Finding Christmas Read online

  The dog jumped up, shaking his head as if to shake the stars from his eyes, then jumped up onto my leg. I took a step forward, which made him fall backward. The pup looked confused, but I’d gotten his attention. He stood up again and I took control, telling him to sit. He must have been taught that by his previous owner because he plopped his butt on the floor. I put out my hand and asked for the sock. He was reluctant to give it to me, but eventually, he dropped it at my feet. I praised him and gave him a treat. “Has he been out?”

  “I took him just before you got here.”

  “Okay. Let’s eat first and work on the training after.”

  “First, while it’s still dark, I want to show you the lights I set up in the back.” Harley took my hand and led me from the entry and down the hallway toward the back of the house. Opening the door off the laundry room, he stepped out and I followed. All I could do was gasp. It looked as if he’d hung every light in town in the back of his admittedly huge estate. “Wow.”

  “It’s really something, isn’t it?” Harley grinned as I stepped out onto the covered patio, which looked like a fairyland.

  I nodded slowly. “I would say that’s an understatement. Now I understand why you had to buy a generator to run the lights.”

  Harley flipped a switch, and mechanical bears began to move across the snow. “I guess it’s a bit much, but I haven’t been anywhere that felt even remotely like home for Christmas for a very long time. I guess I got carried away when I started ordering stuff, but I sure had fun putting everything up.” Harley grabbed my hand. “Come on. I can’t wait to show you the living room.”

  After seeing the outside of the house, I was almost afraid to see what he’d done to the inside, which was why I was pleasantly surprised to find a more toned-down but equally spectacular interior design. The huge tree rose two stories into the air and was decorated to complement the real fir garland on the mantel and stair railing. “Wow, it’s beautiful. It looks like you used a designer.”

  “I did,” Harley admitted. “Sort of. My sister Polly came over and helped me with the interior. I think she was shocked enough by what I’d done to the outside that she realized I’d need a gentler hand in here.”

  “Well, it looks spectacular.”

  “Thanks. Let’s go to the kitchen. I have a fire going in the fireplace and a breakfast casserole in the oven.”

  “A casserole? You can cook?”

  “I don’t know how to make many things, but the few things I can are pretty darn good. After you’ve had my eggs Benedict casserole, you’ll never look at breakfast the same way again.”

  No, I decided. I was sure I wouldn’t.

  ******

  We ate the most delicious meal I think I’d ever eaten, then worked with Brando for a solid hour, put him down for a nap, and headed to town and the Winter Wonderland Christmas Celebration. It was as loud and crowded when we arrived as it had been the day before. Harley didn’t seem to mind the chaos. In fact, I thought he was enjoying it quite a lot. He bought a bunch of items from the bake sale that he planned to drop off for the shelter volunteers and made the rounds to all the booths selling Christmas trinkets, buying things from some and stopping to chat with everyone.

  “Oh look, a baseball toss,” he said as we approached the area set aside for games. “Hold my stuff and I’ll win you a stuffed moose.”

  “You have to knock all the bottles down on the first throw to get a home run, and you need three home runs in a row to win a stuffed moose. I think that’s pretty hard to do.”

  “O ye, of little faith.” Harley gave the man five dollars, then stood back. He narrowed his gaze, turned to his side, then threw the ball as hard as he could.

  “Oh my gosh, you did it.” I clapped after all the bottle went crashing down.

  “One down and just two to go.” Harley winked at me.

  I don’t know why I’d doubted that an action superstar like Harley Medford would be able to knock down ten bottles with one throw three times in a row, but as he’d indicated he would, he managed to do so and made it look effortless. I noticed that when the man handed him the moose, Harley slipped a hundred-dollar bill into the cashbox. The moose probably cost less than twenty bucks, but I guess he wanted to make sure the fund-raiser raised a lot of funds.

  “What now?” Harley asked as he handed me the giant stuffed animal.

  I looked around the room. It was hot and crowded and I really would prefer to leave if Harley was finished with what he wanted to do. I was just about to suggest as much when I noticed two of the men from the ski group standing near the line to the beer garden with two very beautiful women.

  “See the men with the two dark-haired women in line for the beer garden?” I asked Harley.

  “Yeah. I see them.”

  “Their names are Lucas Smith and Reggie Slater. They were on the heli-skiing trip yesterday. The women must be their fiancées. They were in Fairbanks when the rescue occurred so I didn’t meet them.”

  “Do you want to talk to them?” Harley asked.

  “Actually, I do.”

  Harley looked around the room. “Let’s take this stuff out to the truck and then come back. You can introduce me to the guys, which should open the door for them to introduce you to the women.”

  We stashed the moose he’d won and the things he’d purchased in the back seat and then went back inside. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting; certainly not that Lucas and Reggie’s fiancées would look like supermodels. I wondered what they were doing here at this local event. Based on appearances alone, I would have pegged them to be the champagne and caviar sort, not the type to enjoy beer and nachos to the sound of kiddie carols.

  “Lucas, Reggie. How nice to see you,” I said.

  They both looked surprised and not all that happy to see me. Until they noticed who I was with.

  “You’re Harley Medford,” Reggie gushed.

  “The last time I checked.” Harley laughed.

  I made the introductions. “Lucas Smith, Reggie Slater, this is Harley Medford, which I guess you already figured out.”

  Harley held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Anabelle Chamberlin,” the woman who was with Reggie introduced herself. “What on earth is a superstar like Harley Medford doing at this Podunk affair?”

  “I live in Rescue and I’m here to support the local cause,” Harley answered.

  “I think that’s really nice,” the woman with Lucas said. “Miranda Colton.” She took Harley’s hand.

  “You live in Rescue?” Lucas asked, furrowing his brow so tightly, it appeared he had a crater in his forehead. “Why?”

  Harley shrugged. “I grew up here. Besides, I like the slow, steady way of life. It’s so different from Los Angeles.”

  “I’m sure that much is true,” Lucas replied.

  “Can we buy you a beer?” Reggie asked.

  Harley looked at me. “I wouldn’t mind a beer,” I answered, jumping on the opening I needed. “Why don’t you wait in line with the guys, Harley, and Miranda, Anabelle, and I will find a table.”

  I set off across the room with the two women.

  “I can’t believe you’re friends with Harley Medford,” Miranda said as we slid into three of the chairs at a table for six. “He is now and has always been my number-one celebrity crush.”

  “He is quite delicious to look at,” Anabelle agreed. “I don’t know how you can keep yourself from ripping his clothes off.”

  Miranda gasped, but I just smiled and raised a brow. “Who said I stopped myself from doing just that?”

  Anabelle appeared to be impressed, but Miranda inhaled in what could only be described as total shock and disbelief. “Oh my God, Harley Medford is your boyfriend?”

  I laughed. “No. He isn’t my boyfriend. Exactly.” I decided to let that dangle. “So, I understand you two are engaged to Lucas and Reggie.” I realized if I wanted to find out anything from them, I needed to do my prying before the men joined us.


  “Anabelle and Reggie have been engaged for a year and Lucas and I for four months,” Miranda answered.

  “And the four of you are friends?” I asked. “I mean, outside of this ski trip.”

  “Sure,” Miranda answered. “Anabelle and I have been friends for a long time. She introduced me to Lucas after she and Reggie got serious about their relationship.”

  “And the others?” I asked.

  “The guys have been friends for a long time,” Anabelle said. “Tell me some more about Harley. Is he good in bed? I bet he’s great in bed.”

  Miranda gasped and I almost choked on my gum. I suspected my little white lie about Harley was going to get me into trouble if I didn’t come clean. I was just about to do that when the guys appeared and the conversation naturally segued to movies Harley had starred in. I’d hoped to get more out of Miranda and Anabelle about what had happened the previous day, but the guys had been too quick, my opportunity evaporating.

  By the time everyone had finished their beer I’d learned very little other than that Drake and Reggie, who’d been working together, had hoped to use the time in Alaska to convince Lucas to get on board with their project. I had a feeling that the business deals they were involved in could be relevant, but I needed time to do some digging and to think about things. Harley must have picked up on my subtle clues suggesting I’d had enough because he made an excuse to leave the others.

  It was freezing outside, but after the heat inside, the cooler air felt good. At least for a moment.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Harley said.

  I’m not quite sure why, but I burst out laughing.

  “Something’s funny?” Harley asked.

  I hugged Harley’s arm to my chest as we headed across the parking lot. “Anabelle made a suggestion I’m sure was meant to shock me, but instead, it seemed too good an opportunity not to turn the tables on her, which resulted in a bit of a white lie.”

  “I see. Dare I ask?”

  I started giggling again. “Probably not.”

  Harley lifted his mouth in a half grin. “I don’t suppose her suggestion had to do with you ripping my clothes off?”

  I groaned. “You heard that?”

  Harley laughed. “I came over to ask if you preferred light or dark beer, but when I heard the conversation I figured it was safer to flip a coin than to interrupt.”

  I groaned again. “I’m sorry. Anabelle made a jab and I responded. I guess it was pretty out of line.”

  Harley put his arm around my shoulders. “Oh, I don’t know. I think your response was perfect.”

  I looked up. “So you aren’t mad?”

  Harley smiled. “Not at all. Of all the women I’ve been rumored to have slept with that I haven’t, I think you’re my favorite.”

  Chapter 6

  “Piney Portman was stabbed in the neck with the sharp tip of a ski pole before he went over the edge of the cliff and fell to the rocks below,” Houston informed Jake, Landon, Sarge, and me later that afternoon. I’d stopped by the bar to talk to Jake, who’d been having a beer and watching a football game with Landon and Sarge. The bar wasn’t open on Sundays, but Sarge lived in the little apartment upstairs, and Jake lived in the big house across the parking lot, so they often got together to watch sports on the big-screen television provided for patrons.

  “So we just need to test the ski poles of everyone who went up the mountain to see which pole has blood on it,” I said.

  “In theory, yes,” Houston confirmed. “But it’s been twenty-four hours. My sense is that the killer took care of any evidence by now, if there was anything. Still, I have my men picking up all the poles for testing.”

  “If we can’t find any physical evidence to tie the killer to Piney’s death, you’ll need to really dig into the possible motive,” I said. “If one of Piney’s friends killed him, which is what I’m thinking, it seems if you dig around enough, you’ll come up with a reason.”

  Houston nodded. “I think you’re probably right. With physical evidence so slim at this point, it’s likely we’ll need to build a case based on motive and opportunity.” Houston looked at me. “Now that you’ve had a chance to think things over, do any of the five suspects stand out to you as more likely to be the killer than the others?”

  I sat back in my chair, took a deep breath, and took a moment to think about Houston’s question. “In my opinion,” I began, “every one of the men you spoke to yesterday seemed to be lying about something. I don’t know if they were all lying about the same thing, or if each one was lying about something different, or if the lies relate to the murder at all, but there was definitely a cover-up going on.”

  “I agree,” Houston said. He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “I caught a general feeling of caution among all of them. If none of them was responsible for killing Piney, and none of them had anything to hide, they would have been gung ho to find out who killed their friend, but I didn’t pick up that vibe at all. What I picked up was caution and hesitation. In some cases, it almost felt as if the answers they gave me had been thought out beforehand, possibly even rehearsed.”

  “Landon, Sarge, and I weren’t involved in the interviews yesterday, so do you mind going over an abbreviated form of each one’s statement?” Jake asked.

  “Not at all,” Houston answered. “I’d be happy to go over things, but we don’t have much. I can say that Reggie Slater is an investment banker who’s done quite well for himself. After speaking to the others, I had the feeling he’s generally the one who plans the group trips, which have taken place all over the world. Anton Willowby said that last summer Reggie arranged a trip to Russia, and the winter before that they went skiing in Switzerland and hiking in Central America. Colin Barker, who’s a commercial real estate agent, also mentioned trips to Turkey and China.”

  “They all must have deep pockets,” I said.

  “They seem to, with the exception of Piney. Based on what I found out from speaking to the men and scouring financial reports, it appears Piney, who has yet to make partner in his firm so doesn’t make all that much, is still paying off his considerable school loans. In fact, based on the banking records I was able to find, it looks as if Reggie has been paying for Piney to come on these trips.”

  “What about Drake?” Jake asked.

  “Drake is a real estate developer who seems to have done well for himself. He mentioned he and Reggie were working on a development together even before this trip. It sounded as if it was a big-ticket project that would require a lot of money up front, which is where Reggie came in. He seems to have both deep pockets and an impressive list of investors who’ve been linked to his projects internationally, so I plan to take a closer look at how this project might relate to whatever went on up on the mountain.”

  “What about Anton?” Landon asked. “He hasn’t been discussed as much as the others. You said he was an accountant. It seems to me that if money is at the root of whatever happened, he’d be right in the middle of things.”

  Houston leaned back in his chair and stretched out his long legs. “Anton was very quiet and reserved when we spoke. He answered my questions as briefly as possible at times even limiting himself to yes and no answers, and he didn’t volunteer a single thing. Based on what I got from the others, Anton is a good skier. Maybe the best in the group. I’m not saying he was the one who killed Piney, but if his ability on the slopes matches the description of his friends, he probably would have had time to kill Piney and still make it to the rendezvous point at the front of the pack. In fact, a delay makes sense. Everyone agreed he was the fastest, but they agreed he arrived at the chopper after Lucas, who was first.”

  “During your interviews, did anyone mention Piney’s overall mood or behavior before heading down the mountain?” Landon asked. “Was he preoccupied? Nervous? Fearful?”

  Houston hadn’t brought up the subject of Piney’s mood, but it was a good question for the next round of interviews. Landon als
o asked about Piney’s private life, suggesting a complete background check might be helpful.

  I focused my attention on Landon. “I was actually going to suggest you might want to do a search in addition to the one conducted by Houston and try to determine where the men crossed paths over the years as adults.”

  Landon looked at Houston. “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. I’m under no illusion that your hacker skills by far surpass mine, and the more information we have, the quicker we’ll find the killer. If it turns out that there’s any illegal hacking involved, I don’t want to know.”

  Landon looked back at me. “Okay. I’ll see what I can find.”

  “Let’s discuss your results when you have them. I’d come to your place to talk, but I have kittens to care for. Do you want to come to my cabin for dinner?”

  “Yeah, I can do that.”

  “Can you bring dinner?” I asked with a smile on my face.

  Landon laughed. “Sure.” He looked at Sarge. “Can you hook me up?”

  Sarge nodded. “I have leftover soup in the refrigerator, and there are rolls you can heat up in the freezer.”

  “I’ll bring something to go with the soup,” Houston stated. “I appreciate the help, but I should be the one to steer the investigation as it unfolds.”

  “Fine by me,” I said.

  Landon sat back and narrowed his gaze. He didn’t comment, but it seemed as if he had something on his mind. If I knew him, he was already using his superbrain to assemble the various pieces of this puzzle.

  ******

  I decided to pick up a bit and then see to the needs of my menagerie before Landon and Houston arrived for our sleuthing session. Grabbing a heavy knit cap, my mukluks, and my rifle, I headed out with the seven dogs. The minute we left the yard and entered the forest, I could feel all the dogs going on high alert. Yukon and Denali, who usually ran ahead, chose to stay back with Lucky, Honey, and me, as did Shia, Kodi, and Juno. Walking with seven dogs in such close proximity was a bit crowded but comforting as well.