Jack fumbles in his coat pocket and hands me his car keys. “Go home, Lizzie. I’m sorry, I know this isn’t how you wanted today to turn out. It’s bitter and starting to snow again as well. You head home, get warmed up and get some sleep.”
“But it could take ages for the thief to show up, Jack.” I reach for his hand and squeeze it. “You can’t stay here for hours, even days, especially not on your own. Can’t you rig up some camera trap or something which will trigger when whoever it is turns up to fetch the key and go to the spa for the necklace?”
Jack pulls a face. “I’ve got some surveillance kit at home, but it’s broken and there’s no way I can get it fixed or grab new kit at this time of night, or even tomorrow. Everywhere will be closed for the holidays.”
I nod. Jack is not a techy kind of guy, so doing a patching-up DIY job on the surveillance stuff isn’t an option either.
“I’ll stay; you head off back to Eskdale,” he insists, pressing the keys into my hand.
“You can’t stay here on your own. You’ll freeze! And, like I said, it could be ages before anyone even turns up.” Any lingering hopes of making our first big family Christmas as an ‘official’ engaged couple fade into nothing. There’s no way Jack will walk away from this case for a few hours this afternoon to celebrate Christmas. It’s not that he doesn’t value me, his family or the holidays, it’s that unbroken record of solving every case he takes on, which I know means he won’t abandon this one at such a critical stage.
“Go home, Lizzie,” he repeats. “If I’m not back in time, promise me you’ll still go and have the big dinner with Frazer and Emma and the kids. I’ll get there as soon as I can. I’ll…”
I cut him off mid-sentence and kiss him. When I pull away I say, “It’s OK. I understand how important this is to you.”
“You’re important too, Catwoman,” he says with a smile. “You’re pretty amazing, in fact. I don’t think many women would put up with me and my job, and not only that, but help out too. In the cold and the dark, on Christmas. Now, will you get out of here before you can’t feel your feet at all with this ice and snow?”
“I can’t just leave you like this.”
He waves a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
My home beckons enticingly, but leaving Jack doesn’t sit well with me. Stretching in an attempt to get rid of a crick in my neck, I spot a faint glimmer of light over my shoulder. It’s heading in our direction.
Sliding back into the bushes, I grab Jack’s arm, indicating behind us with my other hand. The light is getting nearer.
Holding my breath, I squeeze myself further into the undergrowth so that I’m completely out of sight.
The figure seems to be better prepared for the conditions than I am. It’s muffled up in boots, jeans and a black coat with the hood up. Is it a man or a woman? I can’t tell. The figure is tall but slight and could be male or female. There’s no reason for anybody else to be wandering about in the hotel’s grounds at this hour – the thief has come to claim the key and fetch the necklace!
CHAPTER SEVEN
I hold my breath and dig my fingernails into Jack’s arm as we watch and wait. The figure is heading right towards us. Yikes! I hope they don’t spot us. It’s snowing more heavily now, and the flakes are landing on the thief’s black coat, giving it an almost comical appearance – like the coat of a Dalmatian dog but with the colours reversed.
Attempting to tuck myself even further into the damp and prickly bushes, my foot scuffs a twig and it snaps. The resulting crack seems as loud as thunder and echoes around the Roseby’s lawns. Oh, sugar, what have I done?
The black figure pauses and switches off the torch it’s holding.
He or she heard me!
After what seems like an eternity, the figure switches the torch back on and heads towards the bushes opposite us, the spot where Hannah had hidden the key as instructed. Getting onto its knees, the figure scuffles around in the undergrowth and then sits back and stands up. OK. Stage one complete. The thief has found the key. Stage two is catching them in the act of getting the necklace from the locker in the spa. Jack gives me a thumbs-up sign that we’re about to crack this case. Thank goodness! Then we can both go back to Eskdale and get warm in front of the fire.
The black figure disappears round the side of the spa building and we creep forward, darting behind bushes and trees, staying low to the ground, basically trying to blend in with the dark and the garden landscaping. Jack gestures for me to stay where I am, my back almost welded to the outside wall of the spa as he edges further forwards to see where the thief has gone. We’d arranged earlier for a side window of the building to be left a little ajar, offering the thief an easy way into the building. I peer at Jack, watching for him to indicate that the figure has got inside the spa. Time seems to be going so slowly. What’s going on round there? Eventually, Jack scoots back to me, gesturing for me to follow him to the front door of the building. We also arranged to have a key ourselves and for the alarm to be off. Jack unlocks the door, and we creep inside, closing it softly behind us. The previously serene surroundings of luxury loungers, candles, Buddha statues and greenery have taken on an altogether different vibe in the dark as we make our way through reception towards the female changing rooms. Jack had memorised the route earlier, even counting the number of steps, so we can now traverse the spa without the need for a flashlight. We pause where the corridor turns towards the changing room, ensuring the thief is inside, not still out in the hallway. Five minutes ago I was freezing - now I’m shaking, but it’s with nerves, not the cold. In fact, sweat is dripping down my back and I can tell my face is flushed and hot. I don’t think I’d make a very good detective or special agent.
Jack moves forward decisively, and I summon up my courage and follow him. I can see light filtering into the corridor from the changing room. Then, everything seems to happen at once. The door flies open, and the thief darts out and sprints in the opposite direction. What?! We must have been spotted. Sugar! Now what? Jack races after the thief and, knowing it no longer matters, I spot a light switch and hit it with my fist. If there’s going to be chasing or fighting, then it might help Jack if he can see what he’s doing. Unsure whether to follow them or not, I debate for a second. The cowardly part of me is beaten by the part which wants to help Jack in any way I might possibly be able to. I race after the two of them. That’s when I hear the ear-splintering crash.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I skid to a halt in the reception area. The seven-foot-high real Christmas tree, as perfectly decorated as the others dotted about the hotel, is lying prostrate on the floor. There are shattered baubles all over the place. The gold fairy which had previously adorned the tree is now bobbing up and down in the middle of the supposed-to-be-soothing water feature near the reception desk. The stolen necklace is lying amidst assorted tree debris.
The thief, still in black, hood up, is scrambling around on the floor face down, presumably from where they slammed into the tree and knocked it over. The thief isn’t going anywhere though, because Jack has him or her in a firm grasp. He manhandles the figure upright and, with one hand still keeping them trapped, yanks off the hood.
I gasp as the beautiful face of the heroine of Compton Abbey stares back at me. Arabella is the thief? She stole her own necklace? But that doesn’t make sense! I might be a big fan of Compton Abbey, but it looks as though even I didn’t realise quite how good an actress Arabella Saunders is! I step forward. Her eyes glare back at me, no longer friendly. I’d even go so far as to describe the look as hostile. A shiver runs up my spine.
Gerald steps out from the office behind the desk, having witnessed everything, Hannah beside him. “I’d like to say the police are on their way, but how can you be arrested for stealing your own necklace?” he says.
“Why would you do something like that?” Hannah asks, looking horrified to discover her own sister is not only a thief but also a blackmailer. “I don’t understan
d.”
“Care to explain?” Jack asks, releasing his hold on her.
I flop into a chair next to the desk and reach across to rescue the poor fairy from her unscheduled swim. “Why did you hire somebody to find the necklace if you’re the one who stole it in the first place? Were you made to do it? Is Vincent behind all of this?”
She huffs out a sigh. “No! Why does everyone think it’s always Vincent?”
“I think you’d better start explaining,” Jack says, still standing next to her, watching her intently. “You’ve got precisely five minutes.”
Sighing again, she pushes a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I didn’t want the stupid necklace in the first place! All it’s done is cause me problems. My mum is jealous and hates me even more because I have it. It was more useful for me to have the money from the sale of it, but I knew my family would never accept me auctioning it off. The only way to get rid of it for good was to have it stolen and never found again. Blackmailing Hannah to take it, making her think she was protecting me in the process was a stroke of genius, don’t you think?”
I can’t believe it – she actually looks pleased with herself!
“Compton told me they’re not renewing my contract for another series. I needed a financial cushion whilst I figure out what to do next with my life. I think I’ve fallen out of love with acting. So, selling the necklace made sense. Once my room had been checked at the start of the investigation, nobody was going to search it again, were they? I could retrieve the necklace and hide it. Then sell it in a few days via a contact, a friend of a friend.”
So the phone call from Vincent to the jeweller’s wasn’t about him selling the necklace. Was he simply contacting them about buying a last-minute gift for Christmas?
“But why hire Jack to find it?” I ask.
She shrugs. “A few reasons. One, because I had greater control over a private investigator. I could call the shots and end the investigation on my terms. Or so I thought.” She shoots an angry look at Jack. “Two, it stopped the hotel manager from getting in the real police. Simple, really.”
“But you hadn’t figured on Jack actually solving the case on the very same day you hired him!” I say, beaming a smile at my crime-busting fiancé.
Arabella glowers at me.
“You know, I don’t think I’ll be watching any more episodes of Compton Abbey,” I add, grabbing a nearby towel and gently drying off the Christmas fairy still in my hands. “This has really ruined it for me now!”
CHAPTER NINE
I’m gripping a Tupperware container of my Christmas snowflake truffles for dear life as Jack bumps his 4X4 down the track from Eskdale Top on our way to Wellbeck Farm.
“Watch the truffles!” I yelp, as we narrowly miss a gargantuan pothole. One day I’ll have some money to get these filled and sorted. One day.
“I have been watching them for the last hour while you got ready for this dinner. It’s a Christmas miracle they’re all still there,” Jack laughs. “I came so close to helping myself to a couple of them. I’m starving.”
“I’m just relieved the things I make these days are ones that people actually want to eat!” I say, as we eventually reach the road and I loosen my hold on the Tupperware slightly. I was so looking forward to today, but now that it’s here I’m full of nerves. I adore Emma and the kids, and Frazer’s a total sweetheart, yet I feel as though I’m about to be interviewed for a role or something. It was different before - I was the neighbour and Jack’s girlfriend. Now, I’m about to become part of the family, and I’m scared they won’t want me.
I take in the view as we round a bend towards Wellbeck. The hills are looking beautifully seasonal thanks to another dusting of snow. My thoughts drift back to the early hours of this morning when we made our way home from the Roseby. I still can’t believe Arabella stole her own necklace – that is so crazy!
Speaking of Arabella, I’ve just worked a real private investigator case with Jack, done a stake-out in the snow, and helped chase down a jewel thief. If I can do that, then surely I can handle being auditioned for a part in Jack's family. Can’t I?
I glance over at my fiancé. He’s looking smart today – and gorgeous. Hair all neat and tidy, he’s even had a shave. Gone are the usual jeans and sweaters in favour of black trousers and a blue shirt. I’m wearing my favourite vintage tea dress – all black and pink flowers.
Jack’s phone buzzes into life just as we pull into the yard at Wellbeck, his brother’s farm. Please – not another case for him to solve, especially not today! Jack checks it as I hold my breath.
“It’s OK,” he says. “It’s nothing work-related. Just my mum texting to wish us a Merry Christmas from a sunny Florida beach.”
Jack’s father died in a war zone twenty years ago during active duty with the Army, and his mum remarried about ten years ago. She’s in America with her second husband for a month, they’re travelling around in a hired RV. As Jack quickly texts back, I slide my engagement ring from my finger and pop it into my pocket. If I don’t hide it, Emma, Frazer’s wife, is sure to spot it before we can get around to making our big announcement.
A few minutes later, Jack and I lug assorted containers of food and bags of presents into the farmhouse. We’ve only managed to step a foot inside the front door when Jack’s nieces and nephew come racing towards us and almost knock us off our feet. A tired-looking Emma appears soon after them. “Sorry,” she says. “They’re a bit hyper today.”
Jack dumps his parcels on the kitchen table and picks up the latest addition to Emma and Frazer’s family – his niece Milly. He twirls her round in the air, and she giggles delightedly.
“Don’t!” Emma warns, looking horrified. “She’s had so much sweets, chocolate and cake this morning she’ll probably throw up on you.”
Jack hastily sets Milly back on her feet and chucks her on the cheek. “It’s all part of the Christmas fun, Milly, isn’t it?”
Milly nods enthusiastically.
Frazer walks in, looking weary. “What’s part of the fun? Throwing up?”
“Nah!” Jack replies. “Eating too much cake and sweets and being hyper.”
“You are going to make a terrible dad one day!” Emma says to him in mock admonishment. “Or else, a very good one, depending on point of view!”
She envelops me in a warm and welcoming hug. “Hi, Lizzie, lovely to see you. I’m so happy you’re celebrating with us today.”
“I brought over some homemade truffles, is that OK?” I check nervously.
“Of course, sounds fab. I’ll look forward to devouring them later. Right now though, dinner is prepared and just keeping warm until we’re ready.”
Jack picks up one of the bags we arrived with. “What about the pressies for the marauding kids?”
“They’ve had loads of gifts already. Those can wait until after dinner,” Emma replies, going into mum-mode.
Frazer takes the bags from us. “I’ll pop them under the tree in the other room.”
Four-year-old Mickey and six-year-old Jennie immediately offer to help their dad, presumably so that they can squeeze and rattle the gifts as each one is put under the tree.
“Can you hang on a second?” Jack says to everyone, moving to stand next to me and slipping an arm around my waist. “Lizzie and I have some news.”
Emma drops the fork in her hand and it falls with a clatter onto a plate. “I knew it!” she beams. Turning to Frazer she adds, “Didn’t I tell you! I knew it. I had a feeling.”
“Will you let them get a word in?” Frazer says, pulling his wife close. “So, come on then, what’s the big news?”
“We got engaged yesterday,” Jack announces.
I pull the ring from my pocket and slip it back on my finger. Emma rushes to my side to inspect it. “Oh, wow, it’s heavenly! This is the best news! You guys belong together!” She squeezes me tightly in another hug, and Frazer does the same to Jack.
“What’s going on?” Little Jennie frowns, her attenti
on finally drawn from the bags of gifts. “Why all the hugging?”
“Uncle Jack and Lizzie just got engaged,” Emma explains to her. “Isn’t that exciting?”
Jennie looks more interested now. “They’re getting married? Cool! Can I be a bridesmaid and get a pretty pink dress and…”
“Woah!” Frazer interrupts his daughter. “Give them chance to catch their breath before you get started with the bridesmaid’s demands!”
“Can I? Can I please?” she asks, bouncing up and down. “Please, Uncle Jack!”
Jack looks at me, and I nod. “Of course you can, Jen,” he says.
“Yay!!!!” she yelps and wraps her arms around my legs.
Emma smiles and shakes her head. “Now she’s even more hyper.”
“So when is the big day?” Frazer asks.
“We haven’t decided for definite,” I say. “The whole engagement thing is still so new at the moment.”
“How did he do it?” Emma quizzes me.
“How do you know he did?” Frazer chips in. “Maybe Lizzie was the one who did the proposing.”
“No, it was Jack.” I slip my arm through his. “And it was perfect. Yesterday lunchtime up on the top of Greenbeck fell.”
“So that’s what you wanted to borrow the farm quadbike for!” Frazer says. “To whisk Lizzie up to the top of a snow-covered hill. I can’t believe you asked her to marry you up there.”
Jack shrugs. “Yep.”
“Oh, that’s so romantic,” Emma gushes.
Frazer frowns. “Romantic? I thought it was dinner someplace fancy and expensive, flowers and a proposal down on one knee that was expected in these circumstances. That’s what you told me you wanted – and I dutifully complied.”
Emma smiles at him indulgently. “Maybe it was the done thing back when you proposed, but these days things should be more adventurous and unusual. Thinking outside the box - that’s romantic!”
Frazer shrugs, as though keeping up with the latest romantic trends is the least of his interests.
Holiday Heist: A Humorous Romantic Mystery (A Celebrity Mystery Book 2) Page 5