Christmas Blackout

by Maggie K. Black

  Was that man following Piper?

  “Mr. Duff.” The mechanic wiped his hands on a cloth. “Your truck is all ready to go.”

  “Thank you. That’s awesome. I’ll be with you in just one moment.” He stepped back outside onto the street and let the door close behind him. He hiked his hockey bag up onto his shoulder and started toward the alley.

  Maybe he was overreacting. After all, lots of people probably used this alley as a shortcut. But if there was even a chance that man was trailing Piper...

  I can’t risk it.

  He stepped into the narrow alley.

  It was deserted.

  Now what? Benjamin started down the empty alley feeling increasingly foolish with every step. He passed a closed metal door that he presumed led to the back of the mechanic’s shop. A towering pile of garbage bags loomed out of a Dumpster ahead on his right. The air smelled like grease. Slush and motor oil mingled together under his boots. Up ahead he noticed boxy letters spelled out what looked like Silver Halls on a building in the distance—Piper’s destination. He’d just walk to the end of the alley, take a quick look around to make sure everything was okay, and then he’d go back and get his truck.

  He reached the Dumpster. A sucker punch hit his jaw without warning. Then the man he’d been following leaped out from behind the trash, hands cocked to fight.

  Benjamin stumbled and for an unsettling moment thought he was about to fall backward. But then he braced his feet and his grip held sure.

  “Hey, man.” Benjamin held his hands up and started into the man’s ugly, scarred face. “I don’t know what your problem is, but I don’t want to fight.”

  Not because he didn’t think he’d win. But because he really didn’t like hurting people. Even sneering and snarling brutes who looked ready to pound him into the pavement.

  “Nice try, but I ain’t playing.” The blond man pushed his sleeves up over his elbows, exposing muscular, tattoo-covered arms.

  Including the tattoo of a brown bear and the word Kodiak.

  Benjamin raised his fists to fight. He wasn’t playing either. Not anymore.

  A knife flashed in Kodiak’s hand. Benjamin swung his bag out in front of him, catching the blow in the canvas. The bag ripped. Clothes and papers spilled out onto the ground.

  Kodiak lunged at Benjamin.

  Benjamin leaped sideways, but the knife tip came within an inch of piercing his stomach. His attacker stabbed again. This time Benjamin knocked the knife from Kodiak’s hand and shoved him into the wall. His forearm pressed into the man’s neck, pinning him firmly. “What do you want? Why are you following Piper?”

  “Hey, dude!” A voice floated down from the end of the alleyway. “I think that guy’s beating up that other guy!”

  Benjamin’s head turned. Two teenagers stood at the end of the alley, their forms almost indistinguishable in puffy jackets and floppy tuques. Both clutched cell phones.

  “Call the police,” Benjamin shouted. “Now.”

  “Yeah!” Kodiak shouted. “He’s got a knife. He’s threatening to murder me. You got that? You tell the police. I was minding my own business and he attacked me.”

  Benjamin gritted his teeth and fought the urge to knock the lying thug’s head against the wall. Neither boy was dialing. If anything, it looked as if they were either recording video or taking pictures. He winced to think of how this all must look from their perspective. They wouldn’t see the man who cared for Piper battling the man who’d terrorized her. All they’d see were two large men, equally matched in size and strength, fighting in an alley—with one of them pinning the other up against the wall.

  He could almost see the cover of the newspaper tabloid now: Notorious Snowmobile Accident Survivor Benji Duff Arrested in Niagara Region for Violent Street Fight. Pictures on Page Three.

  Hardly the headline he wanted Meg waking up to on her wedding day.

  Benjamin loosened his grip on his throat. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you. But I’m not going to let you get away with stalking and threatening Piper.”

  “I surrender. Okay?” Kodiak’s hands inched up the wall. His fists were clenched. “Let’s go to the police station together and let them sort it out. I’ll tell them you followed me into this alley and I was only acting in self-defense.”

  They’d see how well that held up once Piper identified him as the man who tried to strangle her outside the barn.

  “Okay.” If Kodiak was willing to take this to the police station, even under duress, Benjamin didn’t need to stand there insisting they fistfight. He stepped back, his foot nearly landing on the remains of his sliced hockey bag now lying on the grease-soaked ground. “We’re going to walk nice and slow to the police station, and let them sort it out, all right?”

  “Sure thing.” Kodiak smirked. His fingers uncurled and the bright blue flame of a cigarette lighter flickered to life in his palm.

  Benjamin lunged for the man’s hand but it was too late.

  Kodiak tossed the lighter down into the remains of Benjamin’s oil-soaked belongings.

  His bag caught fire.

  EIGHT

  Benjamin threw himself onto his belongings, pounding out the flames with his gloved hands before they could spread.

  “Tell Piper I’ll be seeing her.” Kodiak spat a curse and sprinted back down the alley, knocking the two teenage gawkers aside like bowling pins.

  Benjamin leaped to his feet and ran down the end of the alley, but Kodiak was already gone. So was the teenaged audience. Guess they’d seen no point in sticking around once the show was over. A large, rusty truck peeled out of the bar parking lot so quickly it fishtailed. A growl of frustration rumbled in the back of Benjamin’s throat. At least Kodiak seemed to have gone in the opposite way from Piper this time.

  Benjamin walked back down the alley, sat back on his heels in the slush and shoveled his belongings back into his bag as quickly as he could. A couple of his shirts were now nothing but rags and ashes. His favorite sweatshirt had a burn hole in it the size of his fist. But, thankfully his passport, traveling money and airline ticket had been spared.

  He could buy a new bag on his way back to the island. He could grab a few new T-shirts and a sweatshirt anywhere. But replacing the passport would have taken days. Maybe even weeks. His flight was not only nonrefundable, but he’d saved a bundle on airfare by flying on December 25. He’d have missed the start of the charity sailing race. Not to mention, every penny he’d made from selling his business was wrapped up in his boat or already converted into the starter money he was counting on to start his new charter-boat business.

  Well, maybe it was a good thing he was leaving the country. That way God would find someone better to help protect Piper.

  An ugly gash now ran along the length of his bag. He pulled a roll of duct tape from his bag, yanked off a strip and taped it shut.

  His cell phone started ringing. It was Meg.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, bro!” Her voice was so cheerful and hopeful he almost groaned. “Got your message about picking up the truck. How does it look?”

  He glanced back at the brick wall behind him.

  “I’ve reached the garage, but I haven’t picked up the truck yet. Hang on.” He yanked off two more strips of duct tape and made sure the hole was well patched. Then he grabbed the handles and stood up again. Slush and oil froze to his soaked jeans. “It’s going to be a few more minutes before I can leave town. But I’ll send you my GPS coordinates and route as soon as I hit the road.”

  There was a long pause. Then Meg said, “What happened?”

  He trudged back down the alley toward the mechanic. “Don’t worry about it. Please, I’ll be on my way soon.”

  “Benji. Don’t do this.”

  He sighed and leaned against the wall. “I
saw the man who attacked Piper following her down an alley.” He explained what happened. “I eased up because I’m a fool, and he got away.”

  Meg sighed. “You eased up on him because you’re a good guy.”

  Yeah, but that still left Piper in serious danger.

  And he didn’t feel like much more than a waste of space right this second.

  “Are you hurt?” she asked. “How’s Piper?”

  “Piper wasn’t here. She doesn’t know what happened. I’m fine. But my bag’s seen better days.” He glanced at the clock on his phone. It was almost twelve. “Obviously I have to talk to the police before I leave. The one piece of good news is that I saw his face, so I can give the cops a pretty solid description and hopefully they can catch the guy.”

  Although the fact the Kodiak was daring enough to attack him in broad daylight wasn’t too comforting.

  Another pause on the other end of the phone. “Are you going to go talk to Piper?”

  “And tell her what, Meg? That I had the guy who attacked her in the palm of my hands and I let him go?”

  “You need to tell her.”

  “I know.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck, barely managing to stop himself when he remembered the muck he’d been kneeling in just moments before. “And yes, I know it’s better to tell her in person than just call her. But I left things a bit...off with Piper when I said goodbye. I think I said something that hurt her feelings, and she kind of took off before I could really apologize properly. It’s probably nothing. It just felt like a stormy goodbye.”

  And the news that he’d now let Kodiak escape wasn’t going to help.

  “What did you say to her?”

  “I told her I wanted her to be happy, but it came out like I was insulting her decision to take care of her uncle and aunt.” He blew out a hard breath and kept walking toward the police station. Picking up his truck would have to wait. “She’s just so unhappy, Meg. Reminds me of how you used to be before Jack. She processes it very differently from you and tries to hide it. I don’t think she’d admit it, even to herself.”

  “Well, there have been a couple of break-ins. Last night she was attacked.”

  “I know. But it’s more than that. Last summer she was so happy, like there was all this light inside her. Now it’s like she’s killing herself to make other people happy. I was only trying to encourage her not to give up on her dreams, but somehow I messed the whole thing up.”

  Probably because she thought he wasn’t listening and was just telling her she was wrong.

  “So, go fix it.”

  He nearly laughed. Meg’s advice sounded exactly like the kind of thing he’d said more times than he could count. So, you messed up? Go fix it.

  Turned out the words felt a whole lot different on the receiving end.

  Especially when he still had to file a police report, pick up his truck, talk things out with Piper and make it to his sister’s wedding rehearsal. “I can’t fix things with Piper now. The rehearsal’s tonight and I’m seven hours away.”

  “Sure you can.” Despite the rush and stress the bride must be feeling, he could still hear a smile in his sister’s voice. “I’ll move the rehearsal to nine or ten if we need to. Not like I’m going to be able to sleep tonight, anyway. Everything today got pushed back, anyway. Jack’s best man, Luke, was delayed getting here from Muskoka because of the bad weather. So, that gives you a little more time. Not much. But enough that after you file a police report you can go find Piper, fill her in on what happened with Kodiak, say you’re sorry for the misunderstanding earlier and try your hand at a better goodbye.”

  “I’m not sure I know how.”

  “You’ll think of something.” Warmth filled his sister’s voice. “I have faith in you. Just make sure you make it back to the island tonight. There’s still something very important I need to talk with you about at the wedding rehearsal.”

  His footsteps reached the police station. He glanced back at the clock. As long as he was on the road by two o’clock, he’d be okay. That gave him just two more hours. He set the alarm on his phone for a quarter to two, just to give him a small window to grab coffee before getting on the road. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll be there, I promise. Love you.”

  “You, too. Now go file your report and say whatever needs saying to Piper.”

  Whatever needed saying. Okay, but what was that? He still meant every word he’d said to Piper, despite the fact he’d somehow mangled them and said them in a way that upset her.

  Now he was skating in overtime, had just let the opponent deke a shot past him and still didn’t know how to make things right.

  * * *

  The retirement home was a large beige rectangular building with featureless square windows. Ornate letters on the door read Silver Halls but didn’t do anything to change the fact that the structure looked like a cardboard box. He walked through the front door and crossed through a lobby with blue-tiled floors. Bits of silver tinsel draped limply over fake plants. A few velvet bows were clipped haphazardly onto the plastic leaves.

  A young woman who didn’t look much more than eighteen sat at the front desk. She didn’t move, and barely even glanced his way when he walked in.

  He raised a hand. “Hi. I’m looking for my friend Piper Lawrence. She’s here visiting her uncle and aunt?”

  The receptionist shrugged toward the doorway on the other side of the room and then looked back down at her cell phone, which he took as an invitation to walk in. A pair of open, shuttered doors led to a long, multipurpose room. The carpet was industrial green; the air smelled like disinfectant mixed with peppermint air freshener. He glanced out the nearest window and saw the wall of the apartment building next door.

  While The Downs wasn’t exactly his cup of tea, either, he knew which place he’d choose to live out his last days.

  Then he saw the couple. They were sitting together with their backs to him, on a settee on the far side of the room. The man was tall and bald, with a soft green holiday sweater and one arm around the woman curled up next to him. Her long salt-and-pepper hair fell lush against his shoulder. A plain gold wedding band shone on his hand. She leaned toward him and said something Benjamin couldn’t hear. He turned toward her, with a look both so tender and caring, it suddenly reminded Benjamin of the couple, half their age, whose wedding he was going to witness tomorrow. The woman’s eyes twinkled. Her husband brushed a quick kiss across her lips.

  Benjamin turned away, feeling like an intruder on their private moment. An unexpected ache clenched his heart. The couple must be older than his own parents, by a few years, at least. Yet, he’d never seen his father look at his mother with that kind of tender, loving respect. Nor his mother look at his father with such trust. True, they’d kept their marriage going all these years, which was something, and he’d barely seen them since they’d retired and moved to Florida.

  He thought of Meg and Jack. There was something so raw, vibrant and real about the love he’d watched grow between them in the past year and a half. He hoped they’d never lose that.

  “Benjamin!” Piper’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Come meet my aunt and uncle.” A smile of surprise lit her eyes as she hurried across the floor.

  “Hi!” Her hand brushed along his side in a gesture that was half like a hug and half like pulling him toward her.

  “Hi.” His cheeks felt warm.

  “What are you doing here?” Her fingers curled lightly into the fabric of his coat. “What happened with your truck? Is everything okay?”

  How did he put this?

  “Well, the good news is that the police think they might have a lead on Kodiak. I’ll fill you in on the rest after I meet your uncle and aunt. I’ve got almost an hour and a half before I need to leave.”

  The happiness glittered in her eyes. “Well, whateve
r it is, I’m glad you came to talk it out with me in person. I’ll do my best to keep this brief.” Her hand brushed over his. She steered him toward the couple on the settee. “Uncle Des, Aunt Cass, I’d like you to meet my friend Benjamin Duff. Benjamin, meet my uncle and aunt, Desmond and Cassandra Lawrence.”

  It seemed fitting that Piper had their last name, as opposed to the surname of the father who had abandoned her.

  Benjamin smiled. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Des didn’t stand. But his grip was firm and his eyes were clear. “Nice to meet you.”

  It was then that Benjamin noticed the walker tucked against the wall. Just how bad were Piper’s aunt’s health problems?

  “Please, sit.” Cass took his outstretched hand in both of hers. Her hands were delicate, soft. Like her husband, Piper’s aunt still had a strong British accent. “Piper and I were just talking decorations.”

  Benjamin found himself pulled down onto the settee. Cass slid a large photo album onto his lap. Piper held up her fingers and mouthed, Ten minutes. Okay?

  He nodded. He looked down at the pages. They were photos of a small English village. A beautiful ridge of mountains lay on one side, the rocky shore and gray expanse of the waters of the English Channel lay on the other. Beautiful shops and town houses wound through the narrow streets, wreathed in pine branches, large wide bows and sprigs of real holly. There was just the faintest dusting of snow on the ground.

  “Have you ever been to the south of England, son?” Des asked.

  Benjamin nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ve taken part in a couple of sailing tournaments out of a wonderful extreme sports resort and marina run by a friend just outside Brighton and traveled the coast in both directions. It’s a wonderful place.”

  “It is.” Cass’s eyes shone as he turned the page.

  Benjamin sat for a moment and just listened, turning the pages as instructed, and listening as the older woman pointed out the buildings and streets of her childhood. Piper sat on the footstool beside him and leaned back against his legs. “My aunt and I often look to her Christmases back home as inspiration for Christmas Eve at The Downs.”