by Carol Ross
She’s safe. I’ll call you later.
“Take off your jacket,” Cricket said and removed his, too. Then he reached into the back seat for a blanket. “Come here.” She climbed onto his lap, where he wrapped her up and held her close. He adjusted the vents and scrubbed his hands over her arms and legs and back until she was ready to talk.
After a moment, she inhaled a deep breath and said, “Someone stole the van.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
TURNED OUT THAT they were closer to Glacier City, and since the town had a larger police department, Hazel opted to go straight there and file a report.
The station wasn’t nearly as busy as she’d feared, and soon after arriving, they sat down with a detective, a tall woman named Gail Carthy. Fortysomething and attractive, she had a square chin, sharp blue eyes and an easy, sympathetic smile. Hazel liked her instantly.
Hazel told her story, providing all the details she could recall, answered questions and then asked a few of her own. Margaret had all the relevant information about the van, which she emailed to the detective.
“I’m guessing we’ll find the vehicle soon,” Detective Carthy told them as they wrapped things up. “Empty, of course, and probably clean of prints, and stripped, depending on how big of a hurry they were in and how smart they are. Getting away with car theft is tricky here. There just aren’t that many roads and places to go where you won’t be spotted. Unfortunately, I don’t hold out much hope for recovering the merchandise.”
“Thank you, Detective,” Hazel said and shook her hand. Cricket did the same.
“We’ll keep you posted. And please, call or text me anytime, if you think of any further details. Nothing is too insignificant. Often, after the shock wears off, victims will remember things.”
* * *
VICTIM. AS CRICKET drove them back to Rankins, he couldn’t get that word out of his head. Hazel was fine. He knew that. If he didn’t already revere her courage and fortitude, he would now. Seated beside him and humming softly to the Christmas station on the radio, she appeared to be handling the whole ordeal better than he was. But still, the fact remained that she was a victim. And he couldn’t stop thinking that if he’d made the drive to Glacier City as planned, she would never have been driving the van.
A million other what-ifs followed. What if she hadn’t put on her parka before she’d gotten out of the van? What if she hadn’t been wearing hiking boots? What if she’d noticed the robbery sooner, ran toward the van and they were armed? Or they’d taken her? Or run her over?
His brain kept circling back to an obvious connection that he didn’t want to make. No matter how he turned the situation over in his mind, he couldn’t find a way to explain the theft that didn’t make him wonder about Lee’s past.
It was so obviously planned.
“Hey.” Hazel reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But I’ve been wondering about something.”
“What’s that?”
“Why didn’t you tell Detective Carthy about Lee?”
“Tell her what?” Hazel asked before immediately answering her own question. “Oh... Cricket, no. Lee did not do this. He wouldn’t! How dumb would he have to be? You’ve said yourself that he has a code, that he never steals from people who, in his mind, can’t afford it. Besides, he’s put that life behind him.”
This was all true. His brother was anything but dumb and always chose his marks carefully. That was why Cricket was reasonably certain that Lee hadn’t done it. But was he involved somehow? Who had he told about the van full of tablets and hard-to-find toys? And what did he truly know about his brother’s criminal leanings, aside from what Lee claimed? Lee had learned from Frank, who was a liar and a con man. Maybe Lee was more like Frank than Cricket knew.
The “going straight,” therapy, moving back to Rankins, Dr. Easton, the Christmas tree—what if it was all a big act?
* * *
“AND THAT, KIDS, is why you never leave your car unlocked on the side of the road,” Hazel announced after they’d finally made it back to Margaret and Ben’s, where she relayed the story of the theft once again.
“Oh, honey.” Ben wrapped an arm around her shoulders for a sideways hug. “My brave one.”
“Mom, I’m so sorry about the tablets and the toys and everything else.”
Margaret shook her head. “All that matters is that you’re safe.”
“Don’t forget about that piece of fuzzy brown fabric,” Seth quipped. “She saved the heck out of that, too.”
“Seth!” Victoria elbowed him. “Your sister just suffered a terrible trauma. This is nothing to joke about. She could have frozen to death or—”
But Hazel was already laughing. “Vic, thank you. You are sweet, but I’m fine. Seriously, the wolves were freaking me out more than the cold or the robbery. Thankfully, I was smart enough to slip on my parka before I got out of the car.”
“Wolves!” Scarlett cried. “You saw wolves?” Wolves were a particular fascination for the girl, who was enthralled with all things Alaska. Bering had promised to take her out to one of his remote cabins, where they had a good chance of spotting some.
“Couldn’t see them. Just heard them. I wasn’t overly concerned they were going to get me. But they do sound kind of spooky and...”
“Smug,” Iris finished knowingly. “Wolves are so smug.” Iris was terrified of both wolves and bears and pretty much every other predator in the animal kingdom.
“Smug?” Seth repeated with a chuckle.
“Yes, smug. I can guarantee they were rubbing it in like schoolyard bullies and telling all their friends about how Hazel was stranded. Or possibly how to make Hazel gravy.” She breezily waved one hand. “It’s difficult for me to translate with complete accuracy since I wasn’t there to interpret, but that’s the gist.”
They all laughed. Scarlett looked downright envious. Hazel loved her family, especially her “trips” for helping her find some much-needed humor in this situation.
But that didn’t make the larger problem any better. Hazel looked between her mom and Cricket. “I am sorry, you guys, because Seth is right. You’ve worked so hard on Operation Happy Christmas, and now those kids won’t get their tablets, and people won’t have gifts because I stupidly got out of the van to save a piece of brown fabric.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Seth said, turning serious. He reached out and squeezed her forearm. “I was just trying to make you laugh. Hazel, whoever did this would have found a way to steal the van, anyway. If you were too heartless to stop for a fake moose, they would have pulled out in front of you, or nudged your bumper, or worse. And I don’t even want to think about what that worse might have been.”
“He’s right,” her dad said confidently. “It’s pretty clear that the thieves knew exactly what was in that van.”
* * *
THE NIGHT BEFORE, Cricket had known he was almost out of both gas and coffee, but by the time he’d left the Jameses’ house, he’d been too tired to do anything about either one, so here he was at the Super-Stop Quick-Mart with double intentions of fueling up. The place was surprisingly busy so early in the morning.
“Hey, Cricket!” Park Lowell shouted, bailing out of his luxury SUV.
“Good morning, Park.”
Cricket lifted a hand to wave. Park pulled on a stocking cap and scurried his direction.
“Heard about those tablets getting stolen,” he said when he’d crossed the small parking lot. Park was a member of the board of Snowy Sky Resort, an Operation Happy Christmas volunteer and a huge town gossip. “Is it true Hazel James was carjacked while driving the charity’s van?”
“No,” Cricket calmly returned even though he was already getting irritable. “She wasn’t carjacked. The van was stolen, yes. Hazel was not inside the vehicle at the time.”
“But still, that’s awful. All those gifts—and the tablets! Wow. What a shame.”
“It is,” he agreed. The pump clicked off, and Cricket busied himself with replacing the hose and attaching the cap on the fuel tank, hoping Park would end the conversation and move along.
He didn’t budge. “So, uh, I heard your brother, Lee, was back in town?”
“You did, huh?” Cricket responded cagily even as that old, familiar rush of apprehension and shame blossomed inside of him. Park didn’t have to say what he was thinking. It wasn’t helping that he still hadn’t heard from Lee. Several calls and texts since the night before without a response.
“How’s ol’ Lee doing, anyway? He, uh, living here in Rankins?”
Cricket reined in his temper because really, how could he blame Park, or anyone else, for wondering what he’d been agonizing about himself?
“He’s good. I’ll tell him you were asking about him. I gotta run, Park. I’ll see you later.” Skipping the coffee he’d planned to get for the journey, he hopped into his pickup and headed up to Snowy Sky.
The resort was an easy drive into the mountains outside Rankins. Once he arrived, he was able to put the encounter with Park behind him. Park was a busybody. No reason to think anyone else would make a connection between the robbery and Lee. He headed for the lodge to grab that coffee and have a quick word with Hannah.
He’d traveled approximately six steps inside the door when a voice called out, “Cricket!” Regina Worley, Snowy Sky’s office manager, hurried over to him. Midfifties, plump, she had pretty red hair that she always wore swept up into a bun, where she often had a pencil nestled among her twisted locks. It was cute. Regina was also supersmart and an encouraging, positive presence around the resort. “I am so sorry to hear about the robbery. Is it true that all of the Operation Happy Christmas gifts were stolen?”
“No, Regina,” he answered patiently because there was no way he could be anything but with Regina. “That’s not true.” He quickly explained.
“Oh, well, that’s good. I’m glad Hazel is okay.”
“Me too.”
“What’s going to happen about the gifts?”
“I don’t know,” Cricket replied.
“Hal and I already made another donation.”
“Thank you, Regina. That’s extremely generous.”
“Piper posted about this travesty on the paper’s Facebook page, so I imagine the community will step up. And I heard Laurel is putting an article together, too.” Laurel owned the Rankins Press, the town’s newspaper, where her younger sister, Piper, worked as a reporter.
That kind of attention would help recoup some of the loss for sure. Unfortunately, that also meant speculation about Lee would spread. Soon, everyone in town would be gossiping about Lee’s return and his potential involvement in the robbery. If they weren’t already. Cricket tried to quash his own doubt.
“You let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”
“Will do. Thank you, Regina.”
Cricket was already walking away when Regina added, “Hey, I heard your brother, Lee, got out of jail...”
* * *
ALL HIS YEARS of piloting experience meant Cricket was a master at putting everything out of his mind except the current flight. A feat he managed as he transported several groups of heli-skiers and deposited them onto the snow-covered slopes.
Later in the afternoon, he made it back to town with enough time to swing by the hardware store for cat food, the bank to deposit a check and then the Cozy Caribou for a take-out sandwich before he was due at Our Alaska Tours for a meeting. Including an additional three inquiries at Snowy Sky, he was asked about the robbery, or Lee, or Lee and the robbery nine more times. Two people asked point-blank if Lee was responsible. Three people speculated that Frank was involved.
Still no word from Lee. Frustrated and disheartened, he couldn’t bring himself to stop at the grocery store to buy coffee. There would be no avoiding people there, and he was tired. His plan was to pilfer enough coffee from the office to make his morning pot and then shop very early in the morning when the store would be empty. Maybe. If he heard from Lee.
As he walked into the Our Alaska Tours office, his spirits were low and his patience threadbare. Hazel, Kai and the bus company rep, Brian, were already seated at the conference table. Hazel and Kai were extremely prepared for the meeting, which was a massive relief because, admittedly, Cricket’s mind wandered to all the old familiar bad places.
When the meeting concluded, and Brian departed, Cricket hoped neither Hazel nor Kai would ask his opinion on anything they’d discussed. Hazel and Kai chatted about the details while Kai began to gather his belongings to leave for the day.
Cricket wandered over to his desk, where he found another Secret Santa gift. The bundle was wrapped in a fuzzy lap blanket that the cats would adore. Inside there was a mug with an awesome Our Alaska Tours logo emblazoned on the side. It was creative, original, professional-looking, and he was sure Kai had designed it. He’d heard him whispering with Hazel about it. But for Cricket, the true prize was the two-pound bag of dark roast Holiday Blend coffee.
Instantly, the weight on his shoulders lightened. Now he could go days before he had to brave the grocery store. Unbelievable, the happiness a bag of coffee could bring.
He looked at their employee. “Kai?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“Thank you.”
Kai did his best to look confused and nearly pulled it off. “For what?”
Cricket smiled. “For all of your hard work. You’re doing an exceptional job here. We’re incredibly lucky to have you. I don’t know if Bering has said anything yet, but we’re hoping you’ll stay on after the season if you’re interested in working for us long-term.”
Kai stared, slowly blinking as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. “What are you...? Seriously? Stay here in Rankins and work for you?”
“Yes, we can talk about the details later. I know you have to get going so you can get set up at the festival. But I hope you’ll at least consider an offer. We’ll sit down and write something up.”
“Uh, wow. Okay, yes. Thank you, Cricket. I will.”
He left wearing a huge smile, and Cricket was completely aware of Hazel eyeing him speculatively. Approvingly. Finally, a bright spot in this dark day.
“Well,” she said in a crisp tone, and he could feel his own grin brewing because he knew her comment was going to make him laugh. “That went well. I see that you two are, um, patching things up?”
And it did. “Yes, with any luck, we’ll soon be BFFs like you and Ashley.”
“Funny,” she said flatly but couldn’t entirely suppress her chuckle. “Seriously, Cricket, thank you.”
“Hey, he earned it. I freely admit that you were right about him all along. He’s great. But have you noticed how much less annoying he is now that he’s not dating you?”
“I have, actually. I experienced a similar phenomenon with my BFF. Her demonstrativeness—is that a word?—toward you has now become sort of sweet.”
Stepping close for a quick hug, he kissed her. She was so precious to him, which reminded him of how easily he could have lost her. When he pulled away, he asked, “Any word from Detective Carthy?”
“No. Not since this morning.” As predicted, the police had found the van. The crime scene techs were processing for clues and fingerprints, but the police weren’t optimistic. “Don’t expect to hear from her again anytime soon.”
Unacceptable, he thought, how someone was going to get away with this crime. Instead of coming to terms with what had happened, the fear was growing in his mind.
Hazel slipped on her coat. “I need to get going, too. I’ll see you at the inn around seven? I still have to pick up my dress from Janie. She altered one of Iris’s for me. Iris and I are going early to help
Shay with a few last-minute details.”
“Okay.”
“Hey,” Hazel said, reaching out and taking his hand. She peered at him intently. “Are you all right? You seemed a little distracted during the meeting.”
“I will be,” he declared. Because, hopefully, he would be, just as soon as he talked to Lee.
* * *
THE FESTIVAL OF TREES was always held at the Faraway Inn. Hazel felt a unique stir of delight and anticipation as she took it all in. Strategically placed around the dining room, the trees stood tall and proud in all their sparkling and glittering glory. Patrons, decked out in their finest, were mingling, exchanging greetings, chatting and admiring the cleverly themed trimmings. Whimsical, cheerful holiday centerpieces decorated the tables. It was probably corny, but it was like she could feel the Christmas spirit swirling around the room.
For the last few years, Shay had served as the festival’s organizing committee’s chairperson. Part of the event’s appeal was how they kept the program fresh and fun by adding new twists and taking away other elements when they became stale.
This year, they’d added a social hour with a silent auction and raffle. Individuals and businesses could donate goods or a service in addition to or in lieu of a tree. Our Alaska Tours was raffling an all-expenses-paid signature tour for two. Hazel was thrilled to see that people were lingering around the poster and brochure they’d made, and with the handsome and charming Kai on hand to answer questions, tickets were selling fast. Kai seemed especially engaging, and she couldn’t help but think Cricket’s accolades and job offer had a little something to do with that.
According to Shay, who was also beaming, the evening was shaping up to be the most successful benefit ever. Tickets had sold out, and bidding for the silent auction items was exceeding her expectations.