by Jo Gibson
Jay had been up early, at six o’clock. When he’d realized that Larry was missing, he’d organized a search party with Hal and Paul. The girls had stayed in the pub, huddled together in a tight group, hoping that they’d walk in any second with Larry in tow. Of course, that hadn’t happened. Larry was dead, just like Sue and Dave.
Now it was eight in the morning, but it was still very dark. The blowing snow had completely obscured the sun, and the day was a somber, slate-gray color. Perhaps she wouldn’t have panicked if the sun had shone brightly and the skies had been bright blue. But suddenly everything seemed horrendously frightening.
“It wasn’t just another accident! You know it wasn’t!” Diana’s hands were trembling so hard, she could barely hold the cup of coffee that Jay had poured for her.
“Di . . . please.” Jay hugged her to him, and stroked her hair. “You’ve got to calm down. If you get hysterical, everyone else is going to panic. And then we’ll have real trouble.”
“We’ve already got real trouble! Three of us are dead. Isn’t that trouble enough?”
Jay nodded. He looked tired, and Diana almost relented. But she had to convince him that they were in terrible danger.
“Listen to me, Jay. You know that window didn’t just pop out of its frame and kill Larry. Somebody moved the safety bar and pushed out the window.”
“No, Diana.” Jay shook his head. “The safety bar was in place. I checked it.”
“Then Larry’s murderer put it back! Somebody’s trying to kill us, Jay. And he’s succeeding!”
Jay opened his mouth to deny it, but he closed it again without speaking. And then he nodded. “You’re right. I didn’t want to admit it, but you’re definitely right. But who’s doing it? And why?”
“I don’t know who. But I do know he’s crazy. And that Christmas carol must’ve set him off. That’s why he writes down the words and wraps them up like presents for his victims.”
Jay nodded. “Okay. But who is it? There’s only six of us left.”
“It’s not me, and it’s not you. That leaves only four. And it’s certainly not Cindy or . . . Heather?” Diana’s face turned white. “Heather was really mad at Larry last night. She was so mad she pretended that he was standing in front of the pins when she bowled that last strike.”
Jay shook his head. “No. It can’t be Heather. She’s a total waste when it comes to anything mechanical. There’s no way she could have taken off the safety bar and put it back on again.”
“Okay.” Diana drew a deep sigh of relief. “I’m glad it’s not Heather. I’m actually beginning to like her. You don’t think . . . it couldn’t be Hal, could it?”
“That doesn’t make any sense. He’s got no motive, and I’ve gotten to know him pretty well in the past couple of days. He’s a really nice guy.”
Diana nodded. “That’s true. He was really nice to me the night we found Dave. And he was great when he described my outfit for the fashion tape. But if it’s not Hal, the only one left is . . .”
“Paul.” Jay looked very uncomfortable. “It’s awful to suspect my sister’s boyfriend, but we really don’t know him that well. I guess he could be unstable, but . . . it just doesn’t make sense. He’s got no reason to try to kill us. He didn’t even know us until we all got snowbound out here.”
“But there’s no one else here!” The hair on the back of Diana’s neck started to prickle a warning. “Is there?”
Jay caught her meaning, and he frowned. “I don’t know. I guess there could be. This is a big mall and there’s a million places to hide out. Somebody could have stayed behind when everyone else left.”
“Or someone could have walked in, the day the storm started, and just stayed. It’s a perfect place to hide if you’re avoiding the law, and Greystone Prison is just up the road.” Diana shivered again. “Do you think they had an escape?”
“It’s possible. There’s no way to warn us if they did. We’re completely cut off out here.”
“Oh, my God, Jay!” Diana’s voice was shaking. “We could be locked in here with a psychotic killer!”
Jay laughed and hugged her tightly. “Relax, Diana. They don’t keep psychotic killers at Greystone Prison. It’s not even a prison anymore. It’s a minimum security correctional facility.”
“What does that mean?” Diana wasn’t reassured.
“They only handle white-collar offenders, and they’re not violent. Most of their inmates have passed bad checks, or been convicted of real estate fraud. The guys at Greystone are criminals, but they’re not the type to write down lyrics from ‘Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town,’ and then murder us. Besides, the killer can’t be a stranger.”
“Why not?” Diana was puzzled.
“He knows our names. He writes them on the tags.”
“Oh, my God! You’re right!” Diana shivered and moved closer to Jay. Somehow it was even more awful if the killer was someone they knew.
“It’ll be okay.” Jay gave her another hug and then he stood up. “Come on, Diana. We’ll go round up some weapons. And then we’ll find everybody else and pass them out. We’ve got to fight back!”
Diana nodded and let Jay pull her to her feet. She felt a little better, now that they had a plan of action.
“Don’t worry, Diana.” Jay smiled down at her. “We’ll be safe if we go everywhere together in a group. There’s no way anybody’s going to attack all six of us at once.”
“Are you sure?” Diana’s voice was shaking.
“I’m positive. This storm can’t last much longer, and the police will be here soon. As long as we stick together and watch our backs, we’re going to be just fine.”
But as they walked through the mall, Diana’s knees continued to shake. She knew Jay would do his best to protect them. But what if Jay’s best wasn’t enough?
He glanced down at his list and smiled as he crossed out Larry’s name. They were beginning to get suspicious, and he knew that he would have to move fast. Not even Santa had the power to make the storm last forever, and everything had to be done before the highway patrol came out to check on them again.
The package was ready, wrapped in a foil paper that she’d be sure to notice. It was her favorite color, deep purple. She’d mentioned that the first night, when she’d picked out a bright purple satin comforter to put on her bed in the furniture store. The lyrics from “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” were inside, the lines he’d especially chosen for her. He’d planned everything very carefully so the others wouldn’t see her when she opened her present. If they knew she’d received it, they’d crowd around her in a protective circle. This naughty girl deserved to be punished, and Santa would do it before anyone realized that she was his next victim.
As he stuck a beautiful silver bow on top of the package, he thought back to that awful day when she’d hurt Grandma’s feelings. She might not remember, but he did.
She’d come to the farm with her high school home economics class to watch Grandma make strawberry jam. Grandma’s strawberry jam had won blue ribbons at the county fair for three years running, and the teacher had asked her to give a demonstration.
Grandma had been very proud that the school wanted her to teach jam making. There were twelve girls in the class and she’d made out labels with their names to put on the jam when it was finished. Each girl would get her own jar to take home and enjoy with her family. Grandma had even spent the money to buy pretty jars, and they hadn’t come cheap.
The girls had been very polite as they’d watched Grandma make the jam. And they’d oohed and aahed over the pretty jars with their names on them. When the jam had cooled enough to take home, they had thanked Grandma and left. He could still remember how happy Grandma had been when she’d called to tell him about it.
But the next day, when he’d come out to visit, Grandma hadn’t been happy. And when he’d asked her what was wrong, she’d told him that one of the girls had thrown away her jar of jam. She’d tossed it out on the road, as if it had bee
n worth less than nothing. And Grandma knew which girl it had been because her name had been on the jar.
He’d done his best to make Grandma feel better. Perhaps the jam had fallen out of the car accidentally. But Grandma said no, Gramps had seen her toss it out. He hadn’t wanted to tell her at first, but she’d wormed it out of him. Imagine throwing away her prize-winning jam! The girl could have given it to someone else if she hadn’t liked it, but she’d thrown it out on the side of the road as if it were garbage!
Even though he’d always been allergic to strawberries, he’d eaten Grandma’s jam on his toast all that summer. It had given him a horrible rash, but it had been worth it to see her smile. Perhaps Grandma had forgiven the girl for throwing out her jam, but he hadn’t. His skin still prickled when he remembered that rash.
He picked up the package and hurried out to the mall. He had to get it in place before anyone noticed. Santa would punish the girl for hurting Grandma’s feelings, and there was nothing the others could do to protect her.
Cindy and Paul had wanted her to stay with them, but Heather just felt like being alone. She felt terribly guilty for being so mad at Larry last night. Of course, she knew that imagining Larry in front of the pins hadn’t had anything to do with his accident, but she wished she’d picked someone else’s image to mow down with her bowling ball.
Perhaps shopping would make her feel better. Heather rode the escalator up to the second level and walked into the most expensive women’s clothing store in the mall. Elaine’s Boutique was cheap, compared to Le Dome. Le Dome carried only designer originals, and Heather had heard that their prices were astronomical.
Heather flicked on the lights and smiled as five cut-glass chandeliers began to glow softly. There were no racks. The clothing at Le Dome was hung in closets.
When she’d found the closet with her size, Heather opened the door and began to examine the dresses. There were no price tags. If you had to ask, you couldn’t afford it. That was the way it worked in exclusive shops.
Heather took a dress from the rack and sighed happily. It was a gorgeous shade of deep royal purple that would look lovely on her. The sleeves and neckline were trimmed with tiny bands of pearls, and she was willing to bet that they weren’t synthetic. If the dress looked as stunning on her as she thought it would, she’d make Daddy buy it for her Christmas present.
There were three dressing rooms in the back of the store, and Heather gasped as she entered one. It was a sitting room in miniature. Two wing-back chairs upholstered in a warm, cream-colored velvet were arranged against one wall, with a beautifully carved, rosewood table between them. The three-way mirror was spectacular, with three oval-shaped panes of beveled glass, surrounded by an antique gold frame.
Heather slipped out of her shoes and wiggled her toes in the deep pile carpet. It was also a rich shade of cream, a little darker than the wing chairs. The walls were covered with gorgeous tapestry, and all the lighting was recessed. It was a lovely room that would show off the beautiful clothes to their full advantage.
There was a small closet in the far corner, a free-standing rosewood piece that was carved with the same design as the table. Heather opened the door and saw that there were two satin-covered hangers, waiting to receive her clothes. She slipped off her jeans, and laughed as she hung them up on one of the hangers. It was probably the first and last time these hangers would hold a pair of jeans and a college sweatshirt. And then she slipped on the dress.
As she twirled in front of the mirror, Heather wore a satisfied smile. The dress was perfect for her. She decided to wear it down to the pub, to show the other girls, but her tennis shoes wouldn’t do at all. She needed something glamorous, and she’d noticed that Le Dome also carried designer shoes. She’d find the perfect pair and waltz into the pub with a complete outfit.
Heather gave one last glance in the mirror, and opened the door to step out. She was on her way to the designer shoe display, when she spotted a gift-wrapped package on the counter. It was her favorite color, deep purple, and it matched her dress perfectly.
There was a frown on Heather’s face as she read the name on the tag. Her name. This present was for her. But no one knew that she’d gone to Le Dome, unless . . .
Heather almost bolted for the door. Sue had received a package with her name on it and now she was dead. And so had Dave. Larry had opened his package last night, and he was dead, too. Heather’s hands were shaking as she opened the package. It was empty, except for a folded piece of paper in the bottom. She unfolded it and gasped as she saw the words that were printed inside. He sees you when you’re sleeping; He knows when you’re awake. They were lyrics to “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town!”
Her hands were trembling so hard, the paper fluttered to the floor. It was like Sue’s package. And Dave’s. And there had been a piece of paper in Larry’s, too, although Jay had taken it away before he could read it. She had to get back to the group! It wasn’t safe for her to be alone!
Heather didn’t even think about going back to get her tennis shoes. She just bolted for the door. But as she ran out into the mall, she saw something that made her feel much, much better. One of the guys had dressed up as Santa and he was sitting on the bench right in front of Le Dome. She was so relieved, she didn’t even stop to wonder why he was dressed in costume. She just hurtled straight into his arms.
“Oh, my God! I’m so glad you’re here! I got one of those packages and . . . let’s go down to the pub! Quick!”
Santa nodded, and took her arm. He didn’t say anything, but that was all right. Heather didn’t really want to talk. She just wanted to get back down to the pub and surround herself with other people!
There were tears of fright in Heather’s eyes as she huddled close to Santa and they walked quickly away. But then she noticed that they were going in the wrong direction for the escalator. “Wait! The escalator’s the other way!”
Heather looked up at him, but Santa just smiled. And then he pointed toward the glass elevator that was only a short distance away.
“Oh, good thinking!” Heather’s breath came out in a shuddering sigh. “I forgot they even had an elevator!”
Santa walked her right up to the elevator, and pushed the button. The doors opened and he gave a courtly bow as Heather stepped inside. And then he spoke for the first time, as he reached into the elevator and pressed the button to close the doors. “Too bad you don’t like strawberry jam.”
Heather stared at him as the doors started to close. What a weird thing to say! But then she realized that Santa wasn’t getting into the elevator. “Wait! Aren’t you coming with me?!”
Santa was grinning as the doors slid all the way closed. It was a strange grin, and Heather decided not to press the button to open the doors again. She didn’t know who was inside the Santa suit. He’d deliberately disguised his voice.
As the elevator started to move, Heather stared down at the lower level. Jay and Diana were just coming out of the sporting goods store. She knocked on the glass and they looked up to wave at her. Thank God! They’d be right there when she got off the elevator. She was safe!
But then something happened that made Heather’s face turn chalk white. The elevator shuddered and there was a loud snapping noise. And then she was hurtling down the shaft, too fast to stop at the lower level, too fast to scream. Her last thought, before the elevator crashed into the cement floor of the basement, was of Santa’s strange and sadistic grin.
Nineteen
Santa smiled as he peeked over the rail. Diana and Jay had seen Heather fall and they’d called out to Paul and Cindy. The panic on their faces was beautiful to see, and he watched for several moments as they gestured and pointed. But then something happened that made him raise his eyebrows and smile with delight. Paul and Jay were walking the girls back to the pub. And he’d heard them say that they were going down to the basement to take care of Heather. That meant they’d be leaving Diana and Cindy at the pub, alone!
He rubbed hi
s mittened hands together, anticipating what would happen. Jay and Paul would be very busy, wrapping what was left of Heather in blankets, and then carrying her body up the steps to the meat cooler. They were trying to be considerate, going to do the unpleasant task while the girls stayed in the safety of the pub. They didn’t realize it, but they had done him a huge favor. They’d given Santa the time he needed to deliver his next set of presents.
The first thing to do was to get out of costume. He dashed into the hardware store and found a pair of jeans and a blue denim shirt. It only took a moment to change out of his costume, and he folded it carefully, putting it behind the counter near the front of the store. He’d already decided that the next set of accidents would take place up here.
The large crescent wrenches were near the back of the store, and he chose the biggest one he could find. Then he headed out to the walkway again. Each section of the rail was held in place with six heavy bolts and he removed them carefully, holding the rail in place. Santa’s next victims would fall to their deaths and everyone would assume that the railing had been improperly installed.
He was puffing slightly as he took the stairs down to the security office, and sat down at the desk to wrap the packages. There wasn’t much time and he had to hurry. He used pink foil for the girl who had stolen apples from Gramps’s orchard, breaking some grafts he’d made on the branches. Gramps had been very angry when he’d seen what she’d done. If she’d asked, he would have given her the apples.
The second package was wrapped in silver foil. It was for the girl who had convinced Grandma to bake all those pies for the charity bake sale. They had been beautiful pies, each one a work of art, but the girl had priced them ridiculously low. Two dollars for one of Grandma’s pies was a terrible insult.
As he stuck the bows on top of the packages, he almost had second thoughts. These were small offenses, but they still had to be punished. Perhaps not by death, but Santa didn’t really have a choice. The game was drawing to a close and there could be no survivors.
