The Santa Sleuth

by Heather MacAllister

  Time was running out, Amanda acknowledged as she drove to Virginia's school. Somehow she had to figure out what Virginia wanted and make sure that when the little girl ran down the stairs on Christmas morning, her heart's desire would be beneath the tree.

  Approaching the deserted circular drive of Cameron Elementary, Amanda quickly checked her watch. Was she late? Early?

  She pulled her car right up to the front doors and waited. No one came out, so she parked and made her way into the school.

  At once, she heard the faint strains of a children's choir. Virginia must be rehearsing the Christmas pageant.

  Amanda headed for the cafetorium and pushed open the doors, slipping quietly inside. No chairs were set up, so she leaned against the back wall and watched.

  All the children were in costumes.

  All but one.

  Virginia spotted her almost immediately. Sobbing, the little girl ran toward Amanda and flung herself against Amanda's legs.

  Mrs. Hull, the principal, sailed over. "Virginia says she doesn't have a costume," the woman murmured in a concerned undertone. "The pageant's tomorrow night."

  "I ... Did you tell her father?"

  "Notes went home with all the children."

  "He must not have seen it." Amanda looked down at the sobbing Virginia and remembered that Kirk hadn't even known his daughter was in a program until Amanda had told him. She bent down. "Virginia, we'll find something. Don't worry." Straightening, she asked Mrs. Hull, "What's she supposed to be?"

  "A little Dutch girl."

  "Okay. Wooden shoes. Funky hat. Gotcha. Come on, Virginia."

  Virginia's sobs dwindled into sniffles as Amanda dug in her pocket for some tissues. "Beth's mommy's been sewing hers all week." Virginia looked up at Amanda, eyes full of tears. "But I don't have a mommy."

  At that point, Amanda would have promised anything to give Virginia a happily-ever-after ending and would have defied anyone to act differently. She forced herself to answer unemotionally. "No, but you've got me. And I've got a whole studio full of costumes."

  At the studio Virginia tried racing through her taping, flubbed her lines and declared she didn't remember anything about any of the Santa Clauses.

  Kay, who was usually amused by Virginia's antics, left the room after leveling a stern look at Amanda.

  At last Virginia successfully finished two Santa ratings. Soon she and Amanda found themselves deep in the bowels of the wardrobe department. Hello Houston had broadcast a children's afternoon show for years, and Amanda knew she'd be able to find something she could use to put together a costume.

  "Holy moly, look at this." Amanda read the tag next to a plastic-shrouded rack of hanging clothes.

  "What's it say?" Virginia stood on her tiptoes and looked at the tag. "Christmas--I know that word."

  "I know you do, kiddo."

  "Christmas a-ro ..."

  "Around."

  "... theee world. Christmas around the World! That's our program!"

  "Not exactly," Amanda said, digging out the tags for each plastic bag, "but Hello Houston must have done one like it. Let's see Alaska--" Amanda flipped through the clothes. "--France ... Holland ... Here you go." She pulled out a heavy bag and hung it on the end of the rack. Unzipping the bag, she peeled it back to find several outfits for both little Dutch girls and little Dutch boys.

  "Ooh, ooh." Virginia tried to pull off the first thing she grabbed.

  "Wait a minute," Amanda said. "Let's see if one is your size."

  "What about wooden shoes and a hat?"

  "They'll be in those white boxes with the labels. Don't just grab--" Virginia had run over to the shelves and had begun opening boxes at random.

  As it turned out, all the dresses were a little large, but with the judicious use of safety pins, Virginia would be fine.

  Her dress was a blue that exactly matched her eyes, and included a white apron and yes, white hat and wooden shoes. Amanda thought Virginia looked wonderful, even if no one had spent a week sewing the costume especially for her.

  "I can hardly wait to show Daddy!" Virginia gave a little hop.

  "Yeah. I can't wait to talk to him either," Amanda said, with a grim note that Virginia didn't notice.

  It was long past dinnertime when Amanda drove Virginia home.

  "I was getting worried," Kirk said, meeting them at the door. A first.

  "Amanda got my Christmas costume!" Virginia held up a sack. "These are real wooden shoes!"

  "Hey." Kirk obligingly peered inside, but sent a puzzled look toward Amanda. "What are they for?"

  "Virginia's playing a little Dutch girl in the Christmas pageant tomorrow night," Amanda said, each word distinct. She didn't smile.

  One look at Amanda's face and Kirk sent Virginia upstairs to hang up her costume and wash her hands for dinner. "What happened?" he asked as soon as she was out of earshot.

  "I went to pick her up today and stumbled into the dress rehearsal. Virginia didn't have a costume."

  "I didn't know she needed a costume."

  Remembering Virginia's sobs, Amanda lost her temper. "She's in a Christmas pageant, so of course she needs a costume!"

  "No one told me."

  "You should have known!"

  "Well, I didn't!"

  Amanda, conscious that their voices were raised, took a breath and tried to rein in her anger. "The principal sent a note home to all the parents."

  "I didn't get any note."

  "Did you look for one in her school papers?" Honestly.

  Kirk rubbed the back of his neck. "Mrs. Webster sorts through those and puts them in the kitchen."

  Amanda eyed him shrewdly. "When was the last time you read them?"

  He looked away, jaw tightening. "Okay, I blew it." He smiled an apology. "Thanks for bailing me out."

  Amanda understood what had happened. She even sympathized with him. But the sound of Virginia's sobbing echoed through her mind and the thought of what might have happened if she hadn't intervened haunted her.

  It was essential that Kirk understand. "I was glad to help," she said, adding, "but what if I hadn't been there?"

  "Then I suppose someone from the school would have called." His voice held an edge that warned her not to pursue the subject. "That’s why they have dress rehearsals--to make sure everyone has a costume."

  "So you get a call at the last minute, then what?"

  "I would have taken care of it."

  "You--or Mrs. Webster? Or somebody from the office?"

  Amanda's braced herself for an explosion. She should have made sure he understood the importance of a Christmas pageant in the life of a child and left it at that.

  But Kirk didn’t explode. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he gazed up the stairs toward Virginia's room. "I'm not perfect. I never pretended to be."

  Amanda's anger faded. She reached out and touched his arm. "I know it's hard. I also know you've been spending more time with her."

  He nodded, returning his gaze to Amanda. "What sort of part does Virginia have?"

  "I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but they're doing Christmas around the World and she's a Dutch girl. Oh, you'll have to make tucks in the waist of her skirt with safety pins before she wears it tomorrow night."

  "The show's tomorrow night?" Kirk asked sharply, then sighed. "What time?"

  Amanda looked at him suspiciously. "I have no idea." Until this afternoon, Amanda hadn't given Virginia's Christmas pageant much thought, except when she had to work around the rehearsals.

  "Aren't you going to be there?" Kirk was looking at her as though he'd assumed she would be.

  "Well, I hadn't planned on it." Amanda reviewed her schedule. There were a few loose ends to finish before Christmas. "I can try, I suppose."

  "Good." He seemed relieved. "I know Virginia would want you there."

  "Don’t get her hopes up. I’ve got a lot of work to do." Amanda slung her purse onto her shoulder, "And that means I've got to go back to the studio ton
ight." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. It was an I'm-off-to-work kiss. Very domestic--too domestic.

  Not at all satisfying.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  "Guess what?" Kay walked into Amanda's office, dropped a pile of papers on the floor and hiked herself onto the edge of the desk.

  "More Santa Claus stuff?" Amanda asked wearily. She'd spent more time on rating Santa Clauses than on any other story this year.

  "Nope, but a present for you."

  "I like presents." Amanda tossed her pen onto the desk and stretched her arms over her head. It had been a very late night, and she'd grabbed less than five hours of sleep before returning to the studio this morning. "Well?"

  Kay grinned, drawing out the suspense. "Maria Alvarez is going on maternity leave again."

  "No!" Amanda's heart kicked into overdrive as possibilities stretched before her. "And I thought she was just getting tubby from too much fruitcake."

  "As if you haven't been watching her waist for the last three years."

  Amanda couldn't deny it. "I'm ... I'm so happy for Maria." Who's going to fill in for her? Amanda could hardly stand it.

  Kay, looking sly, picked up a piece of paper. "Scissors?"

  Amanda rooted in her desk drawer until she found a pair. Kay knew something, and Amanda desperately wanted to question her.

  "Everything set up for Christmas Eve?" the producer asked, snipping a rectangle from the paper.

  Amanda thought she might just scream. "Virginia hasn't decided which Santa is the Santa yet, but her Christmas pageant is tonight and school lets out tomorrow for the holidays."

  "The earlier she makes her choice, the better, as far as publicity goes." Kay took Amanda's nameplate and taped the paper rectangle over the front.

  Amanda surrendered to curiosity. "What are you doing?"

  Kay admired her handiwork. "Amanda Donnelly." She flipped the nameplate toward Amanda. "Producer." The word "associate" had been covered. "Nice sound, eh?"

  "Kay--" Amanda tried to slow her breathing "--don't joke."

  Kay beamed. "No joke. You are hereby officially promoted to producer."

  "Promoted? Not acting producer?"

  Kay inclined her head.

  Amanda Donnelly, producer. It began to sink in. "What about when Maria comes back from maternity leave?"

  "She wants to go to part-time status and spend more time with her family." Kay slipped off the desk.

  Maria Alvarez, one of Houston's most popular and familiar personalities, wanted to slow down? Amanda had always thought Maria was destined for network television. Taking time off for her family now would weaken her chances.

  "Usually, I caution my new producers that they'll have to put in more hours," Kay was saying, "but you practically live here as it is. Congratulations, Amanda. You've worked hard."

  Amanda Donnelly, producer. She'd finally just about caught up with Maria Alvarez. Finally caught up to where she would’ve been if she hadn't wasted time marrying Trenton.

  Producer. Producer. Her smile muscles hurt.

  "Now, sorry to dump this on you before you've celebrated, but I've got to have the production figures for the first quarter of next year and--" Kay edged toward the door "--I need them before Christmas."

  "What?"

  "You'll have to meet with Maria about those."

  "Kay, I've still got the Santa story to finish. When's Maria leaving?"

  "Tomorrow. She's been ordered to rest." Kay smiled wryly, "Too much job stress."

  "Tomorrow?" Amanda sat there with her mouth open. How was she supposed to finish everything in time?

  "Did I mention that you'll be moving into Maria's office?"

  It was a transparent bribe. But it worked.

  By evening, Amanda was nearly cross-eyed. Maria Alvarez had given her sketchy details, but it was up to Amanda to get the reports done and submitted on time, or the stories--including the child-safety piece--wouldn't be funded.

  It was a huge responsibility for her first assignment as producer, and Kay knew it. But Kay was counting on her and Amanda wouldn't let her down.

  There was someone else she shouldn't let down--Virginia.

  It couldn't be helped. Amanda hadn't told Virginia that she'd be at the pageant tonight and now with all this work ... Well, Kirk would be there.

  For another five minutes, Amanda tried to make sense of production charts, and estimated crew, studio and talent costs.

  Kirk would be there tonight, wouldn't he? After the costume fiasco, surely he wouldn't forget.

  Maybe a quick reminder call was in order. Amanda punched the number of his office. No answer. She rang his house. No answer.

  Good.

  Or was it good? He and Virginia were on their way to the school, weren't they?

  Amanda focused on her schedules. Estimated number of studio hours. She hoped Kirk remembered to take safety pins.

  After a few more fruitless attempts to work, Amanda gave up. She left a message on her voice mail, grabbed her purse and jacket, found three safety pins, and headed for Cameron Elementary.

  She needed a break, anyway.

  The school was crowded with parents and children. Amanda squeezed into the back of the cafetorium and scanned the crowd for Kirk's dark head.

  She didn't see him, but the overheated room was packed. Amanda found a seat in the back and considered herself lucky to do so.

  Along the corridor outside the cafetorium, costumed children anxiously craned their necks. Parents with video cameras recorded the event for posterity.

  Behind the onstage curtain, youthful faces peered out. Seeing Virginia's taut expression, Amanda stood and waved until the little girl saw her.

  Virginia's head disappeared behind the curtain and minutes later, a small hand clutched Amanda's arm. "Where's Daddy? Is he in the bathroom?"

  "I just got here," Amanda said, dread settling in her stomach. Kirk had better hurry. "How's your costume? Did someone pin it for you?"

  "Mrs. Webster." Virginia stood on a chair and strained to see the doors.

  "It looks great." Amanda tried to distract her. "Where's your hat and shoes?"

  "Back there."

  Amanda assumed she meant behind the stage.

  The lights flicked on and off. A parental murmur vibrated through the audience and a stern-faced teacher hissed at Virginia.

  "Make him hurry, Amanda! We're almost going to start!" Virginia called as she ran toward the stage in her stocking feet.

  Amanda spent as much time watching the doors to the cafetorium as she did the performances on stage. Country after country paraded past.

  When it was time for Holland, Virginia, standing apart from the singing group, said a piece about the Christmas customs in that country. She looked adorable, and Amanda felt an unexpected pride.

  At last the program was over and the lights came back on, Amanda tried to find Kirk one last time before admitting it was futile.

  Unbelievably, he'd missed his daughter's Christmas program. After the costume crisis, after their discussion, how could he? He’d better have a real good reason.

  Amanda waited to congratulate Virginia and kept an eye out for Mrs. Webster.

  The student performers had returned to their classrooms where their parents would meet them. Amanda finally found a tight-lipped Virginia sitting at her desk and staring straight ahead. Her wooden shoes were in her lap.

  Amanda took one look at the families swirling around the quiet girl and nearly succumbed to a mix of helplessness and compassion. Something terrible must have happened to Kirk. But for Virginia's sake--and her own--she had to hide her fears.

  "Hey, there's the star!" Amanda swooped in, trying to create some of the excitement the other children were experiencing.

  Virginia's smile wavered and disappeared. She obviously wasn’t fooled.

  "You were great tonight. And you had the best costume."

  "Thank you for lending it to me," Virginia said politely, sounding far too old for a child
of six.

  Searching for something--anything--to say, Amanda picked up the wooden shoes. "They're not at all comfortable, are they?"

  Virginia shook her head.

  The last of the children and their parents were leaving. The teacher raised her eyebrows at Amanda.

  "Where's Mrs. Webster?" Amanda asked, not seeing any sign of the housekeeper.

  "I don't know," Virginia shrugged. "She dropped me off."

  How was Virginia supposed to get home?

  "My Daddy didn't come, did he?"

  What could Amanda say? "I know he wanted to." But she didn't know that at all. Once again, helplessness nearly overwhelmed her. She wanted to break something. Or somebody.

  Instead, she bent and hugged a stiff Virginia. "Let's go home."

  ***

  Neither Amanda nor Virginia said anything during the drive. Amanda wanted to offer words of comfort, but felt too inadequate.

  Kirk met them at the front door, still dressed in his suit. "How was the pageant?"

  Amanda let all her frustration, anger and anxiety show on her face and gestured to Virginia.

  Kirk got the message. For endless moments, he met Amanda's eyes, his own pleading for understanding.

  All right, she'd listen to his explanation. It'd better be a humdinger.

  A solemn Kirk knelt in front of Virginia, taking her hands in his. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I wanted to be there."

  "That's what Amanda said."

  "And Amanda's right." He smiled up at her. "But I couldn't get away. You know that house I've been trying to sell?"

  Virginia nodded.

  "Well, tonight, some people decided to buy it. Only, they offered to pay less than the owners were asking, so I had to call the owners and see if they would sell their house, anyway. Unfortunately, all the owners don't live in the same city and by the time I could talk to them, it was time for your pageant to start."

  "Didn't you tell them about my pageant?"

  Kirk dipped his head and squeezed Virginia's arms. Breathing deeply, he met her gaze once more. "No, honey, I didn't."

  Virginia's eyes welled with tears.