Page 40 of The House of Cross

The fact that we had DNA on the killer bolstered our spirits on the flight home. But now, as I shaved and finished my shower, all I wanted was to set all work aside and be with my family.

I dressed in jeans, a Howard University track team hoodie, and sneakers and went down the stairs. The balsam fir was already upright in its stand in the front room, and everyone was moving in boxes of ornaments and lights. Willow trailed them with Sampson close behind.

Willow saw me and her eyes grew wide and excited. “Uncle Alex! We’re going to decorate the tree now!”

“I know! I’m glad I didn’t miss it!” I said, entering the front room.

Bree gave me a disapproving look. “You need sleep.”

Nana Mama said, “Look at the bags under that boy’s eyes.”

“I’ll take a nap this afternoon,” I said.

“No work?” Bree said. “Promise?”

“Work doesn’t exist for at least forty-eight hours.”

“Good,” my grandmother said. “You want eggs?”

“I’ll get them myself, Nana. I just want to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the day.”

And I did.

And we did.

The simple acts of playing our favorite Christmas music, stringing the lights, and hanging familiar ornaments took me away from dead federal judges and blond assassins. Trimming the tree, listening to my kids chattering and joking, watching Willow’s excitement—it all anchored me in a way I guess Ineeded because when we were finished, I felt deeply content and at ease.

I made good on my promise and took a long, much-needed nap. When I got up, Bree and I went for a run with Damon and Jannie; Ali led the way on his mountain bike.

We ran past the White House, admired the National Christmas Tree. Everyone we encountered was smiling and happy despite the raw wind. Before dinner, we gathered around Nana Mama for another tradition as she read us the story of the Nativity as told in the Book of Luke.

“‘And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,’” she read, “‘keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”’”

Willow went to the carved Nativity scene that sat on the little table by the fireplace. “Like this baby?” she said.

Nana Mama smiled. “Exactly like that baby,” she said. “That’s what we really celebrate on Christmas, Willow. Jesus’s miraculous birth.”

For Christmas Eve dinner, we surprised my grandmother with steamed clams and king crab legs, her favorites. Afterward, we sang songs until Willow fell asleep in her father’s arms.

The next day, Bree and I went to church early with Nana Mama and heard the story of the Nativity. Back at home, we opened presents with the kids. Willow was out of her mind with all the toys she got and all the attention showered on her,especially by Rebecca Cantrell, the U.S. attorney for Northern Virginia and Sampson’s new girlfriend.

Rebecca stayed with us all day, ate roast turkey with us that evening, and proclaimed it the best Christmas she’d had in years before kissing Sampson and Willow and leaving around nine. I tried to stay awake to watch a movie the kids wanted to see, but I fell asleep during the opening credits and soon after went to bed.

After a deliciously long sleep, I awoke to find Bree dressed, sitting in a chair in the corner, and looking at me with a fretful expression on her face.

“I guess it’s him, then,” she said, sounding disappointed.

I sat up, blinking. “I think I’m coming in at the end of this conversation.”

“We promised not to talk work for two wonderful days, but now I need to.”

“Okay,” I said. “Can I get some coffee?”

“Right there on your nightstand.”

I looked over and saw an insulated go-cup with a thin trail of steam rising from it. “You do need to talk.”

Bree nodded and spilled the details of her trip to Hunting Valley and her discussion with Theresa May Alcott.

---