Solve by Christmas

by Amber Schamel

  Case by Christmas by Amber Schamel Christmas Historical Fiction

  Solve by Christmas

  A Historical Christmas Mystery By Amber Schamel

  When sabotage threatens the Rudin Sugar Factory, Detective Jasper Hollock believes this will be his first real case. But dear Mr. Rudin—the only father Jasper has ever known—holds a different assignment for his private investigator.

  “I’ve struck a deal with God, Jasper, and you’re my angel.”

  Mr. Rudin charges Jasper to build a “case” of reasons for his employer to continue his life. If he fails, Mr. Rudin will end it in suicide on Christmas night.

  As the incidents at the factory become life threatening, Jasper’s attempts at dissuading Mr. Rudin prove futile, and Jasper is left staring at the stark reality of his own soul. Time is ticking. Jasper must solve both cases by Christmas before Mr. Rudin, the company, and Jasper’s faith, are dragged to perdition. Will this be the Christmas Jasper truly discovers what makes life worth living?

  ©2017 by Amber Schamel

  http://www.AmberSchamel.com

  Published by Vision Writer Publications

  200 S. Wilcox St. #328

  Castle Rock, CO 80104

  Ebook edition created 2017 ISBN 978-0-9991767-1-9

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means –for example, electronic, photocopying, recording—without the prior written consent of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All Scriptures quotations are taken from the King James Version (Public Domain).

  Quotations from historical folksong Workers of the World Awaken written by Joe Hill 1910 (Public Domain).

  Cover images from Shutterstock.com

  Cover Design by Roseanna White Designs

  Other photos from 123RF Stock Photo.

  Chapter One

  Denver, December 1, 1913

  At last, Jasper Hollock, Private Investigator, was going to get his first real case. He cleared his throat to keep from letting out a whoop as he jumped from the trolley and dodged traffic across Broadway. After two years of monotonous union cases, it was about time. One of these days, he’d put criminals behind bars instead of employees out of work. This day would be his first step toward the destiny God had ordained for him.

  His overcoat streamed behind him as his long strides carried him toward the Rudin Sugar Company building. The brick structure loomed ahead, lined with windows across the middle and top floors. A flash of movement signaled the employees were about to begin the day’s work.

  Shoving his left hand into his pocket, he ensured the note was still present before opening the glass double door and slipping out of the cold. He’d come as soon as Denny appeared at his apartment door with the note. Dare say, he probably beat the errand boy back to the factory—hardly a fair brag considering he paid the trolley fee while the poor adolescent rode his bicycle through the slushy streets. But he needed to get more facts. The janitor’s short explanation was not anywhere near enough.

  Details, people. Details. Didn’t they know life and death could be found in details?

  He mounted the stairs two at a time to the second floor. Mr. Rudin’s secretary glanced up from his papers as Jasper passed. “Morning, Mr. Hollock.”

  “Detective Hollock, if you don’t mind. Would you be so kind as to let Mr. Rudin know I must speak with him directly? I’m to take a look down the hall, and afterward, I will need to speak with him.”

  The man raised an eyebrow above his monocle. “Already done, detective. I was just about to send for you.”

  Jasper halted and turned around. “Were you?”

  “Indeed. It appears Mr. Rudin would like to speak with you as well. Shall I show you in?” The elder man placed both his palms on the desk as if to rise.

  “No, I have a short order of business first.” Spinning on his heel, Jasper continued down the hall. He could feel the secretary’s glare on his back. Old Mr. Stosch liked to keep things prompt, but this couldn’t wait.

  Turning down another corridor, Jasper came upon the janitor standing sentry over the factory laboratory door, mop in hand. The man’s shoulders loosened, and his mop wavered. “There you are, Detective Hollock.”

  “Now, now, Charlie. What’s all this? You said next to nothing in your note.”

  “I couldn’t, sir. Didn’t want to raise an alarm without talking to you first.” The mop of hair on his head rivaled the one in his hand. He brushed gray strands out of his eyes. “I was coming to mop up before the boys begin, and I found the door ajar.”

  Jasper chewed the inside of his cheek. The laboratory doors were never left unlocked, much less open. “Any sign of tampering?”

  “None. Well…” Charlie’s eyes flitted to the doorway. “Leastwise, as far as I can tell.”

  Crouching to examine the knob and lock, Jasper searched the metal surface for scratches. After pulling his magnifier from his pocket, he held it up to the lock and surrounding area. He puffed a hot breath against it, but no grease or finger marks appeared. Curious, indeed.

  “Detective, I locked up on Friday night, I know I did. I just can’t understand how it would have been open.”

  Jasper took his time before standing. He patted Charlie’s shoulder. “Not to worry, man. We’ll get it sorted out.”

  A sugary scent wafted through the room. Bright lights dangling from the ceiling gleamed on countless shelved glass vials, and various pieces of equipment standing at attention on desks lined up in smart rows—a drawer on one end hung partially ajar.

  “Are you the only one with a key, Charlie?”

  “The lab manager has one. And Mr. Rudin, of course.”

  The windows along the far wall, facing Broadway, appeared neither broken nor tampered with, but a round splotch of wet darkened the wooden boards. The wetness stretched from the original site to the window and back again to the door. Charlie had apparently mopped up. “Was there some kind of spill in here recently?”

  “Not that they’ve mentioned. I’m thinking it was done when whoever it was snooped around. There was a broken vial, too.”

  Interesting. Jasper tucked that piece of information away for later. He took a brief stroll around the room. “Is this window usually left unlocked?”

  Charlie’s boots squeaked as he crossed the floor. “No, I don’t see why it should be. Do you think the perpetrator came in that way? Then snuck out the door? That’d explain why it was open after I left it locked.”

  Lifting the window frame, Jasper peered out. “How would one get up here without being seen from the street? Is there roof access somehow?”

  “Dunno. I haven’t paid much attention. I guess I could go up and take a look.”

  “Details, Charlie. Details. They’re important.” Jasper pulled his head back inside and shut the window securely. “When will the lab manager be in?”

  “He usually comes in around nine, I believe.”

  Jasper flipped open his pocket watch. Eight thirty-five
. “I will have to return to question him then. Lock it up, won’t you? No one besides the manager comes in until I return. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.” Charlie’s chest puffed out. “No one in but him.”

  “Thatta boy.” Jasper gave the janitor a nod and headed toward Mr. Rudin’s office. He could always think better when walking. If someone had broken into the lab, what might they want? And what harm could come to Mr. Rudin’s company because of it? Whatever the intent, Jasper would stop it before any harm touched his dear old patron.

  “Could Mr. Rudin beg an audience with you now, Detective Hollock?”

  Jasper rolled his eyes at the secretary’s sarcastic tone. “I’ll forgive you, Mr. Stosch. I couldn’t expect a secretary to understand matters of more pressing consequence than newspaper advertisements.”

  Mr. Stosch folded the newspaper he’d been perusing and straightened his monocle. The man’s drooping brown eyes reminded him of an old hound. Perhaps it was a result of reading too many newspapers. “I read the newspaper by Mr. Rudin’s request, Mr. Hollock.” He stood and opened the door to the proprietor’s office. “Mr. Rudin, Detective Hollock to see you.”

  “Yes, well, show him in. Oh, but come here a moment, Stosch.” Mr. Rudin waved them inside as he crossed from a filing cabinet. Half a grin hid under his curled white mustache, and instead of sitting, he rocked back and forth on his heels. “Do close the door.”

  Jasper claimed the chair facing the desk and crossed one leg over his knee. Mr. Rudin was robust as ever, except for the lines between his eyebrows. Perhaps he hadn’t slept well.

  Mr. Rudin gripped the back of the leather chair he stood behind. “Stosch, I was thinking.”

  The secretary clasped his hands behind his back. “Yes, sir.”

  “It is December the first today, getting right on toward Christmas. I’d like to give a little something to each of the employees. A gift of sorts. What do you recommend?” He leaned forward and extracted a candy from the dish on the corner of his desk.

  “Well, sir, most workers would be pleased to get an early leave for the holiday.”

  Mr. Rudin popped the candy in his mouth. “Quite right, but I expected to give them something tangible. Some memento of my appreciation for them. Perhaps a golden coin or something.”

  Jasper smiled as he studied the elder man. Mr. Rudin was just that type of fellow. He’d been considerate and kind to Jasper’s mother when she arrived in Denver with nothing more than the clothes on her back and the babe in her arms. What would they have done if the Rudins hadn’t taken her in as housekeeper? Since then, the sugar baron had been like a father, teaching him how to golf and even shoot. With a pistol very much like the one now sitting in the man’s leather chair. How odd.

  “Thank you, Stosch. That is all for now.” After the door closed behind the secretary, Mr. Rudin’s gaze shifted to Jasper. He pressed his lips together. “My boy, I have a new case for you.”

  A grin spread across Jasper’s face. This was it. The moment he’d been waiting for. His employer would reveal some secret stolen from the lab, and he’d have his first case of any consequence.

  Rudin took a breath and stepped around his chair. “I will warn you ahead of time…it won’t be an easy one.”

  “I can handle it, sir.”

  One white brow rose above Mr. Rudin’s deep-set eyes. “I’m a hard case.”

  Jasper frowned. “Sir?”

  Bending down, Mr. Rudin picked up the revolver. “I’ve struck a deal with God, Jasper, and you’re my angel.”

  Chapter Two

  Jasper studied the man’s face. He’d never seen Mr. Rudin so solemn. He gave his head a shake. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t follow.”

  The old man turned the revolver over in his hand and then sank into the leather chair. “Do you know what my life has come to, Jasper? A dead end. I have everything I dreamed of as a young man, and now that I’m old, I have never been more unhappy.” He looked up, his eyes misting over. “I have a business, money, family, and yet in all of that, I find no success. No peace. You can’t imagine what that is like. I have nothing left to live for.”

  After a long moment, he returned to his study of the weapon. “I was going to use this last night. Mr. Stosch would have found a messy sight this morning. But I thought for too long, and my Orthodox side got the best of me. Do you think God allows for suicide, Jasper boy?”

  “Suicide? Mr. Rudin—”

  The man held up a wrinkled hand. “I have come to a resolution.” His hand went for the candy dish again. He plucked a red and white peppermint. “These are very good, you know. Made by the confectionery down the street with Rudin sugar.” He stared at the piece in silence.

  “Sir, I—”

  “Ah yes, I was saying, I have come to a resolution. If God does not approve of my method, then I will give Him a chance to change my mind. Jasper, I am giving you until Christmas to gather evidence and convince me my life is still worth living. Of course, I’m a tough one to bargain with at times, so I do not want you to feel any personal responsibility for the outcome of this case.”

  “You…” Jasper tugged his left ear and took a deep breath. “You want me to…convince you to live? In twenty-four days?”

  Mr. Rudin’s mustache twitched. “Very good summary. You get an ‘A’. I always knew you were a smart boy.”

  Head spinning, Jasper flopped against the backrest. How had Mr. Rudin become depressed enough to contemplate this? And lands sakes, how was he supposed to stop him?

  “Now, was there something else you wanted to speak with me about?” His usual half-smile returned.

  Jasper’s mind had never been so muddled. “Uh, no, not at this time, sir.”

  “Very well, then. We both have work to do.” Mr. Rudin grasped a pen and sifted through the stack on his desk.

  Generally, Jasper considered himself an intelligent person. But at the moment, he couldn’t claim that at all. Dumbfounded, he stood and shuffled out of the office.

  Stosch raised one brow over the newspaper he’d returned to. “Are you ill?”

  “I might be.” All he wanted was to sit and gather his wits. If a boy had tripped on his way out of a candy store, his goods could not be more scattered than Jasper’s thoughts. But he couldn’t relax in front of Stosch. Something about the man simply irked him. “Send for me if Mr. Rudin does anything…uh…strange.”

  Stosch rolled his eyes and whipped the paper back up.

  Escaping around the corner, Jasper loosened his tie. He quickened his pace, his mind clearing with each step. He found the washroom and shut himself inside. Bracing his hands against the wall, he took three deep breaths.

  There, much better.

  He turned the faucet handle and splashed cool water on his face. He stared at the water dripping from his sharp nose in the mirror’s reflection. “So, Detective Hollock, greedy for your first case and look what you’ve got.”

  If he wanted high stakes, this was it. If Mr. Rudin followed through on his plan, Jasper would be alone. He gripped the sink to steady himself. How could so much fear be attached to one word?

  The last time these sensations coursed through his veins was the thundery night his mother died. Five years ago, and he’d become more of a recluse than ever. Of course, his oddities would prevent him from gaining friends even if he tried. Mr. Rudin was the only other person in the world who understood him and accepted him for who he was. He couldn’t let this happen. He’d protect Mr. Rudin with his own life if necessary.

  What a turn of events. He’d expected Mr. Rudin to talk to him about the laboratory break-in.

  The laboratory. What about that? He hadn’t determined the motive behind that, either. Mr. Rudin may be in more danger than he realized.

  Jasper refilled his depleted lungs. He’d interview the lab manager first. Then he’d figure out a plan to dissuade Mr. Rudin and get to the bottom of this intrusion.

  He jerked open the washroom door to see Denny, the errand boy, standin
g there with his fist poised to knock. A smile that could win a million dollars split the young man’s face. “Oh, hello, detective. Nice to see you.”

  What kind of kid greets you that way coming out of the washroom? Strange. This boy was strange.

  “Greetings.” Jasper sidestepped the boy and headed toward the lab. The boy’s shoes clomped behind him.

  “Did you find anything in the laboratory?”

  “Vials, desks, everything you’d expect to find in such a room.”

  “I mean clues, Detective Hollock. Did you find any clues? I bet you sniffed out the entire scandal by now just like Sherlock Holmes does over in England.”

  Jasper rolled his eyes. “You do know Holmes is a fictional character. He doesn’t actually live and work in the streets of London.”

  “Of course, I know that.” Denny trotted to catch up with him. “That’s why I like you. You’re a real-life Sherlock. Well, at least, I think you are. You haven’t actually proved it yet, since I haven’t seen you work.”

  “Speaking of work, isn’t that what you’re supposed to be doing?”

  Denny flashed his grin again. “Why sure, and I am. I was supposed to find you and let you know the lab manager arrived. Charlie said you’d want to talk with him.”

  “Brilliant. I was just headed his way.” Lengthening his strides, Jasper stalked toward the lab, Denny dogging him all the way.

  Charlie stood at his post as instructed. He jerked his head toward the door. “Kendal is inside.”

  Jasper halted in the doorframe. The lab manager clawed through a bottom file drawer, his hair tousled and his unbuttoned sleeves flapping.

  “Anything missing?” Jasper asked.

  “Aha! Here it is.” The man dropped into a chair, his arms falling limply to his sides. “I was afraid they’d taken information, but everything seems to be accounted for.”

  “Nothing at all is missing?”

  The man squinted around the room. “Not that I can tell. I’ll continue taking inventory, but it seems all is unharmed.”