The Slay of the Santas

by Kacey Gene

  Just thinking about those events from last night makes Jennifer want to crawl back into bed and sleep until Christmas break is over.

  But, there are obligations to see through. Jake is at the Chicago PD office filling out paperwork, and Jennifer is getting ready for tea with her mom, Julie, and her mom’s friends. And Jennifer is actually looking forward to a relaxing day of tea sipping and gossip. She needs a break from dead bodies, car chases, and...pudding.

  Finishing her mascara, Jennifer checks herself in the mirror. She’s wearing the black dress she bought last month -- the halter dress that ties around her neck, hugs her waist, and then fans out at the bottom.

  She walks out of her bedroom and into the main room. No one else is out and ready yet, so Jennifer wanders around the room and stops to look at their family Christmas tree. She smiles as she looks at the handmade ornament Michael made in first grade. It’s a picture of him, and the “frame” around him is wrapped in red and green yarn. Then there’s the ringless bell Jennifer made in kindergarten by cutting out a single section of an egg carton, turning it upside down and fishing a pipe cleaner through it.

  The ornaments may be ugly, but they hold the most beautiful memories. Jennifer hopes she’s doing the same for her second graders, and that they’ll be able to look back at their creations one day when they’re her age. Jennifer laughs when she thinks about how Jessica’s mom will be getting Jessica’s three-legged pipe cleaner reindeer. And she can’t even imagine how Trey’s parents are going to respond to his cockroach ornament.

  Jennifer smiles at the thought, but then she spots her most favorite ornament of all, and it shifts her heart into full nostalgia.

  Right in the middle of the tree is a white rectangle with a red ribbon on top -- tied in a bow and used as the ornament’s hanger. There are four fingerprints on the ornament. One for Jennifer. One for Michael. One for Eleanor. And one for Jennifer’s dad, Sammy.

  Jennifer remembers the night they all made that ornament. Her mom was fawning over getting the Plaster of Paris the perfect consistency before they counted to three and all pressed their fingers into the ornament together.

  And here they are. All still together on the tree, dangling over the presents below. And that’s when Jennifer sees the present that isn’t wrapped like any of the others. All the presents under the tree are in silver and gold wrapping paper, except one. It’s wrapped in bright red and white paper with sleighs and santas on it.

  Jennifer squints her eyes and sees the tag.

  To: Eleanor

  From: Jake

  Jennifer smiles, realizing that even though they were beyond exhausted last night, Jake took the time to wrap up Eleanor’s book for her.

  “You know, one of these days I’m going to get an ornament on that tree,” Jake says, having come up behind Jennifer.

  She spins around when she hears his voice. “Hi,” she says, loving when he’s here with her in Chicago. Something about Jake’s presence always feels like home, no matter where she is. “How’d it go at the station?”

  “Paper work is done,” Jake says. “And Sharb officially hates me.”

  Jennifer bites her lower lip. “Is he still really mad about the pudding printouts?”

  Jake nods. “But, neither he nor I will be working for the next two days, so that will give him time to forget all about it. That’s the good and the bad part of police work,” Jake says. “There’s always something new to distract you.”

  “You heading back to Middlebridge now?” Jennifer asks, seeing that he has his bag all packed.

  “Yep, got to get back in time for Christmas Eve festivities at the Hollow home.”

  “When does your sister get in?”

  “Today at three, but she flies out Christmas night, so you’re just going to miss her.”

  “Well, tell her I said hello and tell your whole family I say Merry Christmas,” Jennifer says. She opens her arms and Jake picks her up and envelopes her in a hug.

  “Judy’s for breakfast when you’re back on the 26th?” Jake asks.

  “It’s a date.”

  Jake keeps her in a hug for a bit longer as he says, “You know I couldn’t do this without you, right?”

  “I know, but you have to always remember my rule.” Jennifer says.

  “And what’s that?” Jake asks, putting Jennifer down and smiling.

  She smoothes out her dress and looks him straight in the eyes.

  “I only work holidays,” she says with a coy smile.

  ‘“You think I don’t know that by now?” Jake says, picking up his bag and throwing it across his shoulder. “You’re my one and only Holiday Hunter.”

  Epilogue

  Judy’s is busier than ever. Dishes are clanking, people’s voices are toppling over one another as they tell about what they did for Christmas, and the sound of bacon sizzling and eggs scrambling hasn’t stopped all morning. The Christmas decorations are still out, and Judy will keep them up until New Year’s Day like she’s always done. But come January 1, the trees and garland come down and the hearts and cupid cut-outs for Valentine’s Day go up.

  Jennifer stretches as her and Jake get up from their booth. She sees Bradley Pritchard, who is still sporting his black fedora hat, but he’s changed the feather from red to pink. He must have arrived while she and Jake were eating and deep in conversation about Julie’s full-on cry fest when Jennifer gave her the baby-to-be’s stocking. Jennifer throws Bradley a wave and a sweet smile. He blows a kiss back at her.

  “Such a heartbreaker,” Jake says, leaving a gracious tip on the table.

  “Hardly,” Jennifer says as they walk up front, saying goodbye to everyone as they do.

  “I don’t know,” Jake says with a smile, “I think Matt Kiley would have something to say about you being a heartbreaker. I mean, I don’t think he’d say you’re easy on the eyes, though.” Jake bursts out laughing at his own joke, and Jennifer pushes him, making him laugh even harder.

  “It’s not funny,” she says. “I’m going to have to see him when I go back to school.” But Jennifer won’t let herself think about that. She still has seven more blissful days of break, and she plans to use those days to crochet the fingerless gloves she’s been eyeing, eat the leftovers her mom sent her home with, sit in front of her fire, and just relax.

  “Uh, hey, my favorites,” Judy yells just as Jennifer and Jake are about to walk out the door. They both stop laughing and goofing off and give Judy their full attention. “I think you’re both forgetting something.”

  Jake checks his pocket. He has his wallet. Jennifer checks to make sure she has her purse. They’re both wearing their coats, and their booth is empty.

  And then Doug Caster, not even interested in the papers he brought in, says, “It’s okay. I’ll keep her if they don’t want her.”

  Jake and Jennifer look at each other, completely surprised they forgot.

  “Come here, Lucy,” Jake sweetly yells, and Lucy comes bounding over to him, resting her head right against his leg.

  Jennifer bends down and scratches right below Lucy’s chin. “We’d never forget you,” she says to Lucy, and she feels her heart twist as the thinks about Eb. He was too young to adopt, and Junior says Eb still had a lot of training to go through, but he promised Jennifer that she could visit him any time she wanted.

  “You taking Lucy with you to the station?” Jennifer asks, looking up at Jake.

  “Actually,” he says, making his eyes as big as Lucy’s, “I was hoping you could run her to my place. I’m already a bit late.”

  “Of course,” Jennifer says. “I’m happy to.”

  “You’re the best,” Jake says. “Call me when you all get there. Just so I know you’re safe.”

  And with that, Jennifer and Lucy walk off and get into Jennifer’s newly repaired blue SmartCar. It feels so good to zip around the streets with Lucy next to her that Jennifer takes the long route to Jake’s house. When they do get there, Lucy immediately runs in and leaps onto t
he couch.

  “I see you’ve found your spot,” Jennifer says, plopping down in the chair and dialing Jake.

  “All good?” he asks when he picks up.

  “All good,” Jennifer says, but she hears his voice echo. “Where are you?” she asks.

  “Um,” Jake says, pausing, “I just got to the station.”

  Jennifer scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. The station has low ceilings and tight walls. There isn’t room for a voice to echo.

  “Actually, I got to go, but I’ll call you later,” Jake says. And just like that he hangs up the phone.

  “He’s being weird,” Jennifer says to Lucy. But what Jennifer doesn’t know is that Jake is at a station, but not the police station Jennifer thinks he’s at.

  Jake buzzes through the last of three security doors, and then walks down the grey-tiled hall until he gets to the final door. It’s a metal door. Grey. Cold. There’s no name or number on it. No marker of any kind. It’s the kind of door someone has to know about in order to find.

  Jake knocks.

  “Come on in,” the man’s strong voice says from inside.

  Jake goes in and sits in his usual chair. Even though he’s been in this office hundreds of times, he gets nervous every time he walks in and sits down. The chair behind the desk isn’t facing Jake. All he can see is a pair of feet -- which are propped up on the windowsill that’s behind the desk -- and stacks upon stacks of files, papers, and books. Most of the files say “confidential” across them.

  “So,” the man says, swiveling around in his chair and facing Jake, “I hear you solved another one.” The man has hazel eyes, salt and pepper hair, and an authoritative demeanor about him. But Jake doesn’t notice any of those things. He notices how the man’s voice goes up and down throughout his sentences, just like Jennifer’s voice does.

  “Yes, sir,” Jake says.

  “You solved it with Jennifer?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jake says, swallowing what feels like a wad of tissue. Jake’s throat has gone completely dry. He hates talking about Jennifer behind her back -- even if it is to praise her and her detective skills.

  “And no one got hurt?” The man asks. He leans in toward Jake, and Jake feels a chill move through him.

  He holds the man’s gaze and says, “You already know, don’t you?”

  “You mean about the car chase, this Matt Kiley character, and the pudding pool?” the man asks.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Yes, of course I know about all that,” the man says. “Jennifer is my daughter. I make it my duty to know everything that happens to her.”

  Jake takes a deep breath, and he feels the guilt that lives with him awaken and move through his body. He knows that this is Sammy’s way of checking in on Jennifer and being a part of her life, but Jake has been the go-between for ten years now, and he’s not sure how much longer he can do it.

  But then, Sammy’s hazel eyes soften. His authoritative demeanor shatters. He looks earnestly at Jake and says, “How is she doing? How’s my girl?”

  And there’s no way Jake can’t answer him.

  Do you want more of The Jennifer Hunter Holiday Mysteries? Head to kaceygenebooks.com and sign up for the free short story, “Christmas Eve Escapade.”