by Jon F. Merz
But I didn’t.
And as his hand started to slip from my jacket, I watched the realization dawn in his eyes that he was going to die. I felt no remorse. He’d been about to molest a young child, a kid who had been innocent until this guy’s greed and selfishness had intruded and robbed him of that. For the rest of the kid’s life, there wouldn’t be magic at Christmas. All he’d know was the awful reality that Santa had been a cruel pedophile who’d been intent on raping him until some stranger happened by and saved him from it.
So much for the magic of life.
I looked at the guy and frowned. “Enjoy hell.” Then I punched the hand that still desperately clawed at my jacket and broke his grip.
He fell, tumbled in the cold winter air, as if in slow motion, his face a contorted mixture of abject terror, pain, and cruelty, all mixing into one sordid mess of goo.
He hit the ground below headfirst and I swear I could hear his neck break apart from six stories up in the air.
Santa Claus was dead.
I stared a second longer but the body lay at an obscene angle unmoving - a red blob amid the white coating of snow outside.
I fell back into the garage and sat there for a moment, sucking wind back into my lungs. I hadn’t planned on killing anyone today and when it happens unexpectedly, it kinda ruins your mood.
“Mister?”
I turned.
Cade.
He stood there, eyes wet from tears, face streaked with them as they ran down freely.
I tried my best to smile. “You okay buddy?”
He nodded. “I want my mommy.”
I got to my feet. “I know you do. Let’s go find her.”
He didn’t ask about Santa and I had no intention of showing him the scene below. The cops could figure that one out, although I’m sure the security cameras would tell the story better than I ever could.
We walked back the way I’d come and when I drew the curtain back by Santa’s throne, we found a crowd of security guys and cops waiting there. Cade’s mom ran to him, dropped to her knees and hugged him.
The cops had some questions, which I answered, and then the camera footage backed everything up. From their angle, it simply looked as though Santa had lost his grip and plunged to his death. I wasn’t going to debate their findings. I signed off, gave them my identification if they had any other questions, and then happened to notice a familiar face lurking on the edge of the crowd.
When the cops were finished with me, Cade’s mom thanked me and they found their way to the end of the line. Apparently, the little guy still wanted to see Santa. Imagine that. I smiled and felt grateful the little guy still wanted to see Saint Nick.
So did everyone else in line. I didn’t know what the mall was going to tell them. At that point, it wasn’t really my problem.
But the face on the edge of the crowd was.
She drew closer until we were face-to-face. “Hi.”
I smiled. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Surprised?”
“Of course, I’m surprised. I thought we were meeting in a week or so.”
Talya shrugged. “I had some time. I figured, why not surprise my favorite person in the whole wide world?”
“Wow, nice. And who is that again?”
She kissed me on the cheek. “I think you know.”
“I might have a vague clue.” I glanced around. “You want to get out of here?”
Talya narrowed her eyes and a sly grin broke out on her face. “Were you shopping for me, Lawson?”
“Maybe. I’d be lying if I told you it’s been a successful venture thus far, though. You’re a hard woman to shop for.”
The mall manager came out then and cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I’m very sorry but I’m afraid we’re going to have to cancel the Santa pictures for today. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we will have to shut this down until tomorrow.”
There was a chorus of cries from the kids and angry comments from the parents. The look of sadness on the kids’ faces was incredible. All they’d wanted was to sit on Santa’s lap and tell the fat guy what they wanted for Christmas. They didn’t see the awful truth that this particular Santa had been a pedophile. All they saw was a chance to meet the magical icon and get a few moments with him while their parents took pictures for the precious memories they offered.
Talya snuggled in close to me and I forgot about the kids.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself.”
She lowered her voice. “If you’re looking for an idea of what to get me for Christmas…”
“Yeah?”
She leaned closer and whispered into my ear.
I grinned. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Really.”
It wasn’t actually all that bad.
I lost count of how many boys named Hunter there were. And Taylor seemed to be the most popular name for the girls.
I’ll never forget the smiles, though.
The whispers of their innocent desires for new toys or clothes.
The look of magic in their eyes as I sat there - dressed in an ill-fitting Santa suit, stuffed with a pillow, wearing a fake beard and mustache that itched like hell - listening to everything each on of them said.
And the way they cracked up when I said, “Ho ho ho.”
When it was done, the manager thanked me for filling in by offering me two hundred bucks. I told him to donate it to a worthy charity instead. The grateful kids had been payment enough for me.
And seeing the smile on Talya’s face while I sat there for three hours.
As we walked away from the mall, she nudged me and showed me her iPhone.
“You didn’t.”
“Oh, I most definitely did,” she said with a laugh.
There on the screen, was a picture of me dressed as Santa while a portly kid sat on my lap with a huge smile on his face.
The interesting thing about the picture was the smile I apparently had.
“Merry Christmas, darlin’,” I said.
Talya snuggled in close again. “You know, I still have to find you a gift.”
“Do you now?” I smirked. “Amazingly enough, I have an idea for one. And it also involves you dressing up.”
“Really?”
“Oh absolutely. But I don’t think it’s anything you can show in public.”
“Well, then, maybe we’d better go some place private,” said Talya.
I nodded. “And if things go well, maybe I’ll even take a picture, too.”
“You wouldn’t,” said Talya.
I started running for the car while Talya chased me, our laughter echoing across the mall.
Also by Jon F. Merz
The Fixer: A Lawson Vampire Novel
The Invoker: A Lawson Vampire Novel
The Destructor: A Lawson Vampire Novel
The Syndicate: A Lawson Vampire Novel
The Price of a Good Drink: A Lawson Vampire Story
The Courier: A Lawson Vampire Mission
The Kensei: A Lawson Vampire Novel
Enemy Mine: A Lawson Vampire Story
The Ripper: A Lawson Vampire Novel
The Crucible: A Lawson Vampire Novel
Incident at Palmyra: A Lawson Vampire Mission
The Shepherd: A Lawson Vampire Mission
Mission: Malta: A Lawson Vampire Mission
The Enchanter: A Lawson Vampire Novel
A Fog Of Fury: A Lawson Vampire Mission
The Infiltrator: A Lawson Vampire Mission
A Forced Disappearance (DARK OPS 1): A Lawson Vampire Mission
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