Chapter 15 #2
Mary followed him back to the trailer and climbed up the rickety steps. Once inside, she dropped to the floor and shone a flashlight down on the loose pages of a manuscript that had somehow changed her life forever.
Noise bombarded him when Nick stepped through the doors of the police station. Chief Landham stood in the middle of Silas Grentch, Jasmine Claus, Silas’s hired cameraman and half a dozen of what Nick guessed to be the concerned residents of North Pole, everyone talking at once.
Officer Trey Baskin climbed onto a chair, placed two fingers in his mouth and blew a piercing whistle that had everyone silent in seconds. “That’s better. Let the Chief talk.”
“Thanks, Trey.” He turned to Jasmine Claus. “We haven’t heard from Santa since he disappeared. We’ve followed every lead, questioned all his friends and I’m sorry to say, we found nothing. We’re doing the best we can.”
Silas shoved his way through to the chief, dragging the cameraman behind him. “Chief, do you think Santa could actually be running from the law and doesn’t want to be found?” He held the microphone in front of the police chief.
Landham shoved the mike away. “Turn that damned thing off, Silas. There is no evidence to suggest Santa is in any trouble with the law.”
“That’s right. My husband is a good man. It’s the people in this police department that are a bunch of fools,” Jasmine Claus cut in. “I had to hire a private investigator to find my husband since your department obviously can’t.”
A man behind her cleared his throat. “Mrs. Claus, I haven’t found him yet.”
Jasmine drew up on her high heels, topping maybe five feet to the man’s six feet.
“Which reminds me...you’re fired.” She swiveled back to the chief.
“I’m headed to Fairbanks to hire another private investigator.
I expect you to call me immediately if you hear anything about my husband’s whereabouts. ”
The chief nodded, his lips tightening. “Yes, ma’am.”
Mrs. Claus stormed out of the chief’s office, followed by the jobless P.I., arguing over his bill.
Nick couldn’t help believing they deserved each other, he pushed his way through the mob, determined to report Mary as missing.
“What are you doing about Bob Feegan’s murder, Chief?” a citizen yelled above the growing noise.
“We have the Alaska State Troopers examining the crime scene and collecting evidence.”
“Do you have any suspects in mind?” Silas asked, shoving the mike at the chief.
Landham glared at Silas. “If you don’t get that thing out of my face...”
“Could Santa have killed Bob Feegan, Chief?” Silas persisted.
“We don’t know who killed Bob Feegan.” Landham nodded to Officer Baskin. “Will you get these people out?”
From his perch on top of the chair, Trey whistled again to get the crowd’s attention. “If you want us to catch the killer, leave and let us do our jobs.”
One by one, people vacated the office, worried frowns on their faces.
The chief spotted Nick and waved him forward. “Nick, I’m glad you stopped in. I wanted to ask you a few more questions about what happened at Feegan’s earlier.”
“I’d be happy to answer any and all questions, but I have a more pressing need.”
“What is it?”
“Mary Christmas and Chris Moss are missing.”
The chief closed his eyes and ran a hand through his graying hair, standing it on end. “When?”
With Ms. Reedy’s help, Nick filled him in.
The chief stood and shook Nick’s hand. “I’ll put extra men on patrol. If you hear anything...”
“I’ll let you know.” Nick left Ms. Reedy and her cat with the chief and spent the next hour patrolling North Pole, searching in vain for Santa and his daughter, the sense of impending doom weighing heavily on him.
When driving around brought nothing to the surface, he returned to his room and paced the floor, casting glances through the open doorway into the hall where Mary’s door remained closed.
He’d already jimmied the lock and checked inside.
As far as he could tell, she hadn’t been back since she’d disappeared.
Where the hell had she gone? He’d checked her room before dropping Ms. Betty off at the police station. He’d called Jimmy Janovich to see if Mary had been crazy enough to find her way out to her father’s friend’s house.
The older man nearly bit his head off over the phone, refusing to tell him anything. “How do I know you’re not the nut case trying to kill Santa? I heard what happened to Bobby Feegan. If you were the one who done it, you’ll pay.”
“Sir, I’m concerned about Mary. She’s disappeared and I’m afraid someone might hurt her if we don’t find her soon.”
“If I knew where she was, do you think I’d tell you?
I don’t know you from Adam. I’m hanging up and calling the police.
You hear me? I’m calling the police.” The line clicked and Janovich promptly dialed the police to report the call.
Nick knew because he received a call on his cell shortly after from Chief Landham’s phone confirming.
A call to Royce revealed no new information on Charles Mercer or his unit. He tried Kat, but she wasn’t answering her cell.
Nick’s frustration mounted with each passing minute. He called Kat for the third time in as many minutes.
When Kat answered, she sounded out of breath. “Yeah.”
“We’ve got trouble.”
“You’re telling me,” she wheezed.
Nick’s pulse spiked. “Why? What’s happening there?”
“I just ran six blocks,” She paused to suck in a noisy breath.
“Why?”
“You wanted me to follow Gordon Thomas, didn’t you?”
Nick frowned. “Not on foot.”
“He slipped past his own security staff and out the back door of the hotel. Since I was inside the hotel at the time, I didn’t happen to be in a car.”
“Where’d he go?”
“The senator climbed into a car by himself and took off.” She took another deep breath and blew it out in his ear.
“Instead of running around the other side of the hotel to get in my car, I cut through some streets and ran after him. Dumb mistake, but I wanted to know which direction he headed, I knew I’d lose him if I went all the way back to my car before following him. ”
“Did you lose him?”
“I followed him until he hit Highway 2 headed east. It appears he’s headed your way. I didn’t get the opportunity to tell him about what’s going on in North Pole. Maybe he’s heard and is on his way to check it out for himself.”
“Without his gaggle of bodyguards for protection?” Nick scratched his chin. “Doesn’t sound right. But I’ll get the police chief involved. He can pull him in and brief him on the local happenings.” Nick gripped the phone tighter. “Right now, I need you here. ASAP.”
The sound of a car door slamming passed through Nick’s receiver before Kat asked, “More trouble?”
“Royce called. He thinks Cobra is involved.”
“The hired assassin?”
The knot in Nick’s gut tightened. “That’s the one.”
“Damn.”
He inhaled and eased the air from his lungs. “And now Mary’s missing.”
“I thought you two had become Siamese twins joined at the hip.”
Nick ran a hand through his hair and paced across the hall to her door and back. “I told her I was going to lock her up at the police station until this was all over.”
“And she took off.” Kat chuckled. “She’s got spunk. I know I wouldn’t put up with a threat like that if it were my father. That was reckless on your part.”
“Tell me about it.” Nick still wanted her locked in the jail to keep her safe.
Nothing had changed on that front. His main regret was telling Mary his plans.
He shouldn’t have told her. He should have just done it.
The thought of Mary at the mercy of Cobra and the image of what the murderer had done to his victims chilled the back of Nick’s neck.
“You better find her before he does.” The sound of an engine revving filled Nick’s headset. “I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes. We’ll search together.”
Nick ended the call. He couldn’t wait until Kat got there. He had to find Mary.
He slipped into his snowsuit, gloves and boots, grabbed his keys and headed out into the darkness.
If he had to, he’d comb the entire town and outlying homes.
The petite blonde had slipped well under his skin and then slipped through his fingers.
He didn’t feel right stepping out into the cold Alaska night without her by his side, with her running commentary on North Pole, Santa and the people who meant so much to her.
She’d immersed him in her life and the town, making him feel a part of their extended family.
As soon as Nick stepped out the door of the B and B, the wind hit him full in the face, turning the moisture in his breath to fine crystals.
The weather reporter had warned of another winter storm blowing in from the west. He hoped he found Mary in time.
If the killer didn’t get to her first, the weather could.