by Anthology
Setting his glass on the coffee table, he put his arm around Amanda and pulled her close. Caressing the side of her beautiful face, he said, “It’s your entire fault. I told you I wanted a son to take over my empire.”
Known for her sense of humor, she laughed spontaneously. “I wouldn’t exactly call Avery Security Service an empire.” Tapping his chin with her manicured nail, she placed a quick kiss on his lips. “I did my best. If five girls aren’t enough then you should have married Susan Shoemaker from the third grade. She gave her husband three boys.”
Thomas turned away with a foul taste in his mouth. Susan had gone from the sweetest thing on earth to downright ugly in five years. He cleared his throat. “Yes, but she’s not my type.”
“She was when you were eight.”
“Well, every man is entitled to one mistake.” Glancing at his daughters joyfully hanging bulbs and garland on the massive tree, he smiled at the picturesque setting. Without a doubt, any moment one of them would erupt like a volcano and the fighting would begin.
“My money’s on Cynthia,” Amanda said, thoughtfully. “She walked in the door yesterday with a chip on her shoulder.”
Rubbing his chin, Thomas studied his daughters closely. “Usually it’s either Laura or Kandice. But, I think you’re right this time. The surfer gal could be the troublemaker this year.”
Their housekeeper, Bea, came in to refill their wine glasses. Afterwards she glanced toward the tree. “Nothing’s flying yet?”
“No,” Amanda said. “But it’s still early.”
Bea shook her head. “They’ve been at that for over an hour. It’s time someone kicked up a fuss.”
“Our money,” Thomas said, “is on Cynthia.”
Bea wrinkled her brow into a frown. “Not Miss Kandice? She’s usually the one who gets bored and stirs up trouble.”
Leaning back on the throw pillow, Amanda stared at the girls. “Maybe. She’s certainly the diva of the bunch, but Cynthia’s came in with a dark cloud over her head.”
The housekeeper put her hand on her hip and harrumphed. “How in the world can you tell?”
“Experience,” Amanda said. “As a mother, I can sense these things.”
“Then you’d be real smart to send her packing, right now.”
Thomas chuckled. “And miss all the fun?” He shook his head. “You have to remember, Bea. In our old age we have very little to entertain us.”
“Old my eye,” she clucked loudly, on the way out of the room. “You’re barely in your sixties.”
“Why?” Cynthia, their oldest, yelled. “How come you always have to have your way, Laura?”
Thomas turned and gave his wife a knowing smile. “Told you.”
“Let’s see who wins.”
“That’s always a toss-up, but we know who’ll settle the matter.”
“Laura.” He looked at his wife. “But lately Madelyn has become quite the mediator.”
Amanda patted his hand. “Our little librarian.” She smiled. “Let’s just hope nothing is broken when it’s over.”
Bea hurried into the room, her hand to her chest. “Miss Hanna is at the door and she’s awfully upset.”
Confidently, Thomas wiggled his brows at Amanda. “She must be irritated from dealing with last-minute shoppers.” He pushed off the couch. “I’ll help her bring the presents.”
Amanda rose gracefully, put down her wine and raised her hand. “If it’s presents, you can count me in.”
Their daughters left the decorating unfinished and rushed to meet the arrival. Amanda leaned on her husband and together they walked to the front door, opened it to find Hanna standing on the doorstep crying like a baby. All five girls surrounded their guest.
“Are the presents here?” Madelyn asked, jumping up and down, clapping her hand like a demented bunny rabbit. “Oh, I love Christmas.”
Laura stepped closer. “Are you crying, Hanna?”
“I got robbed,” the Avery Security Service secretary howled, her bottom lip trembling. She sniffed loudly. “Someone stole all the gifts I’d purchased.” She pointed to her car as if it were to blame. “I don’t know what to do.”
Amanda took the secretary by the arm and led her out of the cold Dallas weather and into the warm house. “Dear, do calm down. You poor thing, this is just terrible.” Checking her over, Amanda asked, “Are you hurt?”
“No.” Hanna sobbed like a six year old. “But a man shoved me on the ground and took all the packages.”
Thomas put his arm around the young woman and led her toward the living room. “Tell us what happened.”
Amanda handed her a tissue, and Hanna blew her nose loud enough to attract a moose. As they walked to the living room, Hanna continued wailing.
“I came out of Macy’s,” she said, swinging her arms wildly. “I’d just picked up Cynthia’s present and was making my way to the car. I got there and carefully looked around.” She nodded to him. The tassel on her knitted hat bobbled crazily. “Like you always tell me.”
“Yes, yes,” Thomas said. “Go on.”
“I didn’t see anything so I unlocked the trunk and that’s when he jumped up from the side of the car next to me. Shoved me out of the way then he and another person ran away with everything I had in the trunk.”
He’d given Hanna a week off to do the bulk of their Christmas shopping. His wife had had knee surgery several weeks ago, and they didn’t want to take the chance that she’d re-injure it.
“What mall were you at?” Kandice asked.
“The Galleria.” She sniffed. “I didn’t call the police or see any mall police. I didn’t know what to do, so I came here.”
Kandice patted her on the arm. “Sit down and have a glass of wine. Father will call Alex. He can get to work on it right away.”
Laura and Jacklyn looked at each other with obvious grins.
“Don’t call him. It’s the holiday,” Laura said. “These are our presents and in this family we take care of our own problems.” Laura waved her hand toward her sisters. “It’s no big deal.”
“Of course it is,” Thomas argued. “You’d be dealing with a thief, and God only knows what else.”
Laura looked at her siblings. “You girls up for some fun?”
Jacklyn, the New York detective, rubbed her hands together. “Oh, yeah. We’re all over this.”
The librarian of the bunch, meek little Madelyn, cracked her knuckles, making Thomas cringe. “They won’t know what hit them.”
After a quick huddle, the girls trooped upstairs like soldiers going to war. A few minutes later, Thomas was nearly knocked over when his five daughters came thundering down the stairs. They were dressed in an assortment of clothing, from sweatpants and a hoodie to an expensive jogging suit he was sure Kandice, the model, had never run in.
Thomas hurried to the door and spread out his arms, blocking the horde. “Stop right there. You will not get involved. I’ll call the police. There’s a good chance you’ll get hurt or worse.”
“Girls,” Amanda said firmly. “I forbid you from going out to hunt down criminals.”
“Oh, Father, how hard could it be?” Laura patted her huge handbag. “I have my pepper spray and a whistle.”
The five kissed their mother on the cheek then stormed out the garage door and left to hunt down those responsible for stealing their Christmas gifts.
Thomas smiled down at his wife. “They fell for it.”
Hanna ran into the kitchen. “How was I? I didn’t overdo it, did I?”
“No, no, you did just fine,” Thomas said. Although, the statement would be true only if she were starring in a comedy.
“Good. I wanted to sound convincing.” She turned. “By the way, the presents are in my trunk.”
Amanda’s frown could have caused a hardened criminal to beg for mercy. “You’ll regret this, Thomas. Those girls have no idea how to solve a crime.”
He hooked his arm through hers. “A crime wasn’t committed. They’ll spend a fe
w hours spinning their wheels then get bored and come home.”
“That’s still a nasty trick to pull here at Christmas.”
“Well, if they’re going to inherit a security firm they need to learn a few things. Another bonus is having them occupied and not going at each other.” He folded his hands. “Maybe we’ll have a peaceful holiday for a change.”
“I can’t believe you’ve tricked them like that. You do realize they took your SUV.”
Horror wrapped Thomas’s heart up like a Christmas present. “Oh, hell no, not my baby.”
“Oh, hell yes.” Amanda smirked.
Chapter 2
The sisters crowded into the vehicle, played with the buttons, disagreed over the radio station and finally headed for the scene of the crime. However, once they arrived at the mall, no one was quite sure of the exact location where the offense had taken place.
“What do you think, girls?” Laura asked. “Shall we call Hanna? This place is massive. I could get lost in here for days.”
Madelyn spoke up. “Didn’t she mention Macy’s?”
“Yes, she did,” Kandice said, snapping open her Kate Spade purse to retrieve her compact. Running a finger over her perfect eyebrows, she checked her teeth then powdered her nose. “That’s still a big parking area.”
Not willing to waste time, Laura called her father on the cell phone. When he answered, she asked, “Where was Hanna parked?”
“Stop all this foolishness and bring my Escalade back this instant. You’re going to mess around and get hurt.” Her father’s tone turned serious. “You’ve upset your mother.”
Remaining persistent, Laura gritted her teeth and asked again. “Where was Hanna parked?”
“Outside Macy’s but she doesn’t remember what row.”
Laura looked at the crowded parking garage and realized they were in for a tough time finding a robber in that maze of cars. The culprits could be lurking around any car or concrete pillar, and no one would see them. This time of year people were so busy, it was no wonder criminals took advantage of the situation.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll stay in touch,” Laura said.
Jacklyn crossed her arms. “That was a useless call. Let’s check out the mall security. Maybe they have cameras.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea, Cynthia said. “I would’ve never thought of that.”
Jacklyn gave her a sour look and stepped out of the vehicle. “That’s because you spend most of your life on a surf board, hanging out with ancient hippies.” She slammed the door. “The rest of us work.”
“Hey, I have a job,” Cynthia said. “I work at the local gift shop.”
“Making what?” Kandice, the cover model, asked. “Eight bucks an hour?”
Cynthia stuck out her tongue. “No, twelve.”
“Whoop-dee-do,” Madelyn said. “That doesn’t buy much where you live.”
Laura walked across the parking lot, her sisters close behind. “That’s because she lives off her allowance from Mom and Dad.”
Madelyn poked Cynthia on the shoulder. “Doesn’t that make you feel like a loser, little sister?”
Cynthia curled her lips. “Not at all. While the four of you are busting your asses, I’m enjoying life.”
Laura turned on her. “You should have enough self-respect to get a career. Stop being a sponge.”
“Mind your own business. I’ll do what I damn well please. You’re not the boss of me.”
Laura shrugged. “Someone needs to be.”
In single file, they walked inside to a mass of milling bodies. The place was packed. It took them ten minutes to find a clerk and ask the location of the mall manager’s office. They were politely directed to the third level.
Fighting their way onto the elevator, Laura turned to face her sisters. “Let me do the questioning. I’m a lawyer. That’s what I’m good at.” She looked around. “Where is Kandice?” Looking over the crowd, Laura spied her tall, elegant sister at the perfume counter of a nearby store. “Cyn, go get Miss Dior. We aren’t here to shop.”
Jacklyn snapped, “New York detective here. I know how to ask questions.”
“We’re here to get information. Last I heard sugar works better than vinegar. We’re going to use a little good old-fashioned charm.” Laura scowled down at them. “So smile, dammit.”
At the main office they were all disappointed after waiting over an hour for a round little man, sporting a green tie with a cross-eyed reindeer, complete with a red blinking light for a nose, to bounce out to greet them.
Reaching up, he removed his Santa hat and said, “What can I do for you ladies?”
“My father’s secretary was robbed in the parking lot next to Macy’s, and we’d like to view your surveillance cameras,” Laura asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.
He clasped his hands in front of his round belly. “You must be kidding. We can’t do that. Did you file a police report?”
“No,” Jacklyn stepped up to say. “We were hoping you could help us.”
“No, no, that’s not possible.” He shook his head and held out his hands. “You actually think I can just hand over our system for you to prowl through?” He let out a condescending laugh. “That takes a court order.”
Without giving them a second glance, the man, who hadn’t bothered to introduce himself, waddled down the hall to his office.
“Well, that sucks,” Kandice said. “He’s a moron and in serious need of lap-band surgery.” She turned, her purse dangling elegantly off her wrist while her jogging suit looked good enough for her to walk down the runway. “Let’s try the police.”
Again, they all managed to file into the Escalade and, directed by the car’s guidance system, headed toward the nearest police station.
Sitting outside the building, Laura turned to her sister. “What’s our plan?”
Jacklyn opened the door. “We don’t need one. You don’t have to be brilliant to file a police report. I’m just not sure we can do anything because Hanna was actually the victim. But cops tend to show each other officers of the law professional curtesy.”
“Let’s find out,” Laura said.
“But,” Kandice, the model, said, “shouldn’t we come up with a story or something?” She shivered. “I can’t bear the thought of being in there with all those criminals any longer than necessary.”
“Good, stay in the car.” Jacklyn slammed the door and walked up the steps toward the main door.
“I’m not waiting here,” Madelyn said. “I want to know what’s said.”
Heads turned as Laura led the women through the doors and up to a desk. To say they drew a lot of attention was an understatement. The officers practically jumped from their chairs to help.
“You little ladies need assistance,” said a tall, handsome officer with a nametag that read J Bryant. “We’re at your service.” His smile nearly blinded Laura.
Oh, God help us, she thought.
Since Jacklyn had experience with a police environment, Laura folded her arms and stepped back, removing her black knitted hat.
“We’re here to report a robbery,” Jacklyn said.
Officer J Bryant frowned. “That’s too bad. Were any of you hurt?”
Jacklyn shook her head. “It actually happened to my father’s secretary. She was at the Galleria Mall earlier today when someone pushed her down and stole the items in the trunk of her car.”
“That’s too bad.” While the rest of the men on duty looked on, J Bryant’s eyes touched on each of them. “Which one of you is the secretary?”
Jacklyn waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention. He was obviously dazed by five attractive women converging on him at once. “She’s not here.”
The flirtatious smile on his face melted like snow in a hot frying pan. Glancing back at his buddies, he shook his head and shrugged. “You can’t make a report for someone else. They have to come down in person.”
“But it was our property that was stolen,” Laura said. “
What if she called it in?”
“Since it’s a robbery, we’d request she come to the station to speak with us so we could gather all the information,” the officer said.
Jacklyn looked at him and reached into her tiny handbag. She flipped out her NYPD detective badge.
J Bryant examined it then handed it back to her. “Welcome to Dallas, Detective Avery. Wish I could help you, but the victim needs to file the report.”
Annoyed at the lack of assistance, Jacklyn snatched her badge out of his hand. “Thanks for nothing. Come on, girls, let’s not waste Dallas’s finest time.”
Kandice arrogantly flipped her flaming red hair over a shoulder, Madelyn apologized nervously, Laura glared, Cynthia stuck out her tongue and Jacklyn fumed all the way back to the car.
Madelyn slumped in the seat, nibbling on her bottom lip. “It looks like our life of fighting crime is over.”
“I hate that someone took the gifts Mom and Dad paid for,” Cynthia said. “I want to catch those crooks so they don’t rob anyone else.”
“I know,” Kandice said. “I feel the same way.”
Laura didn’t like the way the whole thing played out, either. Mostly she didn’t want to go back home and tell her parents they’d failed. After all, her father owned a very successful security firm. This was right up his alley and for some reason, Laura wanted to feel worthy.
And Cynthia and Kandice were right. That was their Christmas. What if those thieves stole a trunk-load of kids’ toys? That wasn’t something she would walk away from.
Chapter 3
Alex Sanders sat in the home office of his boss, Thomas Avery, sipping a glass of bourbon. The faint scent of cigar smoke lingered in the dark-paneled room. He’d spent many hours there, cooped up with his boss, assessing clients, cases and logistics.
In the world of security, Thomas Avery stood out among the best. He knew his business like the veins on the backs of his hands and had an uncanny knack for keeping his customers happy.
Alex had learned a lot from the man. Even with Alex’s military background, he’d joined the firm not knowing much about security, but it hadn’t taken him long to learn. Within a year, he was Thomas’s right hand man, and the two were of the same mind.