Chapter 20
New Year’s Eve—Late Afternoon
A nnie and Myra had arrived in New York the night before and were waiting to hear from Charles and Fergus. They had a big day ahead of themselves.
Meanwhile in Pinewood, Charles and Fergus went to the basement and instructed the men to shower. Once they were finished with their morning hygiene, Charles and Fergus handed Vinny his freshly laundered Santa suit. Jimmy was given an elf costume.
“These are kinda tight,” Jimmy complained.
Charles stared him down and said nothing.
“Okay. Okay. Okay,” Jimmy said, then sniffled and wriggled himself into the snug-fitting clothes.
Charles handed over two plates and waited for them to finish their turkey sandwiches. When they were done eating, Fergus ordered them to stand up and turn around. He ziptied their hands behind their backs, placed burlap bags over their heads, then gingerly marched them up the stone steps.
Fergus eased them into the rear of the SUV, while Kathryn and Maggie were waiting in another car.
When everyone was buckled in, they drove to the airport, where Annie’s jet was waiting.
They shuffled Jimmy and Vinny up the stairs to the plane and seated them in the back row.
No one had said a word until the pilot announced, “Wheels up in ten.”
As much as Vinny wanted to know what was going on, he figured it was better if he kept quiet. Besides, what would it matter? He had no control over the situation. Apparently, Jimmy was of the same mindset.
Ninety minutes later, they arrived at Teterboro.
Charles and Fergus decided it was better to transport their guests by car rather than the helicopter they originally discussed.
There would be too many eyes watching. A stretch limo was waiting inside the hangar as their “cargo” staggered in the direction they were nudged.
The Sisters had employed the limo driver many times, so nothing surprised him, not even Santa and an elf wearing burlap bags over their heads.
Charles sent a text to Myra to let her know they were approaching Midtown:
I have a permit, so I can park on a side street for as long as you need me to.
She replied:
I’m thinking a little before ten. Does that work or is that too long?
His response:
Why don’t we come up to the townhouse and leave the blokes in the car. This way Kathryn and Maggie can get themselves sorted.
Myra:
Great idea. See you soon.
At the same time, Annie reached out to one of her contacts at the FDNY, Captain Dag Dorph of Engine 54.
“Hello, Captain! Happy holidays! It’s Annie De Silva,” Annie said with a lilt in her voice.
“Countess! Nice to hear from you. And to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Please call me Annie,” Annie said, and proceeded to explain what she had in mind. “Can you do that for me?”
“For you? Absolutely. And where do you want this equipment delivered to?” he asked.
Annie gave him the address of the townhouse. “Thanks, Captain. I’ll give you the usual holiday donation and then some.”
Later that Evening
Frankie and her crew met up near the famous tree, just outside of the restaurant.
Reservations were for seven-thirty. The mystery of Rachael’s plus-one was finally resolved.
No one was really surprised that it was Robert, Richard’s brother.
As different as they were, they seemed suited for each other. At least for the time being.
Everyone was dressed in festive holiday attire. Amy’s hair was gleaming with glitter, Rachael had a rosebud tucked next to her ear, Nina wore a white and gold lamé headscarf, and Frankie was in her ponytail with fairy tinsel running through it. They were certainly a dazzling bunch.
They were seated in a quiet corner, quiet for New York City on New Year’s Eve. Cheesesteak eggrolls and Thai meatballs started their feast. The choices of pan-roasted branzino, braised short ribs, and fish and chips were debated. Then there were their famous steaks.
“As if Keens wasn’t enough,” Frankie said as her mouth began to water for another excellent cut of beef.
The bone-in prime rib eye was calling her name.
“Shut up!” she said to the menu. Frankie often spoke to inanimate objects.
She insisted it was a sign of intelligence, which brought howls of laughter to the table. It was a quiet corner no more.
Just as the group was finishing dessert, sirens and flashing lights engulfed the promenade.
Almost everyone in the restaurant either had their phone in front of them or were craning their necks to see what the commotion was about.
No one seemed terribly unnerved. New Yorkers are accustomed to unruliness and confusion.
The expression “a New York minute” was added to the lexicon for good reason: anything can change at any given moment.
Peter logged into a live feed from Times Square.
Anderson Cooper’s brow furrowed, and he announced into the camera that there was something quite interesting going on at Rockefeller Center.
He listened from the earpiece and repeated what they were telling him.
Apparently two men, one dressed as Santa and the other an elf, were dangling from the golden statue of Prometheus.
The outstretched arms of the eighteen-foot sculpture held the “ornaments” above the ice-skating rink on the lower level of the plaza.
Frankie pulled out her phone and called up the Anderson Cooper feed.
“Wait! What?” She recognized the one dressed as the elf.
He looked very much like the bad Santa who’d stolen the money from Carol.
She grabbed her purse and motioned for everyone to follow her and the several folks heading out the door.
There she saw two fire trucks flanking the north and south sides of the plaza.
She spotted Captain Dorph and made her way through the crowd.
Next to him were her new friends, Annie, Myra, Kathryn, and Maggie.
Close by were the Colin Firth and Patrick Stewart look-alikes.
“Annie?” Frankie said in a state of confusion.
“Frankie! So glad you could make it!” Myra said, grinning ear to ear.
Captain Dorph looked at the women in front of him. “You all know each other?”
“We do now!” Annie said, offering a high five to Frankie.
“What is going on here?” Frankie asked with wide eyes.
“Apparently, the reindeer kicked Santa and one of his helpers off the sleigh, and they got caught on big Prometheus.” He nodded toward the section where the action was taking place.
Frankie was beside herself. She was doubled over with laughter. Nina moved past her and peeked over the side. She, too, began to howl.
It took four firemen to rescue the “ornaments.” Once the crowd realized the two men were okay, they broke out into laughter and cheers.
When Vinny and Jimmy were finally on terra firma, two police officers began to immediately question them.
“What were you two guys trying to pull?”
“How did you get here?”
“I need to see some ID.”
Vinny and Jimmy were dumbstruck. They had no answers for either of them, nor did they have any identification.
“You’re coming with us.” The officers escorted them to a van.
Everyone was speaking at once. Finally, Myra held up her hands. “Let’s take this up at the party later, shall we?”
“Absolutely! I have a rib eye calling my name,” Frankie said playfully.
“I thought you told it to shut up!” Rachael teased.
“It wasn’t listening.”
During dessert, Frankie explained the whole story to those who had heard about it but were not aware that two of their pals were part of it.
Frankie thought Robert may have doubts about carrying on with this outlandish bunch. But the big smile on his face erased all of her concerns. This was a good bunch. Make that a great bunch.