Back at the constabulary, Michael half expected to see Maguire. But no sight of the dog. Just Janis Jets sitting at the table in the break room. She looked very serious.
"Have a seat." She kicked the chair next to her. Michael sat down. "Where's the pooch?" she asked.
"Can't find him anywhere," he sighed.
"Okay then, we'll look later. I have something to tell you about the investigation." She shoved her iPad toward him. He began to read.
Once done, he shoved the iPad back. "So Betty King's death wasn't an accident."
"That's right. Blunt force trauma by nutcracker." Jets looked serious but Michael suspected she was doing her best not to smirk. Despite the serious implications, the entire scenario felt unworldly. "Something about the nutcracker being sabotaged," Jets added.
"I saw it for myself. When I was looking for Maguire, I took a look at the murder weapon."
"It's not…" Janis stopped herself. "But I guess it is. Death by oversized nutcracker. Bizarre but accurate. So what did you see?"
"The bolts that were screwed into the boots had been removed. Looked like a hurried job too. Mostly yanked. Lots of torn-away wood. Someone used an electric drill. I have no doubt that once the bolts had been removed the statue became unstable." He stopped to think and then asked, "Did the team happen to find the bolts?"
"We aren't amateurs," Jets reminded him hotly, "of course they did. Got them both bagged and they are at the lab being checked for fingerprints."
"That may reveal the murderer," Michael said. "Unless the person was wearing gloves." He scratched his head. "Anyone check CCTV?"
"Betty didn’t pay for closed circuit cameras," Jets said. "I suspect she thought cameras unnecessary because she trained her staff to watch for thieves. What with Elf Two hidden in the nutcracker and her three employees circling the shop, she saved money by doing it the old-fashioned way."
Jets looked at her phone and then back at Michael. "So the interview with Avery was revealing. I'm starting to think Logan is a serious suspect. His job was to stay close to that nutcracker. He could have unscrewed the bolts after the shop closed or early that morning before it opened. Instead of stepping inside, he may have waited behind the nutcracker and then shoved it on top of Betty when she came outside.”
Michael nodded. "He admitted to me that he has a thing for Avery. Maybe he observed her with Betty and thought he was saving her from a life of crime. That day I took them over for the job interview, Logan watched Avery steal a necklace at Lady of the Rock. He took it from her and replaced it before she could object."
"A regular knight in shining armor." Jets looked grim. "I hate it when teens get into big trouble."
"Are you going to interview Logan today?”
"We're scheduled for tomorrow morning. I know he's at Meadow's house. I told her to keep an eye on him. She said she'd report any odd behavior. Speaking of the interview, can you be here? You seem to have a soft spot for the kid."
"I was wondering, is it okay for you to interview underaged kids without an adult or attorney or parent present?"
"Well that's the thing, Mike. You're the adult. Their parents are ‘on location.’" Jets used finger quotes to emphasize “on location.” Then she smirked. "If Logan turns out to be the murderer, we'll call in an attorney and notify the parents. Then I'll track down their whereabouts. I don't care where Mom and Dad are, I'll find them."
Michael nodded. "So who's left to interview after Logan?"
"Thornton and Robyn. They seem to be in the thick of this mess too," Janis said.
"Yeah, Avery seemed to think so." Michael thought back to his conversation with Thornton in the kitchen. He’d seemed concerned about money. Betty paid him a lot to be Santa. That's why he wanted the job.
Jets interrupted his thoughts. "Santa and Mrs. Claus may have been co-conspirators, running a blackmailing scheme in plain sight."
"So I was wondering…" Michael's voice trailed off. Then he cleared his throat. "The tree in the window at Old Toy Trains? It has personalized Christmas decorations with the names of Lily Rock residents. I wonder if that was Betty's way of alerting the people who owed her money? She hid their names in plain sight until they paid."
"That's pretty imaginative." Jets nodded. "It even sounds like Betty. Obvious and kind of clumsy, with the Santa notecards and back room talks. I could see her doing that with the ornaments. I'll have someone on the team go back to the shop and collect them, just to take a closer look."
I'm glad I mentioned that. Maybe I've finally added something important to the investigation. "Okay then, I'll continue my search for Maguire." He stood to leave. "See you tomorrow."
Once outside the constabulary, Michael looked past the library toward The Fort. People crowded the boardwalk, many holding the hands of children, their arms filled with gift bags. He felt the now familiar pull on his heart. The holidays will never be the same for me. Every child I see reminds me of losing Daniel. And I feel vulnerable for the parents who can't even imagine that their children could die.
I don't want to go home.
He pulled his coat closer, zipping the front. Without Maguire, I'll just think about my own problems and get depressed. With a sigh, he stopped to look through the Lily Rock Library window. No Meadow behind the desk because she spent the week before Christmas at Lady of the Rock. Maybe I can pick up a few gifts at The Fort just to keep busy. Sage and Meadow and Janis for sure.
He entered the throng of people walking past the library, taking slow steps to match their pace. Stopping at the window of the Lily Rock Mercantile, he looked inside. A big smile came to his face. The shop proprietor had placed a glass container labeled Dog Bones at the far end of the checkout counter. People stood in a line that stopped just short of the entrance. In an orderly fashion, people peeled off the line, making way for the next customer. The woman in front lifted her child, who reached into the jar. She lowered the boy to stand on his own feet, bone clutched in his small fist. The child leaned closer to the dog as he offered the bone in an outstretched hand.
Maguire wore a red and white Santa hat. Once he'd finished chewing he lifted a paw that the boy took. The mother lifted him up again, turning to walk away as the next person stepped forward. Then Michael saw a sign that read, Stop and shake the hand of Lily Rock's famous Santa Paws. Make a donation to animal rescue on the way out.
Michael opened the door. No dinner for you tonight, buddy. He entered the shop with a grin. Now that's what I call ironic.