Deadly Christmas Pretense

On the way, Maggie caught the scent of something savory cooking in the kitchen. Her brain automatically sorted the scents into their elements: chicken, garlic, thyme, perhaps bay leaves and white onion.

“We’re completely booked,” Helen was saying. “My room was the only place.”

“Place for what?” Liam said, scooping up Jingles as he tried to scamper ahead of them. “This dog has zero manners.”

“Devoted, just like I said,” Helen quipped over her shoulder. She opened a door at the top of the stairs that led to a charming sitting room impeccably decorated in elegant creams with touches of green and exposed wood beams overhead. A real Christmas tree scented the room, ornamented with white lights and what looked to be tiny, handcrafted leather ornaments, each a different animal.

“Stay here for a second. I’ll be right back.”

“Helen...” Liam started, but she’d disappeared into what Maggie assumed was the bedroom.

Maggie moved to the tree and examined the branches, fingering a tiny mouse ornament with delicate ears and a cheeky grin. “These are amazing.”

He shrugged. “They’re okay. I got better as I went.”

She was awed by the craftsmanship but more by the whimsical nature of the figures. “You made these?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I’m a saddler, gotta be good with leather.”

But the ornaments were more than well-crafted bits of leather, they were infused with a charm and sweetness she would not have expected.

“Used to have this mouse that took up residence in our pantry when we were kids. Helen was never scared of that thing. Had to talk her out of leaving it little cheese presents. She named it Lucy Lee.”

She laughed. “Family name?”

Liam did not return the smile. “Mom’s name.”

There was such a depth of emotion in the two words, a flash of pain hidden in the navy depths of his eyes. She wanted to ask but did not dare and he did not offer so she sat in a richly upholstered armchair.

Liam removed his hat and put the wriggling dog on the floor. Jingles scampered over to Maggie. “Your dog is pigeon-toed,” she said, scratching the animal behind the crooked ears until his doggie eyes rolled in pleasure.

“That’s not the only thing cockeyed about this dog, believe me,” Liam muttered. Hands on hips, he stared at the doorway, mouth working in thought. He was, she noticed again, an extremely handsome man.

And he probably knows it, she thought. Was that why Liam and Tammy had not become anything permanent? Annoyed by her own thoughts, she straightened as Helen entered.

“Okay. Come on back,” she said.

Once again, Liam deferred to Maggie, allowing her to pass him and enter the bedroom. It was another beautiful room, complete with a slender Christmas tree decorated all in silver, but Maggie had no eyes for any of it. All she could do was cry out and run to the pale woman lying in the bed, a bandage taped to her forehead.

“Tammy,” she whispered, gathering her sister in her arms and trying to hide the tears.

Liam could only gape. When he summoned the wherewithal to close his mouth, he stared from Helen to the sniffling sisters and back again. “What...?” He stared. “I mean...why...?” He rubbed a palm over his beard-roughened chin when the words failed him again.

Helen raised an amused eyebrow. “Need a minute to formulate your question?”

“I’m circling around to it,” he said, marshaling his thoughts.

Helen beat him to it. “You’re probably wondering what Tammy is doing here.”

“That is the question that rises to the top of the list,” he said as Maggie finally released her sister and they both wiped their eyes.

He found he was not distressed at the sight of his former girlfriend as much as completely befuddled.

Jingles, bored of the proceedings, leaped up onto the bed and nestled down next to Tammy. Liam was going to scold him severely when Maggie began to stroke the dog and Helen smiled adoringly at the mutt. He bit back his rebuke. Jingles had an uncanny ability to charm women. He wished he could do the same.

Tammy looked wan under the bandage on her temple, the fire missing in her words when she spoke. “Hi, Liam.”

“Good to see you, Tammy,” he said, politeness winning out temporarily over his aggravation.

She took a breath. “Helen took me in a few days ago. It was...” She cast a confused look at Helen.

“Wednesday night.” Helen filled them in. “Actually she arrived just as I was talking to you that night on the phone. I recognized her and saw she was in trouble. Since there were no rooms, I put her up with me.”

“And you didn’t feel the need to tell me?” Liam asked, skewering Helen with a look.

“She asked me to keep her presence a secret until she could talk to Maggie.” Helen held up a hand to wave off his remark. “I know, Liam, you’re cooking up a list of rebukes, but considering that things ended a little...awkwardly between you and Tammy, I figured it would be a kindness to both of you to keep it quiet until the situation was clearer.”

He had no answer for that, but he felt the heat crawl up his neck. That wasn’t all. He could see it in his sister’s eyes, the shadow of guilt, the agony she still felt over the murder of her best friend, a tragedy for which she blamed herself. “I let her die,” she’d told him one bitterly cold afternoon. “And now those babies have no mother.” She’d steadfastly refused any consolation from him. It probably explained why she was so determined to step out on a limb for Tammy.

“Not a good idea to keep her here.”

Helen’s chin went up. “I’m not going to let her get hurt.” He heard the unspoken, Like I did with Fiona.

He waited until Helen finally looked at him. “Honey, she’s in deeper trouble than you know. She’s got some guy after her.”

Maggie nodded to her sister. “It must be Virgil, the one you warned me about. He almost killed me yesterday. I think he mistook me for you.”

Tammy jerked. “Oh, Mags. Really?”

“I’m okay. Liam scared him off,” Maggie said.

“Yeah, and I still got the pulled muscles to prove it.” He stared at Tammy. “Who is this guy? And why didn’t you turn this over to the cops if you’re scared of him? Why put Maggie in danger?” His anger was stoked good and proper. All this lying, sneaking around...it wasn’t right. And Tammy, it seemed, was the cause of it all. What really bothered him the most was that Helen hadn’t looped him in. Helen had taken Tammy’s side over his and the betrayal stung.

Now the old spark kindled in Tammy’s expression. “His full name is Virgil Salvador and I would never have put my sister at risk, Liam, any more than you would knowingly put Helen in danger.”

He wanted to stoke his anger, to add more fuel to his already simmering temper, but her sincerity drained him. It was the truth; he heard the twined cords of anger and regret deep down. “I do know that,” he conceded, “but she’s in danger anyway.”

Tammy took Maggie’s hand, knotting their fingers together. “If anything happened to you...” She gulped, blanching.

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