by Kathi Daley
I looked around the room for Tommy, who, fortunately, was on his way across the room with Shredder. “What’s your and Tammy’s song?” I asked as soon as he reached me.
“Huh? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just tell me.”
“‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside.’”
I closed my eyes and focused. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
“Yes,” Tammy sobbed. “That’s it.”
Okay, now you need to help me. Do you know where you are?
“I’m in the forest. I’m not sure where. I left the bar with the asshole fireman and he suggested we go to his house. He had a car, and I was mad at Tommy, so I went, but instead of going to his house, he drove to a deserted road and parked. He got real handsy real fast. And he was kind of mean. I told him I changed my mind and wanted to go back to the party, but he wouldn’t take me. He told me to take my jacket off. When I wouldn’t, he slapped me and began ripping at my clothes. I knew he was going to rape me, so I waited for him to be distracted, then I opened the car door, got out, and ran.”
I could sense Tammy was beginning to lose feeling in her feet. We needed to find her fast.
“I know that was dumb. I have no idea where I am or how to get back to town. You have to help me.”
I will. I need you to stay with me. Find a place to wait. Is there anything you can use to help you stay warm?
“I don’t know. Like what?”
Anything will help. Even tree branches.
“I’ll look around.”
Okay, do that. I’m coming for you, but I’m not sure how long it will take. Is there anything at all you can remember about the drive in the car? Anything that might help me focus on a location?
“I know we drove north on the main highway for maybe five minutes before turning off onto a side road. There was a sign for the festival where we turned. Then we drove a few more minutes.”
Okay, good. That helps. Find the warmest place you can to wait and then stay put. I’ll be there as soon as I can.
I hated to break the connection, but I was going to need help. I opened my eyes to find Shredder trying to convince Tommy I wasn’t crazy. “We need to get Yukon and we need to call the police. We need help.”
“We can’t call the police,” Tommy said. “Tammy is on probation. She isn’t even supposed to be in Alaska, but we come here every year and hated to miss it, so we figured a few days wouldn’t hurt. If we call the cops, she’ll be arrested for breaking probation. Let’s see if she’s where I think she is. If not, we’ll call the cops then.”
“If we don’t find her, she’ll die,” I said.
“Maybe we can find her. The three of us,” Tommy persisted.
I glanced at Shredder. “It’s your call, love,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s grab Yukon and head to the spot Tammy described. If we don’t find her right away, we call the cops.”
“Okay,” Tommy agreed.
The three of us piled into Shredder’s car. We stopped at the inn to get Yukon and then followed the directions Tammy had given me. Luckily, there had been a light dusting of snow, so once we pulled off the highway onto the narrow local road just after the festival sign, there was a single set of tire tracks to follow. After a few minutes we found the spot where the fireman Santa must have pulled off the road. Shredder parked and we all got out.
I used the gloves to give Yukon the scent. “This is Tammy. We need to find Tammy. Find Tammy, Yukon find Tammy.”
Yukon sniffed the gloves, then began sniffing the ground. Shredder and Tommy used flashlights to look for Tammy’s footprints. I could still sense her, but she was no longer responding to my attempts to connect with her. We were running out of time. I’d give it five minutes; if we hadn’t found her by then, I was calling the police.
It took Yukon only a few minutes before he alerted. I could see he had the scent and, hopefully, the path Tammy had taken. “Find Tammy,” I said again.
Yukon took off through the dense forest. The route Tammy seemed to have taken was pretty random, even crossing itself a few times, but it took Yukon only a few minutes more to find the frightened elf, who had managed to find enough branches to sit on and wrap herself up in. That extra warmth probably made the difference in finding Tammy cold but unharmed and finding her dead.
“The branches worked.” Tammy flung her arms around my neck and sobbed. “I was so cold and so scared.”
“You’re fine now. Let’s get you back to your hotel.”
Poor Tammy was suffering from mild frostbite, and the prickling sensation she would endure as she thawed out wouldn’t be pleasant, but I didn’t think she’d suffer any long-term harm from her experience. As soon as we reached the motel where they were staying, I told Tommy to draw Tammy a warm but not hot bath.
“I don’t suppose you have a photo of the man who brought you out here?” Shredder asked while Tommy went to do it.
“I do.” Tammy held up her phone. “I took a selfie of us before I realized he was a psycho.”
Shredder held out his hand. Tammy passed him the phone. He forwarded the photo to his own phone. “I understand your being in Alaska puts you in violation of your probation,” Shredder said.
Tammy hung her head. “I’m not supposed to leave California.”
“I’m going to suggest you return to California right away. Send me proof that you’re there by the end of the day tomorrow and I won’t turn you in to your probation officer.”
“Okay,” Tammy agreed. “I’ll book us on the next flight out of here. And thank you.” Tammy looked at Shredder and then at me. “Both of you.” Tammy looked at Yukon. “And thank you too, you beautiful dog.”
When the bath was run, I tested the temperature, then instructed Tammy to let her body heat up slowly. I hugged her once more, and then Shredder and I headed to the car. It wasn’t far to the place where we were staying, which was good, because I was more than ready to settle in for the night.
“Well that was an interesting evening,” I said after I changed into my flannel pajamas and pulled a long, warm robe on top.
“I’m glad we got to Tammy in time and that we were able to contain the situation. It wouldn’t have helped our search for Nicolas if everyone started talking about the girl with psychic abilities.”
“About that: I may have a lead. A Santa dressed as a cowboy told me that he knew a man named Nicolas who fits your man’s description. He hadn’t seen him this year, but he’s a regular visitor to this festival, and when he’s here, he usually rents a place outside town.”
“Did he have an address or give you directions?”
I shook my head. “He didn’t know exactly where the house was, but Queenie might.” I gave Shredder as much information about her as I knew.
Shredder looked at his watch. “The event will be over now. We’ll pick up on this tomorrow.”
I yawned. “Do you think we can find him?”
Shredder nodded. “I do. I just hope we find him in time to save Rigby’s life.”
Chapter 13
Wednesday, December 19
Shredder knocked on my door early the next morning. I was used to getting up early because I had the dogs to walk and the other animals to tend to, but I swear, when he knocked, it felt like I’d just gotten to sleep. Groaning loudly, I rolled out of bed and greeted Yukon who thumped his tail on the carpeted floor. Pulling on my robe, I called to him and wandered into the common area, where Shredder had a pot of coffee and a tray of warm muffins waiting.
“What time is it?” I yawned.
“Seven o’clock.”
“That late? It feels like the middle of the night.” I sat down in a chair in front of the fire with the coffee Shredder had handed me.
“I’m sure channeling a person in trouble is very taxing, and you didn’t have Moose to help you come down from this one.”
That was true, though I was surprised Shredder knew it. Yes, he’d been around me during a rescue be
fore, and yes, I’d explained how Moose helped to keep me sane, but he’d only been in my life for a few days before he disappeared as abruptly as he’d appeared last year, so I was surprised he remembered.
“Do we have a plan for the day?” I asked as I let the coffee slowly pull me into the land of the living.
“I thought we’d get something more to eat, then look around for Queenie. I asked about her at the front desk and they had a phone number for her, but it just rings and rings. It doesn’t even go to voice mail. That didn’t seem to surprise the woman at the desk. It seems Queenie is quite the character, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she was antivoice mail, but she thought we’d find her in town at one of the Santa events. She just didn’t know which one.”
I leaned back in the chair and put my feet up on the footrest. “Do we know what events are scheduled for this morning?”
“There’s a breakfast with Santa that’s a fund-raiser for the children’s hospital, and a toy show and contest that will be taking place in Santa’s Workshop all day.”
“What’s the toy contest about?”
“The entrants present original handmade toys. It sounds like people come from all over the country, even from around the world to enter, because it’s common for representatives from toy companies to be in attendance as well.”
I put my hand over my mouth to stifle another yawn. “Anything else?”
“Today’s the meet and greet for the Elf pageant.”
“Elf pageant?”
“It’s like a beauty pageant, but the best elf is chosen based on contests each entrant competes in. The audience votes, and today is the meet and greet, where anyone who wishes can speak to their favorite elves and ask them questions.”
It sounded like a little slice of hell, but who was I to judge? “It sounds like we’re in for an interesting morning if we don’t find Queenie on the first try. I assume we’re starting with the breakfast.”
“That was my plan. The doors open at eight, so we’d best get going. I’ll take Yukon out for a walk, then feed him while you get ready. I guess we should just leave him here and come back for him after we find Queenie and hopefully find out where Askar usually stays.”
I drank the rest of my coffee and pulled myself out of the chair. I hoped I wasn’t coming down with something. I felt like I was 120 today. If I was getting sick, I was going to blame Shredder for making me wear that ridiculous elf costume, which did absolutely zero to protect a person from the elements on a cold winter night.
******
I expected the breakfast with Santa to be lame and corny, but when I saw the faces of the children who were lucky enough to attend, I realized it was charming bordering on magical. Every little girl and boy in the room had a huge grin on their face as they ate pancakes, drank hot cocoa, and listened to stories read by an elf as Santa sat on his throne in preparation for the photos that would be taken after the meal. If I was the one organizing this thing, I’d have done the photos first; it appeared more than one little cherub had hot cocoa spilled down the front of their shirt or dress. But perhaps the spills and imperfect outfits were part of the charm of having breakfast with Santa.
The food smelled wonderful and I wished we had time to stay, but Shredder was able to ascertain within a few minutes that, while Queenie had been there during the setup for the event, she’d turned monitoring duties over to her assistant elf and gone on to other things once the guests arrived. The elf Shredder spoke to suspected the toy show and contest was next on Queenie’s agenda, so that was where we set out for next.
Like the breakfast room, Santa’s Toy Shop had been decorated to bring out the wonder in everyone who visited, no matter their age. The walls and furniture were painted in bright colors and cheery carols played in the background. Long tables had been set up for those who’d entered their toys to display them. I noticed a wide range of items, from simple hand-carved trucks, trains, and tractors to video games and realistic-looking robots. The elf in charge of the toy shop also informed us that Queenie had been and gone. It seemed you had to get up pretty early in the morning to catch up with the dynamo who organized and managed this entire event.
“See that Santa over there by the trains?” I said to Shredder.
He looked in the direction I was pointing. “What about him?”
“He’s dressed in traditional Santa garb this morning, but I’m ninety percent sure he’s the fireman Santa Tammy left with last night. The one who tried to rape her.”
Shredder frowned. “I’m going to make a call. Wait here and keep an eye on him. Whatever you do, don’t approach him or engage with him in any way. Just keep him in your sights.”
“Okay,” I said as Shredder walked away. I saw him pull out his phone, and he was engaged in a conversation before he’d even made it out of the building. Less than five minutes later, he returned to where I was waiting. Fireman Santa hadn’t moved.
“I’ve spoken to a contact who’s notified the local authorities. There are people on the way. We’ll wait here until they arrive.”
“Can they arrest him on our word alone?”
“Probably not, but I didn’t make the call myself. I had someone from the FBI do it, claiming a call came in from an anonymous source. The person my contact spoke to told him there were two other women who’d been raped by a man dressed as Santa in the past week. They have the rapist’s DNA from one of the other victims, so if he’s the guy, they’ll be able to prove it. At the very least, they’ll detain and test him.”
Shredder and I watched as two uniformed officers came into the building, made their way across the room, and pulled the Santa I’d fingered aside. They spoke to him for several minutes before one of them pulled out his cuffs and secured the guy. We watched as the officers led him out of the building.
“Looks like local law enforcement has things under control. We can be on our way.”
“Yeah,” I said as I watched the crowd fill in after the men left. “That’s a good idea.”
Although we continued our search, we didn’t find Queenie at the bakeshop, the elf library, or the candy cane factory. We finally caught up with her at the ice-skating rink on the edge of the park.
“You’re looking for Nicolas? Do you mind if I ask why?” the feisty little woman demanded.
“We just want to speak to him about a friend of ours,” Shredder replied. “We were at the Santa meet and greet last night, and a few of the folks we talked to thought Nicolas might be able to help put us in touch with him.”
Queenie shrugged. “I guess it won’t hurt to give you directions to his friend’s place. If you aren’t supposed to be there, you’ll be stopped at the gate.”
Shredder smiled. “Thank you so much for your help.”
When Shredder and I went back to our suite, he unlocked the metal suitcase he’d been carting around and took out guns of varying types and sizes that he began tucking into pockets and his waistband, I realized very quickly that the charming, enchanted part of our day had come to an end and things were about to get very real.
******
“Do you think Rigby is still alive?” I asked as we sped down the icy road.
Shredder let out a long, slow breath. “I have no idea. If he is still alive, we’re running out of time. I’m hoping we’ll find him today.”
I thought about the family who was hoping and praying for his safe return and said a little prayer of my own that we’d find and rescue him in time. There was nothing worse than waiting on the sidelines to find out whether the person you cared about most in the world was going to live or die.
“Queenie mentioned the place having a guard,” I said. “There are just two of us. Do you have a plan to get in and then, even more importantly, get out again?”
“Not yet,” Shredder admitted.
When we were about a half mile from the property, Shredder pulled off the road. He found a place to tuck the vehicle in behind a thick grove of evergreens and told me to wait while he checked out th
e situation. He returned after what seemed like a lifetime.
“It looks deserted except for the man at the gate,” he informed me.
“What do you mean, deserted?”
“I mean I spent a good amount of time checking the place out and as far as I can tell, there isn’t anyone on the property other than the guard at the gate. That doesn’t mean Rigby isn’t inside. We’ll just need to tread lightly.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Shredder chewed on his bottom lip, appearing to consider the situation.
“Did you bring your elf costume as I asked?”
I groaned. “Yeah, I brought it.”
“Put it on. You’re going to pretend your car broke down on your way to the festival. I’m hoping you’ll distract the guard while I go over the wall and find a way into the house. If I find Rigby, I’ll need another distraction to get us out, so maybe you can convince him to let you wait inside the gatehouse with him until the tow truck arrives.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll play the helpless elf, but you owe me.”
Shredder pulled the car onto the road and disabled it in case the guard decided to check out my story. Then he took off through the woods toward the house, while I changed into my elf costume. With the red and green monstrosity in place, I got out of the car and walked down the road to the gate. By the time I got there, I was freezing, so I hoped for more reasons that one that the guard would let me wait in the gatehouse with him.”
“Can I help you, miss?” the guard asked as I walked up to the gatehouse.
“I hope so.” I offered him my biggest smile. “I was on my way to the Santa Festival when my car broke down. I called for a tow truck, but the man said he’s busy and can’t be here for at least an hour. The engine won’t start, so I can’t run the heater and I’m freezing. I don’t suppose you’d let me wait in the house?”
He looked toward the large building. “No one’s home right now, but I suppose I can let you wait in here with me.”
