by Jo Gibson
Santa smiled as he sat in the locked security office and worked on his list. They were all beginning to relax now, after the shock of Sue’s death. Several of them had wandered off to do various things in the mall, and that made his work much easier. It was hard to cut out the one he wanted from the herd, when they were huddled together like frightened sheep.
Of course, they were oblivious to his grand plan. They had no idea that there would be more accidents. Only he knew that. Santa knew everything, including exactly who the next victim would be. He was making a list and checking it twice, going to find out who was naughty and nice. And the next victim had been very, very naughty.
He never would have known, if Gramps hadn’t told him. It had been in the summer, five years ago, when Grandma was still alive. A couple had slipped off the road in the rain, and they’d walked to the farmhouse, asking for help.
Gramps had been suffering from a summer cold, but he’d never been able to refuse anyone in trouble. He’d fired up the tractor and spent the better part of an hour pulling the young man’s car up onto the road. The girl had stayed in the farmhouse, talking to Grandma. She’d been friendly and sweet, and he had no quarrel with her.
But the young man had done something very bad. He might not have known it, but that was no excuse. When he’d driven back to the farmhouse to pick up his date, he’d found her sitting at the kitchen table with Grandma, copying down some of the priceless recipes that had been in their family for generations. Instead of waiting for her to finish, he’d insisted she leave with him right away. And when she’d objected, he’d told her that if she was that interested in recipes, he’d buy her a Betty Crocker cookbook!
Grandma’s feelings had been hurt. She’d complained that the young man was terribly thoughtless and he didn’t deserve such a nice girl. To make matters worse, the next day Gramps had started coughing and his cold had turned into pneumonia from standing out in the rain so long. It had taken him two long months to recover, and they’d had to pay a hired man to help out when Gramps was sick. The young man deserved to be punished for causing all that trouble, and Santa would make sure he paid with his life.
He got up from the desk and pulled out the top drawer of the filing cabinet. Inside, he found the roll of green foil Christmas paper he’d picked up at the Hallmark store on the upper level, and he carried it over to the desk.
As he started to wrap the present, he hummed a few bars of his favorite Christmas song. He’d watched the girls in the wrapping booth and learned how to taper the corners to make it look professional. It was an honor to get a present wrapped by Santa himself. In the old children’s fable, the elves did that task.
He didn’t know how to form a perfect bow, but the Hallmark shop had made it easy with premade bows that simply stuck on the package. He chose a big gold one, shaped like a multi-pointed star, and peeled off the little strip of paper that protected the taped surface. Then he stuck it on the top of the package and smiled. It was a perfect gift, extremely well suited for the person who would receive it. Now his only problem would be getting it out to the tree, unobserved.
Once he’d turned out the lights in the security office, he opened the door and peeked out. He could see the huge Christmas tree from here, and no one was in sight. There would be an element of risk when he carried the package down the walkway, but life was full of risks, and he’d prepared for this one. If someone spotted him, he’d tell them he’d found the package in the employees’ lounge. There would be no reason to doubt that little white lie.
A moment later, the deed was accomplished. The present sat in a central spot under the tree, foil paper glittering brightly under the twinkling lights. They’d all agreed to meet here at eight to plan what they’d do for the rest of the evening, and they’d be sure to notice the present. It would be opened, and the note would be read. And then Santa would punish his next victim.
“I suppose you think I’m crazy.” There was a worried expression on Diana’s face as she looked up at Jay. They were sitting on a bench on the promenade, and she’d just finished explaining her theory to him.
“No, Di. I don’t think you’re crazy.” Jay put his arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. “But I do think you’re borrowing trouble.”
“Then you don’t believe me?”
Jay sighed, and pulled her closer. “Sure, I believe you. And it could have happened the way you say. But it also could have happened the way Dave explained it.”
“But why did that particular planter fall? And why was Sue standing right beneath it, getting her new cheerleading shoes all wet?”
“I don’t know.” Jay shrugged. “I don’t think we’ll ever know. Only Sue could tell us that.”
“Do you really think Sue would have waded through the snow in her new shoes?”
“No. Not if she’d been sober. But maybe she wasn’t. And maybe she didn’t even think about her shoes. People do all sorts of strange things when they’re bombed. Remember Evan Collier?”
“Of course I do.” Diana nodded. Evan was a straight “A” student, a nice, quiet guy who went to church every Sunday, and wrote letters to the school paper, complaining about the loose morals of his classmates. Just last month, Evan had gotten so bombed at a party, he’d taken off all his clothes and gone swimming in the college pool. And when Mrs. Iverson, the girls’ swimming coach, had threatened to call the campus police, Evan had pulled her into the water and kissed her.
Jay was looking at her with a question in his eyes, and Diana sighed. “Okay. You made your point. I guess Sue could have forgotten she was wearing her cheerleading shoes. But how about the planter? I still don’t see how the wind could have pushed it off the ledge.”
“Neither do I, not if it was secured the way you think it was. But it’s possible one of the gardeners knocked it loose when he was planting the Christmas tree. That would explain why it was the only one to fall.”
Diana frowned, but then she nodded. “I guess it could have happened that way. But do you really think Sue’s death was an accident?”
“Let’s leave that up to the police to decide. They’re the experts, not us.”
“Okay.” Diana nodded, and she felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Jay was right. The police were the experts. And the highway patrol would come out here, just as soon as the roads were cleared. They’d call in a team of detectives, and they’d be the ones to decide if there had been any foul play.
Jay leaned down and kissed her softly, his lips barely brushing her forehead. Then he glanced at his watch and stood up. “I’ll walk you back to the Christmas tree, and then I’ve got something I have to do.”
“What?” Diana looked up at him with shining eyes. He’d kissed her again! Jay’s first kiss had landed on the tip of her nose while they’d been sitting under the Christmas tree, and this one had brushed her forehead. Diana warned herself not to read too much into what had happened. Jay had given her two friendly kisses, nothing more than that. But her knees felt weak, she was slightly breathless, and she couldn’t help wondering what a real kiss would be like.
Jay looked very uncomfortable. “I promised Heather I’d meet her by the fountain. She said she had to talk to me about something terribly important. It’s probably nothing, but . . . well . . . I’ve been avoiding her lately, and I guess it won’t hurt to just listen to what she has to say. I owe her that much . . . right?”
“Mmmm.” Diana nodded, and kept her expression carefully neutral. But as they rode down the escalator and walked toward the Christmas tree in the center of the mall, she was frowning slightly. Everyone except Jay knew that Heather was trying to get him back. Unfortunately, Jay seemed oblivious to that fact.
Jay grinned as he spotted Cindy and Paul sitting on a bench by the Christmas tree. “Hi, guys. Take care of Diana for me, will you? I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”
“Sure. No problem.” Paul nodded, and gestured toward his video camera. “I was just going to do a little s
pot with Cindy, and it always helps to have an audience. You don’t mind, do you, Diana?”
“No. Of course not.” Diana’s frown deepened as she watched Jay walk away. She wished there was some way she could stop him from meeting Heather, but she didn’t want to let him know that she was worried.
“What’s the matter, Di?” Cindy saw Diana’s frown. “Is there something wrong?”
“Not yet, but there might be. Jay’s meeting Heather at the fountain.”
“Oh, oh.” Cindy looked worried. “Why is he meeting her?”
“She told him she had something important to discuss with him. I don’t think she told him what it was.”
Cindy rolled her eyes. “My brother’s an idiot! He never should have agreed to meet her!”
“Time out.” Paul glanced from Cindy to Diana and then back again. “You’re both upset, and I don’t know why. What’s going on, anyway?”
Diana looked embarrassed, but Cindy turned to Paul with fire in her eyes. “Heather’s a bitch! She used to be Jay’s girlfriend, but she dumped him for another guy. And now she’s dumped the other guy. Heather’s going to pull every dirty trick in the book to try to get Jay back.”
“Oh. I get it.” Paul slipped his arm around Cindy’s shoulders. “And you’re hoping that Jay will be smart enough to steer clear. Is that right?”
Cindy nodded, but she still looked worried. “When it comes to women, Jay’s not exactly known for his brain power. I just wish I knew what was happening at the fountain.”
“That’s easy.” Paul patted his video camera. “I’ve got a long lens I can use. Do you want me to get the whole thing on tape?”
“No! Don’t do that!” Diana looked shocked.
“Why not?” Cindy began to grin. “It would serve Heather right!”
Diana shook her head and looked very serious. “That’s true. I’d tell you to go for it if Heather was the only one involved. But it really wouldn’t be fair to Jay. He’s got to handle this on his own, without any interference from us.”
“But I thought you liked him.” Cindy was puzzled. “Don’t you want to save him from Heather?”
“Of course I do! But spying on him isn’t the answer. It would mean that I don’t trust Jay to do the right thing, all by himself. And I do trust him.”
Paul lifted his eyebrows, and nodded. Then he turned to Cindy with a smile. “I think Diana’s absolutely right. And I also think she’s falling in love with your brother.”
“Really?” Cindy looked delighted. “But how can you tell that?”
“Diana trusts him. You heard her say that. And she won’t stoop to using dirty tricks to trap him. That means she really cares about him. Is that right, Diana?”
Diana could feel herself blushing. Her face felt hot, and she knew her cheeks were turning bright pink. “It’s true. I do care about Jay. But falling in love . . . well . . . I’m just not sure about that.”
“Yet,” Cindy prompted her, “you’re not sure about that yet! But you will be before we get out of here. I’m willing to bet on that.”
Paul laughed, and gave Cindy a little hug. “You’re just like Yente in Fiddler on the Roof.”
“I remember her.” Cindy looked pleased. “Yente was the matchmaker.”
“That’s right. And that’s exactly what you are, Cynthia Swanson!”
Cindy laughed as Paul hugged her, but Diana’s mouth dropped open in shock. Cindy hated the name, Cynthia. She’d threatened to kill anyone who called her that, but she didn’t seem to be a bit angry with Paul.
Right then and there, Diana decided to play matchmaker, too. Cindy might not know it, but she was falling in love with Paul. And people who were falling in love needed time alone. She stood up and grinned at them. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. I need to go get my sweater.”
“You’re cold?” Cindy looked concerned. “It’s got to be eighty degrees in here. Are you coming down with the flu, or something awful like that?”
“No. I’m just a little chilly, that’s all.”
“We’d better go with you.” Paul started to get to his feet. “I promised Jay we’d take care of you.”
“Don’t bother. I’m just going to run to the furniture store. I left my sweater in there. You two go on with what you were doing.”
Diana turned and headed down the walkway. When she got about halfway to the furniture store, she turned to look back. She’d done a good job as a matchmaker. Paul and Cindy were sitting close together on the bench, his arm around her shoulders, and her head nestled close to his chest.
It didn’t take long to get her sweater, but Diana purposely took another few minutes, walking around the furniture store, looking at the various displays. They were all arranged like little rooms with walls that were open on one side. She stopped by a display of a child’s room, and began to smile. The whole room had a dinosaur theme. The bedspreads on the bunk beds were printed with frolicking dinosaurs, and so were the curtains. The rug had a giant dinosaur woven into its center, and the toy box was even shaped like a dinosaur.
Diana smiled as she dreamed of tucking two little boys in bed, kissing them good night, and handing each one a dinosaur pillow to cuddle. She knew she wanted to have children someday, and she smiled even wider as she remembered what Cindy had told her. Jay was very good with children, and he’d done volunteer work at the campus children’s center all last summer. If she married Jay, their children would have a wonderful father.
Diana blinked and shook her head. She was definitely getting ahead of herself. Here she was, thinking about marrying Jay and having children, and he was at the fountain with Heather!
As Diana turned to leave the furniture store, she wondered if Cindy’s first instinct had been right. Diana had held fast to her principles when she’d refused to let Paul spy on Jay and Heather with his video camera. But right now, she really wished she knew exactly what was happening at the fountain!
Nine
They were all sitting around the Christmas tree, and Paul’s video camera was on. He’d brought over a dozen one-hour tapes with him, enough to record anything interesting that might happen. He’d told them the station might be interested in knowing what it was like to be snowbound at the mall, and they’d agreed to let him tape their activities whenever he wanted. Everyone was very excited about the possibility of selling it to the station as a news feature. The station paid good money for features, and they could divide the profits.
“I think we should call it, ‘Snowbound Seven.’ ” Paul began to smile. “It’s a catchy title.”
Cindy turned to Paul with a frown. “It’s catchy, but it’s wrong. How can we call it ‘Snowbound Seven’ if there’s eight of us?”
“That’s true. But only seven of you will be on tape. I’ll be behind the camera.”
Diana smiled as Jay put his arm around her shoulders. He hadn’t mentioned anything about his meeting with Heather, but it was obvious that her plan to win him back hadn’t worked. Jay was here, right by her side. And Heather was sitting between Larry and Hal.
“I’m ready.” Hal grinned at Paul. “What do you want us to do first?”
Paul thought for a moment. “The first thing I need is a shot they can use for a bumper card.”
“A what?” Hal looked puzzled.
“A bumper card is a shot they use to advertise the show. Haven’t you ever watched a movie on television?”
“Sure.” Hal nodded.
“There’s a shot they use, halfway through the commercials to remind you they’re going back to the movie. Sometimes it’s a still from the movie and there’s a voice-over that says something like, The Friday night movie will continue, right after these important messages. That’s the bumper card.”
“I’ve seen it.” Hal nodded again. “When it comes on, it means you’ve got time to fix popcorn before the movie actually starts. Why do they use those, anyway?”
Paul laughed. “Federal regulations allow only so many minutes of commercials in one s
tretch. But if the station puts on a bumper card, it counts the same as going back to the movie. It breaks up the string of commercials, and the station can run another batch.”
“And more commercials mean more money?”
“Exactly!” Paul gave Hal an approving look. “The stations don’t exist to entertain you. They’re a business, just like any other business. The movie, itself, doesn’t bring them any profit. They make their money from selling air time to advertisers, and they want to run as many commercials as they can.”
Hal nodded. “I get it. And I understand why we need a bumper card. What kind of shot do you want to use?”
“I need something that establishes how empty the mall is, and how alone you are, way out here. Any suggestions?”
“I’ve got one.” Cindy looked eager. “How about if everyone grabs one of those presents and sits under the tree, looking sad? You could tape us from a long way back to show that there’s nobody here except us.”
Paul nodded. “That’s great, Cindy! I want everyone to pick up a package. Hold it on your lap, and sit very close, huddled together, as if you’re lonely. Then give me your best forlorn look . . . like this.”
Diana stared as Paul put on a forlorn face. He looked just like a sad-eyed basset hound. Cindy was staring at him with open admiration, and Diana almost laughed out loud. Cindy was fascinated with Paul, and Paul seemed to be just as fascinated by her.
“Come on, Diana.” Jay handed her a package and took one himself. Then he put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “Now look sad.”
Diana did her best to look forlorn, but her eyes were sparkling and her heart was thudding a million miles a minute.
She glanced over at Heather, and felt like grinning as she caught Heather’s angry stare. Heather was fuming. Diana lowered her eyes and looked as sad as possible, under the circumstances. Heather had tried to get Jay back, and Heather had failed. Everyone here could plainly see that Jay preferred her instead.
