wouldn’t be this brutal.

  The man saw Cooper studying him, and fidgeted with his mask. “Let’s go. We’re done here.”

  The flannel shirt man pulled his partner into the living room.

  “You know we can’t leave them here to identify us.”

  “No! I told you. No murder.”

  “And I told you I would do what I have to do. I don’t want witnesses. Witnesses leave clues.”

  Cooper twisted his hands even harder to work the rope fibers loose. His hands were almost free. He gave one last tug, and his wrist slipped through the opening. He glanced at the two men in the living room. They were turned in the opposite direction. Cooper leaned over and jerked on the rope around his feet.

  “Cooper,” whispered Paige. “Go and get help.”

  He looked at her while pulling the ropes off of his feet. “I’m not leaving you here.”

  “You’ll never get me loose in time. Please just go and get help. Rosie needs a doctor.”

  “I’m okay,” whispered Rosie as she raised her hand with a shaky wave.

  Yelling from the other room propelled Cooper to Paige’s side. He released the ropes around her wrist and jerked on the ones holding her feet to the chair.

  “I said no,” shouted one of the robbers.

  A gunshot rang out and Paige screamed. Cooper tugged harder on her ropes but stopped when a voice behind him yelled, “Back away from your wife.”

  Cooper stood up and turned toward the gunman in the flannel shirt.

  “You have the watch. Leave us alone,” Cooper said through gritted teeth.

  The man pointed the gun towards Paige’s head and pulled back the hammer. “You first, little lady,” he growled.

  “No!” shouted Cooper. He jumped in front of Paige to protect her.

  Cooper heard a crash, and his legs almost gave away.

  “Sheriff’s department! Drop your weapons, and put your hands up!” A sheriff’s deputy crouched low just inside the front door with both arms extended, a gun pointed toward the robber.

  The gunman aimed at the officer, but before he could fire, the deputy shot him.

  When the gunman dropped to the floor, the room exploded with policemen.

  Paige turned her head and sobbed. Cooper encircled her with his arms and pulled her head to his chest.

  “Are you two okay?” asked Sheriff Warren.

  Cooper nodded and held Paige close. He pointed to Rosie. “She needs an ambulance.”

  He loosened the ropes around Paige’s ankles and tenderly lifted her out of the chair. Kissing her on the cheek, he whispered, “It’s okay, honey. It’s over.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Sheriff Warren strolled over to Cooper and Paige on the living room couch. “The EMT’s say Rosie will be fine. It was only a flesh wound. He plugged her in the side of the leg.”

  Paige sucked in her breath. “Thank the Lord,” she whispered. “Is she conscious?”

  The sheriff laughed. “Yes, and giving the emergency room nurses a piece of her mind.”

  Paige laughed. “That sounds like Rosie.” She rubbed her forehead. “It could have been a whole lot worse—he was aiming for her knee.”

  Cooper blew out a relieved breath. “What about the robbers?”

  The sheriff shook his head. “I’m afraid neither one of them made it.”

  Cooper shook his head. “That was Dave Stewart in the overalls, wasn’t it?”

  The sheriff nodded. “Yep. Stewart died on the way to the hospital. Tag White died immediately.”

  Cooper blew out a long breath between clenched lips. “I’m sorry about Dave. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

  “All because of a stupid watch,” said Paige.

  Sheriff Warren shook his head. “They didn’t care about the watch, only the money it was worth.”

  “I only paid fifty bucks for it. Is human life worth so little?” asked
Cooper.

  “Oh no.” The sheriff shook his head. “They thought that little gold watch was worth thirty million dollars.”

  Cooper whistled. “Wow.”

  “Yeah, wow,” Paige agreed.

  “According to Stewart, they bought the watch thinking it was the same one commissioned for Marie Antionette back in the seventeen hundreds.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “Nope. The original watch is worth that much, but this one’s only a copy. Stewart bought this one at an estate sale and thought his money worries were over. Unfortunately, this watch was built by a French watchmaker named Adrien Daton Moreau in 2010. One of my deputies worked the case for several years trying to recover the watch after it was stolen. The wife of this Moreau fellow was fascinated by the watch made for the queen of France, so he decided to build one like it for his wife’s birthday. She never saw it though. It was stolen before he could give it to her. It’s a good thing too, because even though he was able to duplicate the look of the original watch, he wasn’t able to copy all the functions. They were so intricate and complicated.”

  “I knew Dave was an antique buff, but I didn’t know he owned half of a pawn store. How did he get duped about the watch?” Cooper asked as he tightened his arm around Paige’s shoulders.

  “Dave had an authenticity certificate in his pocket. I guess the seller lied to him. This watch looked the same on the outside,” said the sheriff, “but it’s worth a drop in the bucket compared to the original. I remember seeing on the news that it was stolen about three years ago, and they never found it … until today. It seems I remember hearing there’s a reward offered for its return. You guys might be in for a good size cash payment if I’m right.”

  “What would make a man treat his friends that way? I mean, I saw a side of Dave I’ve never seen before, and I’ve known him for fifteen years. I’d like to know what made him snap.”

  “I can explain it in two words: Gambling debts. Both Stewart and White owed big money to a scalper who threatened to make them disappear if they didn’t pay him the fifty-thousand dollars they owed him.”

  Cooper whistled. “Fifty-thousand. How did they possibly build up such a debt?”

  “This particular bookie charges a whopping fifty percent interest rate. That adds up when you miss a couple of payments. Listen, you two look exhausted, so I’ll take your statements in the morning. Paige, are you sure you don’t want to have that eye seen about?”

  Paige lowered the ice pack and shook her head. “Sheriff, all I want now is to make sure Rosie’s okay and stay home,” she turned to look at Cooper, “with my husband.”

  Cooper smiled at her and pulled her hand into his.

  “Okay, well come by in the morning and let me get your statements. Merry Christmas, you two.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Standing in the lobby of the sheriff’s department the next day, Paige closed her eyes and basked in the feel of Cooper’s strong arms around her.

  He held her for a few minutes then leaned back. She could see laughter in his eyes.

  “I can’t believe you actually thought I was trying to kill you.”

  Paige grimaced. “I’m sorry, honey. The circumstances were so overwhelming. You have to admit that conversation sounded pretty suspicious. What were you talking about anyway?”

  Cooper laughed. “A boat.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  Cooper nodded. “We both enjoy sailing together, so right before the wedding, I bought a 2001 Flying Scot sailboat for five hundred bucks. It needed work, but I was going to fix it up and give it to you for our first anniversary. However,” Cooper’s chin fell to his chest, and he shook his head, “I finally realized how much money I was wasting on it, and I decided to sell it for parts. Dave’s cousin works for a company that repairs boats. He said they would buy the boat for parts and salvage what they could use while he was here visiting his family for Christmas.”

  “Ohhh …” said Paige. “That conversation in the garage all makes sense now.”

  Cooper laughed and rubbed her cheek. “You crazy thing … thinking I would hurt you.”

  Even after four months, Cooper’s touch still made her stomach flutter. She took his hands in hers and touched the skin next to the cuts Dave’s rope had caused.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” She took his face in her hands. “And you put yourself in front of a bullet for me. You love me that much. Will you please forgive me?”

  “I don’t know,” he teased. “You threw my Christmas present out the door into the snow.”

  “Well, technically, it wasn’t in the snow.” She grinned.

  “No, but you did throw it outside and put it in that nasty grill. I can tell you really appreciated the thought.”

  Before she lowered her head in shame, he caressed her check with his thumb, and she saw a tiny smile playing at the corner of his lips.

  “You know I love you sweetheart—unconditionally—and in spite of what you thought, I can see in your eyes you never really believed I would harm you.” He picked up several strands of her blonde hair and let them slip between his fingers. “I’ll forgive you if you forgive me.”

  “Agreed. Now …” She tightened the hug. “…let’s go see Rosie.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Paige stood beside Cooper and knocked softly on the hospital room door.

  “Come in.”

  Rosie was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in pretty pink pajamas, and surrounded by bouquets of wild flowers. She giggled when she saw Paige.

  “Can you believe this?” she said. “Steve brought them to me.”

  “Steve? You mean, Steve, as in Sheriff Warren?”

  Rosie blushed and nodded.

  “Wow,” said Paige with a smile as she approached the bed. “These are beautiful. I didn’t know you and the sheriff were that close.”

  Rosie grinned. “Neither did I.”

  Rosie patted the bed. “Sit here, hon. I have something to ask you.”

  Paige sat carefully on the edge of the bed.

  “Yesterday, after that hooligan shot me in the leg, I heard you say a prayer. I’d like to know what that was all about.”

  Paige looked at Cooper, and he leaned over and kissed Paige on the cheek before turning to Rosie.

  “Rosie, our sweet Paige finally realized she needs God in her life, and she accepted Him as her Lord.”

  “Hallelujah!” cried Rosie. She reached out to Paige and gave her a warm hug. “I’m so happy for you, Paige. Your life will change. It will be so much better.”

  “It already is, Rosie,” said Paige, smiling up at Cooper before spying the overnight bag on the chair.

  “Hey, are you getting out today?”

  “Yep. The bullet just grazed my leg. That bully was a terrible shot.”

  “For which I’m grateful,” said Paige. “Thank you, my friend, for following me home and trying to rescue me.”

  “Ha! What kind of rescue? All I did was give you more to worry about.”

  Paige laughed and hugged Rosie’s neck.

  “You are my best friend. You know that?”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie. Now … how about giving your best friend a ride home? I have a date tonight.”

  “What?”

  “Yep. Steve is bringing supper to my house.”

  “Wow! You go girl.”

  Rosie laughed. “Yep, it’s gonna be a great Christmas.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Christmas morning

  The doorbell rang, and Cooper pushed aside the crumbled Christmas paper while Paige gaped at him with her mouth open.

  “I can’t believe you knew that was a briefcase before you opened it.”

  Cooper grinned as he stood up. “I always know what you’re getting me.”

  Paige got up and followed him to the door. “I don’t believe it. You peeked. I bet you sneaked down here in the night and opened every one of your gifts, you stinker.”

  Cooper
laughed and opened the door. Their white-haired neighbor, Jed Butler, stood on their front door step.

  “Merry Christmas, Cooper.”

  “Merry Christmas, Mr. Butler. How’s everything going?” Cooper asked with a grin.

  Mr. Butler handed him a white envelope and smiled. “Everything is all done.” He grinned and winked. “Have fun.”

  Mr. Butler stepped off the porch and headed toward his house.

  Surprised at the wink, Paige poked Cooper as he closed the door. “What was that wink about, and what’s in that envelope?”

  “Oh, nothing. I’m only trying to prove a point,” he said as he folded the envelope and put it in his shirt pocket.

  “And that is…?”

  He tweaked her nose. “That you are so transparent—I can see right through you. That’s how I know what every one of my gifts are before I open them, and it’s not because I sneak down to peek.”

  “Oh yeah? I don’t see what Mr. Butler has to do with any of that, but if you think it’s true, then prove it. Tell me … what’s my last gift to you?”

  “I will, my dear, but not until after you give it to me.”

  Paige laughed. “No way. Anyone could guess what a gift is after it’s in their hands.”

  “I promise—after you give it to me, there will be no doubt that I knew what it was ahead of time.”

  She glowered at him through a half smile. “Okay, let’s do it now.”

  Paige pulled the scarf from around her neck and blindfolded him. After making sure he couldn’t see, she tugged his arm.

  “Follow me.”

  Paige led him through the front door and down the steps.

  “Can I take it off now?” Cooper couldn’t help himself, but grinned out one side of his mouth and teased. “I know what’s there.”

  Paige laughed. “Not this time, my dearest. Not this time.”

  Cooper grinned and stopped walking when she did.

  “Now you can take it off.”

  Cooper pulled off the blindfold and laughed. Before him, sitting on a trailer in their yard, was the refurbished Flying Scot sailboat he had such dire plans for.