Page 74 of The Ice Sisters

Santa took Mazie by the arm. “Come on, sweetie, your friend and I will get her help together.”

Santa grabbed Ms. Barbara’s arm, too. Her eyes widened and she made a strangled sound as Santa hauled her toward a van. “Where are we going?” Mazie asked.

Santa pushed her into the back seat. Ms. Barbara shoved at Santa but he pulled a gun from inside his Santa suit and aimed it at her.

Mazie opened her mouth to scream, but he turned the gun toward her and Ms. Barbara got in the back seat with her. Seconds later he tied Ms. Barbara’s hands together, then he hurried to the driver’s side, jumped in and sped away.

Mazie burst into tears and leaned against Ms. Barbara as they left her mama behind.

NINETY

EMERALD FALLS

Ellie had just climbed in her car when her phone trilled. Seeing her captain’s number, she connected. “Captain?”

“We just received a call from the owner of the taco food truck in Emerald Falls. She claims she saw Santa dragging a little girl and Barbara Thacker into a van.”

“When was that?”

“A few minutes ago.”

Ellie’s pulse jumped. “I’ll head there now.” She hung up and called Derrick.

“What is it?”

“Cap just called. Possible kidnapping in Emerald Falls. I’m on my way.”

“I’ll ride with you.”

He got out, locked his car and joined her, his expression grim.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

His eyes darkened. “Lindsey’s son is sick. She’s on the way to the hospital with him now.”

Ellie clenched her hands. “Do you need to go to Atlanta?”

He shifted. “No, she’ll call if I need to come.”

Derrick cared a lot about those children and was a mentor to them. “I hope the little boy’s okay.”

His look softened. “Yeah, me, too.”

A few stars glittered through the haze of fog washing over the mountain as she drove through town, and she noticed the parking lot at the Corner Café was practically vacant. The traffic was minimal as she wound up the mountain toward Emerald Falls, the silence in the car so tense she felt herself willing Derrick to talk.

Minutes ticked by and the town’s lights disappeared behind them as the highway faded into farmland and country roads pocked with uneven ground. Old farmhouses and cabins dotted the landscape, and she passed a pasture of black Angus before they dove deeper into the mountains.

A few minutes later, she entered Emerald Falls. Booths and vendors were closing up, people heading home for the night. Ellie parked and she and Derrick got out, scanning the street for the taco food truck.

She spotted it near Santa’s workshop and veered toward it. A small plump Hispanic woman stood by the stand, twisting her apron in her fingers while she paced back and forth.

They crossed to her and Ellie made the introductions. She pulled a photo of Barbara on her phone. “My captain said you saw this woman Barbara Thacker here in town.”

Worry streaked the woman’s dark brown eyes and creased her forehead. “Si. I… saw on the news you were looking for her, that she might have something to do with those children found at the falls.”

“Yes,” Ellie said. “Did you speak to her?”

“No, no,” Hilda said, her voice shaky. “But I saw Santa Claus dragging a woman and this little girl named Mazie into a van.”

---