by B R Snow
“You know, Suzy,” Detective Abrams said. “It is okay for you to call me Joe.”
“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “It just doesn’t seem right.”
Josie snorted, and Detective Abrams’ wife laughed.
“Maybe I’ll try that,” his wife said.
“That’s okay, dear,” Detective Abrams said, laughing. “Just keep calling me sir, and we’ll be fine.”
“In your dreams,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.
“So this guy Fullerton wanted the phone active so he could keep tabs on Jerome?” my mother said.
“Yes. Keep tabs on Jerome and then take him out when the time was right,” Detective Abrams said. “It took Fullerton a while to start talking this morning, but after we hinted his testimony might help his wife get a reduced sentence, he blabbed for an hour.”
“Will it?” Josie said.
“What? Get her a reduced sentence?” Detective Abrams said.
“Yeah.”
“Not a chance,” he said, shaking his head.
“Pretty sneaky, Detective Abrams,” Josie said, grinning at him.
“Hey, I said it was a hint, not a promise,” he said, shrugging. “Gloria’s going away for a very long time.”
“What were they smuggling on those computer chips?” Josie said.
“The better question is what weren’t they smuggling,” Detective Abrams said. “With her reputation as a tech expert, her consulting work put her deep inside a lot of companies.”
“And she was selling it to Perry’s buddies on the Canadian side?” Josie said.
“Yeah, between Perry’s clients and the Happy Family Time stores, they had quite the little network going on,” he said. “And since a lot of the stuff they were selling was emerging, cutting-edge technology, it’s going to be hard to prove copyright infringement. You know, who’s to say who invented what and when? It’s a mess.”
“Is Perry talking?” I said.
“Oh, yeah. My buddies in Ottawa tell me that Perry is doing everything he can to save his own skin.”
“Everybody’s talking,” Jackson said. “I like it when that happens.”
“Yeah, it does make our job a bit easier, doesn’t it?” Detective Abrams said, allowing himself a rare chuckle.
“So where did the smuggled dogs come from?” Josie said.
“Gloria was working with a breeder in Albany,” Detective Abrams said. “They were one of the first people she gave up. Agent Tompkins and a couple of his colleagues paid them a little visit yesterday.”
“Good,” Josie said, attacking a slice of beef.
“So how does that despicable pair of brothers fit into this whole thing?” my mother said, taking a sip of wine.
“We think it was Jerome who recruited the Baxter Brothers to smuggle the dogs across the border. And when they learned from Jerome about how the dogs were being used they decided that starting up a puppy mill would be a piece of cake,” I said, then kicked myself under the table and glanced at Josie.
“Maybe later,” Josie said, shaking her head. “I’m full at the moment.”
“What a couple of geniuses,” Detective Abrams said.
“Where did they get the dogs to start the puppy mill?” my mother said.
“The Baxter Brothers were following advertisements for upcoming litters of various breeds and then stealing the pregnant dogs,” Josie said.
“That’s disgusting,” my mother said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, it’s the worst,” I said. “But Josie and I have managed to track down the owners of the three adult females. And all the owners have agreed not to make any claim on the three litters. Which is a good thing, since all the puppies have already been adopted.”
“And they all agreed just like that?” my mother said.
“They did as soon as I mentioned dog smuggling and puppy mill in the same sentence,” Josie said, smiling. “But they’re happy to get their family dogs back, so everybody wins.”
“Are you keeping an eye on the Baxter Brothers, Jackson?” I said.
“I’ve been trying,” he said. “But they’ve disappeared. I swung by Rooster’s place yesterday, and their boat is gone.”
“That’s too bad,” Josie said. “I’d love to have a little chat with them.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to be possible,” Jackson said. “After I noticed that their boat was gone, I asked Rooster about it, and he said the Baxter boys had left a few days earlier.”
“And?” Josie said.
“And when I asked him if he knew where they went, Rooster got the strangest smile on his face and said he wasn’t sure where they ended up, but he was pretty sure they’d sunk to a new low.”
He glanced around the table to make sure everyone had time to digest what he’d just told us.
“Wow,” Josie said. “Are you going to investigate?”
“Why on earth would I do that?” Jackson said. “For all I know, the Baxter Brothers are spending the winter in Florida.”
We heard a knock on the kitchen door and then a familiar voice.
“We’re in the dining room, Freddie,” I said.
Freddie, our local medical examiner, entered and sat down in the empty chair next to Chef Claire. It was obvious that they had patched up their recent disagreement. I glanced at Jackson who also noticed their friendly greeting. He frowned and pushed his plate away.
I caught Josie staring at what was left on the plate, waited until I caught her eye, then shook my head. She made a face at me but left Jackson’s plate alone. She settled for another slice of beef from the serving tray. She made another face at me, then smiled, and started working.
“Sorry I’m late,” Freddie said, filling his plate. “I was doing some Christmas shopping and then got caught in a storm on the drive back. If it keeps moving our way, we’re in for at least a foot.”
We all groaned.
“But at least we’ll have a white Christmas,” Freddie said, beaming at Chef Claire.
“My first one,” Chef Claire said.
“Enjoy it,” Josie said. “The second and third don’t quite measure up.”
“You’re such a Scrooge,” I said, laughing.
“Actually, I prefer the term realist.”
Chapter 26
“Are you sure you don’t want to be Santa?”
“No, I don’t think I can fill that suit out.”
“Are you taking a shot at my weight?”
“Not at all,” Josie deadpanned. “You just have broader… shoulders.”
“Funny,” I said, staring down at the red suit and black boots spread out on the couch.
“I’m not sure about these,” Josie said, staring at the odd looking pair of shoes she was holding.
“Hey, I’m going to be wearing that,” I snapped, pointing at the suit. “And since I am, you’re wearing the elf shoes.”
“Well, excuse me,” she said, laughing. “Who’s the Scrooge now? Besides, wasn’t this your idea in the first place?”
“No, all I said was that it would be fun to deliver the puppies on Christmas Eve. You’re the one who came up with the idea to go as Santa and one of his elves.”
“Relax, Santa. You’re supposed to be jolly,” Josie said, patting my stomach. “And you should probably start practicing your ho-ho-hos.”
As cranky as I was trying to sound, I was actually very excited about what we’d named, Operation Christmas Eve. Several people had already stopped by the Inn and picked up their dogs. But twelve families, most of them with young children, were as excited as both of us about the prospect of delivering a dozen puppies to their new homes. More specifically, we were excited to see the looks on the faces of the kids who were getting a puppy for Christmas.
I wrapped a couple of large pillows around my stomach and pulled the red suit on. I looked at myself in the mirror, examined myself from several angles, and decided I looked like a pregnant bagel dog. Then I spent several minutes trying to get the white eyebr
ows and beard right, then slid the floppy red hat over my head. When I decided I could probably pull it off, I waddled into the living room and had Josie help me get the long black boots on.
Josie was wearing a long green jacket over a yellow bodysuit and a pair of shoes with toes that curled back. Her hat was green and yellow and way too big for her head.
“Don’t say a word,” she warned as she took a few tentative steps. “I know I’m going to wipe out in these shoes.”
“Just don’t do it when you’re holding one of the puppies,” I said.
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll try to remember that,” she said. “And feel free to shoot me the next time I get an idea like this.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, waddling toward the kitchen door. “It’s already on my to-do list.”
Chef Claire looked up from the pot of soup she was stirring on the stove and choked back a laugh.
“Oh, don’t you two look adorable?” Chef Claire said, grabbing her phone and snapping a picture before we could stop her. “I think this would look great framed and hanging in the restaurant. Maybe we’ll put it in the bar above the fireplace.”
“How about in the fireplace?” Josie said. “Okay, we’re out of here.”
“Have fun,” Chef Claire said. “This will be ready by the time you get back.”
“What is it?” Josie said, glancing inside the large pot.
“It’s a new gumbo recipe I came up with,” Chef Claire said. “I was going to just make soup from the leftovers we had from the other night, but they seem to have disappeared.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Josie said, tiptoeing her way to the door. “Man, I don’t know how the elves do it. These shoes are brutal.”
We slowly worked our way down the steps holding onto each other for balance and found Jill sitting in the backseat of the car that was already running. She was doing her best to babysit all the puppies that were in two large boxes. Josie and I spent a few minutes petting them and then settled into our seats.
“Thanks for doing this, Jill,” I said. “It won’t take too long.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Santa,” she said, laughing.
“Don’t start,” I said, backing out of the driveway. “Who’s up first?”
“The Williamson family,” Josie said. “One of the Cockers. Wilber. Good name.”
“Here you go,” Jill said, handing Josie the black puppy.
“I think he’s excited to meet his new family,” Josie said.
“How can you tell?” I said, glancing over.
“He just peed on me,” Josie said.
“Occupational hazard,” I said, laughing.
“Yeah, the life of an elf is never easy.”
We completed the short drive and made our way up the steps to the Williamson’s front door. Josie stood behind me holding the puppy that was wrapped in one of the Christmas doggy blankets we had bought just for this. I knocked on the door and was greeted by a young girl around five. Her parents stood behind her with huge smiles on their faces.
“Santa!” she exclaimed when she saw me standing at the door.
“Ho-ho-ho! Merry Christmas, Melissa.”
“You’re early,” she said as she stared up at me.
“I am?” I glanced at her parents who laughed and shrugged their shoulders. “Well, I guess I am a bit early, but since you’ve been such a good girl this year, I decided there was no reason to make you wait any longer.”
“I have been good, haven’t I?” she said.
“Well, that’s what my elves tell me,” I said. “Now tell me again, my memory isn’t what it used to be. What was it you wanted for Christmas?”
“A puppy,” she said, looking up at me with a wide-eyed stare.
“Ho-ho-ho! That’s right. You wanted a puppy,” I said, moving to one side to reveal Josie holding the puppy. “Merry Christmas, Melissa. His name is Wilber.”
The little girl hopped up and down several times, then reached out her arms. Josie gently placed the dog in her arms, and she squealed with delight.
“Thank you, Santa. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You too, Mr. Elf.”
“You’re very welcome, Melissa,” I said. “You make sure you take good care of him.”
“Oh, I will, Santa. I promise,” she said, turning around to look at her parents. “Can I go play with Wilber in the living room?”
“Sure, honey,” her mother said.
Melissa removed the blanket and put the puppy on the floor. Then they disappeared from view.
“Thanks, guys,” the mother said. “That was perfect.”
“You’re welcome. She’s going to do great,” I said.
“He’s doing pretty well with the housebreaking,” Josie said. “But you should probably get him outside every couple of hours for the next week at least. For the moment, he’s in good shape.”
Josie spread her arms and showed them the large wet spot on the front of her elf costume.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry,” she said, chuckling.
“It happens all the time,” Josie said.
“Can we get you anything?” she said.
“No, we need to get going. Merry Christmas, Linda. You too, Jimmy.”
“We’ll see you guys soon,” Josie said. “Thanks so much.”
“Yeah, thanks so much. Well done,” the father said. “Have a great Christmas.”
We waved goodbye and slowly made our way back to the SUV. We climbed in, and Josie checked our delivery list.
“Mr. Elf?” I said, laughing. “That’s a first.”
“It’s gotta be the hat,” she said.
Over the next hour and a half we delivered puppies to some very happy kids, and when we were down to our final puppy, Jill handed him to Josie already wrapped in one of the blankets.
“You can just let me out here,” Jill said.
“Thanks again, Jill,” Josie said.
“No, thank you. It was fun,” she said, climbing out of the car. “I’ll see you guys soon.”
We drove off and turned right at the next stop sign. Two more right turns later, I pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off. Josie and I walked up the sidewalk, climbed the short set of steps and I knocked on the door. Josie took her position behind me, and we waited for the door to open.
“Well, what do we have here? Hello, Santa. What a nice surprise.”
“Hi, Sammy,” I said. “Merry Christmas.”
“What? I don’t get a ho-ho-ho?” he said, laughing. “Jill said the puppy deliveries were a lot of fun.”
“Yeah, they were great,” I said.
“Say, where’s Josie?” Sammy said.
“That’s odd,” I said, “She was just here a minute ago.”
Then I took a couple of steps to my left.
“Merry Christmas, Sammy,” Josie said, holding Tripod out to him.
“Really?” he said, stunned. “You’re giving him to me?”
“Who else?” Josie said.
Jill came up behind Sammy and put an arm around his shoulder.
“I suppose you knew all about this,” Sammy said, not even bothering to try stopping the tears that were rolling down his cheek.
“Of course,” Jill said. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
She gave him a kiss and Sammy gently accepted Tripod from Josie.
“Hey, bud,” Sammy said, rubbing the puppy’s head. “How you doing, Tripod?”
“We only have one condition,” I said.
“What’s that?” Sammy said.
“You have to agree to bring him to work with you,” Josie said.
“That won’t be a problem,” he said, beaming at us. “You guys want to come in?”
“No, we need to get home,” I said. “This beard is incredibly itchy.”
“And my feet are killing me,” Josie said. “Plus, we have to take care of a few things.”
“Of course. I understand completely,” Sammy said, laughing. “What’s Chef Claire making?”
/> “Gumbo.”
“Sounds great. Well, enjoy. You’ve certainly earned it,” Jill said.
“What can I say? Bringing joy to young children always makes me hungry.”
Epilogue
Christmas morning was quiet around the house as Josie and Chef Claire, along with Chloe and me, opened presents. Santa was good to all of us, and our gifts to each other ran the gamut from the practical to the thoughtful to the downright silly.
Captain was too young to open his new chew toys by himself, but I knew that by this time next year, he’d be strong enough to open whatever presents he chose to sink his teeth into. The Newfie was getting bigger by the day and a constant companion of Chloe who loved having the puppy by her side.
Around noon my mother stopped by to exchange gifts. As always, she went overboard and got me way too much stuff. When I began my annual protest about her extravagance, she reminded me that it was her money, I was her daughter, and my choices were to either enjoy the presents she bought for me while she was still around, or get a slightly bigger inheritance after she was gone. Unable to imagine my world without her in it, I shut up and opened the next present.
My mother can stop a conversation faster than Josie goes through a Snickers.
She stayed for lunch, then headed off to meet her new boyfriend at an undisclosed location. Normally, my mother was very open about the men she was dating, but she was playing this one very close to the vest. That meant that she either considered her new beau a potential keeper and didn’t want to do anything that might potentially jinx the relationship, or he was more of the catch and release variety she didn’t want anyone to know about.
I wasn’t worried. I’d figure out a way to get it out of her eventually.
Since we’d given Sammy and Jill a couple of days off to enjoy the holidays, we were on duty. We’d also been keeping a close eye on the pregnant German shepherd and around four, when we were down at the Inn to feed the dogs and let them out to exercise, the shepherd started to go into labor. So we both changed into our scrubs and began a ten-hour watch that culminated in the successful delivery of a litter of six puppies and a very tired mama dog.
