In the Teeth of It

by K A Miltimore

  “Different people celebrate it differently, but yes, it has become something of a time to show affection through the giving of gifts. People love presents, so I suppose it isn’t surprising that exchanging small gifts has become more with Black Friday and midnight sales and Santa’s big sleigh. Even with all that, Christmas is pretty cool. You’ll see.” Mel was determined to make Ana’s first Christmas amazing.

  “There is that booth that Hedy was looking for, The Red Bat. That velvet dress is quite lovely.” Ana paused to touch the sleeve. She was certain she could never wear something so elegant, but it did look lovely on the mannequin.

  “Pretty, isn’t it? That would look so good on you. Although, we’d have to hem it, it is long.” Mel chuckled and gave Ana a pat on the top of her head.

  “Very funny, Mel. Yes, I’m short. And you are adorable. So, shut up.” Ana gave Mel a quick kiss as they continued passed the booth.

  ✽✽✽

  The crowd continued to wax and wane, coming in spurts, but all stopped to marvel at the spinning Christmas pyramid. Sales were brisk; so much for the prediction of the rude lady earlier. Hedy was glad to see the pair of lovebirds return a while later so they could lend her a hand. At this pace, she would sell out of everything before the end of the market.

  “Wow, quite a crowd, huh? No wonder with all the booths here. There are even vendors who have come in from other areas. We saw some really cool stuff for sale,” Mel said as she slipped back behind the counter.

  “Yes, I have never been to a Christmas market before, so it was interesting to see what it is all about.” Ana perched on top of a tote container near the back, keeping out of the way.

  “Well, a true Christmas market would look a bit different than this. You’d need to travel to Germany or Austria for the full experience. But it is nice to see little Enumclaw doing their part to share the experience, and it is nice for the vendors to make a little money.”

  “Hedy, why don’t you go take a tour and check out that booth you wanted to see? It’s almost directly across the hall from here. We saw a gorgeous green gown that Ana has her eye on. We can cover things here.” Mel gave Ana a quick grin and was rewarded with a swift swipe at her leg.

  “Thank you, I will. I’ll only be a few minutes. I just restocked all the shelves, so what is left is all we have. I’m afraid we just might sell out.” Hedy slid past Mel and exited the booth.

  “Like that’s a bad thing? More money, more money.” Hedy and Mel laughed, and Ana came up to the counter to take Hedy’s place. There were several customers lining up to get their treats, but Hedy didn’t feel guilty; Mel could definitely handle it.

  She walked the perimeter of the hall, past rows and rows of merchants in the middle of the hall that she could snake her way through. She wanted to make her way to Michael’s booth first. Mel was right, it was almost directly across the hall, and she found it easily. He did have a mannequin dressed in green velvet, but he also had a large sign with the shop’s name all lit in Christmas bulbs. He was right that it would have been impossible to miss.

  “Well, this is quite a display.” Hedy walked up as a customer was leaving with her bag, clearly pleased with her purchase. He had brought just a sampling of the store’s wares, but the two rolling racks were jammed packed, though still meticulously organized and color coordinated.

  “Yes, I didn’t think subtle was the right approach for this event. So far, sales have been good. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Vintage clothing usually has a limited market, but everyone must be in a buying mood. I should have brought more jewelry; that seems to be the biggest hit.” Michael’s voice sounded amazed to Hedy, like he was genuinely surprised people were buying his things.

  “Well, I am glad that things are going well. We are selling well, too. Although, cookies at Christmas is almost a gimme. A little hard to sell in January, when everyone starts their diet,” Hedy said dryly. Michael laughed and his curls shook.

  “Yes, I would suspect that is the one month when your shop struggles. But right after that you have Valentine’s Day, so you are saved. You should take a January vacation and hit a beach somewhere. I have some lovely one-piece suits back at the shop you could try on.” He smiled devilishly. Clearly, he was always trying to make a sale, but Hedy wondered if he was flirting as well.

  “Oh, I will have things to occupy my time, never fear. But on a serious note, I hear there was some vandalism near your shop. What happened, do you know?”

  Before Michael could answer, a customer came up to purchase a pair of red leather gloves. Rather than hover, Hedy took a few moments to browse through the rack until he finished his sale.

  “Yes, it was awful. The whole street and sidewalk had glass everywhere. Someone came through and smashed most of the shop windows. They grabbed things out of the displays, but it doesn’t look like they entered the buildings. Whoever it was seemed more interested in destruction than actual looting. Just terrible.” Michael’s voice had a hard edge to it.

  “But they didn’t hit your shop?”

  “No, thank goodness. I managed to avoid the smash and grab. I chalk it up to my Irish luck. Oh, and the magic spells of course.” Michael smiled that devilish grin again and Hedy honestly couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not.

  “Well, I am glad you missed being a target, no matter the reason. I feel so badly for the shops near you. I had met the owner of the store next to yours, I think her name is Kaitlyn, and I can’t imagine how upset she is today.”

  “She’s here. No doubt some sales can help offset the loss. Her store has plywood over the window right now until the glazier can come to put in the new window on Monday. I just hope the police find the people responsible. Can’t let something like that go, they will only escalate.” Michael turned to greet another customer, and Hedy decided to leave him to it. She gave him a wave and took off to finish the loop around the hall.

  The crowd had definitely thickened. The market was in full swing and Hedy could hear the Christmas carolers working on their version of We Three Kings from somewhere in the center of the hall. Most people had bags in hand, and she was glad to see it; small shops had a hard time competing with big retail stores or online sales.

  The noise of the hall increased but not all of it sounded pleasant. There was an undercurrent of shouting and Hedy realized it was getting louder the closer she got to her side of the hall. She picked up her pace when she saw one of the booths near her had merchandise scattered all over the cement floor.

  “There are four of them. In masks. Try to cut them off!” she heard a security guard yell to another who darted toward the middle of the hall, no doubt trying to reach the opening at the far end that led to the beer garden and food trucks.

  Hedy heard Mel yell and she started to run. She was only a few booths away, but she could see figures in sweatshirts fleeing and her tiered stands on the ground, smashed. She saw the last figure grab the top of the pyramid and give it a hard pull. The whole thing toppled over into three large pieces before Ana and Mel could stop it.

  Chapter Twenty

  Hedy, I am so sorry! He was so fast. He just jumped on the first tier and then yanked before we could stop him.” Mel was in tears, trying to pick up the remains of the cookies as if they could be salvaged. Ana was trying to push the parts of the pyramid out of the way, but they were a bit too heavy for her.

  “Mel, it isn’t your fault. I saw what happened. Don’t bother trying to pick those cookies up. We’ll just get a broom.” Hedy was looking down the hall as she spoke, watching the crowd to see if the kid was still there. People were heading out the back entrance, so she assumed the vandal headed that way.

  “It was definitely a kid. They didn’t say a word though. Not even laughing or swearing, not anything.” Mel’s voice grew louder and more upset. She knew it wasn’t her fault, yet she felt responsible in some way. Maybe if she had seen the kid approach instead of talking with Ana, or maybe if she has tried to grab onto an arm, she might have been a
ble to stop the whole disaster.

  “Mel, don’t blame yourself. The child came out of nowhere. There was nothing we could have done to stop what happened.” Ana squatted down by Mel and gently pulled her to her feet. There were broken Krampus cookies all around them on the floor. The irony wasn’t lost on Hedy and she laughed.

  “What? Why are you laughing?” Mel watched Hedy go from chuckling to full on belly laugh and she couldn’t understand why.

  “Look down. Look at your feet.” Hedy could barely speak the words. “Krampus.”

  It took Mel a minute but then she understood, and she started laughing too, more at Hedy’s hysteria than anything else. Yes, it was funny that Krampus cookies should be smashed by the very kid that Krampus would have snatched up in his bag. Anahita looked at both of them like they were crazy.

  “Okay, enough of this,” Hedy said as she wiped the tears from her eyes and regained her composure. “Mel, can you call Darro and ask him to come back early? He can help us tear down the booth and then we can go back to the house. I’d like to put this day behind me. There is a glass of whiskey with my name on it at home.”

  “I wonder if they caught the kid? They had on some kind of Halloween masks and were dressed in black. Should be easy to spot among all the red and green,” Ana said. She briefly thought about following the crowd outside to see what was happening, but she decided Mel needed her nearby. Mel’s loyalty and sense of duty were one of the things Ana loved about her, even if she did end up taking things too personally sometimes.

  “I hope it wasn’t Dylan.” Mel sounded serious again, thinking about her cousin.

  “Oh, it probably wasn’t him. You would have recognized him, no doubt, even with the mask. Let’s not borrow trouble,” Ana advised. The crowd was milling by, observing the scene and making comments as they went. This wasn’t how Hedy wanted to get the word out about the shop. The quicker they cleaned up and left the market, the better.

  “I’ll call Darro. Then, I’ll call my uncle and see if Dylan has shown up.” Mel started scrolling through her contacts, looking for Darro’s number. She had a terrible feeling that Dylan was involved.

  “Is everyone alright over here?” Michael arrived from among the crowd, looking concerned and shaking his head at the mess.

  “Yes, we are fine, unlike our poor cookies. Good thing you got one when you did. We’re finished here for the day.” Hedy hoped she didn’t look as exasperated as she felt. She was trying hard to keep her composure.

  “What a shame. Damn hooligan, I hear. Probably one of the ones who smashed the windows yesterday. I hope the police find them. What can I do to help?” Michael’s clothing was far too nice to be hauling out the wooden pyramid and cookie shambles.

  “Oh, we appreciate the offer, but our friend Darro is on his way to help. He has the truck to load all this out. We’ll sweep it up with a broom and be done with it all. Thanks, though. You better get back to your stall before something gets stolen.” Hedy appreciated his willingness to help her out and she did her best to give him a good smile. She would be mortified if she knew it looked more like a grimace.

  “I asked a very nice lady to mind the stall for me, and unless she is helping herself to the scarves, I think I am alright. But if you have things in hand, I’ll head back. I’ll swing by your store tomorrow, if that is alright, to see how things are going. Maybe by then there will be news of an arrest and you can be picking out the villain in a line up.” Michael chuckled and Hedy gamely tried to join him. The idea that it might be Mel’s cousin behind all this took the mirth out of his joking.

  “Thanks, Michael. I look forward to your visit.” She gave him a wave as he headed off. Mel was off the phone with Darro and looking puzzled.

  “Who was that, Hedy?”

  “That is Michael, the owner of The Red Bat, that shop in town you told me to check out. He is very nice and that’s where I picked up this dress. He’s coming by the shop tomorrow to check on things.” Hedy turned from watching him walk away to see the concerned look on Ana’s face.

  “You know he isn’t mortal, Hedy. Has he told you that?” Ana asked, looking from the startled faces of Mel and Hedy and realizing she was spilling secrets.

  “What? What are you talking about?” Hedy stepped closer to the girls so that no one in the crowd would overhear them.

  “I can’t tell you exactly what he is, but I can tell you he isn’t human. As an elemental, I can sense another who is not…well, pardon the term, but not mundane like humans. Those with powers and abilities give off a scent that is unmistakable to undines. Humans smell different. Not bad, mind you, just different.” She saw the worried look on Mel’s face and wanted to reassure her.

  “I don’t know anything about that. The most he has ever said was a joke that the vandals didn’t smash up his shop because of the magic spell he had on the building. Are you sure, Ana?” Hedy felt a knot in her stomach starting to grow.

  “Yes, I am afraid so. Your friend is definitely not a human. That might not be a bad thing, but you should know what you are dealing with.” Ana was sorry to be the one bearing the news; Hedy’s face looked like someone had just poured cold water all over her.

  “Well, that’s a situation for another day. Tonight is about getting the pyramid cleaned up and getting back to the shop. Hopefully Darro is on his way.” Hedy really didn’t think she could take one more thing going wrong today. The sooner she could get home, the sooner she could put this day behind her.

  “He should be here any time; he lives just a few miles from here.” Mel was trying to be helpful, but she could see it wasn’t having much effect. She glanced helplessly over at Ana and two exchanged a silent conversation.

  “I guess on the bright side it means you will get your meeting with Miss Vaduva sooner than we thought, Ana. At least you can get that over with and she can be on her way. She is an interesting woman, to put it mildly.” Hedy gave Ana a weak smile and perched on one of the large rubber totes behind the table as a makeshift stool.

  “Why does she want to talk with me? I’m sure she knows everything that happened with Lyssa.” Ana had found the call from the Concierge cryptic, with little detail as to why anyone would want to meet with her.

  “She said she needs to hear from you what your experience was. She is deciding if I am fit to continue hosting a waystation. Apparently endangering the lives of my guests is frowned upon.” Hedy chuckled in a gallows humor sort of way. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t thought about herself; she couldn’t very well blame the Concierge from thinking it, too.

  “That’s nonsense. Bren and I both wouldn’t hear of leaving, even when you asked us to. We were there of our own free will, and I will tell Miss Vaduva that in person. You did nothing wrong, and in fact, without your help, those women would have been more traumatized than they already were by that awful man, Mr. Jeffries.” Ana was getting worked up just thinking about it all and how unfair it was that Hedy should be taking any blame.

  “I appreciate that, Ana, I really do. But you must promise me that whatever the investigator asks you, you will answer her honestly. If it is better that I no longer host guests, I would have to abide by that decision, as much as I would hate that.” Hedy stood up at the sight of Darro approaching and before she could start to cry. Saying it out loud made the possibility all the more real and she couldn’t imagine losing her waystation.

  “What in the bloody hell happened here?” Darro’s voice came out like a roar, startling the shoppers that were still lingering near the wreckage of the stall. He gave the dolly a sharp push before standing it upright.

  “Someone thought it would be a good idea to pull it down, destroying everything. Looked like a kid in a Halloween mask. They ran off before anyone caught them.” Hedy sounded tired as she gave Darro the abbreviated story. “If we can just pack up everything and head back to the house, I would be really grateful.”

  “Sure thing. But we need to fetch a broom and a garbage pail from someone. Perhaps the lass
es can help with that while I start loading out the wood?” Darro watched both Ana and Mel jump forward and head toward the front of the hall. “Why don’t you follow me out to the truck and take a wee rest while we get this all cleaned up?”

  “I’d rather help, and then we can all head back quickly. I am so sorry all your work ended up toppled over. Hopefully it can be fixed to use again?” Hedy watched as Darro picked up the smashed motor and the splintered paddles from the top of the pyramid.

  “Oh aye, it can be, if need be. I suspect you won’t have need of such a whirlygig for a while, though. If we need to rebuild her, it won’t take much time. I am just sorry to see all those good treats go to waste on the floor. All for some rumpus.” Darro practically spat out the last words. He was getting his dander up just thinking about some brat causing all this mischief.

  “Well at least we made quite a few sales before all this happened, so the day isn’t a total loss. Looks like the girls are back with the broom.”

  Tearing down the display took less time than setting it up and it wasn’t long before they had everything loaded back up in the truck. Ana and Mel had been dropped off at the hall by Mel’s mom but luckily there was just enough room in the back of Darro’s truck for them and the drive was a short one. Too long in the back of the pickup would have been uncomfortably cold for the girls, pressed up against the wooden slats of the pyramid.

  Hedy and Darro rode in silence back toward the house. They pulled up to the curb and Darro waved them all off from helping to unload the truck. He could manage it very well himself.

  “You two must be chilled from that ride. Come on, let’s get inside and I’ll get you some tea.” Hedy pulled out her key for the front door, but latch turned easily. Maybe Yami went out and left it unlocked?