Christmas Peril: Merry Mayhem / Yule Die

“And broke them?”

“Thankfully not. They left them carefully on the ground all around the tree.”

Annie chuckled. “Where do kids come up with things like that?”

“The mayor wasn’t too happy.” Caleb shoved away from the counter. “C’mon and meet Harriet and Samson.”

“I was thinking I needed to rescue her from my daughter’s endless questions.”

“You kidding? Harriet is loving this.” He gestured toward the woman with short brown hair and a huge smile on her face.

“Yep, every ornament was on the ground. It took me and some others most of the morning to redecorate the tree. I think Caleb should post guards around it.” Harriet peered at Annie as she stopped at the side of the desk near her daughter. “You must be Sara’s cousin, Annie.” The woman took Annie’s hand and pumped her arm.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Caleb whispered close to Annie’s ear. “I have to pay a visit to one of the boys I think is responsible for the mess in the town square. But first I’ll have to deal with the mayor again. He just came in.”

Caleb strode toward the middle-aged, stocky man whose dark gaze lit upon Caleb. The town leader’s beet-red face attested that his anger was still present. But Caleb’s calm demeanor slowly eroded the man’s wrath until he let out a deep breath and followed Caleb into his office.

Maybe she could tell Caleb what happened in Florida. Maybe he could help her figure out what was going on and what to do about it.

But as she, Sara and Jayden left to finish their errands, another police officer entered the station. Annie almost ran into him when she opened the door. She quickly sidled away. Although dressed in the same blue uniform as Caleb, this man brought to mind Bryan’s warning not to trust the police. As much as she wanted to trust Caleb, she couldn’t.

While Sara was reading to Jayden in the living room and the stew was in the Crock-Pot, Annie stepped outside onto the back stoop. Although the temperature was a little above freezing, she relished the crisp air, the perfectly still wind. The sun sank below the tree line, a rosy hue tinting the few clouds in the sky.

The line of fir trees along the back of Sara’s property caught her attention. She strode across the yard to get away from the house. She didn’t want anyone to overhear her as she made a call. She withdrew her cell from her pocket and called information to find out the police department number in Crystal Creek.

When someone answered, she said to the woman on the other end, “I’m calling about a break-in at my apartment a few days ago.”

“Just a moment please.”

“Can I help you?” a deep, baritone voice asked a minute later.

“This is Annie Coleman.”

Before she could continue, the man said, “We’ve been looking for you. Where are you?”

“I’m on vacation. Have you found out who broke in?”

“No. Do you have anyone angry at you? Your valuables seemed to still be there, but they were destroyed. Television smashed to pieces, pearl necklace broken and scattered all over the floor. It was more vandalism than a robbery.”

Because Bryan’s killer was looking for something. “When I return I’ll come see you. Thanks.” She clicked off quickly, praying she hadn’t made a mistake by calling them. She’d kept hoping they might have a clue to who had trashed her apartment. Now she realized that that was wishful thinking.

She turned at the sound of the back door slamming closed and a yelping dog. A big, black mutt bounded toward her with Jayden not far behind. Annie braced herself, but a few feet from her, the dog skidded to a stop.

Her daughter halted next to the animal and threw her arms around him. “Isn’t Ralph great? He can even do tricks. Caleb showed me.”

At a much more leisurely gait, the police chief approached, again dressed in casual jeans, a blue T-shirt and an open sheepskin coat. “Your daughter wanted to show you Ralph.”

“Will you show Mommy how he can roll over?”

“You can get him to by pointing your finger and making a circle in the air,” he said with a grin.

Jayden squared her shoulders and inhaled a deep breath, then drew a circle. Ralph performed the trick while Jayden clapped.

Caleb retrieved a rubber ball from his coat pocket. “He loves to fetch. Do you want to throw the ball for him?”

“Yes!”

As Caleb gave the toy to Jayden, Annie’s throat closed at the excitement that brightened her child’s face. She ran a few yards, winding up her arm, then lobbed the ball as far as she could. Ralph shot after it. It bounced several times and landed by the back door. Her daughter ran after the dog.

“I’m gonna have to get her a dog. This will cinch it.”

“Kids should have a pet. It teaches them responsibility and how to care for something other than themselves.”

“Thanks for bringing Ralph over.” While Jayden continued to throw the ball for Ralph, Annie started across the yard. “I’d forgotten how quiet this town is. A good quiet. Sara says this is a great place to raise children, that it’s so peaceful a lot of people don’t lock their doors.”

“Yeah, I’m trying to convince them to lock them at least at night, but most of the older folks never have.” Caleb paused, his intense gaze skimming her face. “That includes Sara.”

“I know. That’s when we had the discussion last night about not locking the doors. I did. I told her I couldn’t sleep with one eye open.” When she did sleep, which had been little lately. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Of course. I could smell that stew the second your daughter opened the front door. I didn’t even have to beg Sara. She asked when I set foot in the living room.”

“How did you know it was stew?”

A gleam twinkled in his eyes. “I looked.”

Annie stopped at the bottom of the back steps and swung around to watch her daughter. “Jayden, it’s time to go in.”

Her daughter trudged toward the stoop with the dog bouncing across the yard much like the rubber ball he held in his mouth had.

Five minutes later, Annie entered the living room after checking on the stew in the Crock-Pot and setting the table. Sara sat in her favorite lounge chair while Jayden sprawled on the area rug, busily drawing a picture of Ralph stretched out before the fireplace.

“Caleb, would you be a dear and build a fire?” Sara pulled the edges of her shawl together.

“Sure. I’ll need to move some of the items away from the fireplace.”

Jayden leaped to her feet. “I’ll help.” She headed straight for the figure of the baby Jesus, gently lifting it from the manger and cradling it against her as if she were playing with one of her dolls that she’d had to leave in Crystal Creek. “Miss Sara says I can hold him. But I hafta to be real careful.”

“Are you sure, Sara?” Annie held her breath watching her child handling the eighteen-inch-long figurine, beautifully painted.

“She’s fine.”

“Here, hon, I’ll move the manger for you.” Annie tried not to think about the things they’d left behind in the rented apartment. And according to Trey, all destroyed because someone had searched and trashed her place. Looking for what?

A thoughtful expression slashed her daughter’s face. “What’s a manger?”

“Child, it’s a place where animals eat.” Sara rubbed her hands together.

“Why was baby Jesus put in one?”

“Because there was nowhere else for Mary to give birth to Him. The inn—motels were full, so they stayed in a stable.” Caleb stacked the logs on the grate then turned the gas on and put a match to it. Flames burst about the wood.

Jayden tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows crunched together. “But isn’t Jesus special? He should have a big bed.”

“Yeah, Jesus is special, but He didn’t mind the manger.” Caleb rose and caught Annie’s look.

In that moment she knew she had let her daughter down. She might be upset with the Lord because He wasn’t answering her prayers, but she should have at least given her child a chance to learn about Him so she would be able to make up her own mind when she was older. At breakfast this morning Sara had talked about going to church on Sunday and had asked them to go.

At one time she had believed that all things were possible through God. She’d been active in her youth group at church, had gone on mission trips. Then she’d made wrong choices when her father had walked out on the family. She’d thrust herself into a murky pattern of self-destruction. She was thankful Jayden’s birth stopped that slippery slope downward. But was the Lord mad at her because of her actions?

“Give me about five minutes to get the dinner on the table.” Annie averted her gaze and hurried from the room. She wouldn’t be using that excuse on Sunday; she needed to take her daughter to church.

In the kitchen she had begun spooning the stew into a serving bowl when Caleb came in.

“Here, let me help.” He held the Crock-Pot over the bowl so she could slide the stew into it. “Are you okay?”

“No. I just realized what an injustice I have done to my daughter. I should have taken her to church, but I was angry with God. I still am.”

“Why?”

“My life wasn’t going the way I thought it should. I prayed and prayed for help, but He didn’t answer me. I was basically alone, struggling to pay my bills, raising my daughter with little support…” When she realized what she was telling him, she peered at him to read his expression. Compassion greeted her look.

“What happened to Jayden’s dad?”

“He’s dead.”

“I’m sorry. That makes it tough.”

If you only knew.

Caleb set the Crock-Pot on the counter and took her hands. “Look at coming to Christmas as a fresh start. The Lord hasn’t forgotten you. He doesn’t. He answers in His time, not ours. I’d love for you and Jayden to come to church with me on Sunday.”

For a few seconds Annie couldn’t concentrate enough to form a coherent reply to his invitation. All her senses were centered on the feel of his hands around hers, the rough texture of his thumb rubbing her skin, his spicy scent wafting to her, putting to shame the aromas of the stew and rolls baking.

“Will you come, Annie?”

She stepped back, grabbing for the pot holders to take the bread out of the oven. “Sara said something about it.” She didn’t want to care for Caleb. She would be moving on when she could come up with a plan. She needed to return to the library and begin researching how to get lost and stay hidden.

“That’s okay. We go to the same one. I’ll come by and pick everyone up.”

The next afternoon, late, Caleb rang the bell at Sara’s. He really didn’t have an excuse for visiting, but he was here because he found himself drawn to Annie and Jayden. Since his father’s death last year, he’d been going through the motions of living, but something was missing. He wanted a marriage like his parents had.

Whoa. He’d gone from thinking about Annie to thinking about marriage. He still couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong with Annie. Had someone hurt her? Her deceased husband?

Annie swung the door open. “Hi.” Her smile encompassed her whole face, pushing away the vulnerability he’d glimpsed for a few seconds. Now he realized why he was here. He wanted to pump Sara about information concerning Annie. The investigator in him couldn’t let go of the fact Annie was harboring pain. He wanted to know what caused it and help.

“What brings you by?”

He pulled his thoughts back to the task at hand. “I came to see Sara.”

“Oh, that sounds serious. Is there a problem?”

He schooled his expression into a neutral one, hoping he hadn’t given anything away. “No.” He should elaborate, but what could he say to Annie? I’ve come to find out all I can about you and what made you visit a relative suddenly right before Christmas. One you haven’t seen in fifteen years.

“Were there any more teenage pranks pulled last night?”

“All’s calm right now. I issued my warning to the one I think is behind it. Hopefully he heeds it. If not, I may sic the mayor on him,” Caleb said with a laugh as he crossed the threshold.

“Is that your secret weapon?”

“No, my art of persuasion is.”

Annie closed the door. “Sara is in the living room in her usual place.”

“Are you going out?” He noticed she had her coat on, her purse sitting on the table in the foyer.

“Yeah, as soon as Jayden washes up. She had some chocolate and managed to get it all over her face and hands.”

Carrying her doll, Jayden bounded down the stairs in her jacket, her hair pulled back in a ponytail that bounced with her lively movement. “Is Ralph here?”

Caleb responded to the little girl’s smile with one of his own. “Sorry. I left him at home. I can bring him by later if you want.”

“Yes!” Jayden pumped her arm. “We’re goin’ to the liberrie.”

“We’ve already read the books we got yesterday. We’re getting some more. And Sara wanted me to pick up one for her.” Annie grabbed her purse. “Ready?”

Jayden hurried across the foyer, snatched up her pile of books and rushed out the door.

Annie shook her head. “I guess she’s ready. See you later.”

“Bye.” He waited until she was gone before proceeding into the living room and taking a seat.

Sara closed the magazine she was reading and placed it in her lap. “I heard you at the door. Did you know Jayden is already reading? She loves books ’bout as much as I do.”

“You really have enjoyed having them here, haven’t you?”

“I didn’t realize how until today. When they first came, I sensed they were lost and looking for something. Well, at least Annie. But so was I. These past few days have brought me back to life. So yes, I’ve enjoyed them being here. I’m so glad she decided to visit me.”

“Did she ever tell you why she suddenly decided to come see you?”

“No, other than she’d always had fond memories of the couple of times she had when she was a child. Especially that last visit, when she and her family came at Christmastime.”

“She told me her husband was dead.”

“Husband? She said that?” Sara’s wrinkles deepened on her forehead.

“Well, not in those words. I asked about Jayden’s father.”

“Annie has never been married.” Sara leaned forward in her chair. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I’m concerned about Annie. I think she’s in trouble. Earlier today when I asked why she didn’t wear a wedding ring, she told me she’d never married the man who fathered Jayden. I’d thought that first day she’d come the name you used to introduce her was her married name, so I didn’t say anything. But her real last name is Coleman, at least that was it when she was ten.”

Caleb inhaled a deep breath and held it. This was what he’d come for, to find out what was going on with Annie, but he didn’t want to hear that she was in trouble. He wanted to be wrong about his gut feeling that something was wrong with her. “Did you say anything about it to her?”

“No. Every time I start asking about what she’s been doing she manages to change the subject as quickly as possible. I think my question about the wedding ring threw her, or I’m not sure I would have gotten that much information. Something’s not right.”

“Are you worried about yourself?” He hated asking that question because his gut told him Annie wasn’t someone who would hurt Sara, but he was a cop and Sara was a friend. He had to ask.

Sara chuckled. “Absolutely not. I’m a good judge of people, and I see a woman who is hiding something because she’s afraid. I catch glimpses of fear in her eyes every once and a while. For instance, yesterday in town a car backfired. She went deathly pale, grabbed Jayden and shielded her. It took her several minutes to calm down, although she tried to hide her fright at the sudden sound. And right after that, Annie was talking on her cell in the library. Her face went pale, and she dropped the phone.” Sighing as though relieved she finally shared her concerns, she sat back.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Do some investigating like they do on TV? See if you can find out anything? Most people don’t leave home, drive halfway across the country and show up on someone’s doorstep they’re not even sure is still alive or living where they used to. What made her leave Florida?”

“I’ll see what I can find.” After hearing what Sara had discovered, his concerns spiraled upward and alarm bells pealed loudly in his mind.

“You said something about bringing Ralph down this evening. Come for dinner, too. Annie is planning spaghetti. We’re eating at six.”

“Sold.” He came to his feet. “I best be going. See you later.”

Outside he paused and drew in a deep breath. What kind of trouble could Annie be in? First thing he would do was drive by the library and get her license plate number and find out where she lived in Florida.

He drove to the library, jotted down her number and then left, not wanting to hang around and have her find him there. He went to his office and ran her tag number. After discovering she lived in Crystal Creek, Florida, he placed a call to the police there.

“This is Caleb Jackson, of the police department in Christmas, Oklahoma. Can I speak to your police chief?”

When the man came on the line, Caleb explained who he was and asked, “Are there any outstanding warrants for a Annie Coleman. She lives in Crystal—”

“I’m familiar with who Annie Coleman is.”

Caleb straightened in his chair. “You are? How?”

“Someone broke into her place a few days ago and I’d been trying to locate her ever since. She finally called me yesterday afternoon and told me she would handle it when she got back to town.”

“Do you know who did it?”

“No, but they destroyed just about everything in her apartment. It appears to have happened late Saturday night or the early hours of Sunday morning. Is she in any kind of trouble there in Oklahoma?”

“No, not with the police.” When Caleb hung up, he couldn’t shake the warning bell going off in his mind. What was Annie into?

He decided to make a call to a friend on the police force in Orlando. Maybe he could dig around and find out what kind of trouble Annie was in? Because everything pointed to a woman on the run. Why?

When Don answered, Caleb took a few minutes to catch up with what was going on with him, then Caleb said, “I have a favor. I need you to find out what you can on Annie Coleman. She lives in Crystal Creek. There was a break-in at her apartment, but from what the police say it sounds like someone that is angry with her or looking for something. They tore her place apart.”

“Will do. It may take a few days because I’ve got a tough case I’m working on, but on my first day off, I’ll go to Crystal Creek and do some poking around. Talk with her neighbors. Where she works. I’ll even check in with the local police and see if there are any new developments on the break-in.”

“Thanks. I owe you.” Caleb’s hand lingered on the phone after he returned it to its cradle. Lord, whatever problem Annie is having, let it be one I can help her with.

FOUR

On the computer at the library after searching on the Internet for twenty minutes for information on Nick Salvador, she found an article in a Florida newspaper about him being indicted for murder several years ago. She went through the archives of later issues until she discovered what the verdict in the Salvador trial had been.

She stared at the screen. Terror seized her. He had been acquitted of the murder charge, but the reporter noted that a key witness had never showed up to testify. He’d disappeared. She ran a name search on the witness but didn’t find anything pertaining to him. Was he dead? Or living somewhere else?

She pictured something like that happening to her. For a second, panic gripped her. She quickly looked around the library, her heartbeat rapping a mad staccato against her ribs.

“I’ve got my books,” Jayden said, cradling her doll against her chest.

Annie cleared the screen and turned toward her daughter, forcing a smile to her mouth while inside terror still ruled. All she wanted to do was grab her child, hug her tightly and find a way to vanish. Next time she came she would have to research ways to disappear without a trace. There was no way she would risk going back to Crystal Creek now.

“Ready?” Clutching her five books to her chest, Jayden rocked back on her heels.

“Yep, let’s go check these out. I need to get back to Miss Sara’s and cook dinner.” She’d come back tomorrow and do some more searching. She still didn’t have any idea what was going on. Maybe the thugs who had trashed her apartment had found whatever they were looking for. What if they weren’t looking for an object but for her, because Bryan had called her and she’d overheard some of what happened to him?

On Monday afternoon, Annie grabbed her jacket and hurried into the hall upstairs. She’d promised her daughter she would go for a walk with her today and explore the area. Jayden was taking the idea of being on an adventure seriously, whereas Annie wanted her life back. She’d finished her research today on how to disappear and knew it wouldn’t be easy, especially since she had little money. She didn’t even have a cell phone anymore. She’d thrown it away after receiving another message from Bryan’s killer two days ago. He used Bryan’s cell phone again to call her.

His message, “I’m coming to get you,” echoed through her thoughts, producing beads of sweat on her forehead and upper lip. She swiped her hand across her face. She couldn’t let her daughter see how upset she was. Acting as though nothing was wrong wearied her to the point where she was getting no more than a few hours sleep at night.

Annie descended the staircase, composing her features into a calm countenance for her daughter. Jayden was probably already on the porch waiting, since she wasn’t the most patient child. As Annie emerged from the house, she paused. A sudden sense of being watched crawled up her spine, an unpleasant tingling following in its wake.

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