Silent Night

by Colleen Coble

  Suomi Café overlooked Lake Superior from its perch on the steep slope of Kitchigami Street. Named for the Finnish word for Finland, the humble restaurant offered no exterior hint of the culinary delights inside. Just thinking of the possible menu choices made Bree’s mouth water.

  She glanced around when she entered, but Lauri hadn’t arrived, though she’d told Bree on the phone this morning she would meet her at nine.

  The head waitress, Molly, a full tray in her skinny arms, nodded to her. In her forties, Molly was a whirlwind of activity every time Bree came in. It was no wonder she carried not an ounce of spare flesh on her thin frame.

  She set the steamy plates before her customers, then stopped beside Bree. “Just you?”

  “Lauri and Hilary are joining me.”

  Molly led her to a corner booth that looked out onto a snowy courtyard. “What will you have, eh? The panukakkua just came out of the oven.”

  Panukakkua. The thought of the custard pancake dripping with hot raspberry sauce brought a Pavlovian response from Bree. “You know my weakness,” Bree said, nodding. “And coffee.”

  “You got it.” Molly tucked the order pad into a pocket of her apron and went to the kitchen.

  Moments later Hilary, her blond hair in a neat bob, came toward the table with purposeful steps. “Where’s Lauri?”

  “On her way, I hope.” When Hilary sat down on the other side of the booth, Bree eyed her. “You’re sure about this? I didn’t say anything to Lauri about you being here. Or what you wanted. I’d rather it come from you.”

  “That’s fine. I know just what I want to say. And it’s perfect that it’s Christmas.”

  Bree didn’t get a chance to ask her what she meant because the bell over the door jingled, and Lauri approached with a hesitant expression.

  She slid into the seat beside Bree. “Hey, Hilary. I didn’t know you were going to be here.” She shot an accusatory glance Bree’s way.

  “I thought we’d meet on neutral ground, so to speak,” Hilary said. “You look well, Lauri. How is school?”

  “Fine.” Lauri kept her head down and mumbled her order at Molly when the waitress appeared with her pad and pencil.

  When Molly left, Hilary leaned forward. “I’m sure you are wondering why I want to see you.”

  “Yeah, that thought crossed my mind.” Lauri finally raised her head. Her blue eyes were wary.

  “I want to tell Zoe you’re her mother.”

  Lauri bolted from her seat. “What?”

  Bree reached over and grabbed her hand. “Sit back down and listen. Hilary’s plan makes a lot of sense.”

  Lauri sat back in the booth, her back stiff. “Why would you want to do this? Don’t you realize how hard this is on me?” Her voice broke. “Every time I see Zoe I regret everything in my life. I messed up bad. I don’t want her to suffer for what I did. What if she thinks I just threw her away? She’s too young to hear this.” She shook her head vehemently. “No.”

  Bree touched Lauri’s hand again, but the girl snatched it away. “Hilary, do you want to explain?”

  Hilary stirred honey in her tea. “If we tell her now, when it’s not a big deal and she really doesn’t understand it, there will never be some big, shocking revelation that upsets her life. We’ll tell her you were too young to raise a baby, and we had a room all ready for her. That we all love her very much. That you’re one kind of mommy and I’m another kind. Gradually, she’ll come to understand.”

  “I don’t like it.” Lauri’s voice was panicked. “And we both signed a paper for a closed adoption. I don’t want her to ever know. Right now she likes me. I don’t want her to hate me.”

  Hilary pressed her lips together and said nothing as a large party of hunters came past talking loudly about their morning. When the hubbub faded, she reached over and took Lauri’s hand in an uncharacteristically gentle gesture. Lauri didn’t pull away. “I know that’s what we agreed on, but Mom made me see how wrong it was. A child can never have too much love.”

  Tears leaked from Lauri’s eyes. “This isn’t the right thing to do.”

  Bree had seen the way Lauri stared longingly at little Zoe. And who wouldn’t? The little girl was darling, with Lauri’s soft brown hair and big blue eyes. Bree hadn’t expected Lauri to disagree.

  Hilary withdrew her hand and leaned back. “I want to tell her at Christmas. I have it all planned. You can get her a present and we’ll let her open it on Christmas Eve at Bree’s. I’ll tell her it’s from her younger mommy and run through what I just said. She’s so little that she won’t absorb much of it, but over time she’ll come to understand. It will be a natural progression over the years.”

  “A present? You mean like a doll?” Lauri swallowed hard, then shook her head. “I just said no. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  Lauri’s statement said so much. Bree could imagine her pausing in the toy aisle and looking at the dolls with little Zoe in mind.

  “Lauri, we have to talk about this. I know you love her.”

  “I do love her, Hilary. Don’t ever think I don’t. I want what’s best for her, but this isn’t it.”

  “Of course you love her. Who wouldn’t?” Hilary fell silent when Molly brought their breakfast.

  They said nothing more for a few minutes as they began to eat their food. Bree felt a warmth toward Lauri, a sense of sorrow for the pain Lauri must be feeling.

  The bell on the door jingled again, and Kade stepped into the restaurant and came toward them. “Babe, Mason wants us to go on that search. You ready? I’ve got Samson on the snowmobile.”

  Bree took one final bite and another gulp of coffee. “Let’s go.” She glanced at Lauri. “Would you mind getting Davy after school?”

  “I’d be glad to. I’ll take him cross-country skiing.”

  “Thanks.” Bree watched Lauri leave. Would she be willing to do what was best for Zoe?

  Four

  The sun shone weakly in a pale-blue sky but did little to warm the frigid air. Bree clung to Kade’s waist on the snowmobile. His bulk shielded her from the worst of the wind, and she rested her cheek on his broad back. Samson wore a doggy smile on his face from his secure spot in the sidecar. The engine’s roar bounced off the trees lining the narrow, snow-covered road, and Bree was glad for the muffling effect of her earmuffs and hood.

  She pointed and spoke in her husband’s ear. “Up ahead.”

  Traveling by snowmobile made getting to the spot where Mason had found Garrick much easier. The moisture from the fresh snow would help Samson sniff out any of the young man’s belongings. The snowmobile path veered from the road into the woods, which was both good and bad. The trees blocked the wind, but the shade took the temperature down a few degrees. Her fingers were already numb, in spite of her insulated mittens. Samson didn’t seem bothered by the cold. There was space for him to huddle out of the wind, but instead he sat erect with his ears up.

  Kade had seemed quiet last night. She’d been glad to have something to think about besides her failure to get pregnant again. Did he blame her for the miscarriage? Though she hadn’t fallen, she’d been her usual active self and had continued to train the dogs and search for missing persons.

  She ducked behind Kade’s back to escape a low-hanging evergreen branch. The trees began to thin a bit, and she caught a glimpse of the frozen surface of Big Piney Lake. Lauri had been right about that, at least. Somehow she’d heard Garrick had been found here instead of Little Piney. It was possible she’d misunderstood where she was supposed to pick up her friend, but Bree was convinced there was more to it than that.

  The snowmobile slowed at the edge of the lake, then Kade parked the machine. The sudden cessation of the rumble made her ears ring. She dismounted, then got Samson out of the sidecar before retrieving the paper bag that held a piece of Garrick’s clothing. Two cardinals, bright sp
lashes of red in a white landscape, regarded her from a bush before fluttering to a higher branch when they realized they had Samson’s attention.

  She diverted him by letting him sniff the scent bag. His tail stiffened and he looked alert.

  “Ice is a good eighteen inches deep,” Kade said. “Mason said he was found on the far side, and it would be faster to take the snowmobile. I wanted to make sure the ice was safe.”

  Her search dog wasn’t a bloodhound but an air scenter. He worked in a Z pattern, scenting the air until he could catch a hint of the one scent he sought. Samson’s tail stiffened, and he turned and raced toward the lake.

  “He’s caught it!” Bree said, running after her dog.

  Samson bounded through the deep snow with a happy bark. He loved it out here, and even high drifts failed to dampen his enthusiasm. The dog headed straight for a tree twenty feet away. Its trunk was partly in the lake, and its branches leaned out over the edge of the frozen water. A rope hung from the thickest branch, probably put there by adventurous teenaged boys. Ice encrusted the rope’s surface.

  Samson stopped and grabbed a stick in his mouth, then struggled back to Bree with his tail wagging. The snow came nearly up to his belly.

  “Good boy,” she crooned. “You found it.”

  Kade was on her heels. He glanced around the area. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Me neither, but Samson says it’s here.” She craned her neck. “Maybe it’s in the tree.” She grasped the low-hanging evergreen tree limb and tried to pull herself onto the branch. “Give me a hand.”

  “Let me climb it. I don’t want you to fall.” He tested the limb and it bent. “I’m not sure it will support my weight, though.” He knelt. “Climb on my shoulders, and see if you can find anything that way.”

  She did as her husband said. Her head whacked the nearest branch when he moved, and she felt something shift. “Hang on.” Perched on his broad shoulders, she began to part the pine branches above her. The pine and snow were so thick it was hard to see, so she removed her mittens and felt along the pine needles with her fingers. The scent of pine mingled with the fresh, cold smell of snow in an aroma that was all North Woods. Magpies scolded from their perch high above her head.

  She was beginning to think Samson had misread the scent when her hand touched something that felt like rough canvas. It was on a branch far above her head and she couldn’t see. Her fingers closed around what felt like a strap and she tugged at it. A shower of snow fell on her head and Kade’s as well. When she flinched, the movement unbalanced her husband. He reeled back, his arms grasping for something, but his grab at a branch missed.

  Her fingers were still curled around her discovery, but that was no source of stability either as a bag left the branch where it had been perched. As it landed on her head, she began to slip from Kade’s shoulders. The next thing she knew she was in a snow drift on top of Kade.

  “If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask.” His blue eyes were smiling, and he carefully brushed the snow from her hair. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

  “Only my pride.” She grinned and wrapped her arms around him. “So how about that kiss?”

  Mason’s office smelled of stale coffee and old floors when Kade dropped the bag onto the sheriff’s desk. The backpack was black, gray, and well used. The weather hadn’t done it any favors. “I think the zipper is broken.”

  “Good job,” Mason said. “Did you try to unzip it?” He opened a desk drawer and took out a box of latex gloves, then put on a pair.

  Kade pulled a chair closer to the desk for Bree and pointed. “Yeah, but it’s stuck and I didn’t want to do any damage until you got a chance to look at it.”

  Bree dropped into the chair while Kade dragged another one near. Samson leaned his head against her knee, and she rubbed his ears. “Have you found the pilot who dropped Garrick off?”

  Mason yanked on the pack, then gave up. “Not yet. No one really noticed the plane. The two hikers who reported the incident saw Garrick falling straight down into the trees. I think they were too shocked to look for the plane. Every airport I’ve checked has reported no skydivers going up. So whoever the pilot was, he didn’t file the right flight plan.”

  Kade glanced at his wife, who was looking pensive. He knew she was worried about Lauri’s involvement. So was he. His sister was being even more secretive than usual, and he struggled to figure out her role in this.

  “So what’s next?” Bree leaned back in her chair.

  Samson huffed with indignation at her neglect, then settled on the floor by her feet. Kade dug a treat from his pocket and gave it to the dog.

  Mason shrugged. “We keep digging. I’m going to bring Lauri in for official questioning.”

  Kade’s gut tightened. “Is that really necessary?”

  “I need to know how she knew the deceased.” Mason studied the bag. “She knows more than she’s telling. I think we all know that.”

  Kade wanted to object, but it would be useless. He could only pray Lauri was innocent of any wrongdoing. “What do you know about Garrick?”

  “He was a civil engineering student at Michigan Tech. In his last year of a scholarship with his senior year still to go.”

  “Smart guy, then. Such a tragedy.” Kade glanced at the backpack. “Can we cut that open or something?”

  “Yeah.” Mason dug in his desk drawer and pulled out a utility knife. Once he slid out the razor blade, he cut the fabric along the side of the zipper. His face darkened when he looked inside. “I don’t like this.” He pulled out rope, duct tape, and a syringe.

  Kade stared at the items. “It’s like he was planning on subduing someone.”

  “Anything else in there?” Bree asked.

  Mason looked inside, then ran his hand around the bottom. “What’s this?” The piece of paper in his hand was water stained and crumpled. He unfolded it and a necklace fell out. The delicate gold chain looked worn. Tiny scratches burnished the heart locket.

  “Wait a minute,” Bree said. “Can I see that necklace?” She reached for gloves like Mason wore.

  Mason dropped the necklace into her outstretched palm and she studied it. “There’s something about this . . .” She snapped her fingers. “I remember now. There was a missing girl in Houghton. Her parents said she wore a heart locket her grandmother had given her. She never took it off. We never did find her, but we found a hole where we think she fell through the ice.”

  Kade remembered the search. Bree had been quiet for two days afterward.

  Mason glanced at the paper, then grimaced. “Recognize this number?” He held it up so they could read it. The name Lauri was followed by a phone number.

  “That’s Lauri’s cell phone number,” Kade admitted.

  Bree glanced at him, her green eyes wide. “But that doesn’t mean anything. She’s already told us she was supposed to pick him up. Maybe he wrote down the number because he didn’t know it. That corroborates her insistence he was just a friend. A boyfriend would know her number by heart.”

  Kade thanked her with his smile, though he could tell by Mason’s expression he wasn’t swayed. “You wouldn’t think it would be on the bottom of the pack.”

  “It wasn’t.” Kade flipped the bag around so it was facing the right direction. “We cut it open on the bottom.”

  So Lauri’s name and number were at the top of the satchel, within easy reach for Garrick to call for a pickup. He’d never had the chance.

  Kade studied the items on Mason’s desk again. “Anything in on the parachuting accident?”

  Mason raised a brow. “We’re investigating the possibility that someone tampered with the parachute.”

  “You mean—murder?” Bree exhaled and shook her head. “I’d rather believe it was a terrible accident.”

  “We won’t know for a few more days. I’ve called in the st
ate boys to help. The college wants this handled as quickly as possible too.”

  Bree glanced up at Kade, and he read the question in her eyes. “How about we check out the college? Ask around and see who his friends were, then the state police can question them.” Including Lauri.

  “I wouldn’t turn down the help, not with the winter festival coming. I’ve got two deputies out this week with the flu too. But keep a low profile. State may not like me allowing you to poke around.”

  “Not a problem,” Kade said. “It’s early yet. We could be there by two.”

  At Kade’s tone, Samson leaped to his feet and padded toward the door.

  Mason scribbled a few lines on a piece of paper and thrust it into Kade’s hands. “Call me if you run into trouble.”

  Five

  Paulie, Kade’s pet cardinal, called to them when they exited the sheriff’s office. Bree was almost too preoccupied to notice Kade pause to dig in his pocket and toss seeds to the bird. The bright-red bird hopped along the snow and scooped up the offering.

  Kade opened the truck door for her, and she slid in, relaxing in the familiar scents of his vehicle. Mint gum mixed with the scent of spicy cologne and the smell of the metal cages behind the seat. If she looked, she knew she’d see snowshoes and snacks back there too. Her husband practically lived in his truck as he patrolled the Ottawa forest for the National Park Service.

  Kade got in and turned the key. His jawline was tight and grim. “I should be able to trust Lauri, but she’s proven her poor judgment more than once.”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions. There may be an innocent explanation.” Bree leaned back as the truck rolled out of town.

  Her cell phone rang, and she smiled at the music. “Always on My Mind” by Elvis was her ring tone for her sister who lived in Washington state. Cassie was working at a cranberry farm, helping them grow bigger and better fruit.

  Bree answered the phone. “Hey, sis. What’s up?”