“Yeah. Sure. It’s, uh, not exactly traditional, but you might be able to use it.”
“Well, I’m not exactly a traditional kind of girl so it’s probably perfect,” she said but still didn’t take it from his hand.
Treasure twisted around in her seat, reaching down for her pack on the floor. It usually held her lunch and some personal stuff like a hairbrush, lip gloss, and other items she carried around just in case she needed them, but tonight she also had a card for Bodie. She’d planned on giving it to him at the end of their shift so there would be no awkwardness if he didn’t get her anything. She hadn’t expected a gift in return and told him not to get her one. Vanessa’s tendencies toward over-the-top jealously made Treasure uneasy. In her mind, it was simpler if Bodie pretended she wasn’t a part of his work life. Treasure didn’t want to cause any discomfort between the couple. As of tonight, she no longer had to give one more iota of brain power toward what Vanessa thought or did.
She turned back around and held out the card. Bodie’s gaze flicked down to the card and back up again. His smile lit up his face, but he gave another disapproving and amused shake of his head.
“And you said, ‘no presents’ and ‘Treasure doesn’t do Christmas gifts.’ You’re so full of crap sometimes, you know?”
“I do,” she said and snatched the little box from his hand and replaced it with her card.
“Are we opening these now or later?”
“Later,” she said with a little huff. “It’s not Christmas yet, you big dunce.”
“I think you should open mine now.”
“No way. I’m going to take it with me to Granite Lake and open it at the cabin on Christmas Day.” She bent slightly and put the small gift on top of her bag.
“You’re headed up to the mountains again?” he asked.
“I like it up there. It’s good to get out of the city and whatnot. My friends all have family obligations or their own plans for Christmas so I thought I’d get away for a few days.”
“Is what’s-his-name going? I don’t think it’s smart for you to be out there all by yourself. Isn’t Granite Lake like an hour into the sticks?”
“At least an hour after you turn off the interstate, and who the hell is what’s-his-name? I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
“What’s-his-name is whoever you’re currently seeing. Is he going with you?”
Treasure averted her eyes and tried not to let her face show how much those words sunk into the pit of her loneliness. She didn’t really care if Bodie knew about her tendencies to switch boyfriends like most people changed socks. It was more upsetting to her that she was going to the cabin for Christmas by herself and now she had to tell Bodie. The lie sat on the tip of her tongue, but it wouldn’t leap off. Bodie had become a trusted friend and she didn’t lie to her friends.
“All by my lonesome. It’ll be great and it’s beautiful up there this time of year.”
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Why? Because I want to spend my holiday in peace while surrounded by nature?”
“No. Because I know your car is still broken down and you’re going to take your bike into the mountains. Snow covered mountains.”
She pressed her lips into a tight line and set her shoulders back. “It’ll be fine. And if I have to take a cab, then I will. I already rented the cabin and I can’t get my money back now.”
“That’s a pretty long cab ride,” he said.
She heard the skepticism and refused to admit she was ninety-nine percent sure she’d take her motorcycle regardless of the winter road conditions. She had even confirmed with the cabin owners that the roads were county maintained and plowed regularly.
“It is, but it will be worth it.”
“Uh-huh,” he grunted.
“I can feel the coffee calling to me from inside the gas station. Do you want anything?”
“Nah. I’m good,” he said.
She checked to make sure her radio was turned on and climbed out of the rig. She clipped it to her belt and headed inside the convenience store for provisions and to use the restroom.
2
Treasure waited for whoever currently occupied the women’s restroom to unlock the door and come out. The wait time seemed excessive and she wondered if she should just come back later. Finally, the door opened and a young girl stepped out of the bathroom. It wouldn’t have been notable except for the fact the girl was dressed like an angel – literally an angel costume – white nightgown with feathered wings on her back and a gold halo around her head. Her contradictory plush yellow duck slippers amused Treasure even more so and reminded her of her own bunny slippers when she was around the same age. The little girl appeared mostly asleep, not even glancing up at Treasure as she passed by. Curiosity flitted through Treasure’s mind as to why the girl was in the convenience store late on Christmas Eve dressed in a costume, but the thoughts fluttered away just as quickly as they had come. She slipped into the restroom and the door whooshed closed behind her.
A stuffed teddy bear sat on the edge of the sink. Treasure couldn’t ignore the toy no matter how badly she needed to use the facilities. She grabbed the bear, whirled around, and hurried back out into the store. Looking down each aisle, Treasure couldn’t find the little Christmas angel. No parents were anywhere to be seen either. The store was empty save for the employee behind the counter.
“Where is she?” she muttered to herself and took a final sweeping glance around the fluorescent lit convenience store.
She hurried out into the night. The December air greeted her with an instant chill and made her shiver. Two cars sat at the gas pumps, their owners fueling up the vehicles. Call it a hunch, but Treasure highly doubted the girl belonged to the two younger Asian males and their tricked-out coupe. As she stepped off the curb to ask the only other customer in sight, a middle-aged lady with a silver sedan, if she recognized the teddy bear, she was struck with an epiphany. It wasn’t really an epiphany. It was more like a swat upside the head with an invisible flyswatter. The insight had just enough oomph to snap her attention in another direction – and hopefully the right one.
Treasure had worked this neighborhood many nights. She knew every business and all of the residential streets by heart. Around the corner from the gas station was the Willow Tree townhome complex and beyond that a neighborhood full of lower-middle-class homes. She and Bodie had parked at the gas station enough to know the small store serviced a lot of foot traffic from the bordering neighbors. Treasure whirled on her heel and rushed to the end of the parking lot and turned to see a set of white angel wings gliding down the sidewalk.
The girl cut across a lawn and headed toward the townhomes.
“Hey! You forgot your bear!” she called out.
Treasure didn’t want to frighten the girl, but she also didn’t want her to lose a beloved stuffed friend. She absolutely understood the importance of a stuffed animal to a kid, or at least she thought she did. Her bestie had been Mustaf the Moose. She still had him somewhere inside a storage box.
She trotted down the sidewalk. “Excuse me! Is this your stuffed bear?”
The angel-winged girl stopped and looked down at her hands. She spun around and saw Treasure holding up the toy.
It was dark enough that Treasure couldn’t really see the expression on the girl’s face, but she didn’t have to. The girl ran in her direction, losing a duck slipper on the way. It didn’t slow her down and a few seconds later the bear was snatched from her outstretched hand.
The girl hugged her teddy close. “I can’t believe I forgot her,” she said looking up at Treasure.
She had a sweet voice and even sweeter smiling eyes. Long lashes framed what could have been hazel or green irises. It was hard to see in the amber glow of the street lights.
“Mom told me to take her with me so she would protect me. Then I go and leave her in the dumb gas station. I’m not going to tell Mom I messed up again,” she said as if confiding thi
s last bit of information to Treasure.
The girl spoke freely as if they were friends. It unnerved Treasure to no end. This seven or eight-year-old shouldn’t be out at midnight alone on the streets of Reno. Where are her parents for God’s sake?
She didn’t voice her concerns aloud. Instead she said, “Are you all right? What are you doing out here by yourself?”
“I had to go to the bathroom. Ours was locked. It’s easier going to the gas station some nights. Thanks for finding Holly. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep without her.”
“You’re welcome. Do you live in those townhouses right there?” Treasure pointed at the row of homes.
“Mmm-hmmm,” the girl said and turned to leave.
“Do you know you shouldn’t talk to strangers?” she asked as the girl took a few steps away.
“Yeah, I do. I saw your uniform so I knew you were safe.”
“Good,” Treasure said feeling only a little less uneasy. “Hurry home. I’ll watch from the sidewalk and make sure you get inside okay.”
The girl’s wings fluttered softly behind her as she skipped back to her discarded slipper and tucked her foot into it before scurrying across the grass and up to the front door of the first townhome on the left. There were at least a dozen cars parked outside, and a raucous amount of noise, music, and a crowd of people inside the townhome which made her uneasiness amplify about the girl with angel wings and Holly the bear. She watched her open the door and disappear inside before returning to the convenience store.
∞
“What happened to you?” Bodie asked as Treasure climbed back inside their rig.
“Oh the usual messed up midnight crap. Only this one had a Christmas twist. I just rescued the cutest little girl and returned her safely to a sweet angel.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I just saved a life on Christmas Eve and I did it all by myself in like three minutes flat,” Treasure said, playing up her mini adventure with the little girl to the fullest.
Bodie gave her a sideways glance and a cocked eyebrow that said he wasn’t buying her shenanigans – at least not at full price. He was, however, willing to play along for half price and took the bait. “Who did you save while inside the Quick Mart?”
“I told you. I just played a crucial role in returning a lost stuffed bear named Holly to a girl wearing angel wings and duck slippers. Then I escorted them both safely to their front door unharmed.” Treasure smiled feeling something akin to Christmas spirit lightening her mood.
“Seriously?” he asked.
“Yep. Merry freakin’ Christmas to me. I helped an angel return home safe and sound.”
“You know what? The weirdest stuff only happens to you, Treasure.”
“I know. I attract all the best crazies in Reno,” she said with an eye roll and another grin. Then she thought of something. “Must be why we’re partners.”
“Hey,” he said sounding playfully offended.
She laughed and plucked her Christmas card off the dash and handed it back to him. “Don’t forget this.”
“I didn’t. I was waiting until you got back.” Bodie slid a finger along the seam of the red envelope and tore it open. He pulled the card out and stared at the cartoon character of a busty snow-lady with two snowmen gossiping behind her. The conversation bubble read, “Looks like someone got a snowjob for Christmas.”
Bodie cracked a grin and flipped open the card. Inside was a gift card to a local sports store. In Treasure’s swoopy handwriting it said, “Merry Christmas, Bodie. Sorry – no snowjobs this winter. Hope you can find some other activity to keep you busy with the help of a gift card.” She didn’t sign it.
“My favorite store,” he said, tucking the card into his pocket for safe keeping. “Thanks.”
“I know it is. I think you spend more time shopping there than actually doing things with the stuff you buy from the place.”
“Not true, but yeah, it’s sort of my other home. The kayaks and climbing gear are so damned sexy. I can’t stay away from them.”
“You’re sick and twisted. See, I told you I attract all the crazies.”
“At least I don’t try to hide it. Now it’s your turn. Where’d you stash the box I gave you?”
“I told you, I’m waiting for it to actually be Christmas,” Treasure said and kept her radar trained on her present which was sitting on top of her bag.
“It’s just after midnight. It’s official as of now,” Bodie pointed out.
“Nope. I’m going to save it until I’m off work,” she said, holding her chin at a stubborn angle.
“It’s your present. Do what you will,” he said, giving up on a hopeless case of trying to convince a woman to change her mind.
It didn’t matter whether she wanted to open it now or later. Their radio crackled to life and dispatch redirected their attention. The computer screen lit up and Treasure saw the address and the name of the townhome complex almost immediately. Details streamed in about a structure fire and possible burn victims. Treasure clicked into work mode instantly. That was the thing about her, she could party all weekend, miss sleep, drink too much, joke around with Bodie for hours, but when the dispatcher started talking she was ready for whatever emergency needed her.
Willow Tree Townhomes glared at her on the screen. Bodie had moved on to the GPS locator map screen.
“Jeez! It’s right there,” she said as she pointed at the store. She was really pointing at the two-story townhomes behind it. “Crap, I was just staring right at the place.”
“Looks like number 3 is the end unit.”
“You’re kidding!” Treasure picked up the radio and confirmed their location and let the dispatcher know they’d be there in seconds.
Bodie had the rig out of the parking lot and in front of the townhouse a moment later. He made sure to leave plenty of room for the fire truck when it arrived.
A crowd of bizarre and festively dressed partiers stood around on the small lawn and sidewalk.
“Unbelievable!” Treasure said as she prepared to jump out of the truck and do what she did best. “This is the same house the girl with the angel wings lives at.”
“What are the odds?” Bodie asked as he opened his door.
“I know, right?”
They climbed out and grabbed their gear. Based on the amount of smoke tumbling out the front door, smoke inhalation and burns would be the expected dangers Bodie and Treasure needed to be on the lookout for. Burn triage and the available oxygen supply in their ambulance were foremost on Treasure’s mind as she surveyed the crowd for injured persons.
Three guys approached them speaking in a jumble of disjointed drunken sentences. Two were dressed as wise men with long robes belted at the waist, while the third man was obviously supposed to be Santa Claus. Regardless of the red velvet pants, suspenders and hat, “Santa’s” bare muscled chest didn’t give much of an authentic impression of jolly old St. Nick.
“I’m burned pretty bad,” one of the wise men said, holding out his singed arm.
“Because you blew up the kitchen,” Santa said.
“What happened exactly?” Bodie asked.
Treasure clicked on her flashlight, shined it on the arm, and started to give directions to Wise Man #1.
Wise Man #2 chimed in. “We were using the pressure cooker and bam! It blew! Then we were suddenly in the fiery pits of hell.”
“That’s not what happened,” Santa said. “Todd’s sleeve caught on fire and then he fell into the pot on the other burner.”
All three of them reeked of alcohol and Treasure suspected she could catch a buzz from the fumes.
“Boiling water landed on my foot.” Wise Man #2 lifted the edge of his robe and stuck his sandaled foot out for Treasure and Bodie to see.
“That’s when jackass here backed into me and I fell on the damned Christmas tree,” Santa explained.
Wise Man #2, aka jackass, continued the explanation. “Then Santa set the house on
fire because the tree landed in the fireplace.”
Bodie took control of the blabbering drunkards. “Are there any other injuries that need immediate attention?”
They looked at each other and then back at Bodie. Treasure watched the front door for any more people filing out. Flames were not visible, but she had a limited view of the interior of the house. She thought perhaps the glow through the front windows could be the fire, but she wasn’t sure. They needed to get everyone away from the house and make room for the fire crew.
The guys started to whine about their burns, but it was clear their injuries were minimal.
“You three, go wait by the ambulance and don’t move. We will assess each of you as soon as we can.”
Treasure’s gaze darted around the crowd. She looked for the girl but didn’t see her in the odd assortment of costumed people. She nudged Bodie and pointed to a prone body on the lawn. They hurried in that direction next.
“What happened to this woman?” Bodie asked the nearest person.
“She passed out,” a guy said.
“From what?” Treasure asked as she knelt down to check the woman’s vitals.
Bodie directed the partiers and increasing spectators to move across the street. The fire department still had not arrived and no sirens could be heard.
“Probably one too many Jell-o shots,” the guy said with a shrug. He looked up from the woman on the ground and then shuffled over the lawn toward the gathering crowd. His elf slippers jingled with each step.
“Hey! Do you know her name?”
“I think it’s Misty. This is her house,” he said over his shoulder.
“Crap,” she muttered under her breath as she checked Misty’s pulse. “Bodie, we need to get this lady loaded up and checked for alcohol poisoning or drug overdose.”
“Got it,” he said and ran to grab the back board.
Bodie was back within seconds and they were strapping the unconscious woman to the board in preparation to lift her onto the stretcher.
Bodie kept telling people to stay back, but a few of her drunken friends wouldn’t get a clue and insisted they wanted to help.
Unwrapping Treasure: A Granite Lake Romance Novella Page 2