The Christmas Wishing Tree: An Eternity Springs Novel

by Emily March

  “Don’t do that!” Devin turned a large flowerpot upside down just in time to provide the seat she needed. “Around here, people will think you’re pregnant. Put your head between your knees, Jenna.” He patted her back. “It’s okay.”

  “Make sure that Chase gets the news. I know Reilly is safe and happy and having fun at camp, but please, make sure everyone at the Rocking L knows what’s happened.”

  “I will. I’ll start making calls right now if you promise you won’t topple off your flower pot and crack your head on the floor.”

  “I promise.” She breathed deeply and exhaled loudly once, twice, three times. “Why thirty-four?”

  “It’s a curious number. Think about it, Sugar. Maybe there’s a clue there.”

  Jack Davenport made the same suggestion later that day when the team gathered at Daniel’s office to discuss the development. “If you think of anything at all, even the slightest possibility of a connection, reach out to me or Daniel. You never know what seemingly obscure bit of information will be key.”

  “I will,” Jenna vowed.

  Jack turned to the Callahans and said, “I trust that with today’s contact, your worker bees are already hard at work?”

  “Absolutely,” Mark said. “Our best hackers . . . I mean . . . professionals are on the case.”

  “Good. Daniel, you want to summarize where we stand with our guys on the ground?”

  “Sure. We’ve had our three persons of interest under surveillance since the fifth. I’ve let our guys know that we’ve had movement on our end, though I expect since we’re dealing with online contact, your hackers will be the ones who hit pay dirt.”

  “Professionals,” Mark repeated, giving Jenna a wink. Daniel continued, “I’ll admit that a part of me figured you’d never hear another word out of this guy. The fact that he’s continued his pursuit this long suggests that this guy’s mind is seriously disturbed. I still feel confident in your safety, Jenna, and I have absolutely no doubts about Reilly’s, but it’s not the time to get lax. Don’t go anywhere in public without Devin or Cam or one of the rest of us.”

  “She won’t,” Devin declared. “I’ll make sure of it.” The rest of that day and all the next they waited for something to happen. The phone didn’t ring. Pizzas didn’t arrive. The deliveryman didn’t show up with dozens of packages. By the third day, Jenna’s nerves stretched tight as a guitar string. Devin’s nerves weren’t exactly loosey-goosey either. His time in Eternity Springs was quickly drawing to a close. He wanted this stalker situation settled so he could leave in good conscience, but at the same time, he didn’t want his time with Jenna to end.

  He really didn’t want his time with Jenna to end.

  Five days after the pizza order, Jack called another team meeting and this time they met up at Eagle’s Way where Jack had electronics that allowed the Callahans to illustrate the points they were trying to make.

  Mark Callahan led off the meeting with disturbing news. “We got bubkes. I do not believe it because our guys are seriously good at what they do, but this guy is obviously no amateur. We will track him down eventually. Of that I have no doubt. But it’s going to take some time or another event for us to find him. Unless you have something new for us, Daniel?”

  “What I have is bubkes part two.” He met Jenna’s gaze with an apologetic smile. “We’ve basically confirmed your original investigator’s conclusions. Based on a thorough examination of their records combined with both electronic and physical surveillance, we eliminated the lawyer and the songwriter as suspects almost immediately. I wanted to finger the surgeon, believe me. The guy is a total prick. Two more women have accused him of sexual harassment since you left Nashville, Jenna. However, we can’t find anything that suggests he’s our guy. So we’re back to square one.”

  Jenna closed her eyes. Devin muttered a curse beneath his breath before saying, “This totally sucks.”

  “I won’t argue the point,” Jack observed. “That said, we knew that might be the case. Daniel and I talked it over before you all arrived, and we want to come at this from another direction. Perhaps this isn’t about Jenna, after all, but about Reilly.”

  “Reilly!” Cam exclaimed. “I get that kids grow up fast these days and cyberbullying is a thing, but at this age? Seriously?”

  “My questions are about his biological father. We only brushed on him during our initial conversation, Jenna. What can you tell us about . . . ?” He checked his notes. “Steven Caldwell?”

  “Oh. Well . . .” Jenna took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I guess it’s possible. At this point, anything is possible, isn’t it? I only met him once. Actually, we didn’t officially meet. I saw him once when I testified against him in court. Reilly’s mother was a patient of mine. Early on in her pregnancy she confessed to me that the father didn’t want the baby. He wanted her to end the pregnancy, but she refused to do it. She was eight months pregnant when he started beating her. She went into labor and delivered three weeks early.”

  “Did he kill her?” Mark Callahan asked, his expression carved in granite.

  “No. She called a lawyer and filed for divorce before leaving the hospital. Reilly’s father was charged and convicted of assault and a few other crimes . . . I don’t recall exactly what. He went to jail. I honestly don’t recall what his actual sentence was, but I remember the lawyer warned her that he’d probably be out before Reilly’s first birthday. He signed away parental rights and as far as I know, he never once came to see Reilly.”

  “What about child support?” Daniel asked.

  “She came from money and didn’t need it. We stayed friends. She was happy. Loved motherhood. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when Reilly was eighteen months old. Shortly thereafter, she asked me to be his guardian.”

  “Grandparents?” Daniel asked.

  “None on either side. No extended family on her side. I honestly don’t know about his.”

  Daniel looked pointedly at Mark Callahan, who opened his computer and started typing.

  They quizzed Jenna at length, and by the time the meeting broke up, Jenna was obviously exhausted. Devin wasn’t feeling all that chipper himself. When they climbed into his truck for the trip back to town and Jenna reminded him of the stop he’d intended to make, he considered calling it off.

  “Maybe we should skip it.”

  Jenna gave him a hard look. “You’re not going to tell Reilly goodbye before you leave?”

  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Maybe I won’t leave.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course you’ll leave.”

  “Well, I’ll go to Mitch’s wedding, but maybe instead of going on to Cairns, I’ll come back here.”

  “For heaven’s sake, why?”

  “I’m not comfortable leaving before your stalker is caught.”

  “Devin, you have a business to run. You can’t put your life on hold like that.”

  “The business can manage without me a little longer, and I don’t look at it as putting my life on hold. Just because I like to wander the world doesn’t mean I don’t keep my word. I promised to protect you and that’s what I’ll do. I don’t bail. That’s not who I am.”

  Jenna folded her arms. “Welcome to the nineteen fifties where the little lady really needs a big strong man to protect her.”

  “Now, Jenna.”

  “No! Stop it. You know, I wish this bastard would come after me. I’m not afraid of that. I took self-defense classes after Alan Snelling started harassing me. I’ll put him down and make it hurt.”

  “Good. I hope you do. But what will you do if an FBI agent shows up to arrest you for money-laundering or child porn?”

  “What?” she screeched.

  “Can you definitely claim that someone who thinks doxxing and swatting are good ideas wouldn’t take it a step further? What if he created a digital trail that ties you into a real crime? Or some dark web scenario that gets some real bad actors after you? I can imagine y
ou being handcuffed and swept off to a secret room full of rubber hoses and an interrogator named Hans Gruber.”

  She blinked once. “A Die Hard reference? You’re bringing up Die Hard?”

  He shrugged. “It’s my favorite Christmas show.”

  She burst out with a laugh, though it was filled with tension rather than joy. “What kind of man are you that you’ll change your life plans so drastically for a woman you barely know, a woman who isn’t even sleeping with you?”

  “Yeah, that last part is dodgy, I’ll admit. But the rest of it . . .” He shrugged. “I can’t do anything different. I don’t want to do anything different. I’m trusting my instincts on this one.”

  “But what if they still don’t find him?”

  “I’m trusting Daniel and Jack and the Callahans on that.”

  “Okay, so what if they find the stalker while you’re at your friend’s wedding?”

  “While we are at the wedding. You’re coming with me.” “I can’t. I won’t. Look, all along I’ve assumed that the stalker focused on me, but the idea that Reilly’s biological father might be involved changes everything. I still believe Reilly is safe at camp, but I can’t travel thousands of miles away if there’s any possibility that he’s the stalker’s target.”

  “Fair enough. However, you shouldn’t underestimate the team. If Steven Caldwell isn’t involved, they’ll eliminate him fast. That question could well be solved before it’s time to leave for the island.”

  Jenna shrugged. “Nevertheless, that’s not the issue at hand. If the team solves my problem while you’re in the Caribbean, you won’t come back here, which brings me back to my original question. Are you going to leave town without telling my son goodbye?”

  He drummed his fingers on the console between them. No, he couldn’t do that. But dang it, he didn’t want to see the boy right now. “Here’s the truth, Jenna. The story you told about his prick of a father has my stomach churning. How could anyone with a heart act that way?”

  “I don’t consider Steven Caldwell to be Reilly’s father. He’s a sperm donor. That’s all. Reilly doesn’t have a father.”

  “Which is why he asked me to bring him one for Christmas,” Devin said glumly. “Look, I’m afraid if I go see him right now, I’ll take one look at him and start bawling like a baby. That’s not how I want Reilly to remember me. I’m a tough guy.”

  She gave him a tender smile. “You’re Santa Claus.”

  “Hey, he doesn’t know that. I have to keep up my rep.” Jenna reached across the console and gave his forearm a squeeze. “You’ll manage, Murphy. I know you will. I believe.”

  He gave her a sidelong glance and a doubtful smirk. “We told Chase to expect the visit and he might well have told Reilly.”

  “Okay. Okay. We’ll go up to the Rocking L. But if I start to blubber, I expect you to cover for me. I think—”

  He broke off when his cell phone rang, and a glance at the screen revealed Jack Davenport’s number. Devin accepted the call. “Hey, Jack.”

  “Devin, is Jenna with you?”

  “Sitting right beside me. You’re on speaker.”

  “Good. I thought she’d want to know what we’ve learned ASAP. Steven Caldwell isn’t our guy.”

  Devin shot Jenna a quick I told you so look. “Oh, yeah?”

  “He’s dead.”

  Jenna’s eyes rounded and she covered her mouth with her hands. Devin pulled off the road and parked. “What happened?”

  He expected to hear that the bastard had been knifed in prison or OD’d on crack. Jack surprised him. “He settled in a small town in California following his release from jail. Worked in a hardware store and joined the volunteer fire department. He was killed fighting a wildfire the summer before last. He’s credited with saving three lives.”

  “You’re certain you have the right Steven Caldwell?” Jenna asked.

  “We’re positive,” Jack replied, his tone gentle. He provided further details about what the team had learned about Reilly’s biological father and, when Jenna had no further questions, ended the call after giving his reassurance that the search would continue.

  Devin did not immediately resume their drive. Instead, he studied Jenna closely. Tears had pooled in her eyes. “Sugar, you okay?”

  “Yes. I just . . . whew.” She exhaled a heavy breath then wiped the corners of her eyes with the pads of her fingers. “It’s so sad. He’s lost both parents.”

  “Biological parents. He has you, the lucky little boy.” A smile flickered across her lips. “It’s just a lot to absorb. I’ve worried about this in the past. I know he’ll ask about his parents someday, and I worried about what I would say about Steven Caldwell. Now I’ll have something good to say, won’t I? He saved three lives. That’s a good thing.”

  “Yes, that’s a very good thing.” Devin leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “And you are a very good person, Jenna Stockton.”

  “Thank you.”

  Devin checked the traffic, then pulled out onto the road. They made the rest of the drive in comfortable silence, and it was only when the log structures of the summer camp came into view that Devin posed the question burning in his brain. “So, are you going to tell Reilly that you’ll be away for a few days? You’ll come to Bella Vita with me?”

  She waited until he’d parked in a visitor space and switched off the engine to respond. “Yes. Yes, I’ll go to Bella Vita with you. As long as we can find room in your sleigh, that is. How booked are flights to Bella Vita Isle as a rule? You said quite a few people from Eternity Springs are attending this wedding?”

  Devin pursed his lips and considered the question. Because it was still tourist season in Eternity Springs, which made it hard for his parents to get away for long, they’d decided to go down just for the weekend. He’d planned to fly commercial with them, and he didn’t worry about there being an open seat for Jenna. But Flynn Brogan was flying down tomorrow in his Gulfstream.

  “I have an idea.” He reached for his phone, scrolled through the contacts, and made a call. “Hey, Flynn, Devin here. Are you guys still heading to BV tomorrow?”

  “We are.”

  “You’re flying your Gulfstream, I assume?”

  “Yep. Sure am. Do you need a ride?”

  “We do. Plans have changed, and Jenna Stockton and I would like to get to the island a couple days ahead. Do you have room for a couple of tagalongs?”

  “Sure, we’d be happy to have you join us. Gabi’s clan is flying down with us, so fair warning, my wife and Savannah may well talk the doctor’s ear off with pregnancy questions.”

  “I’m sure she won’t mind.”

  “Will Jenna want a ride back on Sunday?”

  “Actually, we both need a ride back on Sunday. I’m extending my stay in Eternity Springs for a bit.”

  Devin glanced at Jenna who was gaping at him in surprise. “When and where do we meet you?”

  They made plans, and then Devin ended the call. He grinned at her. “We’re all set.”

  “Flying in a private jet. Tomorrow. Not Friday. That’s a long weekend, Devin.”

  “Yeah, doesn’t it sound great? I am ready to be back on the water. Which reminds me. I don’t have a boat there anymore. Cursed hurricane.” He called a friend on Bella Vita who owed him a big favor and made arrangements for a boat, which banished the last vestiges of the black mood that had started sucking on him as he listened to Jenna speak of Reilly’s father.

  Devin whistled cheerily as they exited the truck and went in search of Chase. They found him on the phone speaking to the parent of a camper who’d changed his mind about wanting to participate in a hike into the national forest for overnight tent camping. The camp needed a signed permission slip before the boy would be allowed to go.

  When the call ended, Chase greeted Devin with a handshake and Jenna with a hug. “Any word on your license? When you’ll be official? Lori likes her doctor in Gunnison well enough, but we’re all anxious to have a loca
l specialist.”

  “Jack told me he’s been pulling some strings and maybe by next week I’ll be good to go.”

  “If anyone can pull strings, it’s Jack Davenport.”

  “So, is Reilly behaving himself? How is he doing with Sinatra?”

  “He’s doing great. The puppy has been so helpful. He uses Sinatra’s needs to verbalize his own insecurities, so his counselor is making real progress with him. The fear we saw in him those first couple of days hardly makes an appearance now.”

  “That’s so good. I’m so relieved.” Jenna exhaled a heavy sigh. “I believed camp would be good for him, but you always have a niggling worry.”

  “I’ll give you one warning. If you’ve come up here expecting him to want to spend much time with you, you are headed for disappointment. Reilly is a busy boy.”

  “Nothing could make me happier than to have him snub me,” Jenna responded.

  Chase checked his watch and then his clipboard. “He’s due at the stables in fifteen minutes. Why don’t you meet him at the bonfire site? You know where it is, Devin. I’ll message his counselor to send him on. Does he know you were planning to visit?”

  “No. Not unless you said something about it.”

  “I did not. I’ll send for him now and make sure he knows there’s no emergency.” Five minutes later, Jenna sat on one of the logs set in an octagon around the fire pit. Devin had picked up a stick and was drawing in the dirt when Reilly came running up. He wore jeans and the red Rocking L uniform T-shirt and ball cap. He gave her a hug and then asked, “Mom, why are you here? Is something wrong?”

  “No, everything’s fine.”

  “Did they find the bad man?”

  “Not yet, but they’re looking hard for him.”

  “Okay. That’s good. Look, I don’t have much time. I have to go to the stables so we can go horseback riding.”

  “Okay, we won’t keep you. I just wanted see how you were doing and tell you that I’m going to go with the Murphys and some of our other Eternity Springs friends to an out-of-town wedding this weekend. We’ll leave tomorrow, and I’ll be back on Sunday.”