A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

by Wilton, Patrice

  Ally hadn’t been there, but he’d seen her taking pictures in the trees behind her cabin as he’d driven up. Strange girl, living alone in the woods like that. Strange hobby, photographing close-ups of butterflies and insects, and anything that caught her eye.

  But she was good at it. Owned one of her framed photos himself. He’d needed something to adorn the beige wall of his beige on beige one-bedroom apartment just outside of town. The photo showed heavy foliage and shadows, with a glimpse of the lake. Instead of focusing on the lake as most amateurs would, she’d caught the way the light moved through the trees, creating a life of its own.

  He liked Ally, purple-tipped hair and all. Pulling up in front of her place, he picked up a heavy duty plastic bag and a hand-held brush from the trunk of his car to collect the dead skunk.

  He was ten feet away from the front steps when he saw the black and white body, stiff—followed by the smell of blood, which had dripped from one stair to another. His stomach rolled as he stepped closer. Reaching into his pocket he found the Tums he was looking for, and popped one in his mouth. The violence to this little rodent didn’t bother him much; he’d seen a whole lot worse in his day. But it didn’t fit the picture of this idyllic town and he damn well wanted to get to the bottom of it.

  Ian chewed the Tums and glanced around the perimeter of the wooded lot, his eyes scanning the trees, then cut across to the front of the house which faced the beach. If someone wanted to hang around here, they could easily go undetected. The nearest neighbor wasn’t within eyesight, or hearing distance either.

  He shivered as a gust of frigid air whipped up his coat. Decembers in Pennsylvania were known to be cold, despite the shining sun and blue sky. Could someone be out there, right now, watching him? Watching Ally? Ian returned his attention to the dead skunk. It was darn right creepy—the belly sliced with precision. He scooped the body into an evidence bag.

  Ian searched the exterior of the house, not seeing any footsteps in the frozen snow. He circled around to the car park, where he found a shovel leaning against the wall. Couldn’t use a hose without creating an ice slick, so he piled snow on the steps and then scraped the blood into the shovel. The lake was too far, so he carried the mess to the stand of trees and dumped it there.

  Ian leaned the shovel against the trunk of an oak, listening to the woods. Wind ruffled the thick, fragrant pines and he heard the chirrup of a squirrel in the sleeping branches overhead. Peaceful. He scanned the snowdrifts for signs of disturbances, but nothing marred the knee-high piles of white snow.

  There was no evidence of anyone wanting to scare this young woman to death. He put away the shovel and got in his car to call Finn. The call went to voice mail. “I’m on my way into town to see Ally.”

  * * *

  “Hey, Chief, I saved you some pie.” Ally raised her voice over the sound of recorded Christmas music when she spotted Ian in the entranceway. He gave her a little wave, shaking snow from his head. His face was ruddy from the cold, his thick brown hair damp and laced with snowflakes.

  He kicked snow off his boots, shrugged his burly coat from his broad shoulders to hang on one of the hooks by the door, then took a seat at his favorite booth next to the window facing the street. He always sat with his back to the kitchen. Must be police training, Ally figured—one eye out for trouble.

  She hustled up to him, glad that the noon lunch hour was over and the place practically empty. “You look frozen. What did you do? Tramp all over the place looking for my skunk killer?” Ally kept her tone light to hide her apprehension. Would he find proof of vandals, or would he think she was being an over-reactive female?

  “Yeah. Pretty much.” His mouth twisted in a half-smile. “Nice looking package some idiot left for you—I agree it was deliberate. Cleaned it up the best I could.”

  “Thanks for that.” She put a hand on her hip and studied his expression. He gave nothing away. “See anything?”

  “Nope.” He placed his elbows on the table. “Not sure if that’s the good news or the bad.”

  “I’ll take it.” She sucked in her bottom lip. For the past three hours, she’d gone over every possible game plan she could come up with, and none of them had any appeal. She refused to run. It was an emotional decision, but the only one she could live with. Which meant that she had to be smart, and protect herself. To stand and fight if she had to. “The thought of somebody being out there really ticks me off. This is my home now and I aim to keep it that way.” She jutted her chin forward, and released a breath. “I lease the property. Nobody should be messing with it, or me.”

  “I agree, but for the time being it wouldn’t hurt to be extra careful.” He looked her directly in the eye. “This is about as safe a neighborhood as you’ll ever find, but that doesn’t guarantee crime-free.”

  “I know that.” Sadly, she did. Still, she’d hoped for reassurance, not the truth. Rubbing the goosebumps from her arm, she said, “Problem is, I like to meander around with my camera, taking still life pictures of little critters that catch my eye. It’s my hobby. My thing.”

  “Right. I’m not telling you to stop, just keep an eye on your surroundings.” Ian settled back in the booth, his gaze taking in everything at once. Who was in the restaurant, probably the clothes they were wearing, maybe even the color of their eyes, and identifying features, like the streaks of purple in her hair.

  She’d heard the news about him—a New York City detective who’d left his precinct after his partner got killed. A small town like Heaven was no doubt below his pay grade, but if he liked it here, who could blame him?

  “I have a feeling you know to do that anyway.”

  “You got that right.” Her shoulders relaxed. “So, you want a coffee to go along with that pie?”

  “No. Matter-of-fact, I’m going to pass on the Boston Cream. I’ve been putting weight on since I came here, and my belt buckle is in the last notch.” He grinned. “I’ll just have a bowl of your soup du jour. What’s the choice today?”

  “Beef barley. Or turkey noodle. And you can get a half sandwich to go with that—only $6.99.”

  “I’ll take the beef barley and half a pastrami on rye.”

  “You got it, Chief.” She put the order in, then checked her other tables, who’d been sipping their coffees while finishing dessert.

  She returned to the kitchen just as Nick ladled piping hot soup into a bowl and artfully positioned the sandwich next to it. “Did Chief Brown take a look around your place?”

  “He did. Didn’t see anything, but he cleaned it up for me which was nice. I really didn’t want to deal with that.” She preferred her woodland creatures alive, thank you.

  “Look, after our customers leave why don’t you go see Jennie and spend some time with her and the kids? Keep her company, you know they love that.”

  “I’m not afraid to go home, Nick,” she said—speaking the words and making them true. “I’ll pop in at the store to mind the counter while she picks up the kids from school, but I have things to do at home.” She had new film to be developed and framed pictures to hopefully sell. “Besides, I can’t be hanging around you two all the time. You’re newlyweds, the last I heard.”

  He grinned. “What’s so earth-shattering important at home that you can’t make time for my beautiful wife and darling girls? You know you’re Jennie’s only friend in town.”

  “Maybe you should hire another chef and spend more time with them yourself.” As soon as the words left her lips she regretted them. She knew he felt guilty spending six nights a week at the restaurant, but until he met Jennie last year, he’d worked seven nights straight. Hadn’t taken a holiday in years. He’d already relaxed his schedule the best he could.

  Nick didn’t take offense. “One day perhaps. But right now this is my livelihood and I have to be here.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. Nobody could duplicate your cooking. Or your good looks,” she said with a teasing smile. “Well, maybe Byron. If things get hairy around my place
, maybe I’ll convince him to stop by and check things out.”

  Byron was the poet-inspired bartender who wooed the customers with his silky smooth words and equally strong drinks. He worked from four until closing and was a babe magnet, changing girlfriends every few weeks or so. Had to travel to Philly to find that many, but he didn’t seem to mind. Ally had zero interest in him as anything but a friend.

  “I don’t like the idea of you going home every night in the dark alone. It’s not safe anywhere, even here.” Nick gave her a thoughtful look. “Maybe Byron or I should start following you after work just to take a look around.”

  “We usually get out of here before nine.” In the summer, it was still light out after work, but winter nights were dark early. “I don’t need either of you watching over me, as sweet as your offer is. At least not yet.”

  “I’m just saying. I don’t want anything to happen to you. You should really think about getting yourself a nice, steady boyfriend.”

  She thought of Ian, so solid and dependable, and so not her type, and picked up the tray to deliver his lunch. Scrunching up her nose, she replied, “That’s what got me into this problem in the first place.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  The restaurant closed for two hours in the afternoon so that Nick could prepare for the dinner crowd, which gave Ally a break. Sometimes she went home to work in her darkroom, but other times, like this afternoon, she’d go to Jennie’s new craft shop down the street. Despite Ian’s assurances that her porch was back to normal and that there was no sign of intrusion around her cabin, she craved a friend to talk to.

  Nick’s wife had been passing through Heaven a year ago, on her way to Philly to visit her family for the Christmas holidays. A car accident had prevented her from reaching her destination that night, but it was serendipity really, as it was the incident that brought Nick and Jennie together.

  Ally had become good friends with Jennie and her girls, and enjoyed spending time with her at the shop. She opened the door to the arts and craft’s store, aptly named, “Heavenly Crafts” and waited for Jennie to finish with a customer before greeting her.

  After a few minutes, the young mother left the store with her package of art supplies and her three-year-old, and Jennie turned to Ally with a warm smile. “Hey, girlfriend. How’s it going? You need any more frames or are you just here to pay me a social visit?”

  “A little of both,” she said, giving her a hug. “Figured I’d hang out with you instead of going home this afternoon. Haven’t seen you and the girls in a few days.”

  “Well, I’m happy for the company. You want a cappuccino or cup of tea? I’ve got some yummy brownies to go with it.”

  “How do you manage to stay so slim?” Ally asked. She took a brownie off the plate and took a big, chocolate bite. “Oh, wow. This is delicious.” She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin and looked longingly at the other half. If she baked like this, she’d be five hundred pounds. “I’ll just have a bottle of water, thanks.”

  “Work and two children keep me active,” Jennie said. “Grab a chair.”

  She took a seat at one of the small tables that were set up for children. The room was quartered off and in this section kids could work on a project, or just paint or color. Another part was geared for little girls or boys to create their own doll—hair color, skin tone, eye color, and clothes. There was also a giant train set that ran all day long. A kid’s paradise.

  The chairs at the small table were pint size, but neither she nor Jennie were big girls. Ally set the brownie aside. “How’s business going? Staying busy?”

  “For sure,” Jennie said with a happy grin. “Children’s birthday parties carried me through summer, and now with Christmas shopping, it’s booming all over again.”

  “Yeah! This is an awesome business.” She bit into the second half of the brownie, pushing aside her guilt in favor of the sweet treat. “The town needed something like this for all the young families with kids.”

  “Not to mention my own girls,” Jennie said with a laugh. “They love hanging out here with me after school. They get their homework done, and do some craftwork too.” Jennie dropped two chilled waters on the table and sat down. “Win-win.”

  “You bet it is.” Ally sipped on her water, and decided to tell Jennie about the skunk. Nick would undoubtedly mention it, if she didn’t. “So, I had a little excitement this morning.”

  “Yeah? What kind?”

  Ally told her the full story, and Jennie’s eyes widened, then grew moist with tears. “I’m so sorry. I hope they catch whoever did this real soon, so you can have peace again. I don’t want it to be that creep, Ally. I can’t imagine what that was like, moving around all of the time, always looking over your shoulder.”

  “If this is Jimmy’s calling card, he’s going to realize that I don’t scare as easy as I use to. I don’t want to be afraid anymore. Not for one darn second! If I am, then Jimmy wins, and I lose.” She put her hand to her chest, holding Jennie’s empathetic gaze. “That’s the only way he has control over me, so I’m not going to allow it.”

  “Why don’t you stay with us for a few days? Just until Chief Brown finds the skunk killer, or things settle down. I worry about you all alone out there. Always thought it was very brave of you.”

  “Well, I’m sitting right here instead of going home. How brave is that?”

  Jennie put a hand over hers. “Smart. That’s what it is.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Mind if I go get the girls? You stay put. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

  “Sure. I might do some coloring to take my mind off things.”

  Jennie laughed. “Adult coloring books. One of my biggest sellers.” She picked one off a shelf and handed it to her. “You’ll like this one. It’s all about nature.”

  “Great.” Ally waved her hand toward the front door. “Off you go. Take your time.”

  At the door, Jennie turned. “Oh, forgot to ask. What do you think of our new chief?”

  “Very competent. Maybe overly qualified for a place like this.” Ally hoped to hear back from him soon. He should have had a chance to find something about Jimmy with all the expertise and resources the police had at their disposal.

  “That’s not what I mean. He’s nice, right?”

  “Sure, I guess so. Polite.”

  “And hot.” Jennie’s eyes twinkled.

  “You think he’s hot?” Ally thought he was nice looking too, but old. At least too old for her. Not that she was looking for a boyfriend but if she did, thirty would be tops. She picked up an orange crayon as Jennie jangled her keys and left. As she colored, Ally lost herself in the picture, creating a nature wonderland in greens and browns and oranges. No skunks, no Jimmy, no Ian.

  Ten minutes later, Jennie returned with Katie and Brooke. The eldest, Katie, was eight—a miniature version of her mother, all legs, with golden brown eyes and shoulder-length wavy brown hair. Six-year-old Brooke was another clone, but wore her long thick hair in a braid down her back. Katie wore Gap jeans and a blue sweater, and Brooke, the girly-girl, wore a knee length plaid skirt, leggings and a pink sweater.

  “Hey, Ally,” Katie ran over and gave her a big hug. “Mom said you were here coloring. Can I color with you?”

  “Of course you can.” She moved her chair, making room for the girls. “You too, Brooke,” she smiled at the younger girl, who was still hanging back with her mother.

  “I will in a minute.” Brooke spotted the plate of brownies. “Mom, I’m starving. Can I have one, pretty please?”

  “Sure thing,” Jennie said. “How about you, Katie—want a brownie?”

  “Not yet. I’m busy.” She already had a blue crayon in her hand and was coloring in the sky between the large evergreen trees. She tucked her hair behind her ears and sat with her knees under her as she leaned over the table. A look of concentration clouded her pretty face—she was very detail-oriented, making sure not to color outside the lines. “This looks like the trees behind our
house,” she told Ally.

  “And mine. I’ll have you guys over this summer and you can swim in the lake,” Ally said, glancing at Jennie. “If your mother comes with you, of course.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Jennie put two brownies on a plate and set it next to the girls. “Come join me over here, why don’t you, Ally? Let the girls have the table.”

  Ally was glad for the excuse to get up. Her legs were already cramped, and she kicked out the kinks before joining Jennie at the desk in the back of the room. They could see the door and the girls from the new position, and the chairs were adult-sized.

  “So, back to our conversation.” Jennie lowered her voice. “I heard that our hunky Chief is divorced. Such a shame, really,” she added with a mischievous grin. “He’s probably getting lonely, don’t you think?”

  “I have no idea. I’m alone, but not lonely.” Ally leaned back in her chair. She knew what Jennie was up to and had no inclination to play along.

  “It could be fun.”

  “I’m not interested,” Ally said. “Hunk or no hunk.” She had her work and her photography to keep her occupied.

  “What’s a hunk, Mom?” Katie asked, holding a crayon in the air as she stared at both women. “I heard you say the Chief was “hunky”. Is that like chunky?”

  “No, sweetheart. It means sturdy, dependable. Solid, kind of like a big old Oak tree.” Jen smiled at her daughters. “Being a hunk is a good thing.”

  “So, you think Chief is a hunk?” Brooke asked.

  “I do,” Jennie admitted.

  “I’m going to tell Daddy,” Brooke said with a saucy grin, her golden eyes shining. Then her smile faded. “I don’t mean Daddy. I meant Nick.”

  “Nick is your daddy too,” she reminded her daughter. “You have two daddies, and both of them are in heaven. We’ve discussed this before.”

  “I know, but I forgot.” Brooke stared out the window, as if trying to make sense of it all.