Chapter 28
Cavin spent the remainder of the day surrounded by documents scattered across the rental’s kitchen table which appeared somewhat like a wall collage the FBI might concoct to study a case.
He scrutinized each article again, as well as the photos, until his head hurt just trying to gain a better understanding without questioning Walter Benson in person.
Getting his hands on the tax returns might confirm part of what Cavin expected, but Walt probably wouldn’t offer any insight into the most important piece of the puzzle.
Analyzing the tax documents required a conversation with Walt that he wanted to avoid for the time being.
The man obviously concocted a well thought out plan leading Cavin to assume the seasoned accountant also formulated a clever backup plan which likely included offering Noel a bigger check for her property.
Eventually Cavin reached a point in his research that prompted him to make a phone call to a person who might be able to help.
He remembered some specific spoken words, and even if the individual didn’t have the desired answers, a second set of eyes attached to an intelligent brain might prove helpful.
However, Cavin made a promise to two little children and a lovely woman to spend Christmas Eve with them.
He couldn’t do two things at once, and he didn’t even know when this person might be available, so he decided to go ahead and quickly dial the number to find out.
When Cavin walked back to the candy shop, he found Levi and Laney serving hot chocolate as expected.
Ever since school let out for Christmas break, the two worked the stand a good part of each day, and Cavin decided to assist them for the last thirty minutes before helping close down the sidewalk business.
Afterward, the three of them and Noel held their daily search for Scout.
They encountered Scout twice, each time attempting to lure him with food.
Even though he came within a dozen feet of their hands, the skittish dog ran off before they could grab him.
When they dropped treats and backed away, Scout would eat a bit while keeping his eyes on them the whole time then jet off when anyone approached.
The cute Goldendoodle was a smart little fellow.
He came up to the candy shop entrance late at night to munch down the food and drink the water Levi and Laney left out for him or other dogs who wanted it which Georgia complained attracted wild animals.
She talked to both Cavin and Noel about the issue on separate occasions, but they simply listened and told her they would keep a close eye on the security cameras to see if it became a problem.
The footage often showed Scout, but the times when Noel saw it live and scurried down in the middle of the night to attempt to wrangle Scout, he bolted before she could twist the lock on the door.
Even in the December cold, the lows so far stayed above freezing, so Scout managed to survive the elements somehow.
However, the overnight Christmas Eve forecast showed lows expected to drop into the twenties and even called for a slight chance of snowfall.
As Noel, Cavin, Laney, and Levi left the Christmas Eve candlelight service where Noel delivered the best version of “Mary Did You Know” that Cavin ever heard, she encouraged the kids not to get their hopes up because the area meteorologists often got everyone excited about the possibilities of snow but rarely did Beaufort see any white precipitation.
Early on Christmas morning as the sky began to glow with morning light, everything seemed to fall into place.
Rather than being awakened by Santa climbing down the chimney or his reindeer’s feet pattering on the rooftop, Levi’s and Laney’s little ears perked when they heard the sound of barking.
Both kids sat straight up from their mattress looking at each other before shouting in unison, “Scout!”
Although still in her room, Noel woke early to wrap presents as Christmas music played softly in the background.
She didn’t hear Scout’s barks, but she couldn’t miss the shrill sounds of Levi’s and Laney’s voices and the commotion they made jumping out of bed and running through the house.
Concerned, Noel pounced off the floor as if on a trampoline and met them in the living room not sure what was happening but hoped the kids’ excitement was simply related to Christmas morning and opening presents.
However, Noel never expected them up before seven o’clock after their late night pajama party of baking and decorating cookies while watching A Charlie Brown Christmas.
In fact Cavin promised to arrive on the hour to help with the kids’ Christmas presents.
Since he had nowhere else to go, Levi and Laney invited him to celebrate Christmas morning with them, and Noel agreed to the idea.
As these thoughts raced through Noel’s mind, the children’s noises quieted just long enough for her ears to recognize the sound of barking.
“Mom, it’s Scout. We hear him barking.”
The three of them ran downstairs, their bare feet bouncing on every step.
They quickly traversed the candy shop aisles and found Scout looking frigid and fragile barking at the door while peering through the glass at them.
Noel’s eyes glazed over with awe when just beyond Scout, she spotted a layer of puffy white snow covering the sidewalk, and as she glanced up at the gray sky, she saw little white dots swirling through the air in slow motion.
“Aunt Noel, it’s snowing,” Laney announced with pure joy lining her tickled voice.
“Wow,” Levi replied, seeing the precipitation himself. “That’s why Scout wants in, he’s freezing.”
Praying, Noel twisted the lock slowly as if searching for an exact number on a combination safe. When it clicked, Scout took two steps back but didn’t run away like usual.
“When I open the door, don’t run out,” Noel instructed. “Kneel down and wait for Scout to come to you.”
Scout barked as Noel gently pushed the door open, then he stared at the three of them in the open doorway as a blast of cold ran through their bodies like a brain freeze.
“Come here, Scout,” Laney uttered as softly as the falling flakes of snow.
“Hey, sweet boy,” Levi whispered, holding out his hand as if it held treats.
Suddenly for no apparent reason, Scout turned and raced into the snowy road where street lamps still glowed as daylight began to lift onto the horizon.
“Should we go after him, Mom?”
“If we don’t, he’s going to freeze to death,” Laney anxiously predicted.
Before Noel could make a decision knowing none of them needed to run out in the snow without proper footwear, a figure from across the street ran onto the road and scooped Scout into his arms.
“Mom, it’s Cavin,” Levi shouted, pronouncing his name the proper way for the first time.
“Cavin caught Scout,” Laney exclaimed.
At that moment Noel heard the cuckoo clock sound in the background telling them seven o’clock arrived.
“You showed up right on time,” Noel reported enthusiastically, happy to see Cavin with Scout in his arms and the dog’s tail wagging. “Come on in,” she added. “It’s freezing out there.”
Levi and Laney lunged toward Scout while Cavin held the animal tightly so he wouldn’t escape.
“Hey boy, you are so cute,” Levi told the dog as he petted him for the first time.
“You have snow on your fur, little guy,” Laney added while rubbing her hand across his back to brush off as much as possible.
“Let me close this door so we can keep Scout in and the cold out,” Noel suggested then pushed it shut.
For a moment she wondered how in the world she and Cavin would arrange the kids' Christmas gifts without them noticing. Tradition was to place the presents around the large tree in the back of the candy shop, but with the children already in the store, the tree glowed like an open invitation, only with no real gifts underneath. Fortunately, Scout’s surprise appearance and the magic of snowfall in coastal North Carolina occupied their minds while Noel quickly herded everyone upstairs with a promise of drinking hot chocolate, playing on the floor with Scout, and eventually dressing warmly to frolic in the snow.
She imagined Cavin with all these options could keep the kids entertained while she played Santa Claus.
Christmas morning went smoothly from there.
Noel found a soft, warm blanket to wrap around Scout who, after a short time, decided he wanted to dance across the house as if he lived there his whole life.
The kids chased him, and he chased them back, and Cavin watched with a smile while Noel hustled up and down the stairs surrounding the tree with gifts.
Eventually Cavin sent Levi and Laney to their rooms to dress for the snow in the clothes Noel set out for them before disappearing.
While the kids climbed into winter gear, Cavin latched a leash they acquired with this very moment in mind on Scout’s collar.
Then Cavin helped the kids pull on their gloves before leading them outside through the balcony door, making them walk as if on eggshells holding onto the rail tightly while moving down the slippery steps.
He let them play in the snow for about fifteen minutes as he held onto Scout’s leash like a fisherman gripping a pole with the big one on the other end.
Scout played along jumping in excitement while the children threw snowballs, made snow angels, and started rolling body parts to create a snowman.