by Boone, Lisa
Madison sighed. “It sounds like he’s planning on being a problem.”
“I think so. He tested the security of your office, he followed you to the restaurant, and now we find out he’s moved a block away and hangs out in the park outside your apartment building. I think it’s safe to say he’s planning on doing something.”
Madison felt a chill go up her back. “I finally got hold of his attorney last night. She wasn’t much help. She is so fed up with him she’s about ready to tell him to find another lawyer.” She closed her eyes coming to a sudden decision. “I’ll talk to the police the day after Christmas. I doubt they will be able to do anything until he commits a crime, but I might as well start building a record now.”
“Good.” His voice softened. “It’s possible we can scare the guy into backing off. I’ll have a little chat with him in a few days.”
“Yeah, I heard that you and he already had a little chat.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Paul called Cheryl this morning to complain about some guy harassing him. From the description, it sounded just like you.”
“That was merely an introduction,” he said with a snarl. “This time, he and I are going to have a nice long conversation about his penchant for following you around.
With any luck, we’ll nip this in the bud. In the meantime, I’d be happy to keep a close eye on you.”
“That sounds like fun.” She bit her lip. “Where’s Paul now?”
“At his mom’s house eighty miles away.”
“How do you know that?”
“I overheard him arguing with her over the phone a few hours ago while he was putting his luggage in his car. Apparently, he was late and Mom wasn’t too happy about it. I did a little checking on him and found out where his mom lived. It looked like he was heading that way. I stuck with him for about twenty miles and then returned to town. I think you’re safe for now. You’re heading to your granddad’s tonight, right?”
“Right after church. You’re still coming tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“I’ll be there. I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I,” she said with a soft smile. “I almost hate to tell you this, but I’ve got another problem I need you to look into.”
“Is this about the email you just sent me?”
“Yeah, I need you to find Quincy Sullivan. He was the PI we used before you came to town. I need to find him immediately.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It might be. I’ve suddenly been getting weird phone calls.”
“How weird?”
“So far, they’ve been pretty tame. For the last two nights, some guy has called me up out of the blue, said just one word and then hung up. First time, he called my home number. Second time, he called Sarah’s pub.”
“Do you think it might be Paul?”
“No, Paul has a thin, reedy voice. This guy was more of a baritone.”
“What does he say when he calls?”
“The first time, it was the word ten. Last night, it was nine. I expect to hear eight sometime today.”
“He’s counting down.”
“Yeah, but to what?”
“It’s eight days until New Year’s. What’s this got to do with Quincy Sullivan?”
“I think he’s the one calling me. It sounds a bit like his voice. Hard to tell with just one word.”
“Nicole mentioned him to me once. She said he skipped town all of a sudden.”
“Supposedly, he went to Florida but I think he’s back. Look, I don’t think this is related to any cases I’m working on so don’t send your bill to the office. I’ll take care of it myself.”
“I’m not taking your money. What did your caller ID say when the guy called you at home?”
“Unlisted.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know what I find soon. Where are you now?”
“The mall with Sarah.”
He chuckled at her tone of voice. “I hope you’re having fun. Look, I don’t think Paul’s going to try anything tonight, so try not to worry about him. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Thanks, Ethan.” She ended the call and placed her phone into her purse, wondering if Paul was the only one that she should be worried about.
§
5:50 P.M.
Madison stood on her tiptoes, trying to spot her sister in the throngs of shoppers rushing in and out the shops. After hanging up with Ethan, Madison went in search of her sister only to find that Sarah had seemingly disappeared into thin air.
Texts and phone calls were going unanswered, which wasn’t so surprising. Sarah, after all, was in her element. Once she was on the hunt for something, nothing was able to distract her. She probably wouldn’t even look at her phone until she found what she was looking for.
Madison scowled at Santa’s village as she passed by it once again. Santa’s Coming to Town was cute the first time she heard it while searching for her sister. After the fifth time, it was beginning to lose some of its luster.
Didn’t they have another song they could play, she thought as she tried her sister’s cell phone again.
Her gaze travelled past Santa and the line of kids as she waited for Sarah to answer her phone. Two little boys ran past, zigzagging through the moms and dads standing around waiting to get a picture of their child on Santa’s lap. They raced around one another, laughing and giggling as they fought over a toy, not paying attention to the people around them.
Sensing she was on a collision course with the two, Madison instinctively stepped back and into an immovable wall. Two strong hands in white gloves with white fur tipped red sleeves, gripped her arms tightly to keep her from falling. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said glancing over her shoulder at the Santa behind her.
She tried to turn around, but the man’s hands bit into her arms, holding her firmly in place.
“Hey!” she said in annoyance as he squeezed her arms tightly. “You’re hurting me. Let go!”
A few heads turned to stare at them, but turned back to the Santa’s Village when the man immediately dropped his hands, pushed her aside, and hurried away.
Madison shook her head in annoyance. “And Merry Christmas to you too,” she said to his retreating back.
He stopped suddenly.
Madison watched as the man slowly turned around and faced her. She frowned at his threadbare Santa costume and the long ratty grey beard that obscured his face. “Is there something I can help you with?” she asked coldly when he continued to stare at her.
He nodded.
Slowly.
Pointedly.
“I did apologize,” she said.
He shook his head. Again very slowly. After a few seconds, he waved goodbye and rushed away.
Madison glanced back down at her phone. “I hate going to the mall on Christmas Eve. No one has any patience,” she muttered to herself as she dialed her sister’s number once again.
She knew the odds of Sarah hearing her phone was rather low, considering the noise coming from the crowd of shoppers and the Christmas music blaring from the sound system, but she had to try.
A few seconds later, she dropped the phone back into her purse. It seemed the only hope Madison had of finding Sarah was by physically tracking her down.
Sarah wasn’t the only hunter in the family, Madison thought as she climbed on top of the nearest partial empty bench. She ignored the looks from the passersby as she scanned the crowd.
She squinted her eyes.
There, in the distance, she caught a glimpse of a blonde in a pink coat heading past the food court and out the doors toward the strip mall.
Finally, she thought as she hopped down from the bench. She juggled the packages in her arms as she hurried toward the blonde in the pink coat. Dodging people left and right, she raced through the door and out into the cold night air.
She looked around in vain for a few seconds until she saw a flash of pink turn down an alley towards the parking lot.
Madison dashed down the alley in pursuit. It wasn’t until she burst out into the parking lot that she finally got a good look at the blonde she had been following so diligently.
Her shoulders sagged as the forty-year-old stranger greeted her husband and then got into their car and drove away.
Realizing that her hunting skills clearly needed work, she turned around and froze.
The creepy Santa she ran into earlier was standing at the end of the small little alleyway watching her.
Madison looked around her as people passed through the alley going to and from the parking lot.
The only people not moving were she and the Santa at the end of the alley.
Feeling more and more nervous the longer they stood there watching one another, she reached into her purse for her phone.
“Paul?” she asked taking a wild guess as to who was underneath the Santa costume. He was about the right height and build. Who else would follow her through the mall right now? “Mr. Harris, I know it’s you.”
The Santa shook his head as he continued to stare at her.
She was safe, she told herself.
There were people everywhere.
Suddenly, a red headed woman in a leopard print coat appeared behind him. Linking her arm through his, she tugged him away from the alley.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Madison warily walked back down the alleyway and toward the shops. Once she emerged from the alley, she spotted the Santa and the red head a few feet away talking.
The red head tossed her hair over her shoulder as she spoke soothingly to the man. “Don’t worry about it, Baby. Everything’s fine.”
A memory tugged at Madison’s mind as she stared at the woman. Somehow, she knew the redhead but couldn’t think how. She took a step closer hoping the memory would come to her.
“Alex, honey,” the red head continued in a pleading voice, “I’m sorry. I just got tired of waiting for you.” She glanced over his shoulder, her brown eyes flickering over Madison and then back to the Santa. “Here, carry these for me,” she said pressing a bunch of packages into his hands and then added in a chipper voice, “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go home. I need to get these presents wrapped. Now, don’t peek, I want you to be surprised when you see what I got you.”
Madison sagged in relief as the two walked away.
It was nothing. Just some creep with too much time on his hands waiting on his wife or girlfriend.
Her phone vibrated in her hand. “About time,” she said, answering the call. “Where have you been?”
“That boutique I pointed to. I told you I was going in there.”
“That was an hour ago,” Madison said in exasperation.
“I know.”
“I looked in there. I didn’t see you.”
“Did you check the dressing rooms?”
“No, why would I? You’re supposed to be buying something for Hannah and Grandpa.”
“I did…along with a pretty sweater for me.”
“Excellent. Can we go now? The service starts in an hour and we still need to get ready.”
“Did you get something for Ethan?”
“No, but I thought of a gift to give him. I can’t get it here though. We’ll have to make one more stop before we can go home. I’ll tell you about it later. Are you ready to go?”
“Well, there are just a few teeny tiny gifts I need to pick up. I already have them in my hand. I just need to pay for them.”
Madison’s brow furrowed. “Who’s left?”
“Some of the regular customers at work. Nate’s going to keep the pub open, so they can at least have a hot meal and have some company tonight. A couple of guys don’t have anyone to celebrate with and no one to give them gifts, so I thought it might be nice to pick something up for them. Do you think we could swing past there after church?”
Madison smiled. “Sure. Where are you?”
“On the south side of the mall.”
“I’m on the opposite end. I’ll get the car and pick you up,” she said as she walked toward the parking lot. “Just hurry and check out and meet me in front of the doors. See you soon.” She ended the call and hurried toward her car, pushing back her hair as a bitterly cold wind blew it in front of her face.
She unlocked the trunk quickly and threw the packages inside, then jumped in the front seat.
She was just about to pull out of her parking space when she noticed a flyer sticking out from underneath the windshield wiper. Putting the car in park, she opened the door, yanked the red piece of paper out from underneath the wiper, and tossed it in the backseat before setting off for the south side of the mall.
CHAPTER SIX
9:31 P.M.
Madison wrapped her scarf around her neck as she stood near the front door of Sarah’s pub.
Five minutes.
That’s what Sarah said when they arrived at the pub after their church’s Christmas service let out.
Madison glanced at her watch. Five minutes had come and gone at least twelve minutes ago. Before they arrived, Madison had anticipated spending a quiet few minutes in one of the back booths while waiting for her sister to finish handing out gifts to a few of the regulars. That plan was quickly thrown out the door when she arrived and saw the number of people inside the small pub.
After a few minutes of feeling like a packed sardine and having her ears assaulted by all the noise that was being generated between the customers and the Christmas music blaring from the jukebox in the back of the room, Madison escaped to the wide open and quiet outdoors to wait.
She stepped away from the door and towards the pub’s bay window as two old men came out singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs and waving their hands in the air.
They stopped singing long enough to wish her a Merry Christmas before hurrying to their car, their voices horribly off-key as they resumed singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
Madison smiled as one began to swing his hands in front of the other like a conductor, eliciting a high-pitched warbling sound from his friend.
She glanced over her shoulder as the door opened again and Jamie stumbled outside. He walked over to the lamppost. With his shoulders hunched underneath his threadbare green jacket, he turned around, pressing his back against the cold metal. Coughing slightly, he tipped his head back and stared up at the night sky, apparently in no hurry to move on.
She rubbed her hands against her arms trying to stay warm as she watched him cover a sneeze. Why would he stand out here in the cold when he could be inside where it was warm?
She glanced back through the window wondering if the two men who had chased him outside last night had done the same thing tonight. It was Christmas Eve, she thought reproachfully as she turned her attention back to Jamie. They could at least give the guy a break and let him stay inside where it’s warm.
Jamie must have felt her staring at him because he suddenly turned his attention from the night sky towards her. He looked at her strangely for a moment before dropping his head and staring at his feet.
Madison’s lips quirked up. He was probably wondering the same thing about me, she thought with a rueful shake of her head as she reached into her pocket and gripped her phone tightly. Truth was that she was waiting, waiting for Quincy to call. She knew there was a good chance she wouldn’t hear her cell phone ring over the noise in the pub if she waited inside and she didn’t want to miss his call.
Quincy had called the bar last night—probably guessing she would be there to pick her sister up—but he had no reason to assume she’d be here on Christmas Eve. She reasoned that he’d probably try her home phone and when he couldn’t get her there, he’d try her cell.
At least that was what she hoped he’d do.
She desperately needed to talk to him. She needed to know why he was calling. Was it just a prank? Was he angry with her about something?
She pursed her lips together. She didn’t know why she was so freaked out. It was Quincy. Quincy was nice.
However, his voice on the phone last night didn’t sound nice, she thought as the feeling of dread that had been steadily building over the last few days settled into her bones. There was just something strange and terrifying about the way his voice had sounded.
He sounded like he was in pain.
He sounded angry.
He sounded… scared.
She shuddered. Quincy was six feet three and almost three hundred pounds. She couldn’t imagine anything scaring him.
Maybe it was her imagination going wild. It might not even be Quincy. Maybe it was just someone who sounded like him. He had only said one word after all. She checked her watch again: only a couple more hours until midnight. She just hoped that whoever was calling her would be willing to say more than just the number eight.
She looked through the window again. Sarah was standing near the door with a big brown box in her arms talking to a large man standing next to her. Madison watched as the man pointed at a piece of mistletoe hanging above Sarah’s head. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jamie shift positions as he leaned his shoulder against the lamppost and faced the window. He crossed his arms, apparently waiting to see what Sarah was going to do.
He didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Sarah noticed the mistletoe over her head, a broad smile lit up her face. She stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss on the man’s cheek before doing the same to another man who was presenting his own cheek for her kiss.
When Sarah finally finished handing out kisses, she turned to the window and stared at the young man standing by the lamppost. Her happy expression fell and was quickly replaced by one of annoyance before she pivoted around on her heel and disappeared behind the bar.
Madison glanced back at Jamie who had by then had turned his attention back to the sky.
What was going on between them? Madison wondered. Sarah had never mentioned Jamie to her. She talked about her boss, her manager, the bartenders, servers, cooks, and some of the regular customers, but not once did she mention Jamie’s name. Yet, twice in the last two days, she had seen Sarah react to him in a way she had never seen her sister react to any other man. It was as if Sarah couldn’t help but look Jamie’s way if he was anywhere near her.
