Chapter Sixteen
Rick
Rick stood in the dark under a large tree, pacing back and forth as he spoke to his superior, Scott Dresdon, frustration oozing from him. “What do you mean we can’t get a subpoena?”
“I mean that the DA took it to the judge, and he doesn’t think we have enough, even with her eyewitness account.
Now, do you want to tell me again why you saved up all your vacation for the holidays and decided to track down our missing witness without clearing it with me first?
When the local cops called, I was caught off guard and nearly told them to keep your ass in a cell until I got there.
What the hell were you thinking, going rogue like that? ”
“I figured I’d wrap her up and give her to you for Christmas,” Rick said.
“Very funny, smart-ass. Why didn’t you tell me that’s where you were headed?”
“I didn’t know if she’d still be here, for one thing. They recorded that episode months ago. Plus, I didn’t want anyone to know where I was going in case we had a leak we didn’t know about.”
“You actually think that someone in the bureau would tell the Pit Vipers where Kaylee is?”
“No, but no one ever thinks that a fed is dirty until you’ve either got a gun to the back of your head or a bullet in theirs. How close are we to having enough to arrest Ansel?”
“We’re doing what we can on our end. Finn has ears inside their clubhouse, and they will slip up soon. In the meantime, since you’re already there, don’t let Kaylee Taylor out of your sight.”
“It’s Kringle now.”
“What?” his boss barked.
“She goes by Kaylee Kringle now.”
“Aw, that’s cute. She could call herself Mrs. Claus, and I wouldn’t fucking care.
All that matters is keeping her alive until we have the nail in these fuckers’ coffins.
The last thing we want is for you to bring her back here and have the case fall apart, putting her in more danger.
Right now, they have no idea where she is, but if we produce her and the judge throws out the case, everyone will know who she is, because there is no way she doesn’t end up in the press. ”
When Kaylee came forward before, they were able to keep it in-house and get her to a safe place before anyone caught wind of her as a witness.
Now, they had a whole town to hide from, and although Rick’s boss had given the local cops as little as possible, there was still a chance that something could go wrong.
“Roger that. I’ll keep her safe.”
“I know. Next time you go off script, though, I’m sanctioning your ass.”
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” the mayor called out into the microphone.
“What’s that?” Scott asked.
“They are about to light a giant potato.”
“What the fuck? You have fun in Hicksville. I’ll let you know when we’ve got something.”
“All right, thanks,” he said, but Scott had already ended the call. Rick slipped his phone into his pocket and stood in the shadows, listening to the mayor’s speech.
“Our tradition of potato lighting started fifty years ago, when a group of fifth graders made potato lights with Christmas house bulbs and went around town singing Christmas carols. That tradition inspired this night, a time when we come together and sing and light potatoes and celebrate living in this wonderful community.” The crowd cheered, their voices dying off when he waved his hands in the air.
“Fifteen years ago, a brilliant team of young artists created a large potato statue as a prank and left it in the town square. The people of Holiday loved the idea of replacing the giant Christmas tree we had to buy every year with a stationary potato we could decorate with lights and share a special holiday tradition. The fact that both of the things that make Christmas special here came from children says how fantastical the young mind can be. And this year is especially joyful because Small Town USA featured Holiday on their show, and I am so proud of this town for pulling it all together!” More cheers, and he put his hand on the lever, grinning.
“Are we ready to light this spud for real?”
Without waiting for an affirmative, the mayor pushed the lever, and green and red lights came to life along the brown skin of the potato statue. On top of the structure, a white star twinkled, and Rick clapped along with everyone else, chuckling. This town was definitely interesting.
Suddenly, a thunderous battle cry sounded from the edge of the trees behind the mayor, and three people wearing Mr. Potato Head masks rushed past him and toward the crowd. With the exception of boots and masks, they were naked.
“Happy holidays!” one of them crowed.
There were several screams, and Rick saw a couple mothers covering their kids’ eyes.
“Grab them!” the mayor shouted into the mic.
One officer gave chase and managed to grab hold of one of them, but they twisted away and escaped down the street. The officer looked at his hand and wiped it on his chest.
“They’re covered in some kind of oil!”
“Tackle them!”
But the trio was already halfway down the street, cackling. One of them taunted, “You’ll never catch us, coppers!”
Rick chuckled. It was a hokey line, but the event left the mayor red-faced and blustering. He seemed to take a deep breath to get ahold of himself, pasting a smile on his face.
“Here’s to an amazing holiday season, and don’t forget to visit Santa and tell him what you want most for Christmas!”
People took off in all different directions.
The parents with small children were heading for a red shed with fake snow on the roof and sparkling lights along the trim.
In the doorway, Santa stood waving at everyone.
Rick had seen people walking around holding potatoes with wires and green or red lights poking out the top.
There was a food truck called Tater This that sold a wide variety of potato products, including french fries, tater tots, and baked potatoes with a range of toppings, such as chili, baked beans, pulled pork, nacho cheese, and barbeque chicken with mac and cheese.
There were other local businesses selling food, drinks, and merchandise, and people were lined up for everything, chatting with those around them.
Paulette came over, wearing a camo sweatshirt and jeans, her hair tossed in a messy bun. “Hello, Agent.”
Rick frowned, having told her several times not to call him that. “It’s just Rick.”
“Are you enjoying our festival, Rick?” she asked, holding a container of chili fries. The scent of spicy meat and cheese wafted over him, making his stomach growl.
“It’s cool. I was just thinking about hitting the Tater This and getting some tots, but those look good.”
“They’re awesome. Perfect combo on a cold night.” She nodded her head toward Kaylee. “You wear down our girl yet?”
Rick caught his retort seconds before it flew out of his mouth. She’s not our girl. She wasn’t even Rick’s. As protective as he might be of Kaylee, she still betrayed him. He couldn’t imagine trusting her again, especially with how hard she’d fought him on testifying.
She’s scared. Maybe you ought to put yourself in her shoes.
Even with the threat of death hanging over his head, Rick knew he’d still risk it all to put bad guys away. That’s why he’d wanted to be in the FBI to begin with.
“I’m working on it. She definitely doesn’t appreciate my crashing on her couch.”
Paulette waved a french fry at him. “Just make sure you’re being a gentleman. We all like Kaylee, and fed or not, if you hurt her in any way, you might end up in a frozen lake.”
“Really, threatening a federal agent?”
Paulette snorted. “Absolutely. I already told you, this is my town and my people. No one is going to come in here and make them feel unsafe.”
Rick could respect her passion and determination to keep her family and friends safe. That’s another reason why he’d joined the bureau: to help others. To ensure that victims could seek justice.
“She’s safe with me, always.”
“Well, all right, then. I guess I’d better go find my husband. He took our twins over to see Santa, and I just know they’re probably planning something diabolical to get on the naughty list. They have tried for the last three years, but Santa keeps giving them gifts. It’s a shame.”
“Sounds like it,” Rick said, chuckling.
She shot him a grin before taking off, and Rick scanned the crowd for Kaylee, who was standing with her friend Josie and a few others, eating a baked potato with a fork.
She wrapped her mouth around the plastic, dragging it out of her mouth until every bit of potato was gone.
Her full lips spread into a smile at something someone else said, and his chest ached, wishing they’d met under different circumstances and that they weren’t on opposite ends of this current issue.
Rick went to the nearest food truck and ordered a corn dog with cheese inside and a soda, watching Kaylee as he ate. He knew that she noticed because she kept glancing over at him to see if he was there.
I told you I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. When are you going to realize that?