Finding Christmas Read online

  “Where?” Jake asked.

  I bit my lip. “I’m not sure.”

  I released the button on the radio and let my hand and body relax. The image I’d captured felt just out of my reach. The vision was more of a flash of insight. I didn’t sense the man was frightened or in any immediate danger. In fact, I was pretty sure he was having a jolly good time.

  “We did see those sleigh tracks a ways back,” Wyatt reminded me after a few minutes.

  I opened my eyes. “You’re right.” I pressed the button on the radio again. “Harmony to Jake.”

  “Go for Jake.”

  “Wyatt and I are going to backtrack. We saw sleigh tracks a ways back. We didn’t think much about them because Mr. Clauston’s daughter didn’t mention a sleigh, but I think we should follow them to see where they lead.”

  “Send me your coordinates and we’ll join you.”

  Wyatt sent Jake the coordinates and we headed back the way we’d come. Once we arrived at the place where we remembered seeing the tracks, I paused to give Yukon the old man’s scent. I took the shirt his daughter had provided from the plastic bag I carried it in and prayed he would pick up the trail again. “This is Nick Clauston,” I said to Yukon. “Find Nick.”

  Yukon sniffed the shirt, then began to sniff the air. At first, he didn’t seem to have found the scent, but after a few minutes, he headed out.

  “How do you think sleigh tracks might fit into his disappearance?” Wyatt asked as we trudged through the deep snow, following Yukon.

  “I don’t know. Maybe someone found him. Someone in a sleigh. Maybe he couldn’t remember where he was supposed to be, so the person in the sleigh took him back to their barn.”

  Wyatt looked doubtful. “If you found a man wandering around in the snow dressed in a Santa suit who couldn’t remember where he was supposed to be, wouldn’t you call the police?”

  I let out a breath. “Yeah, I guess I would. To be honest I have no idea how the sleigh or the barn fits into this whole thing. All I do know is that when I focused on Mr. Clauston, that is the image that came to me.”

  Wyatt and I continued to trudge along. It was difficult to walk with so many drifts, so we leaned forward and looked at the ground directly in front of us as we made our way. Eventually I heard Wyatt say, “Yukon is alerting.” He walked forward a bit more. “It looks like he found the tracks we saw earlier.”

  I radioed Jake that we were back to the point we were looking for, and he radioed for us to wait. He and Landon were only a minute or two away from us. I used the wait time to catch my breath. Walking the rough terrain in snowshoes large enough to provide traction in deep snow wasn’t an easy task.

  Once Jake and Landon caught up with us, we slowly made our way forward, trying our best to follow tracks that disappeared into drifts only to reappear again on the other side.

  At one point, Wyatt stopped and knelt down for a closer look. We were somewhat protected from the wind here, so the drifts weren’t as deep. “There are hoofprints in the snow as well as sleigh tracks, but there aren’t any horse prints.”

  I walked over to where he was standing. It did look like a sleigh pulled by an animal had been through here. “Caribou,” I said after studying the two distinct toes.

  Wyatt chuckled. “So, you’re saying a man dressed in a Santa suit was picked up in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.”

  I smiled in return. “That’s what the evidence suggests.” The dogs seemed to have picked up a scent and gone on ahead. Eventually, they stopped walking and looked around. I paused to study the tracks left in the snow. “A sleigh pulled by caribou definitely traveled through here. It seems the sleigh tracks end at the edge of the forest.”

  “Maybe Santa’s magic reindeer took flight once they came to the edge of the meadow,” Wyatt teased.

  My lips curled into a half smile. “Again, that would seem to be what the evidence suggests.”

  “I’m sure if we try hard enough, we can come up with an explanation based in reality,” Landon countered.

  “Perhaps.” I took several steps into the woods at the edge of the clearing. I paused, listened, and looked around. I had the distinct feeling we were being watched, but I didn’t see or hear anything.

  “Do you sense something?” Jake asked.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I feel something, but I’m not sure it’s him. I think maybe…” I was cut off by the sound of Jake’s phone.

  Jake lifted a finger to quiet me so he could answer. “Jake here.” Jake raised a brow. “Really? Well, thanks for letting us know.” Jake hung up and turned toward us. “It seems Nick is back at the inn.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “How did he get there?”

  “No one’s sure. Houston went outside to get something from his squad car and found Nick sitting on the porch swing near the front door. When he asked him where he’d been and how he’d gotten back to the inn, Mr. Clauston told Houston he woke up during the night and saw lights in the sky. He went outside to take a look and got lost. He was just starting to get worried when Santa appeared in a sleigh pulled by two reindeer. He offered to give him a ride home, but when he couldn’t remember where home was, Santa took him to his reindeer barn. He gave him a cup of cocoa and a warm blanket and talked to him a bit. Eventually, Mr. Clauston remembered the inn, and Santa brought him back and dropped him off.”

  “Hot damn,” Wyatt said. “I knew Santa was involved in this.”

  “There’s no such thing as Santa,” Landon argued.

  “I think it’s likely the man was hallucinating,” Jake said.

  “I might agree if not for the sleigh tracks and the reindeer hooves,” I countered. “Maybe Wyatt’s right. Maybe Mr. Clauston really was rescued by Santa.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “This is northern Alaska. A lot of people have sleighs, and a fair number have domesticated caribou. I’m sure what he saw were the northern lights and the Santa who picked him up was a Good Samaritan out for a sleigh ride.”

  “Who, other than Santa of course, goes for a sleigh ride in the middle of the night?” I queried.

  “Yeah, who?” Wyatt laughed.

  Jake started walking back the way we’d come. I didn’t actually believe Mr. Clauston had been saved by Santa, but it was fun messing with Jake and Landon, who were so steadfast in their disbelief. I didn’t know who had saved him; I was just glad he was okay.

  Chapter 2

  After we returned to the inn, Jake spoke to Nick Clauston’s daughter, while Wyatt, Landon, and I gathered our stuff and began loading the trucks. Marty and Mary Miller, the owners of the inn, had done a wonderful job decorating. Not only was the outside of the building decked out in lights, but the interior of the cozy lodging had been strung with lights and garlands as well. I could see why the place was so popular with the holiday crowd. Staying at the inn must be a bit like spending the holiday at Santa’s magical workshop.

  “The place looks nice,” Landon said as he passed the spot where I’d paused to admire the fifteen-foot tree.

  “It’s really beautiful,” I answered and stuffed down a longing in my heart. “Before she died, my mom used to decorate a tree much like this one. I can still remember the colorful lights and the whisper of Christmas as I curled up on the floor, looking up through the branches.”

  “It sounds nice,” Landon replied as I continued to gaze at the tree.

  I sighed as the memories came flooding forth. “It was magical. My mom really understood the importance of the season and worked hard to make everything perfect. When I allow my mind to drift into the past, I can almost hear the carols on the stereo, smell the pinesap from the tree, and see the shiny red bulbs reflecting my image as I waited for Santa.”

  Landon took a step closer and put his arm around my shoulder. He gave my arm a squeeze as we stood in silence and continued to look at the tree. White lights twinkled and danced like stars on a clear winter night. I let out a soft breath as I rested my head on his shoulder. “I love the pine cones tha
t have been placed around the bright red bulbs and white lights to give the tree an outdoorsy feel.”

  “Have you put up a tree yet this year?” Landon asked.

  I took a slight step away and shook my head. It wasn’t like me to be quite so sappy. Practical, I reminded myself, was more my style. “I thought about it, but I don’t have extra cash to buy decorations, and a tree without decorations would be nothing more than an invitation for the dogs to pee on it and the cats to climb it.”

  Landon’s eyes grew large, as if a light bulb suddenly went on. “Your decorations were stored in the barn.”

  I nodded. “I didn’t have many to begin with, but the ones I did have were in the barn when it burned. It’s fine, though. Jake went crazy decorating the bar this year, so I can get my Christmas jollies while I’m at work.”

  I turned back toward the front door. “I’ll grab Yukon. Jake looks like he’s almost done talking to Marty and Mary, and I’m sure he’ll want to get on with our own debriefing.”

  Landon nodded and, picking up the backpack with the supplies we’d brought with us, he headed out to Jake’s truck. I’d picked up my own Jeep when I’d gone home to get Yukon, so I decided to drop him back at home before meeting Jake and the others at Neverland.

  “Other than the Santa factor, does anyone have anything to add that may prove to be unique to this case? Anything we might want to keep in mind for future rescues?” Jake asked the standard questions that followed during every debriefing, even though this rescue had turned out to be pretty tame.

  We agreed that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred and were just happy that Mr. Clauston had been returned to the inn in one piece, however it happened.

  When Jake had asked all the questions he needed for the report, I went over to the Rescue Animal Shelter. We planned to decorate that day and I didn’t want to miss the party. By the time I arrived, Harley Medford, our benefactor, had already hung the lights along the roofline. The red and white lights against the white snow and dark gray sky gave the place a festive feel that did a lot to chase away the ho-hums I’d been experiencing lately.

  “It looks great.” I walked over and stood next to Serena Walters, one of the shelter volunteers, who was holding the ladder and handing Harley, who was wearing a fuzzy Santa hat, C9 replacement bulbs.

  “When Harley Medford does Christmas, Christmas knows it’s been done.” Harley chuckled.

  I rolled my eyes. “For someone who makes a living delivering the perfect line at the perfect time, that was really corny.”

  He laughed as he screwed a white light into the empty socket next to a red one. “Maybe, but you have to admit the place is looking pretty festive.” Harley climbed down the ladder, then stood back to admire his work.

  “It really does,” I said as we admired the lights. “And the Santa on the roof with the eight dogs pulling the sleigh is adorable. Where did you get them anyway?”

  “Special order. I wanted the shelter to really stand out. The lights are great, but the sleigh with the dogs gives the place character as well as identity.”

  “I’d say we have a very good chance at winning the competition the chamber is hosting.”

  “That’s the plan.” Harley crossed his arms and gazed at the building. “I still need to put lights around the windows, and I don’t want to forget the wreaths I picked up in town.” He turned and headed to his truck, with Serena and me tagging along behind. It was less than two weeks until Christmas and the whole town of Rescue had gone just a bit Christmas crazy. It had started when Jake went all-out decorating Neverland. Other businesses around town decided to try to outdo his efforts, and the first-ever Rescue, Alaska decorating war was born. When the gang at the animal shelter decided we needed to take part, we were fortunate to have Harley announce he was all-in and not only provided the funds to buy the decorations but the labor to put them up too.

  “How did the rescue go?” Harley asked.

  “Well. It turned out the man who thought he was Santa was rescued by the man himself.”

  “Huh?” Serena said as Harley began handing her wreathes to carry.

  I took a minute to fill them in.

  “That’s kind of fun in a ten-days-before-Christmas way.” Serena’s eyes danced with merriment as she spoke.

  “That’s what Wyatt and I thought. Of course, Landon and Jake were all practical, with their there’s-no-such-thing-as-Santa response.”

  “That isn’t surprising. Landon especially is Mr. Logic,” Serena said.

  “As fun as the thought of the real Santa rescuing a lost man dressed as Santa is, I wonder who actually rescued him,” Harley said. “Isn’t it a little odd that this Good Samaritan dropped him off outside rather than bringing him in?”

  I frowned as Harley loaded me up with wreaths too. “I guess it is. Mr. Clauston was obviously confused. It does seem whoever brought him back to the inn would want to make sure he was safe, with people who would look out for him.”

  “Unless it really was Santa and he didn’t want to blow his cover.” Serena giggled. “Speaking of Santa, did you volunteer at the Christmas Festival as you planned?”

  “For a while,” I answered. “I signed up for a four-hour shift but was called in on the rescue after the first hour.”

  “How was the festival?” Serena asked.

  “Fun, in an overdone way.”

  Serena raised a brow. “Overdone?”

  “It was just a lot. A lot of people, a lot of decorations, a lot of music, and a lot of food. Everyone looked as if they were having fun, though. Are you still volunteering tomorrow?”

  Serena smiled. “Yes. And I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “I never did get around to signing up for a shift,” Harley said. “But I’d like to go. Is it going on all weekend?”

  “Until five o’clock tomorrow,” I confirmed.

  “I don’t suppose you want to come along and show me around?” Harley asked.

  I shrugged. “Sure. I can do that. Just let me know what time you want to go.”

  “I’ll text you.”

  I set the last load of wreaths on the reception desk and stood back to take it all in. The shelter was going to be more festively decorated than the North Pole if Harley had his way.

  “It looks like the couple who are adopting the malamute we took in last week are here,” Serena said after she set the wreaths in her arms on the counter next to mine. “I’ll go talk to them. Be sure to save a few wreaths for the reception area.”

  “We should string lights inside as well,” I added as Serena began to walk away.

  “There are boxes of lights in the office,” she said over her shoulder.

  I picked up one of the wreaths and began tying on a bow from the spool of thick red ribbon Harley had bought. “Maybe we should wrap the front door like a present. It’s protected from all but a direct northerly, so it probably won’t get ruined in the wind, and it would look festive.”

  “It seems someone has found the Christmas spirit,” Harley said. “You weren’t all that enthusiastic about decorating when Serena first suggested it.”

  “I was enthusiastic. I was just concerned about the cost and time commitment. But then you stepped up to help. And there’s something about a rescue involving Santa that brings the magic of the season into play.”

  “Well, I’m happy the whole team is behind the project.” Harley took a step back and looked at the building. “Maybe we need lights in the trees.”

  “That would look awesome, but I’m not sure the electrical system can handle many more lights than we already have.”

  “I guess I’ll have to upgrade the electrical system before next year. I bought a generator for the house. Maybe something like that would work for tree lights.”

  “If you want to go to all that expense, I think it would look great.”

  Harley and I worked side by side until the shelter looked as if it might ignite from all the lights. I was just about to suggest we head inside fo
r some hot cocoa when a man in a Chevy truck pulled up, got out, opened the back door, lifted an adorable yellow puppy who looked to be some sort of lab mix into his arms, and headed toward me.

  “Do you work here?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m a volunteer.”

  He handed me the puppy, who I estimated to be four months old, turned, and walked back to his truck.

  “Wait,” I called after him. When he didn’t stop, I thrust the puppy into Harley’s arms and took off at a jog. “Are you surrendering this puppy?”

  The man opened the driver’s side door to his truck. “I am.”

  “Why?”

  He glared at me with angry eyes. “I don’t want or need a dog.”

  “So why did you get one?”

  “I didn’t. My mother wasn’t happy that I decided to live all alone in this godforsaken wilderness, so she decided to remedy the situation by giving me a forty-pound pooping and chewing machine.”

  I put my hand out to stop him from leaving before I could have my say. “Puppies chew and poop in the most inopportune places, but with a little training…”

  He slipped into the truck. “I’m not interested.”

  “Do you live here in town?” I wondered.

  He shook his head. “About an hour north of here. Now, if you don’t mind…”

  I stood back. He closed his door and drove away.

  I stamped down my anger. Some people! Of course I was glad the man had dropped the puppy off with us and not simply abandoned it, as some folks were apt to do. I watched the truck pull onto the highway and out of sight, then turned around and headed to where the pup was slathering doggy kisses all over Harley’s face. I laughed. “He likes you.”

  “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I have room in my life for a dog.”

  Feigning innocence, I replied, “Did I say I thought you’d be a good match for this little cutie?”

  “No, but I know you, and I’ve seen you work your magic on others. First, you point out how cute the little guy is, and then you casually mention how much the pup likes me. Once I admit to that, in theory at least, you segue into a comment about it being the holidays and the shelter being overcrowded, and say how nice it would be if the pup had a home for Christmas. While I attempt to extract myself from the situation by pointing out all the very real reasons a puppy wouldn’t work for me, eventually, I find myself seduced by your sweet smile and big brown eyes, and before I realize what’s happened, this energetic little chewing machine is entrenched in my house, happily eating my sofa, as I try to figure out how on earth you talked me into bringing him home in the first place.”