Paige flung her arms around Addie’s neck. “Thank you so much.”
“You just have the best Christmas ever.” Addie patted her back. “And don’t forget to thank your mom for me.”
“I won’t.” Paige grinned and headed toward the back door. “Merry Christmas,” she called as the door closed.
The front door chimes rang out. Addie’s heart sank at the prospect of a late-day Christmas Eve customer. She wanted nothing more than to get home and start preparing for the Christmas dinner she was hosting for Serena and Zach tomorrow. She sucked in a deep breath, pasted the biggest smile on her face that she could muster, and swung around. “Catherine! What a pleasant surprise.”
“Sorry to pop in so late, but I was next door buying some last-minute teas”—she held up a paper bag—“and Serena and I came up with a new plan for Christmas dinner.”
“What have the two of you cooked up now?” Addie pinned her with a probing gaze.
Catherine returned her curiosity with a crooked smile but didn’t say a word.
“Come on, you know you’re going to tell me, so just spill it. Oh, wait”—Addie snapped her fingers—“Serena’s sworn you to secrecy because she’s invited you all to my place for dinner, right, and wanted it to be a surprise? Now that sounds like a Serena-type plan. Not that I would mind you joining our little group tomorrow,” Addie chuckled, “but a heads-up would be nice.”
“That’s exactly . . . well . . . more or less what she wanted me to tell you, but I just couldn’t give you that bad a fright on Christmas Eve.” She laughed and snorted. Her eyes flashed wide, and her hand clamped her mouth. “I’m so sorry,” she giggled. “I guess I’m feeling a little giddy this evening.” Her eyes sparkled over her veiled mouth.
“Have you and Joyce been cooking with wine today?”
“No!” Catherine snorted another laugh. “Jonathan called, and he’s alright and will be back as soon as he can.” Tears shimmered in the corners of her eyes. “I’m just so relieved.”
Addie swallowed hard. She’d completely forgotten Jonathan was still missing. Last night was such a blur, but one thing she did remember was that he didn’t appear to be involved in any of it. She laid her hand on Catherine’s arm. “Did . . . did he say when he’d be back? I really need to talk to him.”
“Not exactly.” Her dark shoulder-cropped hair swung with her headshake. “He said he had some loose ends to tie up and reports and such, but hoped he’d be finished up in time to take me to the New Year’s Gala as we’d planned.”
“The gala? So the hospital is still going forward with it?”
“Yes, that’s something else I wanted to tell you. This morning Walter, the board chairman, called me and asked if I could take over the last-minute arrangements. He said Patrick wasn’t able to carry on in his role?” Her brow rose questioningly.
“Right . . .” Addie glanced down at the floor. “I kind of heard something about that.”
“His loss my gain, I guess.” Catherine shrugged. “After being a volunteer at the hospital for all these years, it is kind of a feather in my cap,” she grinned.
“And it’s wonderful recognition for all your years of service, too. If I can be of any help, please let me know.”
“That’s . . . what I wanted to ask you about.” Catherine arched a sly brow and winced. “Do you have another book you might be willing to donate to the auction?”
“For you, yes, I might even have one or two other Dickens books lying around.” Addie smiled and took her friend’s hand in hers.
“Perfect.” Catherine pulled Addie in for a tight hug. “Thanks, but I’d better run, got a houseful at home waiting for me.” She started toward the door.
“Wait, you forgot to let me in on the new dinner plan that you and Serena hatched up. Or should I be asking what time I should expect you all tomorrow?”
“No.” Catherine looked ready to laugh but a wide grin spread over her face instead. “You, she, and Zach will join us at my house for Christmas dinner tonight. We already have enough food to feed half the town, and Serena hasn’t even picked up the turkey you asked her to get for yours tomorrow, so . . . the plan was born”—Addie opened her mouth to protest—“and I won’t take no for an answer. Come over as soon as you’ve finished up here.” Catherine waved over her shoulder, the doorbells jingling overhead. Addie could hear her laughing even after the door closed.
She grinned and wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging herself. Her little family here in Greyborne Harbor had just gotten a whole lot bigger, and she loved it.
Humming a Christmas carol, she wove her way through the narrow aisles of bookcases and around the carved wooden post, uprighting toppled books on her way to the back room. She locked the alley door, eyed the crime board, and picked up the eraser to wipe it clean, but stopped. Her gaze focused on Jonathan’s name. She shrugged and raised the brush. “So much for you being my number-one suspect.” Her hand dropped to her side. But how could she have been so wrong about him with everything her gut told her?
Her lips set in a firm line. She studied the clues beside his name. If he wasn’t off with Crystal on some romantic rendezvous, where was he and why had he disappeared? What was she missing? Her palm slapped the board. It was right here. She could feel it, but the answer remained just out of sight . . . just out of sight. She examined the clues again. Australia, and followed the link to Crystal’s or Amy’s-whatever-she’s-called these-days sister, who lives in Australia. What did it mean?
Addie sat down on her desktop. Her gaze held fast on Jonathan’s name. Could he have been the mysterious caller on the phone with Teresa who convinced her not to take the phony ledgers to the police, but why would he do that if he wasn’t involved?
She raked her hands over her face. “How could I have been so wrong?” A loud thud behind her jerked her off her perch. “Marc?”
“Good afternoon.” He grinned and leaned his hand on a black briefcase behind her on the desk. “What are you so wrong about?” He gestured to the board. “You got a confession and wrapped it up fairly well for us last night.” His voice trailed off, muttering, “Although you could have been killed in the process, stubborn woman. . . .”
“For all the good it’s done me.” She glared at the board. “I still have one unanswered question.”
“I don’t see anything missing. You have notes about Patrick and suspecting him of stealing money. You have a question mark beside Crystal’s name and her involvement. Also”—he pointed—“there’s the notes about Amy Miller, ecoterrorist, and blue-ringed octopus toxin, and there’s Marvin and his mob connections. But I especially like the line about Crystal’s sister, the nerdy scientist,” he laughed.
“Yeah, Crystal was sure smart at playing dumb and had me fooled with that one.”
“I don’t see why you’re beating yourself up. It looks like you covered most everything we got them all on.”
She scanned down the board and noted how all her dots did connect in the end, and grinned.
“The only thing missing is the information I got from my FBI friend, and you’re not going to believe this.” Addie bit her lip, hanging on every word. “It seems that last Christmas, Crystal, aka Amy, was in Australia for her sister’s wedding to none other than Craig Saunders, aka Patrick Barton.”
“What? He’s married to Crystal’s sister?”
Marc nodded smugly. “And the sister is none other than Elise Lockwood. She’s actually Crystal’s half sister and the leader of the ecoterrorist group Crystal, err, I mean Amy and Craig, had been embezzling money for all those years from various agencies. It was to support the family cause.”
“Wow, have they been caught yet?”
He nodded, grinning. “Crystal, with the book in her possession by the way, was picked up by an agent along with her sister, who was there to meet her at the airport in the Cayman Islands. So, case closed.” He leaned back against the desk, crossed his arms, and scanned the board. “Actually, your theories aren’t t
hat far off when I look at it now.” He heaved out a deep breath, retrieved a toy deputy sheriff’s star out of his pocket, and pinned it to her jacket lapel. “As usual, you were a big help in the end . . . infuriating as heck, but a help nonetheless.”
She grinned down at the badge. “Are you actually complimenting me?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. You still have one major mistake on the board, so maybe I should take that back.” He held out his hand.
“No way”—her hand clamped over the badge—“this is mine.” She examined the board. “Which one is wrong?”
He pointed to Jonathan’s name.
“That’s the part that I find hard to believe and can’t figure out. I was so certain he was involved in all this somehow. I even thought that if it wasn’t with Crystal, then it was with her sister, but you just shot that theory into outer space.”
“He is involved, but not in the way you think.”
“Explain, then.” She wrapped her arms across her chest, staring at the board, strumming her fingers on her forearm. “Wait! I see it now.” She poked her finger on the line beside Jonathan’s name and the word Australia. “That’s why he was there last year, for the wedding, wasn’t it? But why? Who were they to him?” She searched his face for an answer. “Was he following them, is he actually an agent?”
Marc’s hand scoured through his thick chestnut-brown hair. “What I can tell you is that he was the mysterious caller on the phone who told Teresa not to take the fixed books to the police until he got here. He and her used to work together, and he was afraid she might be in danger when he heard what was going on and who was involved.” Marc’s jaw tightened. “A decision he now regrets, to say the least.”
Addie stared at his name. “I bet he does. That advice put her in even more danger.”
“Yeah, but who was to know. Murder had never been part of this group’s pattern in the past, and he got here as soon as he could.”
“So, his entire visit was pre-arranged and had nothing to do with stopping by to wish me a Merry Christmas.” She swallowed the lump growing in the back of her throat.
“Not completely.” Marc’s thumb wiped chalk dust from her chin. “He does care very much for you, but when she called him about what was going on, he had to come. It was the break he’d been looking for since last year when they fell off his radar, and the bonus for him was you were here, too.”
“Wait!” She held up her hand. “The break he’d been looking for? Radar? So, you’re saying I was right? He is an agent?” Her eyes widened. “And how do you know all this?”
He didn’t reply, but she noted the way his eyes darkened. He opened the briefcase, withdrew a book, and placed it in her hand.
Chapter 35
Addie’s mouth dropped. “What the . . . how did you get . . . ?” Her hand stroked over the red cloth cover. “I thought it was gone for good.” She traced her fingers over the gold embossed title, A Christmas Carol. “Catherine’s going to be thrilled to have it back for the auction. It should definitely help the foundation reach its goal to renovate the pediatric wing.” She searched his face. “But how did you get it back so soon?”
To her surprise, he smiled. Just a little smile, and rested his hand on hers.
“But . . . but . . .” She blinked, then frowned. “Don’t the authorities need it for evidence or something?”
“They have everything they need from it, a friend made certain of that.” Marc’s eyes flickered with mystery. “That friend also wanted me to give you this.” He reached into his pocket and placed a flash drive in her hand.
“Wait, Jonathan? He gave these to you?” She turned the flash drive and book over in her hand. “I don’t get it? So, you’ve seen him recently? Like in today, that recently?”
“He told me to tell you”—the corner of Marc’s mouth twitched—“that this would explain everything, or as much as he can, anyway.”
“I get the distinct feeling that all along you haven’t been telling me everything you knew about him, have you?” Her gaze pierced his, but his tell was gone and his face masked. She looked down at the book. “Well, thank you. I don’t know for sure how all this came about, but I do intend to get the whole story about him out of you at some point.”
He placed his finger over her lips. “Shh, it’s a secret.”
“Like in top secret?”
“That . . . I can never tell.” His finger lingered on her lips.
A wave swept through her and she steadied herself, her heart racing. She stared up into his soft-brown eyes as he leaned in closer. His finger tilted her chin upward. His lips brushed across hers. “Marc,” she whispered.
He withdrew his lips from hers and cupped her face in his hands. A shy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Did you just say my name?”
“Yes, I guess I did.” She grinned up at him.
“Merry Christmas.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “That’s the best present I’ve ever received,” he whispered into her hair. “But I’m afraid I have to go now. I’m on duty tonight. Have a wonderful Christmas, Addie.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you around soon?” She nodded. He picked up his bag, turned to go, and stopped. “Um, hello, Simon.”
“I . . . ah.” Simon’s face reddened. “I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear me.” His shoulders twitched with a slight shrug.
Marc puffed out his chest when he pushed past him in the doorway. The front door bells announced his departure.
“I didn’t hear the door when you came in,” Addie said.
“I guess you were busy.” He fumbled with a small, silver-foiled box in his hands. “I just came by to give you this.” A flick of pain sparked in his eyes as he held out the gift.
She prayed her eyes conveyed what her heart felt. She could never voice an apology for him having witnessed what had just occurred between Marc and her. Hand trembling, she lifted the lid from the box. She plucked out a small white ceramic bird dangling from a red ribbon. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“It’s a turtle dove,” his voice wavered. “It symbolizes love and faithfulness, and is also said to soothe the soul and ease a troubled mind.”
“I love it. Thank you.” She fought the tears welling up behind her eyes.
He ran his hand through his thick black hair and blew out a shallow breath. “It’s also a symbol that love is always near.” His lips turned up at the corners, suggesting a hint of a smile.
She swallowed and looked away, rubbing her fingers over the smooth varnish finish of the doorframe. “So, is Courtney waiting outside for you?”
“We never even got through our second date.”
“You did leave her at the curbside, then?”
His head tilted to the side. “What?”
“Nothing,” she muttered, toying with the bird in her hand.
“In truth, spending any time at all with her made me realize I still want exactly the same thing I wanted since you and I first met.”
Her heart did a tiny flip in her chest.
He wrapped long strands of her hair around his fingers and danced her backward against the doorframe. He drew her to him. His lips brushed hers with whisper-like caresses; then he kissed her like she’d never been kissed before. He withdrew his lips. Her mouth hung slightly open, wanting more, but he rested his damp brow against hers. “Merry Christmas.” He kissed her forehead before hurrying toward the door without as much as a glance back. She braced herself against the doorframe, trying to catch her breath.
Serena was so, so wrong. Addie paced around the store quite certain her head would explode. “Make him kiss you,” she muttered mockingly, “and then you can decide which one of them you’re really interested in.” She slammed a book upright, sending two more toppling to the side. “Well, it didn’t work, my dear friend. I’m more confused than ever.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “Tomorrow, I’ll think about it tomorrow.”
She plopped down on a counter stool, swung her opened laptop t
oward her, and shoved the flash drive into the port. Immediately, the smiling face of Jonathan greeted her on her screen. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned up the volume.
“Addie, there is so much I want to tell you, but unfortunately I can’t, not only for my protection but also for yours. But please trust me when I say none of what you think you know about me is true.”
Those words echoed in her mind. She gnawed on her bottom lip. As her father always used to say, “Follow your gut instincts,” and she had until her mind got in the way regarding Jonathan and who and what he was. She studied his eyes in the video, looking for a hint, a tell . . . something, anything that would confirm to her what her gut had originally felt about his true identity.
Marc had neither denied nor confirmed her suspicions about him tonight when she brought it up. That was a good starting point, but she needed more. She pressed repeat and play over and over, scanning his face, the background in the video, the lighting, every detail she could take in, but saw nothing, no clues.
Then she remembered what David had said after one of Jonathan’s flyby visits. “Some things couldn’t be shared because they were top secret, and some things couldn’t even be spoken about because they were above that classification.” At the time, she had thought he was talking about one of his cases, or a book he’d read, but now? Maybe it was something else. Had Jonathan shared his true identity finally with his son on one of his later visits? Is that why in the end David appeared to have forgiven him for all those years of grief? She hit play again and sat back.
“What is true is that I know my son loved you very much. As you did and still do him.” Addie drew in a deep breath to squelch the sob that rose up in the back of her throat. “I’ve also witnessed firsthand how his memory has stopped you from moving forward in matters of the heart.” He leaned closer to the camera, his smoky-gray eyes imploring her. “Never forget him, but it’s time for you to leave David’s ghost in the past, where it belongs.” Addie’s chest constricted and she sucked in a little breath.
“To borrow the words of an old Irish saying . . . Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal. Remember that David will always be with you in a special place in your heart. No one will ever take that away from you. However, I also know my son would only want you to find happiness now in the present and in your future. You’re a lucky girl to have both Marc and Simon in your life, two fine men who care for you a great deal. Now, it’s time for you to decide. Do you want your present to remain haunted by your past ghosts, or do you want to take a step into your new future with one of them?” A smile skipped across his lips. “Merry Christmas,” he said, and with his fingers, he blew her a kiss. “Until next time, my dear.” He gave her a playful wink and grinned. The last thing she saw before the screen went black was a sparkle to his eyes that she’d never seen before.
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