9. Mattie
Mattie
Mattie heard a cough. “Excuse me.” She pulled her head away from Dave’s chest and saw Virginia standing in front of them.
“I’m done with the police. It’s a good news, bad news situation.
The good news is that Constable King spoke to the local RCMP detachment.
They will need statements from you later this afternoon or tomorrow, which means you two have the option of staying in Hopewell for one more night if you want your road trip to last a little longer. ”
Dave squeezed Mattie’s arm. “I think we’ll do that. We’ll talk to him this afternoon, and I’ll drive Mattie home tomorrow.”
“I thought that might be the case,” Virginia said with a smile. “Now for the bad news. All of the Santa’s Village pieces are being impounded, along with the trailer.”
“Well, it was nice working with you while it lasted. That trailer is a rental. The fees are going to compound. I put it on my company credit card!”
“Don’t worry, Mattie. I’ll handle Mei. She won’t blame you about the extra rental fees. Besides, the police won’t need the trailer for long. The extra-bad news is that they’re going to want to see the rest of the pieces that you sent back to December with the movers.”
Mattie dropped her head onto Dave’s chest. “Just shoot me now.”
“Think about all the free publicity Christmastown will be getting if you solved a decade-old robbery,” Dave said.
“You’re not helping.”
Virginia coughed again. “George Essex is still saying this is all a big misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? He chased us across at least two provinces to get his hands on a Christmas decoration. I don’t think he’ll be able to convince the police that it was for some plastic crystals. What’s your take, Ginger?” Dave asked.
“I don’t know. When we wrote the podcast, we looked at all of the official reports.
The police examined the mall display in detail at the time, looking for any clue as to where the jewels had gone.
They didn’t find anything then. If you did just pry a diamond out of that lamppost, everything we know about the Frost Creek robbery will have to be re-examined. ”
“What a mess,” Mattie groaned.
“At least you’re in the clear. You might even come out looking like the hero.
You found the loot and saved the day.” Virginia wiped the back of her hand against her forehead, brushing damp locks of auburn hair off her face.
“This heat is brutal. I’m going into town to hit the fairgrounds, get an extra-large lemonade, and head home this afternoon.
You have one more show tomorrow, don’t you, Humbug? ”
“Tomorrow morning,” Dave confirmed.
“I want videos. Mattie, I’ll see you at the park office on Monday, right?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good. Bring the magician,” Virginia said before she turned and walked away. She climbed into the truck that was still parked in the middle of the field. Then she bumped her way across the rough dirt until she hit the exit to the highway and was gone.
“This is officially the most epic road trip ever,” Dave said.
“And what comes next will be even better.”