Chapter 24
ZARA
I showed Sam the screen and waited for his reaction.
“Answer it,” he said without hesitation.
I nodded, then answered. “Hello?”
“Agent Mazini?” A male voice asked, professional and familiar.
“Former Agent Mazini,” I corrected.
“Yes, of course. This is Special Agent Derek Meadows again, from the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility. We spoke yesterday.”
I eyed the crowd. “Agent Meadows, I’m a little busy right now. Can I call you back tomorrow?”
“No need, because this will only take a minute. I wanted to keep you apprised of developments in your case.” He paused. “I had mentioned the possibility of referring your alleged collusion and obstruction of justice to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.”
My hand tightened on the phone.
“I’m calling to inform you that it will not be happening. Agent Babbs’ testimony has been deemed unreliable. She committed perjury multiple times during her plea deal, and her credibility has been completely undermined. No charges will be filed against you or Sam Monroe.”
I couldn’t breathe for a moment. “Wow. Okay. Thank you for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” I said.
I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the banner, at the gazebo, at Sam’s expectant face.
“What happened?” he asked.
“We’re off the hook.” My voice sounded strange to my own ears. “They’re not going to pursue us or press charges. Babbs lied so many times that they can’t use her testimony, and it sounds like they have rescinded her plea deal. We’re clear.”
“That’s the best wedding present we could’ve gotten.” Sam pulled me closer, kissing my temple.
“Yeah …” I shook my head in disbelief. “What a crazy, emotional day. Full of surprises.”
Sam’s grin turned mischievous. “Wait. I have another one.” He stood, helping me out of the carriage.
A group of ten teenagers stood arranged on the gazebo steps, all wearing matching red and green scarves.
“Leavenworth High School Drama Department,” Sam explained, his arm around my waist. “They just finished performing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Musical recently and were itching for something new to do. I arranged for them to sing a song for you.”
Before I could say anything, music kicked in—bright, joyful, perfectly harmonized.
They launched into an energetic, gorgeous rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is You,” their voices blending beautifully in the winter night.
They performed with such enthusiasm and joy, then, to my surprise, just about every person in the town square joined in.
I watched, mesmerized, as I felt tears prickling my eyes. When they finished, the crowd burst into cheers and applause.
“This day could not get any better,” I said, waving my thanks and blowing kisses to the drama students, then watching them bow to the crowd.
Sam’s smile turned wistful. “I only wish Eleanor could be here to celebrate with us.”
“Me too,” I said. “How do you think she’s doing?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Sam pulled out his phone and tapped the video call app. After a few rings, a familiar face filled the screen.
“Sam! Zara!” Eleanor’s entire face lit up. “I was wondering when you two would call.”
She was sitting on what looked like a resort terrace, the ocean stretching endlessly behind her, lit up by the full moon. In her hand was an elaborate tropical cocktail with a tiny umbrella.
“We wanted to see how you’re doing over there,” Sam said.
“Well, it’s barely been twenty-four hours since I arrived, but I have to say—Costa Rica agrees with me.
Well, it always has. Before I forget, Jessica from the library in Wenatchee will be taking over my duties moving forward.
Leo is picking up the slack while you’re out, Sam.
He just texted me to say the computers are back from the FBI and they’re already up and running in the library.
And lucky for us, your case got dropped before the Feds even started digging into the hard drives. ”
“Looks like I have some deep cleaning to do,” Sam said with a wink. “And sorry I’ve been out of the loop. We have been running around crazy all day.”
“All is good, so don’t you worry.” Eleanor took a leisurely sip of her drink, her expression pure contentment. “And I got your text from earlier. Have you two made it official yet?”
“We did!” I said, holding my ring close to the phone for her to see.
“Congratulations. That is wonderful! I just knew you two had something special between you.” Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with joy. “Now, let’s talk about the honeymoon.”
Sam and I exchanged glances, wondering why the honeymoon was on her mind. The truth was, we hadn’t even had an extra minute to think about it.
“We haven’t planned anything yet,” he admitted. “We didn’t know if we would be able to leave the country, but now we know we can. We’ll need to wait until after Christmas, though. I’ve still got Santa gigs lined up.” He bumped my arm. “Sorry—we have gigs.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m still going to be your elf?”
“Of course. You are now obligated by law.” Sam smirked. “Didn’t I mention that during the vows?”
“Then I’d like to negotiate a new costume,” I said, playfully pushing his arm. “One that provides significantly better coverage.”
“You won’t need any coverage at all if you honeymoon here in Costa Rica with me,” Eleanor said, grinning wickedly. “There’s a charming little nudie beach a few blocks from my place. You can see it from here, actually.”
I blinked. “Wait—that’s your home? I thought you were at a resort.”
Eleanor laughed, the sound warm and delighted.
“I’ve owned this property for over ten years.
Six bedrooms, six bathrooms, private beach access, infinity pool.
You name it. I sold my Google stock at a very good time and used the money to buy this place.
” She beamed with pride, then gestured vaguely behind her.
“Just look at this paradise waiting for you. You need to come visit. You can stay on the other side of the house. You’ll have complete privacy. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“Eleanor, that’s incredibly generous, but—” I started.
“No buts. You’re coming.” She took another sip of her drink. “That will give us time to discuss the next project since Zara is on our team now.”
Sam and I both froze.
“Next project?” I asked carefully.
Eleanor’s smile turned mysterious. “Unfortunately, our current version of Good Sam will need to retire, but he’ll be back, bigger and better than ever.
I’ve stumbled across something very interesting I can’t wait to share with you.
The kind of interesting that will make the world a much better place and bring happiness to tens of thousands of people.
But it also requires very unique skills to make it happen. Your skills, specifically.”
“I’m scared to ask,” Sam said.
“Don’t worry.” She took an exaggeratedly leisurely sip of her drink, her eyes twinkling with mischief over the rim of her glass.
“It’s completely legitimate. Well, mostly legitimate.
Okay, fine—it’s in that delightful gray area where legal and highly inadvisable have a romantic dinner together.
And it’s the sort of challenge that would be absolutely perfect for a newly married couple with complementary expertise.
You know, assuming said couple enjoys adrenaline rushes and occasionally running from authorities. ”
Sam sighed. “Eleanor …”
“I’m kidding!” she said. “Well, sort of ...”
“You’re not going to tell us anything, are you?” he asked, probably already knowing the answer.
“Not until you’re here.” Eleanor’s grin widened.
“Some conversations require copious amounts of tequila and the kind of absolute privacy that only a beachfront property with no extradition treaty can provide.” She raised her glass in a mock toast. “Come to Costa Rica. Your flights will be my wedding gift. And then—only then—all will be revealed.”
The call ended abruptly, leaving us staring at a blank screen.
I looked at Sam.
He looked at me.
“What do you think?” He slipped his phone back into his pocket, his expression caught between amused and alarmed. “How does a free trip to Costa Rica sound for our honeymoon?”
“It certainly is hard to pass up.” I shook my head in disbelief, but I couldn’t stop smiling. “I can’t decide if it would be brilliant, reckless, or some terrifying combination of both.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Sam pulled me close, his grin matching mine. “Something tells me we’re going to have many exciting adventures together in the future.”
“I have a feeling you’re right.” I laughed, the sound carrying through the snowy night. “But there’s nobody else I would want as my partner-in-crime.”
THE END
Thank you so much for reading Hacking the Holidays.