Save Me, Santa: 5 Holiday Stories of Romance & Suspense

by Nina Bruhns

  “You didn’t run the bath?” Marshal Bannister asked.

  Reid shot up from the table, his anger churning. “Hell, no. When I saw it, I thought maybe… never mind.”

  “Maybe what?”

  Reid paced to the wall and turned to face the Marshal. “That maybe Lucy lied to me, that she hadn’t left town. That she was seeing someone else.” If the man was seeing Lucy would he fess up now?

  Marshal Bannister made a low sound in his throat, then glanced at his phone. A knock sounded at the door, then another officer stepped inside, leaned over and whispered something in the man’s ear. Bannister cursed, then stood.

  “Excuse me, I need to make a phone call.”

  “Wait just a damn minute,” Reid said. “What the hell is going on? The cops accused me of stalking Lucy. Why would they think I was a stalker?”

  Bannister tugged at his tie, indecision on his face.

  “I have a right to know,” Reid said. “Did something happen to Lucy?”

  “I hope not,” Bannister said. “But you are free to go, Mr. Summers.”

  Perspiration beaded on Reid’s neck. “What does that mean? You hope nothing happened to her?”

  “Just go home,” Bannister said. “And let the police take care of the situation.”

  “Take care of what situation?”

  But Bannister didn’t answer. He was already punching a number on his phone as he left the room. The guard gestured for him to follow him, then escorted Reid through security. His handcuffs were removed, and a heavyset woman in a uniform handed him his personal items.

  He grabbed his phone and keys, then hurried outside.

  Dammit, he didn’t have a way home. He’d have to call Lance.

  No, he didn’t want Lance to know what had happened.

  He dialed Lucy’s number and prayed she’d answer and tell him that this whole mess was a big misunderstanding. But the phone rang and rang, then a recording clicked on saying her message box was full.

  So she hadn’t been picking up her messages?

  That was odd. Lucy’s car didn’t crank unless she was on her cell phone.

  Worry knotted his insides as he hunted for a taxi. If the police thought he was stalking Lucy, did that mean she actually had a stalker?

  If she did, why hadn’t she told him?

  * * *

  Early morning sunlight glinted off the water, signaling another beautiful day in Delray as Lucy stepped onto her patio. She waved to the Silver Sneakers as they headed down to the beach wearing their reindeer antlers. She could hear the jingle bells on their shoes and their chatter all the way down to the jetty.

  Still, Lucy felt glum. Two days until Christmas and no word from Marshal Bannister.

  Her phone beeped that she had a text, and she read the message from her sister.

  Call me asap. Newspaper story this morning said police arrested a man named Emmet Roach for stalking you. What’s going on? Where are you?!

  Lucy jumped up and squealed. The sound must have carried in the breeze because the Silver Sneakers turned and looked at her. She waved that she was fine, then covered her mouth to stifle another cheer.

  But her relief was short-lived.

  If the police had Emmet, why hadn’t Wallace Bannister informed her?

  Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Lucy told herself. This means you can go home!

  Wallace was probably dealing with the paperwork, making sure Emmet didn’t get out this time.

  Knowing her sister was worried, she punched Sophie’s number. Her sister answered on the first ring, her voice strained.

  “Where have you been?” Sophie asked. “I’ve been frantic, and Reid has called a hundred times.”

  “Slow down, sis, everything’s okay now.”

  “What do you mean, it’s okay now? I thought you flew to L.A. for an audition.”

  “That was my cover story,” Lucy said, hating that she’d been forced to lie. “I had to leave town.”

  “So the story about the stalker is true?”

  Lucy noticed a man on the beach and squinted to make out his face, then realized she could stop searching for Emmet everywhere she turned. “Yes, I’m afraid so. But he’s back in jail, so it’s over.”

  “You mean you had a stalker and didn’t tell me?”

  “It happened two years ago while I was in Vegas,” Lucy said. “The police finally arrested him, and I thought it was all behind me. Then a few days ago he was on a prison bus and broke out.”

  Lucy waved to Mae as she settled on her balcony next door with the morning obits.

  “The Marshal handling my case thought it was a good idea if I left town until he was apprehended.”

  A long heartbeat passed. “You haven’t told Reid any of this?”

  “No,” Lucy said. “I wanted to protect you and him in case Emmet tried to use you to get to me.”

  “Lucy, is this guy dangerous?” Sophie asked.

  Lucy debated. “I don’t know. He used to leave me gifts, forced me to go with him once. He’s crazy, Sophie. He thinks he’s in love with me.” She hesitated. “And I don’t know what prison did to him.”

  Another awkward moment. “Well, now he’s been found, you can come home.”

  Lucy wanted to go back, but the Silver Sneakers waved that they’d found sand dollars to make more ornaments, and she remembered how excited they were about the Christmas talent show and knew she couldn’t leave until the show was over.

  “I can’t, Sophie.”

  “Why not? Is it about Reid? Are you trying to break up with him?”

  Dear God, was that what Reid thought? “No. I love Reid, but that Marshal I mentioned got me a job at this sixties-and-up community named Sunset Vista in Delray Beach and we’re planning a talent show on Christmas Eve. The residents are so excited I can’t just run out on them.”

  Sophie muttered something Lucy couldn’t understand.

  “I’m sorry, Sophie, don’t be mad.”

  “I’m not mad,” Sophie said. “I’m… proud of you, Lucy.”

  Lucy’s pulse fluttered. “I have an idea. Why don’t you come here for the show. We can still spend Christmas together.”

  “What about Reid and Lance and Maddie and Chase? And Deseree?”

  Lucy twisted her hair into a ponytail. “You’re right. It’s not fair to ask them to leave their plans. I’ll stay for the show then drive home Christmas day.”

  “That sounds good. And listen, Lucy,” Sophie said. “If you really care about Reid, call him and explain.”

  Lucy hated confrontation. “I’ll just surprise him when I come home.”

  Her phone buzzed, and she saw Bannister’s number. “Hey, this is that Marshal calling. See you soon.”

  Sophie agreed, and she clicked to answer Bannister’s call. “Hey, Wallace. My sister texted that she saw the story about Emmet’s arrest in the paper.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, Lucy,” Marshal Bannister said. “But that was a mistake. Two officers that were watching your place did find a man in your house and arrested him. I don’t know how the papers got hold of it, but they got it all wrong.”

  Lucy gripped her phone with sweaty fingers. “What do you mean, they got it all wrong?”

  “The man they arrested claimed he was your boyfriend, but it wasn’t Emmet.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “No. Do you have a line of men chasing you, Lucy?”

  If not, Emmet, then who? She sank onto the lounge chair as the truth dawned. “Oh, my God. Don’t tell me you arrested Reid?”

  “Yes, that was his name,” Bannister said.

  “Oh, no,” Lucy whispered. “Where is he now?”

  “I questioned him, then released him.”

  “Did you explain about Emmet?”

  “No,” Bannister said. “I figured if you’d wanted him to know you would have told him.”

  Dear Lord. She should have told him.

  “Where is he now?”

  “I have no idea,�
�� Bannister said. “But the problem is that Emmet is still out there.”

  Nausea climbed Lucy’s throat as she hung up. No telling what Reid was thinking…

  And that man on the beach… he could have been Emmet.

  Panicked, she texted Sophie back and told her that Emmet was still on the loose, and that she wouldn’t be coming home until he was.

  They would have to celebrate Christmas without her.

  Now, what to do about Reid? Maybe it was best to leave him in the dark until Emmet was caught.

  Then she’d explain everything. She just hoped he would forgive her when she did. After all, she was trying to protect him.

  That was what a girl did when she loved a man, wasn’t it?

  * * *

  Emmet’s chest bubbled with excitement as he studied the Sunset Vista. He was going to rescue Lucy from this place.

  Why, the people were almost antiques.

  The plastic Santa waved to him from the lawn, giving him an idea. Maybe he and Lucy would have a Christmas wedding. Then they would honeymoon together and make a Christmas baby…

  He’d heard the women on the beach discussing their upcoming Christmas Eve talent show. They were all dressing in festive attire. The show was open to the public.

  It was the perfect opportunity for him to sneak inside. Now, he just needed to find something Christmasy to wear. A disguise of some sort so he could get close to Lucy.

  He clapped his hands in glee and began to hum Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer as he headed into town to find a costume.

  Chapter Six

  Reid had just stepped from the shower when his cell phone buzzed. He snatched it up, hoping it was Lucy, but Sophie’s name flashed on the caller ID screen.

  “Reid,” Sophie said in a strained voice. “We need to talk.”

  Reid’s stomach plummeted. “What’s wrong?”

  “Did you see the newspaper this morning?”

  “No,” Reid said. “I just got out of jail.”

  “Jail?”

  “Yes,” Reid said. “I went to Lucy’s to surprise her with a Christmas tree—”

  Okay, he was officially a bona fide sap. “—but the police busted in and arrested me.”

  “Oh, dear lord,” Sophie whispered.

  “They accused me of stalking her,” Reid grumbled.

  “Oh, dear lord,” Sophie said.

  Reid tossed his towel aside. “Stop saying that and tell me what’s going on.”

  “First of all, I just talked to Lucy and she’s okay,” Sophie said.

  A mixture of emotions pummeled Reid. He wanted her to be okay.

  But that meant she was ignoring his calls.

  “She didn’t go to L.A. for an audition,” Sophie said.

  So she had lied to him. “I see,” Reid said tightly. “She left me and was too chicken to tell me.”

  “That’s not it,” Sophie said, sounding annoyed.

  “Then why hasn’t she called me?”

  “She’s trying to protect you.”

  “Protect me?” Reid asked. “From what? I know about her dancing. What other secrets does she have?”

  “Well,” Sophie hedged.

  Reid cursed. “Spit it out, Sophie.”

  “She does have a stalker,” Sophie said. “That’s why the police were watching her place and arrested you.”

  Sophie’s words boomeranged in Reid’s ears. Suddenly the cop’s accusations, the underwear across the bed… they’d called him a pervert—it all made sense. “Who’s stalking Lucy?” he asked, barely able to control the rage bubbling inside him.

  “His name is Emmet Roach,” Sophie explained. “He’s been in prison but apparently he escaped.”

  “And the police think he’s coming after Lucy?” Reid said, his heart hammering.

  “Yes.”

  “Where is she, Sophie?”

  “She doesn’t want me to tell you,” Sophie said. “She said she’ll come home after he’s apprehended.”

  Hurt mingled with worry. If she’d told him, he could have protected her. Dammit. That was the way it was supposed to work.

  “I’m going after her,” Reid said. “She shouldn’t be alone if some psycho is after her.”

  “Reid—”

  “Either tell me where she is or I’ll find out myself.”

  “Reid—”

  “For God’s sake, tell me, Sophie. I’m not going to let Lucy go through this alone.”

  Tension stretched between them, then Sophie finally replied. “You’re right. We should all be together on Christmas.”

  “Sophie—”

  “Let me call Lance and my mother. If Lucy can’t be here, we’ll go to her tomorrow.”

  “All right. I’ll call Maddie and Chase,” Reid said. “We’ll take Christmas to Lucy.”

  But when he hung up, his imagination went crazy with awful things that this freak might do to Lucy if he found her.

  Reid didn’t know if he could wait one more day to see her.

  Then again, he needed the time. He still didn’t have Lucy’s Christmas present…

  * * *

  Christmas Eve

  All afternoon and into the evening, Lucy felt jittery. Every time the door opened to the common room, she jumped like a reindeer caught in headlights.

  Now night had set in, Christmas Eve was upon them, and the excitement over the Secret Santa gifts and the program was mounting.

  Red and green streamers draped the walls, the Christmas lights glittered, and everyone had contributed party foods, decorative cupcakes and Christmas punch for the celebration after the show.

  One Secret Santa gift remained on the table. Her name was on the card.

  She glanced around the room where three residents were finishing decorating the stage, then through the picture glass window at the pool area, but didn’t see anything suspicious.

  No sign of Emmet.

  But when she opened the bag, she discovered a pair of sexy red stilettos.

  Fear jackknifed through her. No one here knew about her obsession with shoes.

  But Emmet did. In fact, he liked trying on her shoes and underwear.

  She punched Wallace Bannister’s number, but his machine rolled to voice mail. “Wallace, it’s me, Lucy. I’m afraid Emmet’s found me. Please call me back.”

  She tucked the phone in her pocket, then smiled as Mae tottered toward her carrying a blueberry cobbler. “Taylor, guess what! I’ve got a date tonight with Harry, the man I met in the obits! He must have liked my pie after all.”

  Lucy laughed although guilt weighed on her for lying to these sweet people.

  Moon strolled in dressed as Santa Claus. Billy and Nelda wore matching jingle bell shirts while DeEtte’s shirt glittered with blinking lights. The others filed in, all dressed in festive attire, the mood jovial as they gathered for the show.

  For a brief moment, she wondered what her sister was doing tonight, if she and Lance, and Reid, and Maddie and Chase were all together, sipping drinks over dinner and making toasts to the holiday.

  Tears threatened, but she blinked them back. She missed her family, but she loved the people here. And she would be home soon.

  Would Reid be waiting?

  Christmas music piped up, and she studied the guests as they entered, one eye open for Emmet.

  Sue directed everyone to take their seats, and introduced the first act.

  Four Silver Sneakers, DeEtte, Ellen, Sue, and Willene performed a tap dance to Jingle Bells, the bells on their shoes ringing. Laughter and applause rang out as they finished.

  Act two featured Billy and Nelda who performed their own version of Ghosts of Christmas Pasts by reenacting some of the funniest holidays they’d spent together. In the first scene, they’d spent Christmas rubbing lotion all over their six children who’d come down with chicken pox. But the first holiday was the best – they were so poor they didn’t have money to buy a tree, so they chopped one down in the woods, but it was so lopsided they had to tie it to
the wall with a belt to keep it upright. Then they cut Christmas cards and threaded them onto the tree for decorations.

  Lucy’s heart churned with emotions. She wanted the kind of love those two shared.

  Next, Moon played Here Comes Santa Claus on his spoons while his buddy Lewis accompanied him on a set of water glasses, and Roger played the harmonica. Bradford, dressed as Santa, hung candy canes on the tree then pretended to climb up the chimney. But his big belly got stuck, and the cardboard fireplace fell apart, bringing another round of giggles.

  Suddenly a commotion erupted near the back door, and Lucy went to see what it was. But when she reached the door, she noticed a woman wearing a lampshade decorated like a Christmas tree, sunglasses and a frilly bright green skirt made of netting.

  The woman waved and moved toward her.

  The woman had the hairiest legs she’d ever seen.

  Then the truth hit her—the lampshade hat belonged to a man.

  Dear God, it was Emmet!

  She started to scream, but her voice died when he shoved a gun in to her side. “Hi, sweetheart, miss me?”

  Lucy tensed, and saw Santa Claus climbing on stage. Maybe Santa would save her. “You won’t get away with this, Emmet.”

  “Oh, yes, I will.” He gestured toward the stage where Reba, Betty and her sisters Sheila and Shirley, and their cousins Linda, Vicky, and Janet were doing a can-can dance to We Wish You A Merry Christmas with Santa dancing in the middle. The crowd had joined in, everyone clapping and cheering.

  “Let’s go, Lucy. I’ve been waiting for you a long time.”

  “Just don’t hurt anyone here,” Lucy whispered.

  He leaned close and licked her earlobe. “Funny, Lucy, I never imagined you at a place like this.”

  Neither had she, but she loved the people, and she’d do anything to keep them safe

  Even if it meant going with crazy Emmet.

  * * *

  Reid, Lance and Sophie, and Maddie and Chase and Deseree had slipped into the back of the room to watch the talent show, then Reid spotted Lucy with the strange looking woman in the lampshade hat.

  Only it wasn’t a woman. Hairy legs stretched below that green net skirt.

  “That’s him. He has her,” he said in a low voice to Lance.