Solve by Christmas

by Amber Schamel

  “Good morning, Stosch. May I have a few moments with Mr. Rudin?”

  The secretary adjusted his monocle as he lifted one brow. “What’s this? Did Detective Hollock just address me in a civil manner? Perhaps I should call the nurse.”

  If he hadn’t promised himself he’d be polite, Jasper would have rolled his eyes and dished out a spicy retort. Instead, he forced a smile. “I’ll assume that means his morning calendar is clear.” He took a step toward the door.

  “Mr. Rudin isn’t in yet.”

  Jasper frowned and pulled out his pocket watch. “It’s a quarter to nine.”

  Stosch sucked in a breath. “So you can tell time.”

  “Did you see him leave last night?” Jasper stepped behind the secretary’s chair and picked up the receiver on the candlestick telephone. He gave the hook a few taps. “Hello? Operator, ring the residence of Gustov Rudin right away, please.”

  “One moment, sir.” You’d think telephone operators lived in some far away cave.

  Jasper tapped his foot as he waited. “Well, Stosch? Did you see him leave?”

  “No, I left before him last night.”

  Unease slithered up Jasper’s neck. He stared at the brass knob on Mr. Rudin’s office door. Was it locked? What would he find if it wasn’t?

  “Hello?” Mrs. Rudin’s voice filtered through the line.

  “Mrs. Rudin, this is Jasper. Is your husband still at home?”

  “What? Is he not there? He was already gone when I woke this morning.”

  The toast Jasper had for breakfast morphed to acid in his stomach. “Was he at home for dinner?”

  “No, he phoned and said he’d be working late and not to worry.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll call you back.” He slammed the receiver down before she could ask more questions. His stomach churned as he faced the door.

  The knob burned like ice beneath Jasper’s grasp. His left hand turned while his right knuckle rapped on the door. “Mr. Rudin?”

  No answer. Jasper’s nerves tensed as the door eased open under his pressure. He held his breath and peered inside. “Sir?”

  The papers strewn about the desk were a bad omen. Uncle Rudi never left without clearing his desk for the next day. But there was no blood. That much was good. Jasper stepped into the room and caught sight of a hand on the far side of the floor. “Oh, God, please.”

  His voice must have carried urgency because Stosch was suddenly right behind him as he rushed around the desk. Mr. Rudin lay sprawled out on the floor, dried blood caking his head.

  “He must have hit the bookcase when he fell.” Stosch’s voice trembled.

  Jasper knelt and placed two fingers to the man’s neck. “He’s alive. Call for an ambulance.”

  *****

  Jasper stood and stretched his aching back. What time was it? He’d offered to sit beside Mr. Rudin overnight so the missus could get some rest. Poor woman had been panic-stricken by the time Jasper went to break the news. Apparently, whatever ailment Mr. Rudin suffered during the night caused a nasty fall. The doctor’s prognosis wasn’t bright. If he pulled through, severe complications were imminent. Memory loss, paralysis, and a lot of other big words that sent Mrs. Rudin back into hysteria.

  If it weren’t so serious, Jasper would have hoped he lost the memory of his desire for suicide.

  “Please, God.” Jasper folded his hands and leaned against the mattress as he whispered those words for the hundredth time. “Let him pull through. Give me a chance to share what You showed me. If it’s Your will to take him, fine. But please let me speak to him first.”

  Speak to him now.

  Faint light from the hall lamps shadowed Mr. Rudin’s motionless features. Without his half-smile beneath it, his mustache hung oddly against pasty-white skin. Could it be that Mr. Rudin’s desire to die was keeping him from recovering?

  Jasper checked his pocket watch. Midnight. That made it Christmas Eve. Only hours until Mr. Rudin’s self-appointed rendezvous with death.

  Resolve coursed through Jasper’s veins. Straightening, he glanced around, but the hospital row was quiet, no nurses in earshot. “Uncle Rudi? Can you hear me?” He pursed his lips as he waited, but he wasn’t going to let a lack of response deter him. “I’ve solved your case.”

  It might have been imagined. Or Mr. Rudin’s snowy eyebrow may have really twitched.

  “I’ve enlisted some help. You were right. You are a hard case. But I’ve found somebody who has never lost one.”

  This was almost as crazy as talking to his mirrors. Oh well, that never stopped him before.

  “There’s one thing you’ve overlooked. You said you’re hopeless, that nothing can change, there’s no point in going on. But what you didn’t know is there is Someone who will change you. Someone who brings hope. Someone who gives you a future and makes life worth living again. I know you’ve heard His name, but you’ve never met Him in person. If you’d wake up, I’d like to introduce you.”

  “I’ve met Jesus, Jasper boy.” The man’s hoarse voice startled him. “Remember? That’s the whole reason I assigned the case to you.”

  Relief flooded Jasper’s body, and breathing became easier. “I know that, sir, but there’s a difference in being acquainted and being best friends.”

  Mr. Rudin winced and reached for his head. “Is that supposed to turn on a light in my brain like some fandangled electric switch?”

  “Well, yes, in a way. Uncle Rudi, what sin do you regret the most tonight?”

  “Going to make me rehash that, are you?” He dragged a hand across his face and sighed. “I suppose there’s no harm in telling it now.”

  Jasper nodded.

  “When I was young, we moved from Russia to New York. I lived down the street from the most beautiful girl in the world. When I finally got her to notice me, I gave everything I had to winning her. But our parents didn’t agree with the match. Mine wanted me to marry a Russian, and hers just didn’t like me. So we eloped.”

  Giving in to his numb knees, Jasper lifted himself back to the chair beside Mr. Rudin’s bed. “And that’s what is causing you guilt?”

  “No.” Mr. Rudin tipped his head back, his eyes catching the lamplight and giving him a faraway look. “We needed something to make a start. Both of our families had good money, and they would have given us a stake, had they agreed. So, in my foolish youth, I decided they owed it to us regardless. I convinced Olivia to take from her parent’s safe, and I took from mine. When we got to Denver, I used the money to start Rudin Company.”

  Jasper blinked. “You and Mrs. Rudin stole from your parents?”

  The elder man’s lips pressed into a fine line. “I can’t even apologize and make it right. Both sets of parents passed away years ago.” He shut his eyes and leaned back. “Olivia has never forgiven me.”

  “You may not be able to ask your parents’ forgiveness, but Christ is ready to grant His.”

  “What difference will that make? It wasn’t His money we stole.”

  “What would it hurt to give it a try?”

  Mr. Rudin sighed. “My head hurts. Will you help me?”

  Leaning forward, Jasper laid a hand on his arm. “It’s easy. No rituals or recitations. Just speak the same way you would to your wife or your parents if they were still alive.”

  The elder man shifted, his eyes squinting as he pressed them shut. “God? Or Jesus…” He opened his eyes a slit and cast a questioning glance at Jasper. After Jasper’s quick nod of reassurance, Mr. Rudin closed his eyes again. “It’s been many years, but I did wrong. I have no idea how it hurt my parents or if it caused them hardship, but they’re gone now. Or I would have repented to them first. But I am sorry, and I’m in need of forgiveness. Jasper says that’s something You can give to me, so I’m asking You. Please forgive me. Let this black mark over my life release me and help me find a way to repair the damage it’s done.”

  Jasper studied Mr. Rudin’s face. Deep wrinkles in the man’s forehead came fro
m more than just age. He’d carried this guilt for so long—no wonder his burden seemed unbearable. But as the prayer drifted from his parched lips, the lines ironed out and his face relaxed.

  “And, God, while You’re at it, if You can pardon me from all my many sins, I’m ready to get rid of them.”

  The words stopped, but Mr. Rudin’s eyes remained closed. His breath wheezed out of his lungs in long heaves. At last, he opened his eyes. “I do feel different.”

  “Yeah.” Jasper smiled. “Happens to me, too.”

  “I think He really heard me.”

  A chuckle escaped. “Of course, He did. God has big ears. That’s where I get mine.”

  Mr. Rudin laughed then, but it ended in a wince. “My head aches.”

  “You took a nasty fall. Do you remember what happened?”

  A frown brought the wrinkles back. “Something bad happened at the factory. We’re not making enough.”

  “What else do you remember?”

  “I–I don’t know. Where is Olivia?”

  “Home. I sent her for some rest.”

  The frown lines deepened as he looked around the room. The faint light from the lamps at the end of the hall didn’t paint much of a picture, but his gaze lingered on the bedside tray. “I’m not at home. Is this the hospital?”

  “Yes, sir. You worked late last night and collapsed. The doctor thinks it was an apoplexy. At any rate, we didn’t find you until the next morning. You’re lucky to be alive.”

  “Is that why I can’t move my legs?”

  A shot of alarm coursed up Jasper’s chest. “You can’t move them?” He stood and squeezed the man’s ankle. “Can you feel this?”

  Mr. Rudin shook his head.

  Jasper moved to the other ankle. “This one?”

  “No.”

  Dash it. If he couldn’t feel, he certainly couldn’t walk. How long would it take for him to gain it back? “I’ll call the doctor.”

  Mr. Rudin waved at the chair. “No, no. We’ll worry about that later. Sit down and tell me what’s been going on at the factory. My memory is foggy, but I know there was something wrong.”

  With a glance at the door, Jasper relented. The doctor would be around soon enough, and it wouldn’t be right to leave Uncle Rudi alone in the dark while he was awake.

  Jasper returned to the chair. “You remember telling me about your deal with God?”

  “I don’t think I could forget the expression on your face.” Mr. Rudin chuckled.

  “What do you remember after that?”

  Rudin shrugged, his mouth puckering in a wince.

  That left a lot to fill in. Jasper gave him a summary of the past few weeks, right up to when he’d sent Mrs. Rudin home a few hours before. “And that brings us up to the early hours of Christmas Eve. It’s a bit past two.”

  “Christmas.” Mr. Rudin’s eyes misted over. “Can we have Christmas in a hospital?”

  “Of course, we can. What do you want? Presents? Turkey dinner?”

  Mr. Rudin’s mustache twitched beneath his familiar grin. “A snowman.”

  Jasper laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “What about you, Jasper boy? What do you want for Christmas?”

  Leaning back, Jasper laced his fingers behind his head and stretched. “I want to solve this case and catch the crook responsible for all this.”

  “Then go do it.”

  “If it were so easy, it’d be done. I have no hard evidence to pin him with.”

  “That’s the key, isn’t it?” Mr. Rudin sighed and weathered the edge of the sheet.

  The key.

  Why did those words keep emerging in his mind? He must really need to pray more. He rubbed his fingers together. “Yes, if only I had a master key to solve every case.”

  “Master keys are quite something, aren’t they? I’ve never had so much fun as when the locksmith came to the factory last year. He could make keys fit as many doors as I wanted them to. Kendall has a key that opens the lab and the back door. Stosch has one that opens most doors. Charlie got one that opens almost everything. But my key opens every lock in that place.”

  Jasper’s fingers stilled. “What does Charlie’s key not open?”

  “My locked closet in the corner of my office is about the only thing.”

  Chewing his cheek, Jasper ran through clues. “Is your key still in your office?”

  “It never leaves.”

  Jasper’s heart rate picked up. Perhaps the key he needed was there after all.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The bloodstain still marred the carpet when Jasper entered Mr. Rudin’s office. Hadn’t Stosch called Charlie in to clean up?

  Maybe it was better that he hadn’t.

  “Stosch, when do all the workers leave for the holiday?”

  The elderly secretary peeked through the doorway. “In about thirty minutes. Mr. Rudin gave them a half-day off. Why?”

  “That should be sufficient time.” After depositing his coat on a chair, Jasper bit his cheek and scanned the room. The locked filing cabinet on the left-hand side of the room was mostly hidden by Mr. Rudin’s desk and window drapes. He turned around and placed one hand on the door. “Excuse me for a moment, Stosch, I have something to look into for Mr. Rudin.”

  Jasper shut the door and crossed to the backside of the desk. He opened the hidden drawer and pulled out the key. RSF—the same engraving as he’d seen before—etched the surface. He grasped it firmly between his fingers and stepped to the locked cabinet. He pushed the key into the lock. So far, it fit. He twisted, but the lock didn’t turn. Reversing directions, it still didn’t budge.

  This was exactly what he’d been praying for.

  “Where’s Mr. Rudin?”

  Jasper started at Denny’s voice from the doorway. He whirled around to see the boy standing, arms crossed, with his brows drawn low. “Denny, glad you’re here.”

  One eyebrow quirked up. “I’m here to give my notice to Mr. Rudin. Where is he?”

  “Notice?” This time, it was Jasper’s turn to scowl.

  “That’s right. The position I’ve found at the pharmacy pays more.”

  Brilliant. He’d almost forgotten about their spat earlier. Denny must still be upset about it. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I need your help.”

  Denny spread his feet farther apart and raised his chin. “And why should I help you?”

  Jasper released an impatient sigh. “Because Mr. Rudin is in the hospital and I’m about to solve the case. Now do you want to go home, or are you going to help me?”

  The boy’s hands dropped to his sides, even as his mouth fell open. He took a step closer, his eyes sweeping the bloody spot on the floor. “Is Mr. Rudin all right?”

  “Time will tell. Hand me my coat.”

  Denny picked up the black wool jacket and held it out. “The blood is his?”

  Jasper nodded as he reached into his coat pocket. “I’ll explain later.” His fingers met with the cool metal of his newest contraption. He’d fiddled with it during those torturous hours of the past week when he could neither sleep nor come up with answers, and now he was glad he had. This would be the perfect opportunity to test them. He stuck one arm in the coat, winked at Denny, and then shoved his other arm into it, knocking over a bottle on Mr. Rudin’s drink table in the process. “Dash it, clumsy me. I’ve spilled some of Mr. Rudin’s drink. Mr. Stosch, would you be so good as to call Charlie in to clean up this mess?”

  “I can—” Jasper halted Denny’s offer with an upheld palm.

  Stosch’s monocle fell from his eye as he looked over Denny’s shoulder. “Really, detective, someone with your…” He cleared his throat. “Skill…shouldn’t be so clumsy. Isn’t it your job to be observant?”

  “So it is. Are you going to call Charlie?”

  “Fine.”

  Denny lifted his hands in a question when the secretary walked away.

  “In case I am wrong—which I won’t be—I didn’t want him
to overhear. I’m about to arrest the man responsible for the sabotage incidents. If my contraption malfunctions, don’t let him get out that door and try not to let him hurt you.” Jasper pulled back his coat to indicate the pistol shoved in his waistband. “I’ll shoot him if I have to.”

  The kid’s eyes were big as Stosch’s pride and Jasper’s put together. “Details, Denny. Details. You’re about to witness their power.”

  Footsteps approached, and soon the secretary appeared with the janitor on his heels.

  “There you are, Charlie. I’ve made a horrible mess in here, would you help me clean it up?” Jasper grabbed a napkin from the table and bent down to mop up some of the liquid.

  “That’s what I’m here for, cleaning up everyone else’s mess.” Charlie yanked a rag from his belt and stooped beside Jasper.

  Slipping one hand into his coat pocket, Jasper grasped his gadget. When Charlie reached out to dab the wet spot, Jasper slung the altered handcuffs out of his pocket and clamped them on the man’s wrists before he could recoil.

  “Hey! What are you doing? Binding the hands that clean for you is akin to biting the hand that feeds ya.” Charlie’s brown eyes creased at the sides with an easy smile.

  “Except when those are the hands that harm the man that feeds you.”

  The janitor laughed. “You’ve gone too many hours without sleep, detective. Take these off, and I’ll fix you a cup of coffee.”

  Jasper yanked the keys from Charlie’s side. He singled out the master he’d seen before as he made his way to the cabinet. He inserted the key and rotated.

  Click.

  Jasper met Stosch’s and Denny’s befuddled gazes. “Gentlemen, I present to you the culprit. Mr. Perkins is under arrest for charges of sabotage, defamation, and tampering in the first degree with intent to harm.”

  Stosch straightened his monocle. “Him?”

  “But…I thought…” Denny pointed to Stosch, then to Charlie as perplexity wrinkled his brow. “The Wobblies?”

  “Not the Wobblies as we originally thought.” Jasper turned back to the janitor. “Perhaps you would like to explain how you came to be mixed up in all this mess?”